2 Kings 2:23-24 “And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”
2 Peter 2:14 refers to cursed children. How tragic it is for parents to overlook the improper attitude and ways of their children while saying, “they are just a kid” and “they will grow out of it.” Where is there scripture for that in the Bible? God’s Word teaches that what one is as a child is what they will be when they grow up. That is why God emphasizes, “Train up a child in the way he should go” and “Correct thy son while there is hope.” God didn’t say that our children have a self-adjusting system unto uprightness, but He commands that parents bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He also says that a child left to himself will bring his mother to shame.
Conviction and faith in following the teachings of God’s Word for raising children God’s way has almost passed from the scene. Rather than a parent knowing God’s will and commanding their children in that way, parents are following the child’s dictates as to what they do or don’t want to do. Discipline is nothing more than a joke for many. Rather than children knowing what it is to respect and obey their parents, parents are trying to entertain and cater to their children to keep them happy. Why the problem with training and discipline? The parent is having a problem themselves. They are not distinguishing the difference between good and evil, truth and error. Thus the child will suffer all their life long and maybe for all eternity, due to the spiritual instability of the parent.
The question often asked is, “When do I start training them according to God’s Word, and how do I get them to behave in church?” God’s answer is, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Isaiah 28:9-10 We must start right away with the basics and not allow wrong patterns to develop. By continually and consistently discouraging wrong behavior and promoting right behavior, the infant quickly responds. Even an infant knows by the mother’s tone of voice and look whether it is being praised or scolded, thus coming to realize what is acceptable and unacceptable to the parent. A baby craves and thrives on parental attention. They will repeat what has brought pleasant responses in the past, and gradually wean from that which is unpleasant. “Train them up in the way they should go.”
The early years of Moses’ life with his mother were especially important to him. In these formative years, at her knee, he learned of the true God. Her lips taught him the Word of God. It was from her that he knew it was better to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. She gave him the plumb line of God’s Word by which he tested all the learning and culture of Pharaoh’s court and found it wanting. No wonder Satan wants the children separated from a Christian mother in their formative years!
SHARING