March 21, 1895

Parents are to Teach God's Statutes

EGW

Fathers and mothers who claim to be Christians, and who have not been doers of the words of Christ, who have not educated and trained their children in correct habits, have not brought them up to love and fear God, as God has directed them to. The words of Moses to Israel, concerning the statutes and judgments of the Lord, are also the word of God to us; he says: “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”ST March 21, 1895, par. 1

“Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”ST March 21, 1895, par. 2

Who gave these commands?—It was the Lord Jesus, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud. He presented to the people the only true standard of character, which is the law of God. “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God hath commanded you? then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.” The Lord commanded the parents to rehearse to the children his past dealings with them, for the mighty works of God were ever to be kept fresh in their minds. “And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God [not with a servile fear, but], for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.”ST March 21, 1895, par. 3

The Lord gave them a warning, lest they should fall into sin, forget God, and practice idolatry. But should they practice idolatry, and be taken captive by their enemies, the Lord makes provision for their reinstatement in his favor, and says:ST March 21, 1895, par. 4

“But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God); he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he sware unto them.”ST March 21, 1895, par. 5

What voice were they to be obedient to?—To the voice that spake the law to them from Mount Sinai. “Ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?”ST March 21, 1895, par. 6

In these latter days the light has been shining unto the people of God in clear, bright rays. It is shining upon many who have been led into idolatry through keeping a spurious sabbath, by following the tradition of men instead of the commandments of God; but if they now turn unto the Lord with all their heart to keep his commandments, God will show himself merciful.ST March 21, 1895, par. 7

Parents have a solemn duty to perform. They should labor most earnestly to counteract their own false teachings. They should lift up the true standard of character, and bring their own habits and practices into harmony with God, and be doers of the word of Christ. They should take up their neglected work, and educate and train their children in accordance with the directions given in the word of God. There should be no neglect on the part of parents, no neglect on the part of instructors, to faithfully perform their duty in the fear of God, in lifting up the standard before the young by both precept and example.ST March 21, 1895, par. 8

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Parents and teachers should feel it their duty to deal faithfully with those who are in their charge; but they must also realize that they must deal lovingly and mercifully with the erring. They will need to have long patience and forbearance, to cultivate the power of presenting heavenly inducements in such a way as to inspire courage and hope in those who are defective in character, in order that the erring may make decided efforts to reform, exercising faith in God, who has given them precious evidences of the great love wherewith he has loved them.ST March 21, 1895, par. 9

Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord says, “I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” The Lord has estimated the value of the human soul by the value of the sacrifice made upon the cross of Calvary. Then let every human agent remember that the claims of God are upon him, and that he is not his own. Let those who are obtaining an education, thinking that they will engage in the work for the Master, to advance his truth in the earth, take heed to themselves, and closely examine themselves to know whether or not they are in the truth. Is the truth working by love, and purifying the soul from its moral defilement? God will not accept as his colaborers those who have no real sense of holiness and virtue. Those who wear the yoke with Christ will be in harmony with the purposes of Christ, and will represent Christ in character. They will be lights to the world.ST March 21, 1895, par. 10