Make the World a Better Place—Invest in Your Children

Deuteronomy 6:7, 10–16, 20–25, Instruct your children in the Torah, so they don’t fall into idolatry. YHVH is constantly warning his people against idolatry; idol worship is anything that gets in the way of our relationship with him. 

If you’re not sure whether you have idols in your life, then ask yourself this question: What is of higher priority in your life than serving YHVH? What in your life takes more of your time, energy and money than serving YHVH? What draws your heart away from the study of his written Word, from prayer and fellowship? What or who hinders you from moving forward in your spiritual walk? What in your life keeps YHVH from getting out of a spiritual box in your life? This is idolatry!

Our children follow our example more than our words. By our actions, if YHVH isn’t first in our life our children will follow our example and will be prone to perpetuate our idolatrous ways down the generational line.

Several times YHVH instructs the children of Israel to be certain to instruct their children in the ways of Torah-righteousness. In the Shema, YHVH commands, “And you shall teach them [i.e. his Word] diligently to your children, and 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 up” (6:7). Then in verses 20–25 of the same chapter we read, 

“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which YHVH our Elohim has commanded you?’ Then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and YHVH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and YHVH showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And YHVH commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear YHVH our Elohim, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before YHVH our Elohim, as He has commanded us.’”

Too often in the church-system the children have had to take the backseat when it comes to discipleship and ministry. They get a few table scraps thrown at them called “Vacation Bible School” (once a year) and a little “Jonah and the Whale” type teaching on Sunday morning accompanied by some, often inane, craft project. Seldom does the head pastor of the church bother with the children’s ministry. Usually, this function is relegated to the younger associate pastor. Typically, the position of “Youth Pastor” is viewed as nothing more than a stepping stone to the “top dog” position of “Head Pastor.” Furthermore, seldom do parents spend any meaningful time during the week instructing their children in the ways of YHVH. As redeemed Israelites, it is our opportunity to follow the Torah and to place the highest ministry priority on instructing our children in the truths of the written Torah, in the truth of Yeshua the Living Torah, and in the fundamentals of who they are as members of the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12) and in preparing them for the kingdom of Elohim. If we don’t, who will? As parents, what are you doing on a regular basis to diligently instruct your children all day, every day? As grandparents, aunts and uncles and members of gospel-orientated Torah community, what are you doing to help in teaching the children? What was the attitude of the disciples when they attempted to shoo the children away from Yeshua. What was Yeshua’s response? Read and compare Matthew 19:13–15 with 18:1–5 and go and do likewise, for they are our future and our legacy!

 

2 thoughts on “Make the World a Better Place—Invest in Your Children

  1. So True what you write Natan; our earliest experiences as a family were originally in a Sunday Church. 1991 My eldest son was maybe 4 & 1/2 yrs of age. I remember the Sunday am services were about 2 hrs maybe or a bit shorter depending ..praise & worship then the children were sent out with volunteer children’s church teacher / leader to an adjacent building where they had what we would call children’s program or Sunday School.,..yes my son was only talking about this today ..( memories of) saying re the Jonah story & Noah etc… They certainly did not teach the children re the truth of the word that we now have come to understand from a more Hebraic view point. BUT that has been a long journey in itself ; like your post the Road to Salvation is a process. Loved the picture to the post also.

    It looked like or now appears to me the Truth was only half taught to the Leaders themselves & there were so many BIG BLIND SPOTS LEFT OF THE BABYLONIAL CHURCH SYSTEM THAT ONE HAS TO WEAN & DETOX OURSELVES FROM.

    That can be a huge process because we are going against the majority rule here.! amongst leadership & the congregants. Christmas was the big focus @ the end of the year with carols & of course the Easter story.

    I look back and Praise Elohim that he had us look beyond all that & started to reveal HIDDEN TRUTHS TO US THRU HIS WORD..OH HOW BLIND & IGNORANT OF THE WORD WE HAD BEEN. ( in some places ) We were truly shocked how deceived we & the majority had been. But we did an about face turn in the other direction & we haven’t looked back since : this was from Sept 2003. Onwards. Yes @ times it has been lonely. But thank goodness for this Blog & your guidance & encouragement Natan and like minded believers + some close friends who have also escaped the strongholds of the so called traditional church system.

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