From Moses to Moms II
In continuing with pondering what moms can learn from Moses – I feel I must first qualify why I would even compare Moses’ role to that of a mother – he is a man of God, BUT – he was the one leading the children under the direction of God, the Father! So, with the relationship being the “go between” from the Father to the children of Israel – the natural connection is to that of a mother.
In considering the things mothers can learn from Moses I saw several lessons that I find not only insightful, but really helpful – even for mothers like me that no longer have young children to train.
In my last posting I left off really at the beginning – making sure that a mom realizes that she should instill the ordinances, rules, behavior, and responsibilities she expects from her children. I would like to interject that Moses listened to the counsel he received from his father-in-law – he really could have been proud and said something like, “look, I spend a lot of time with God – and He is leading – and He hasn’t said anything about that – so I think I’m good.” Moses was a humble man – a meek man, (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Number 12:3.
The next progression I see is the need then to train children to understand that they should follow the authorities that you place over them. “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” Exodus 18:21, 22.
Many children are trained to obey their parents, but feel very comfortable coming up against anyone that does anything slightly different than their parents – in other words they have not learned to be respectful of their elders, or other authorities. Now, I want you to notice that I am very careful to state that you should train your children to follow the authorities that YOU place over them. Obviously, we must obey the law and so forth – but my intent in this is to state that you must be careful about who you allow to influence your children, from the babysitter to their teachers. It is for this reason that I personally believe that a Christian educator is your only choice! Notice the list of qualifications: they must fear God, be truthful (evolution?), hating covetousness…in other words they should be godly. I am not trying to slam those of you that put your children in the public school system, BUT that is not something I personally felt comfortable doing…and I worked at a public school! Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” It is entirely possible that your child could be trained (or counseled by) an ungodly teacher – or a system that teaches ideas and philosophies that differ from the Bible! I will also say that there are some godly teachers that work in the public school and do so for the sake of the children that have no other option.
So, we have gone from training at home, to now working on the training they get outside the home; in this I see that Moses went before the Lord for the wisdom he needed. Mom you won’t need to contend with as many children as Moses did, but it is vital that you go to the Lord in prayer so you’ll know what you need to teach your children. We are fortunate today in that we have the complete Word of God – but do you pray and seek the Lord and His Word for the answers and help you need? Moses was an intercessor – he went before the Lord on behalf of the “children.” He did so on many occasions.
1. He went before the Lord and received guidance. Exodus 19:3 says, “And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;”
2. He obeyed the Lord and instructed the children accordingly. “And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.” Exodus 19:7
3. He was angry with the children when they were disobedient to the Father Exodus 32:19, “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”
4. He disciplined the children for their own good, as God commanded. "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.” Exodus 32:20
5. He helped them to get things right so they could be blessed – like a mom he wanted what was best for them so they could be happy. “For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.”
6. He was willing to die in the children’s place. Exodus 32: 31-32 says, “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written."
7. He prayed for his children according to their personal strengths, weaknesses, and their specific needs fully trusting that God would answer his prayer – he had FAITH! Deuteronomy 33
8. Moses, before he died, sought earnestly to prepare Joshua with all that had to give. He wanted to make sure that the next generation had a prepared leader. “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him:” Deuteronomy 34:9
In truth Moses is a wonderful picture of our Saviour, our intercessor who was not only willing to die for our sin, but indeed died for our sin and our salvation; but I find so many helpful applications that I believe will help us as mothers in our endeavor to see our children reach their full potential…fulfilling God’s perfect will for their lives! It is my prayer that the Lord will bless you! Have a wonderful day!
In considering the things mothers can learn from Moses I saw several lessons that I find not only insightful, but really helpful – even for mothers like me that no longer have young children to train.
In my last posting I left off really at the beginning – making sure that a mom realizes that she should instill the ordinances, rules, behavior, and responsibilities she expects from her children. I would like to interject that Moses listened to the counsel he received from his father-in-law – he really could have been proud and said something like, “look, I spend a lot of time with God – and He is leading – and He hasn’t said anything about that – so I think I’m good.” Moses was a humble man – a meek man, (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Number 12:3.
The next progression I see is the need then to train children to understand that they should follow the authorities that you place over them. “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” Exodus 18:21, 22.
Many children are trained to obey their parents, but feel very comfortable coming up against anyone that does anything slightly different than their parents – in other words they have not learned to be respectful of their elders, or other authorities. Now, I want you to notice that I am very careful to state that you should train your children to follow the authorities that YOU place over them. Obviously, we must obey the law and so forth – but my intent in this is to state that you must be careful about who you allow to influence your children, from the babysitter to their teachers. It is for this reason that I personally believe that a Christian educator is your only choice! Notice the list of qualifications: they must fear God, be truthful (evolution?), hating covetousness…in other words they should be godly. I am not trying to slam those of you that put your children in the public school system, BUT that is not something I personally felt comfortable doing…and I worked at a public school! Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” It is entirely possible that your child could be trained (or counseled by) an ungodly teacher – or a system that teaches ideas and philosophies that differ from the Bible! I will also say that there are some godly teachers that work in the public school and do so for the sake of the children that have no other option.
So, we have gone from training at home, to now working on the training they get outside the home; in this I see that Moses went before the Lord for the wisdom he needed. Mom you won’t need to contend with as many children as Moses did, but it is vital that you go to the Lord in prayer so you’ll know what you need to teach your children. We are fortunate today in that we have the complete Word of God – but do you pray and seek the Lord and His Word for the answers and help you need? Moses was an intercessor – he went before the Lord on behalf of the “children.” He did so on many occasions.
1. He went before the Lord and received guidance. Exodus 19:3 says, “And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;”
2. He obeyed the Lord and instructed the children accordingly. “And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.” Exodus 19:7
3. He was angry with the children when they were disobedient to the Father Exodus 32:19, “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”
4. He disciplined the children for their own good, as God commanded. "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.” Exodus 32:20
5. He helped them to get things right so they could be blessed – like a mom he wanted what was best for them so they could be happy. “For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.”
6. He was willing to die in the children’s place. Exodus 32: 31-32 says, “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written."
7. He prayed for his children according to their personal strengths, weaknesses, and their specific needs fully trusting that God would answer his prayer – he had FAITH! Deuteronomy 33
8. Moses, before he died, sought earnestly to prepare Joshua with all that had to give. He wanted to make sure that the next generation had a prepared leader. “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him:” Deuteronomy 34:9
In truth Moses is a wonderful picture of our Saviour, our intercessor who was not only willing to die for our sin, but indeed died for our sin and our salvation; but I find so many helpful applications that I believe will help us as mothers in our endeavor to see our children reach their full potential…fulfilling God’s perfect will for their lives! It is my prayer that the Lord will bless you! Have a wonderful day!
Terri, you are so on target ! Thanks for getting this message out. God bless you and your tender touch. Your touch is soft, but your message is loud and clear. Thank you for blowing the trumpet and sounding the alarm. God bless you and yours and may your message be received with eagerness.
ReplyDeleteIn Christ,
Debbie and Family