I Chronicles 8
Sons of Benjaminverses 1-2
Now Benjamin begat = Bela his firstborn – Ashbel the second
Aharah the third – Nohah the fourth – Rapha the fifth
Sons of Belaverses 3-5
And the sons of Bela were = Addar – Gera – Abihud
Abishua – Naaman – Ahoah – Gera – Shephuphan
Huram
Sons of Ehudverses 6-7
And these are the sons of Ehud – these are the heads of the
fathers of the inhabitants of Geba
and they removed them to Manahath
Naaman – Ahiah – Gera – he removed them
and begat Uzza – Ahihud
Shaharaim and his wives descendantsverses 8-28
And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab
after he had sent them away
Hushim and Baara were his wives
and he begat of Hodesh his wife = Jobab
Zibia – Mesha – Malcham – Jeuz
Shachia – Mirma
These were his sons – heads of the fathers
and of Hushim he begat = Abitub – Elpaal
the sons of Elpaal = Eber – Misham
Shamed – who built Ono
and Lod – with the towns thereof
Beriah also – Shema – who were heads of the fathers
of the inhabitants of Ajalon
who drove away the inhabitants of Gath
Ahio – Shashak – Jeremoth – Zebadiah – Arad – Ader – Michael
Ispah – Joha = the sons of Beriah
Zebadiah – Meshullam – Jezeki – Heber – Ishmerai also
Jezliah – Jobab – the sons of Elpaal
Jakim – Zichri – Zabdi – Elienai – Zilthai – Eliel – Adaiah
Beraiah – Shimrath = the sons of Shimhi
Ishpan – Heber – Eliel – Abdon – Zichri – Hanan
Hananiah – Elam – Antothijah – Iphedeiah
Penuel = the sons of Shashak
Shamsherai – Shehariah – Athaliah – Jaresiah
Eliah – Zichri – the sons of Jeroham
These were heads of the fathers – by their generations – chief men
These dwelt in Jerusalem
Sons of Gibeonverses 29-32
And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon
whose wife’s name was Maachah
and his firstborn son Abdon – Zur – Kish – Baal
Nadab – Gedor – Ahio – Zacher
and Mikloth begat Shimeah
And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem
over against them
Family of Saul – first king of Israelverses 33-40
And Ner begat Kish – and Kish begat Saul
and Saul begat = Jonathan – Malchi-shua – Abinadab
Esh-baal – and the sons of Jonathan was Merib-baal
and Merib-baal begat Micah
and the sons of Micah were Pi-thon – Melech
Tarea – Ahaz
and Ahaz begat Jehoadah – and Jehoadah begat Alemeth
Azmaveth – Zimri – and Zimri begat Moza
and Moza begat Binea – Rapha was his son
Eleasah his son – Azel his son
and Azel had six sons – whose names are these
Azrikam – Bocheru – Ishmael – Sheariah- Obadiah
Hanan – all these were the sons of Azel
and the sons of Eshek his brother were = Ulam his firstborn
Jehush the second – Eliphelet the third
and the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor
archers – and had many sons – and son’s sons
an hundred and fifty
All these are of the sons of Benjamin
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. (7971 “sent away” [shalach] means put away, cast out, to divorce, to formally terminate a marriage, or dismiss)
DEVOTION: Divorce is nothing new in the family of God. It has been around for many generations. It will continue to be around for many generations.
The LORD hates divorce but HE made allowances for it because of hardness of heart on the part of the couple. It us usually blamed on the husband because he was the only one in Jewish culture that could give his wife a divorce.
These two wives and their children were sent away to make way for a third wife. The genealogy follows the children of the third marriage. So polygamy was nothing new in the Old Testament as well as it started with the descendants of Cain.
Why God allowed divorce and remarriage is debated in many churches as they struggle with the fact that many of the people attending their churches have been married before. They have to decide if they can have them involved in any office in the church. They have to decide if they can sing in the choir.
Remember the only unpardonable sin is rejection of Jesus Christ. All other sins can be forgiven but that one. However, the Bible makes a distinction between sinning and living in sin. This is the question before many church boards.
We are living in a new age with many divorced individuals in our churches and we have to ask the LORD for guidance on how the standard HE has set can be faithfully kept in our local churches.
