February 28, 2016 - Family Worship

Tony and Michelle Pawlak

MEMORY VERSE

These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. (CJB)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7a

     This week we learned about the importance of worship within the family and how vital it is to pass on our faith to our children.  After God had given Moses the 10 Commandments, he presented them to the people.  The Israelites, being afraid of hearing God's voice from Mount Sinai, were sent back to camp while Moses went back to God to get the full set of instructions on how they should live in the Promised Land.  He then went back to the people to teach them what God expected of them.  

     This passage of scripture became known to the people of Israel as The Shema, and is very sacred.  It begins with "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One!"  God tells the people in Deuteronomy 6:8-9 to "Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." 
     Moses goes on to teach Israel the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
     This week we mainly wanted to focus on verses 6 and 7, " These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up,"    and verses 20-25 where Moses instructs the people that, when their children ask them about these rules, they are to tell them how God brought them out of Egypt.  Also, if they feared God and obeyed His rules, they would always prosper in the Promised Land.
     Teaching the next generation the truths of God and the Bible is so important!  If only Israel had obeyed these teachings, the world would be a very different place today. Let's make sure that we pass along our knowledge, wisdom and faith to the children so that they will not be a generation that does not know God!

Colored pictures from freebibleimages.com