Biblical Concept: Child Raising
Note: All the Bible passages cited are from the 1977 New American Standard Bible. All underlines are mine.
NAS Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. Compare Proverbs 17:6.
Conclusion: Do you consider your children a gift and a blessing from God?
NAS Deuteronomy 6:1 "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 "O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Conclusion: Teach your children authority orientation to God (fear). It will go well with them.
NAS Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up. 8 "And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Conclusion: Teach your children the word of God, it will go well with them.
NAS Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),
Interpretive notes: “Obey” is the compound Greek verb hupakouo. The first part of the word is the preposition hupo and means: “under.” The second part of the word is the verb akouo and means: ”to listen.” A literal translation is: “to listen under.” Children are under their parents authority and are to learn listen to them. An imperative present active inflection is used and means that this is a command to keep on listening to one’s parents. Ephesians 6:1a is best translated: ”Children, you all are commanded to keep on listening to your parents.” “In the Lord” means children should listen to their parents as part of their obedience to God. My verse titles for Ephesians 6:1 are:
6:1a, Children: learn to listen.
6:1b, Children: learn to do it for God.
6:1c, Children: learn to do right.
NAS Ephesians 6:4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Conclusion: Fathers: Power lust versus spiritual preparation.
NAS Colossians 3:20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
Interpretive notes: “Obedient” is hupakouo as in Ephesians 6:1 above. “In all things” means that children need to be authority oriented to parents. This pleases God. “Exasperate”--Fathers, child raising always needs to have a positive motivation.
NAS Mark 7:10 "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH'; Compare Deuteronomy 21:18-21.
Parents: Teach your children about sins of the tongue.
NAS Hebrews 12:7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Conclusion: Fathers, use discipline to train your children.
NAS 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,
Conclusion: Fathers; exhort, encourage and implore your children. Childraising is serious business.
NAS Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. Compare Genesis 25:27-28.
Conclusion: Favoritism in child raising will be noticed and have negative results.
NAS Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the
earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 "For I came to SET A
MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN- LAW
AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
HOUSEHOLD. 37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me
is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not
worthy of Me. 38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me
is not worthy of Me.
Conclusion: God before family. As a point of balance see 1 Timothy 5:8.
NAS Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,
Conclusion: The Book of Proverbs is a child raising manual.
Some child raising examples from Proverbs:
NAS Proverbs 1:8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, And do not forsake your mother's teaching;
NAS Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones.
NAS Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights.
NAS Proverbs 4:20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body. 23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
NAS Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
NAS Proverbs 13:1 A wise son accepts his father's discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
NAS Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
NAS Proverbs 15:5 A fool rejects his father's discipline, But he who regards reproof is prudent.
NAS Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.
NAS Proverbs 17:21 He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.
NAS Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.
NAS Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is destruction to his father, And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.
NAS Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.
NAS Proverbs 19:26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son. 27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
NAS Proverbs 20:7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- How blessed are his sons after him.
NAS Proverbs 20:20 He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness.
NAS Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
NAS Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
NAS Proverbs 23:13 Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you beat him with the rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with the rod, And deliver his soul from Sheol. 15 My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; 16 And my inmost being will rejoice, When your lips speak what is right.
NAS Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
NAS Proverbs 23:24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. 25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
NAS Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change;
NAS Proverbs 28:7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.
NAS Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
NAS Proverbs 29:17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.
NAS Proverbs 30:11 There is a kind of man who curses his father, And does not bless his mother. 12 There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness. 13 There is a kind-- oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. 14 There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords, And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth, And the needy from among men.
NAS Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks a father, And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
NAS Ecclesiastes 4:13 A poor, yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.
Conclusion: Wise lads receive instruction.
NAS Ezekiel 18:14 "Now behold, he has a son who has observed all his father's sins which he committed, and observing does not do likewise.
Conclusion: Children, do not use your parents sins as an excuse for yourself. Be better than your parents.
NAS Genesis 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Conclusion: Parents, there comes a time to cease child raising.