Train Up A Child

Train Up A Child

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:4-9; Proverbs 22:6; 13-15;

Introduction

We have set aside today as our child dedication day. At the conclusion of this message we will dedicate those children who are brought forth. But what is the purpose of dedicating a child to the Lord? We will be asking God’s blessing upon the child and that God would protect the child until such time that the child comes into the knowledge of Christ and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior. This is a personal choice that each person must make and even though we dedicate the child, that child at some point in their life must make their own decision to accept or reject Christ. That being said, the child dedication is more so for the parents than it is for the child.

Some of you may be wondering how this can be so let me explain. When a parent brings a child before the Lord to be dedicated to God, that parent is making an oath before God that they will do whatever it takes to train that child in the understanding and knowledge of God. This is not a simple task. This requires the parents to always consider what they place before that child, both in action and in words. A child that is dedicated to God is truly a blessed child and God does not look on it lightly when parents bring their children before Him. So this morning, before we have the dedication service, I want to talk to the parents and to all of you who may one day be parents. Now let me say this before I go any further, I have two daughters and three God daughters and I am not perfect and have made many mistakes in trying to live for God before them. So if you’re looking for perfection in the things that I will share with you this morning, look to God because although I am trying to get there, I am not there yet. What I will share with you this morning comes from my understanding of God’s word and from some of the mistakes I have made with my daughters.

I. In The Beginning

In the beginning when God made Adam and Eve, one of the first commandments that He gave them was to be fruitful and to multiply. In other words He wanted them to have children. Genesis 1:28a says “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it…..” God had an expectation of Adam and Eve, even before they sinned, that they would have children and that with their children, they would rule the earth. We know that it did not play out this way, but what I want you to understand is that from the beginning, it was believed that children were a blessing from God. Because children came from God, women who did not have children sometimes believed that they were being cursed or punished by God. We have examples in the Old Testament where women who did not have children were sometimes treated differently from those that did. The story of Abraham and Sarah comes to mind. It was so important to Sarah that she have a child that she could not wait for God to fulfill His promise and she gave her handmaid to Abraham. Then there is the story Hannah whose husband other wife made fun of her because she had no child. When she conceived a child, she named him Samuel and literally gave him to God and he became a great prophet in Israel. As you read through the Old Testament, you will find multiple stories about women desiring children and having the joy of seeing their children walk with and serve God.

We all remember Moses’ mother. She bored three children that we are familiar with: Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. Their parents, being part of the tribe of Levi, operated as the priests on the Israelites. So it would be natural for their children to have an understanding of God. Although Aaron and Miriam appears to have walk with God from an early age, Moses was in his late seventies when he came to fully understand God’s call on His life. He was 80 years old when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt and this is what I want you to think about. When Moses brought the children of Israel out, He told them to do something for their children. He told them to teach their children about what God had done for them so that it would not be forgotten and so that they would know God. Deuteronomy 4:9 says “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” Moses instructed the people to teach their history and what God did for them to their children and their grandchildren. What we see here is the desire to help the child know God so that what God has done is never forgotten. Before I go further, let me ask you a question. Do you ever brag on God to your children? Do you ever share with them when God has answered your prayers or done something for you? This is what Moses instructed the people to do because he understood that if the children who did not witnessed the exodus but heard about what God had done, they would learn to expect God to continue to move on their behalf. When we teach our children that God loves them and wants a relationship with them, they grow up with the knowledge that this is an expectation – that they will have a relationship with God. Any two people can produce a child, but it takes a lot more to train up a child in the knowledge and understanding of God. Listen to what Solomon said in Proverbs 22:6.