Deuteronomy 5:5 – 10 “At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
FIRE! SMOKE! EARTHQUAKES!!! THE DEAFENING SOUND OF A TRUMPET! When God gave His laws the first time, the Israelites were so terrified that they begged Moses to represent them. Once Moses had come down off the mountain, he faithfully taught the Israelites everything that God had told him. But were they really listening?
Even while Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the Israelites already were becoming impatient and demanded that Aaron create a golden calf idol for them. Moses came down bringing the stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments, only to find an orgy in progress! And these were the people who had already walked through the Red Sea on dry land and had watched as God then wiped out the entire Egyptian army. At the very least, these folks were slow learners! And later on, when they might have readily entered the Promised Land, these same people chose to believe horror stories from ten of the spies rather than believe Joshua and Caleb, who believed that God could give them victory. (This might be one of the earliest examples of someone believing public opinion polls; after all, 80% of the spies warned of giants, while only 20% of them believed in God’s power to defeat their enemies.)
Now Moses is dealing with people who have been born during the wanderings in the desert. These people have followed the pillar of cloud by day and rested in the security of the pillar of fire at night. The manna has continued to come, as well as water for all this huge group of people plus their animals. And those same animals have continued to find adequate grazing – no mean feat in the midst of a wilderness. Have these people taken God for granted?
Now Moses is dealing with the second generation of Israelites. As God’s prophet, Moses has a sacred responsibility to do his best to teach this new generation the ways of God. Moses starts by carefully going through the Ten Commandments, the God – given foundation for the new life He wants for the Israelites. Please look at the promises God makes in conjunction with these commandments:
APPLICATION: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” The One True Living God does not change. He is the same for all eternity. Each one of us has a sin problem that keeps us enslaved just as surely as if we were in chains. Only God can deliver us from ourselves. Why shouldn’t we worship Him as He deserves?
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
When we make anything apart from God our object of worship, we are creating idols. Some of us refuse to acknowledge God in our own lives and then expect our children to make righteous choices. But ” Do as I say and not as I do” has never worked. From the time our children are born, they will pick up our mannerisms, our ways of life, and our faults. If you roll your eyes at your kids, rest assured that eventually those eye rolls will come back to haunt you! Early conditioning can kick in at any moment, whether or not we want it to.
At the same time, God promises to show loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Him and who keep His commandments. Disaster or blessings? The choice is ours. Parenting is a sacred responsibility, but many of us feel lost as to how to go about it. Sometimes our parents never received healthy parenting themselves. Such deficiencies can lead to generations caught in emotional deserts. One friend has come from a family plagued by depression for generations. Facing such burdens, we might be tempted to quit in despair.
Here is the glorious news: If God calls us to do something, He will give us the strength and the guidance so that we can be successful. If God has called you to parent, then rest assured that God is ready to encourage and guide you. Your parents’ choices do NOT have to be yours! With God’s help, YOU can be the change – maker in your family.
How can this happen? God promises in Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you and lead you in the way you should go; I will guide(counsel) you with My eye upon you.” Again in James 1:5 God tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Do you feel overwhelmed? Scared of bad stuff in your family? Worried that you will repeat the mistakes your parents made in raising you? Take courage! God is still the same Miracle Worker who delivered the Israelites and kept them for forty years as they wandered in the wilderness. God wants you to be a wonderful parent, and He is ready to help.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving and caring for us! Lord, thank You that we are not stuck with all the mistakes our parents made but that You can help us create new and healthy ways to parent, whether we are raising our own children or helping others around us. Thank You that You have promised loving devotion to a thousand generations if we will only love You and keep Your commandments. Help us to love You more each day than the day before. And help us to keep Your commandments. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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