Attitude toward divorce plays a big part in the decision. Here we have a man who didn’t care about his marriage. Confession of sin and restoration is the key to working with those who have sinned in our churches. If restoration is given then there should be no question that these individuals can be used of the LORD in the local body in some capacities.
CHALLENGE: What is happening in your church regarding the restoration of those who have gone through divorce? What is your attitude toward divorced members of your church? Are they unpardonable?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 13 Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath. (1272 “drove away” [barach] means to run away, to chase away, to cause to run away quickly, flee, disappear, to cause to flee, or put to flight)
DEVOTION: War with the Philistines was common throughout the time period of the history of Israel. Gath was one of the key cities of the Philistines. The children of Israel were supposed to conquer them when they moved into the Promised Land but they settled for letting them live and pay them tribute.
When Israel was strong, they received tribute from the cities of the Philistines but when they were strong. they received tribute from the children of Israel. Here we have time period when the children of Israel were strong and especially the tribe of Benjamin.
A nation or a group of people in a nation have times of strength and weakness. When the nation or group of people is strong the LORD can bless them with victory. When a nation or group of people is weak the blessings of the LORD are not present.
We need to look at our nation in its relationship with the LORD at this present moment in time. Do we see our nation honoring the LORD or disregarding HIM? Is our nation helping Christians in other nations as they are being persecuted or is it letting them be murdered on a regular basis without doing anything? Is it our responsibility to help other nations that are too weak to defend themselves?
The enemy we are fighting is Satan but he has an influence over every nation in our world just like he did over the nations that Daniel had to deal with in his lifetime. There are evil angels over every nation just like there are good angels over every nation. As the nation looks to the LORD for guidance it will see victory over the evil angels of their nation and sometimes even over the evil angels of other nations.
Here we find Israel having victory over a nation that didn’t worship the LORD. This is a blessing from the LORD. Should we expect the LORD to bless our nation if we are not honoring HIM here in our nation or helping others who can’t help themselves in other nations? Should Christians even care about other nations or other Christians in other nations?
: 28 These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem. (7218 “heads” [ro’sh] means a person who is in charge, understood as a head which is the uppermost part of a human body, choicest, chief, or source)
DEVOTION: In the culture of the day the families all had individuals who were leaders. These men were the leaders of the clan. They made the decisions that would help them survive in their world.
Today, we have families that work together on some things but not usually the same way that they did in the Old Testament when the families were mostly farmers trying to survive in a world that seemed to be against them.
We always need leaders in our families that will help us stay close to the LORD. HE is the one who gives us the blessing to continue to serve HIM. HE is the one who protects the clan from the enemies that like to hurt families or divide families against each other.
Too often we find that families can’t work together in today’s world. They seem to go off in their own direction and some do well but others do not.
Wouldn’t it be better for families to help each other today? Wouldn’t it be easier if families worshiped together? Wouldn’t be easier if families prayed for each other.
We need leaders today that work to see that families stayed close to each other and worshiped together.
Our world in not different from the world of the Old Testament. Families need to mean something. This only happens with the LORD at the center of the family. With HIM in HIS rightful place families can get along better together and work better together to see that all are blessed of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to pray and work together with our families to see that we pray together for each other regularly.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal. (3205 “begat” [yalad] means to become the male agent responsible for the conception of a child, bring forth, one born, have a baby, impregnate or become the father of)
DEVOTION: The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin has had a unique history. When Jacob or Israel gave the blessings to his sons Benjamin who was the youngest that was predicted to be a fierce fighter even though is numbers were few most of the time. He was liked to a evening wolf that would eat his prey in the morning.
Benjamin went against the other eleven tribes in the book of Judges because they were willing to defend a city that was full of evil men instead of turning them over to the other tribes for judgment. They lost their battle and almost lost the existence of their tribe but the LORD preserved them in HIS mercy.
The first king came from this tribe in the choosing of Saul because of his stature over and above the rest of the people. He was tall. He looked like a good king but in the end he didn’t last as a good king.
He was humble at the beginning of his reign but turned when things didn’t happen fast enough for him. He took things into his own hands regarding the worship and obedience to the LORD. This was his downfall.
We need to make sure that if we want to have victory through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that we are willing to wait on the LORD for HIS way of worship and HIS direction regarding our obedience to HIS command.
