My wife and I received a phone call at 6:30 one Lord’s Day morning, for which we had eagerly been waiting for several days. Over the phone we heard the tired, happy voice of our son say, “You’re grandparents again—a little boy.” This was their first son.
A brother, with whom I later shared this happy news, made the comment: “He is the second son that God has given to them.” What a thought! God had already given them His well-beloved Son! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Then that beloved Son, the only begotten Son of the Father, willingly gave Himself: “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)). What a divine, perfect pattern of giving that others might be blessed!
If Christian parents desire to teach their children the joy of laying down their lives in the sacrifice of service for others (Rom. 12:11I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)), they will need to have the same desire of heart as Samuel’s mother displayed (1 Sam. 1:1111And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. (1 Samuel 1:11)), the same purpose of heart as Daniel displayed (Dan. 1:88But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)), the same courage of heart as Moses’ parents displayed (Heb. 11:2323By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. (Hebrews 11:23)) and the same wisdom of heart as Solomon displayed (1 Kings 3:7-97And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (1 Kings 3:7‑9)).
It would be well to consider carefully what purpose God has in giving to parents such a precious trust as children. We know that the children of believing parents (or a believing parent) are in a special position (1 Cor. 7:1414For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (1 Corinthians 7:14)). They are viewed by God as holy—sanctified, separated. Is it not important then that parents raise their children morally according to this position of separation?
Throughout Scripture we notice many examples of how the world sought to defile and corrupt the saints and their families through compromise. The various reactions of those recorded in God’s Word who were thus confronted provide a rich treasure house of moral principles to use in raising our children in this “present evil world.”
Consider some instances mentioned in which faith refused compromise. Joseph separated from the world’s corrupt pleasure offered him (Gen. 39:7-127And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. (Genesis 39:7‑12)) while Daniel separated from the food it offered to him (Dan. 1:88But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)). Zerubbabel separated from the help that the adversaries of God’s people offered (Ezra 48Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: (Ezra 4:8)). Jacob separated from the protection that his brother Esau offered (Gen. 33:12-1512And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. 13And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. 14Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. 15And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. (Genesis 33:12‑15)). The Apostle Paul separated the disciples from the religious corruption of the Jewish synagogue (Acts 19:8-98And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. (Acts 19:8‑9)). Such examples might be multiplied, but these serve to show the vital importance of acting on the principle of separation in regards to ourselves and our children that we might be kept from that which would defile and destroy.
In Numbers 6 we learn what was involved when an Israelite, man or woman, was separated as a Nazarite for service to God. The perfect fulfillment of Nazariteship is seen in our blessed Lord Jesus. Only He, as He walked, perfectly fulfilled the “vow of a Nazarite” in His separation to God. On Him alone was heaven opened and the Father’s voice heard to say, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” What satisfaction and joy was the Father’s as He viewed this perfect Nazarite, His well-beloved Son!
On the other hand, for His creature man, this One came in His Nazariteship to do what a Samson could never do—fully, gloriously and forever deliver man from his hopeless condition of ruin under the power of death and Satan. What deliverance to the sinner did this Nazarite provide and what an example—beautiful in its moral perfection—for Christian parents to follow as they raise their children! In Amos 2:1111And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord. (Amos 2:11) we see the heart of God for His people revealed: “I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites.” May we not say that His heart is the same today—that He still desires there to be Nazarites whose service will result in deliverance and blessing for His dear children?
How sad to notice, however, the reaction of the nation of Israel to this great kindness. They “gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.” Do we, as Christian parents, cause our children, who could morally become Nazarites in their lives, to drink the “wine” of this world, thus rendering them incapable of becoming deliverers?
The “sons” in Amos’ day not only were given wine, which rendered them incapable of being Nazarites, but those of them who could have been used as channels of the Word of God to His people were told not to prophesy. Israel had no desire to have their conscience affected by hearing God’s Word.
Christian parents have a solemn choice. Will their children be raised as deliverers and channels of the mind of God to His people or will they become eunuchs in the palaces of the world? How important that our children learn early in life to value the sublime, divine language of the Word of God so that some day they may communicate the mind of God to His beloved people. In Nehemiah’s day the children of the Jews could speak in the idolatrous language of Ashdod as well as the various languages of the peoples among whom they had been raised, but they had no ability to communicate in the language of the Jews (Neh. 13:2424And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. (Nehemiah 13:24)). What a grief to Nehemiah’s heart and a loss to the nation!
To prepare children to become prophets and Nazarites morally will cause parents travail. “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (John 16:2121A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. (John 16:21)). Faithful Christian parents will feel daily what it is to cry to God for the needed strength, wisdom and help in raising their beloved children for His glory.
However, after this travail there is joy, for when the “man” has been born—Christ has been formed in the life—the pain of bringing forth is replaced by joy of the fruit produced. Paul, whose heart was full of love and care for the Galatian believers, wrote: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:1919My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)).
How important that Christ be formed first in our lives and then that we see that same blessed formation in the lives of our children! Though there is travail, there is also great joy and blessing for families and the assembly as a result. We will see our daughters become mothers “in Israel” (Judges 5:77The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. (Judges 5:7))—nurturing the people of God—and our sons become “shepherds”—preserving and feeding the flock. Surely the tears and travail of bringing forth such fruit will be “forgotten” for the “joy” that “a man is born,” for the Lord’s glory and His people’s blessing.
Ed.