Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy 6:1-2:
“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. |
One might call it a miracle, but actually its just Living wisely. Living wisely prolongs lifespan. It means knowing how to live, the purpose and meaning of our life. Your life depends on wisdom for strength and vitality. Wisdom "is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast." (Prov 3:18)
Because God is God, the absolute lord and law-giver, fear of God is the essence of sanity and common sense. To depart from a fear of God is to lack any real sense of reality. -RJ Rusdoony "Institutes of Biblical Law"
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One might call it a miracle, but actually its just Living wisely. Living wisely prolongs lifespan. It means knowing how to live, the purpose and meaning of our life. Your life depends on wisdom for strength and vitality. Wisdom "is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast."
The reason for the giving of these commandments is to awaken the fear of God, and that fear might prompt obedience. Because God is God, the absolute lord and law-giver, fear of God is the essence of sanity and common sense. To depart from a fear of God is to lack any sense of reality. Second, "The maintenance of the fear of God would bring prosperity, and increase of the nation promised to the fathers.....The increase of the nation had been promised to the patriarchs from the very first." It is therefore necessary to maintain this fear and obedience from generation to generation.
Deuteronomy 6:3:
"Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey." |
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Deuteronomy 6:5:
And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. |
This is what was to be impressed upon the children, to be talked about day and night, in all opportunities. When Christ was asked which was the greatest commandment, this is what he quoted. This is the beginning of any understanding of love. We begin with a love of God which we seek to increase. Loving God with our mind requires that we try to understand His will with more than emotion. It is not unjust for God to claim this from His own works and gifts, Why should not the creature love his creator who gave him the power to love at all? And since we were created for this. it is by living it that we fully exist.
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Deuteronomy 6:6-7:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. |
There must be heart reality, not mere external conformity or ceremony. The training of children should take place in real-life situations and settings. The goal of education is to prepare the child to glorify God in real life, so the setting for education ought to be real life. Most modern education departs from the Biblical model in that it seeks to teach children in the artificial environment of a school surrounded by the peers.
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