Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

Deuteronomy, written by Moses, is a sermon he preached to a generation that had been born, grown up, and learned of the promises of God in the wilderness. This generation is about to transition into the Promised Land. Moses realizes he’ll go no further and they know he’ll go no further. Moses, an older man at this time, rises to speak to them and seeks to tell them everything they need to know in order to stay close to God.

In this post, I simply want to share several truths taken from a couple chapters in Deuteronomy, specifically chapters 4-6. For context, here’s Deut 6:4-9:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

• Truth 1: Parenting from the Word is teaching our kids to listen to us as we listen to God (4:35, 6:4-5).
• Truth 2: Parenting from the Word aims at the heart (6:6).
• Truth 3: Parenting from the Word is a commitment to repeat the truths of God (6:6-9).
• Truth 4: Parenting from the Word is remembering who God is, what He’s done and then sharing it (6:12).
• Truth 5: Parenting from the Word is teaching our kids that God is the ultimate good (6:14-15).

You and I can’t save our kids — Jesus does that. I wish there was an “Easy Button” we could press and wa-lah!!! A son/daughter, a grandchild that loves Jesus and does so all the days of their lives BUT unfortunately there isn’t. However, you and I can be an attractor to the things of God and I want my life, my marriage, and my home to be a fragrance that smells of the richness, the awesomeness, the attractiveness, and the goodness of Jesus.

And remember these truths too…

Moses “parenting Israel” points toward a greater Moses to com (see Deut 18:15). And, because this greater Moses came, you have someone to turn to when you fail to parent from the Word. Don’t fall into despair when you screw up…run to Jesus, the Shepherd of Israel.

Let’s commit to Parent from the Word.