Are you willing to wait on the LORD? Am I willing to wait on the LORD? This is a daily question we have to ask ourselves. We might start strong but it is better to end strong as well. Never give up!!!
: 40 And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, a hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin. (2428 “valour” [chayil] means a force, an army, wealth, virtue, strength, band of men, or worthy)
DEVOTION: Benjamin was the youngest child of Israel or Jacob. He was a true brother of Joseph by the same mother.
Remember that when all the brothers were sent to Egypt Benjamin stayed home with his father. His father had lost Joseph he thought to death. Once the brothers returned from Egypt the first time, they told their father that the ruler in Egypt wanted them to bring Benjamin back with them or they would not receive any food.
Jacob or Israel didn’t want to lose his only son from his favorite wife to this ruler of Egypt. However, Judah promised to protect him. This didn’t work out because Joseph had Benjamin arrested for stealing his cup. This ended with Joseph revealing who he was to his brothers.
Benjamin was treated well by his brother Joseph. He received double what the other brothers received.
Here we have a list of the descendants of Benjamin. God showed favor to Benjamin by selecting Saul as the first king of Israel. It didn’t work out because of Saul’s sin.
But throughout Scripture we find that the children of Benjamin were good fighters. They fought to defend a town that was evil, just because they didn’t want to have anyone tell them what was right. The tribe was almost wiped out but the other Israelites gave wives to the survivors.
There are many soldiers in an army. Some of the soldiers are better than others. Then there is the elite soldier. In our time this group is called Special Forces. This tribe has been noted for having men who were consisted Special Forces. They were the best of the best. They were a band of men who worked together to fight the enemy. They were the ones who earned the medals for special service.
The church is to be a band of people willing to work together to fight the common enemies of the world, the flesh and the devil. We need the elite spiritual warriors in our churches. They are the ones who train the rest of us to fight better. They are the ones on the front lines in our nations. Many of them die as representatives of Christ.
Are we training our people to be good trainers of others for the battles we are facing? Are we fighting the right battles? Are we staying true to the Word of God? There are many false teachers around and we need individuals to inform others of their false teachings. The battle for the Bible is real. Pray for our churches to fight the enemy and not each other. Thank you.
God still needs elite fighters for truth. However, there are individual who condemn everyone but themselves and there are others who strike a balance.
CHALLENGE: We need to be balanced in our fight against those who claim to be followers of Christ.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Moabverse 8
Gathverse 13
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Benjaminverses 1-40
Jerusalemverses 28, 32
Saul’ s familyverses 29-40
Mighty men of valorverse 40
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
40 The warriors’ “grandsons” represent the thirteenth generation after Mephibosheth, who was five at the death of Saul and Jonathan in 1010 b.c., which brings us to the Exile of 586. (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 361). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
1 Chron. 8:40. The sons of Ulam are called valiant heroes and archers, and must have shown the same capability for war by which the tribe of Benjamin had been distinguished at an earlier time (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 470). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Chronicles now turns to Saul’s own family, the house of Jeiel (8:29–40). Jeiel’s place in the tribe apparently is common knowledge. The family line is traced up to Saul, and then beyond Saul through a surviving line of Jonathan to a certain Ulam who attains a certain degree of fame (v. 40). It is noteworthy that Chronicles, which is highly critical of Saul’s spiritual failures, nevertheless records Saul’s descendants, and thus bestows a kind of legitimacy upon them. The last branch discussed, that of Eshek, is omitted in the parallel passage in 9:35–44. ( Bowling, A. C. (1995). 1-2 Chronicles. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 270). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
Chronicles now turns to Saul’s own family, the house of Jeiel (8:29–40). Jeiel’s place in the tribe apparently is common knowledge. The family line is traced up to Saul, and then beyond Saul through a surviving line of Jonathan to a certain Ulam who attains a certain degree of fame (v. 40). It is noteworthy that Chronicles, which is highly critical of Saul’s spiritual failures, nevertheless records Saul’s descendants, and thus bestows a kind of legitimacy upon them. The last branch discussed, that of Eshek, is omitted in the parallel passage in 9:35–44. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). 1-2 Chronicles. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 270). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House)
Ver. 40. And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, &c.] Men of great fortitude and courage, though their names are not expressed: archers; skilful in the use of the bow and arrows, as the Benjaminites formerly were famous for slinging stones: and had many sons, and sons’ sons, 150; so that the posterity of Jonathan, whose genealogy is drawn down from ver. 34 hither, were very great; and greater still, according to the Vulgate Latin version, in which the number is 150,000 in the edition of Sixtus the fifth, and so in most MSS. of that version: all these are of the sons of Benjamin; his posterity, whose names are given in this chapter. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 19). London: Mathews and Leigh)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
PRAY FOR HOLINESS
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.1 John 5:15
We can pray that all the precepts, all the promises, and all the prophecies in the Bible with respect to ourselves may be fulfilled in us. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). And if you pray for sanctification, you can be sure that God will sanctify you. It is God’s will that we may know His love; ask Him therefore to reveal His love to you by the Holy Spirit, and you can be certain He will do so. And it is the same with all the various other promises that are in the Scriptures: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).
