Spain Day 3

I haven't heard an official report but I know that even as I write this post it is 8:00pm and they are into the second evening of meetings at the conference. That means that Rick and crew have met my friends Paco, Ramon, and Jeremy. Hopefully they have had opportunities to share about investing in children. Great stuff!

Judges 2.10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

This took place after the events recorded in Deureronomy. Let me remind you of what the Lord had said then.

Deut. 6:1-9 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you--'a land flowing with milk and honey.'

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. "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. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

So check it out -- in Judges we find the children of Israel without knowledge of the Lord or the works that God had done! Someone really dropped the ball. Someone didn't listen to the Lord's command here in Deut. If they had diligently taught them, they at least could not claim ignorance. What a shame!

And what a shame to let today's next generation suffer the same ignorance. Bringing them up in church is not the answer. Sending them to Christian schools is not the answer. Homeschooling alone is not the answer. So what is? There is a critical component tucked inside that command in Deuteronomy -- functional relationship. Relationship that works involves communication. It also involves integrity. We speak clearly and we live what we speak. They must both be happening. It is crucial to impartation. That is why we see a picture of formal education ("teach them diligently") coupled with everyday life ("when you sit...when you walk...when you lie down...when you rise up.") It is the whole picture.

This would be a great time to plug homeschooling. I mean, can you think of a better venue for sitting and walking and lying down and rising up within a context relaxed enough to actually allow for meaningful conversation? It is ideal. But in all actuality those who make this command a priority can accomplish this in a variety of settings. Functional relationship is the real key.

Teach it clearly; live it sincerely. For those who are willing to do just that, another generation will emerge ready to carry the torch.