Proverbs 6

“My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother.  Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck.  When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you.” Proverbs 6:20-22 (NKJV)

Every Christian parent knows that children do not come from the womb pre-discipled.  We are not given fully mature infant followers of Jesus.  Instead, we get a starter kit containing a tiny human “larvae” and a Bible.  It is up to us to build our children’s value systems and to raise them as God’s Spirit leads.  The last thing any Christian parent needs to do is to throw away the manual and raise kids by the seat of their pants!  And that is exactly what the Bible is: the manual for Christian living and a repair manual for when we stray from the manufacturer’s blueprint.  Even when we have done all that we know to do, our children still grow up and make choices of their own, even choices that everyone knows do not honor the Lord.  We cling to God’s Word when our kids stray off course.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

So, when our children go “roaming” as all mature young adults must eventually do, we hope the Biblical values we endowed them with will override the allure of secular culture.  Only then do we truly understand the great importance of having our children grow up in a home where God’s Word was not just a part of family life; but that the Word dominated and guided our family life.  That is God’s design.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (NKJV)

“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress.  Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids.  For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.” Proverbs 6:23-26 (NKJV)

The “seductress” or “harlot” that Solomon describes is not just a wanton woman.  It is also a metaphor for spiritual adultery.  Only God’s pure Word can keep us pure.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.  I am afflicted very much; revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.  Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your judgments.” Psalm 119:105-108 (NKJV)