Are you concerned that you do not love as much as you ought? Tell Him about it; ask Him to shed His love abroad in your heart, and He will do so. Are you concerned about some sin that casts you down? Pray a confident prayer. It is the will of God that you should be delivered from sin; so pray for it. Are you concerned that your heart shall be clean? Well, offer David’s prayer (“Create within me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” Psalm 51:10), and I assure you, on the basis of the Word of God and His character, that He will answer you, and the blood of Christ will cleanse you from all sin and all unrighteousness. Go through your Bible, and make a list of the promises of God to you; then take them to God, use them in His presence, plead them, and you can be quite certain that you have your petitions. You already possess them, and in His own time and way God will give you a full realization of them and a full enjoyment of them.
A Thought to Ponder: We can pray that all the precepts, promises, and prophecies in the Bible may be fulfilled in us. (From Life in God, p. 125. By Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
TikTok is a social media platform created in China, best known for dance videos. Its parent company, in fact, is called ByteDance. Still, like so much of social media, TikTok has grown far beyond what its creators intended or thought possible.
For example, TikTok has become a home for Christian evangelism and discipleship. That’s somewhat ironic, given China’s intensifying war against Christianity and somewhat unexpected, given the lack of clarity about how much control Beijing asserts over the platform. Still, according to the “influencer marketing firm” Traackr, “Christian TikTok . . . drove more than 169 million engagements in 2020.” About 1,800 Christian “influencers” are active on the platform, Traackr estimates, and that number is growing. Christian TikTok is especially big in Mexico and Latin America, reports Vice, where millions of viewers have made the platform “the go-to place for a religious dose.”
“Dose,” by the way, is not a bad word for what TikTok offers. With few exceptions, videos on the platform cannot exceed 60 seconds. On average, that means Christian influencers have only about 150 words to give viewers “content, intimate prayers, and empathetic counseling.”
That’s not a criticism of those who wish to use TikTok and other social media platforms like it to spread the Good News, but it should be a warning. Whether influencers realize it or not, there’s a long and storied history of Christians, especially evangelicals, using new technologies to preach the Gospel and advance the Christian faith.
The most obvious example is the printing press. The first book ever published with movable type was the Bible in 1455. By 1500, an estimated 8 million books had been printed in Europe, most of which were religious texts. Throughout the Reformation, which began less than 70 years after the invention of movable type, new communications technologies allowed reformers to make an “end run” around ecclesiastical authorities and directly appeal to the growing and increasingly literate middle class.
Two hundred years later, the explosion of newspapers played a central role in spreading reports of conversions during what came to be called “The Great Awakening.” These reports not only tracked the travel of evangelist George Whitefield and the scope of the revival, they created interest and anticipation about where it might go next.
And, of course, there are numerous twentieth century examples, from Charles Fuller to Billy Graham to Jerry Falwell, involving radio, television, satellite technology, and the internet. The fall of Communism and the rise of televangelists can both be traced to the use of communication technology by evangelicals to spread the Gospel message. So, the use of a new platform like TikTok is right in line with a story that goes way back in church history.
Yet, the same history reveals the limitations of certain technologies, especially in the areas of discipleship and catechesis. After all, as Marshall McLuhan taught us, the medium is the message. The message is not just the what, it’s the how. And, the fullness of “abundant life in Christ” can’t really be contained in a tweet.
