June 2: Deuteronomy 6
Raising our children to fear the Lord
This chapter gives us clear direction on how we are to “raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
The first principle is that we must be aiming for our children to “fear the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:2). This “fear” is an awe and respect and yes, a fear, but the kind a son would have for his powerful father who loves him.
We come by this fear by obeying His “lesser” commands - at least those we conceive of as lesser. For instance, by obeying the third commandment, to never take the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7), which means to never treat God’s name as an ephemeral,1 throw-away thing, worth almost nothing. We don’t say “OMG” not because of the words themselves but because if called on it, we would say, “Oh, I meant nothing by it,” and that’s precisely the problem.
Secondly, we aim for this fear of the Lord not only for ourselves, but for our entire lineage:
“. . . you and your son and your son’s son . . .” (Deuteronomy 6:2)
We are commanded to play the long game by creating a chain, starting with the child that’s right in front of us. This is very similar to the chain that Paul commands Timothy to form in 2 Timothy 2:2:
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
Note there are four generations in view: Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father, and he was to take what he heard from Paul and pass it on to others, who would pass it on to still others. In the same way, Deuteronomy 6 envisions four generations: from Moses to the father, from the father to the son, and from the son to the son’s sons.
All of this we do by forward-looking faith. As Paul tells children in Ephesians 6:1-3, the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) is the first that comes with a promise, which is reiterated in Deuteronomy 6:2-3. If they would obey the word of God by faith and fear the Lord, their days would be long, and it will go well for them. Not only for the fathers but also for the son and the son’s sons.
The wise father then teaches his own sons the fear of the Lord out of a forward-looking faith, one that hopes in what cannot yet be seen - the flourishing of his line, long after he’s gone.
Ephemeral: noun, lasting for a very short time