For example, social scientists use the term “parasocial relationship” to describe the illusion of friendship and intimacy that develops between viewers and personalities on social media or television. It’s an illusion because reciprocity is impossible in these mediums. That’s not to say anything insincere or sinister is necessarily going on (although it may be), only that virtual connections are not substitutes for friends and mentors.
Jesus not only taught His disciples, He shared life with them: meals, hardships, joys, conflict, sorrows, jealousy, etc. His command to them to “love one another as I have loved you” is the ultimate call to reciprocity. Reciprocity required physical presence, something impossible in a parasocial relationship.
The key lesson here is to allow new technologies to do what they can do, but not expect them to do what they cannot do. The internet can disperse sermons and teaching materials like no other platform the world has ever seen. It cannot, as we’ve learned through COVID, be the kind of gathering place required for church. TikTok is great for challenging people with truth. It isn’t sufficient for the Christian tasks of fully giving the reason for the hope we have, or loving our neighbors as ourselves, or bearing one another’s burdens, or mourning with those who mourn, or becoming more like Christ.
The really hard work of making disciples must be done, as they say online, “IRL,” or in real life. (BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can’t find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today’s news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
Saul breaks the Law of the Lord then offers sacrifices to the Lord.
INSIGHT
Saul’s fall is fast and far. His spiritual leadership is destroyed before he really gets a good start. Such a profound disparity between how he starts and how he ends is difficult to explain.
It stands as a warning, however. None of us is above falling, no matter where we are in our spiritual walk.
Our regular prayers ought to include what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Again, Jesus says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41).
INSIGHT
Saul’s fall is fast and far. His spiritual leadership is destroyed before he really gets a good start. Such a profound disparity between how he starts and how he ends is difficult to explain.
It stands as a warning, however. None of us is above falling, no matter where we are in our spiritual walk.
Our regular prayers ought to include what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Again, Jesus says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41).
The price of our spiritual welfare is eternal vigilance. (Quiet Walk)
THE NATURE OF SELF
If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Matthew 18:9
The modern cult of self-expression fails to realize the true nature of self. It talks much about giving expression to self, and yet we can show very easily that its very ideas concerning that self are false and do violence to man’s true nature. Obviously, before expression must come definition; and our objection is not so much to the idea of self-expression per se as to the utterly false view of that self that is taken by so many today. The gospel answer to this modern cult is not a doctrine of repression, but rather a call to the realization of the true nature of the self. The clash between the biblical view and that of moderns comes out very clearly in the quoted lines above, especially in the emphasis that Christ places on the word thee. “If thine eye offend thee…cast it from thee…it is better for thee….”
The modern view does not differentiate between the self and the various factors that tend to influence the self, the various factors that the self uses in order to express itself. They claim that man in himself is but the result of these and their effects. Our Lord, on the other hand, draws that distinction very clearly and definitely in His emphasis on the word thee. That He does so is perhaps the real cause of all the modern confusion.
According to Christ, man is not a machine, nor is he an animal led and governed by whim. He is bigger than the body, bigger than tradition, history, and all else. For there is within man another element called the soul.
A Thought to Ponder: There is within man another element called the soul.
(From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 20-21,24, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Instruction Contrary to Knowledge
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)
One of the saddest realities in the modern world is that many of the leaders of evolutionary and humanistic thought were raised in Christian homes, where from an early age they were exposed to the truths of Scripture. Testimonies without number have been chronicled of Christian students going to universities where they were taught to doubt and then to disbelieve the faith of their parents. Perhaps all these students ever knew of Christianity was a set of rules; maybe they never understood the reasons their parents held certain views or the basis for these beliefs. Certainly the foundational teaching of creation has been missing in many Christian homes and churches.
Our primary goal as parents should be to establish a godly heritage—to teach the truths of God in such a way as will be believed and cherished by our children so that they will “keep that which is committed to [their] trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20).
Certainly a more effective way of teaching is to continually point the child or student back to foundational principles rather than to list a set of dos and don’ts. We must teach those under our influence to be grounded in the Word so that they can make sound judgments when away from our watchful eyes. No greater aid to serious study, no better primer in careful reasoning exists than in Scripture. Using it and other supportive materials, a child can learn to think carefully and critically. Not only will they learn information, but here they can learn wisdom and knowledge and understanding. “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research
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