Week 33, Day 3: The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Today’s Reading: Genesis 28:1-22
Some thoughts from the reading…
It is quite interesting to note how God is spoken of in these early chapters of the Bible, among the Patriarchs. For example, in Genesis 27:20, while explaining how he was able to kill game so quickly, Jacob said that the Lord “your God” (speaking to Isaac) had provided it. At that point, it seems that Jacob was not accepting Jehovah as his own, but rather looking on Him as the God of his father. It is not until chapter 28 that we see Jacob accepting Jehovah as his God. In this time (before the written word of God) we see God revealing Himself to each new generation, repeating the promise and encouraging that generation to be faithful to Him.
Today, the responsibility of passing on a knowledge of God is placed upon parents. Each parent must teach the generation that follows them the word of God so that they will know how to be pleasing to Him. God is not going to appear to anyone, as He did with Jacob in this passage, to tell them what they need to do. It is a tremendous responsibility that is placed upon parents today, and we cannot shirk that responsibility. Often, parents fail to found children in their faith, so that they falter, or fall away completely when they depart from their parents’ house. It is important to not just teach our children what the Bible says, but to teach them why we believe the things that we believe. It is not good enough to just tell them what they must believe.
Throughout the Bible, God is often referred to as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” We see the promises passed through those generations, as God revealed Himself to each one. We should make it our goal to ensure that we pass the promises of God down through our generations today. Can we say that His promises have been passed through at least 3 generations? Can we be the starting generation dedicated to passing His will through to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren?
Question: What dangers must parents today avoid to ensure that faith is passed on to their children?
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Cynthia said :
August 27, 2009 at 11:50 am
We must carefully balance outside influences and keep our children from being swayed by those who are not Christians. We should keep our kids from being influenced by friends and even family members who are not good for them spiritually.
Machella said :
August 28, 2009 at 9:08 pm
We need to make sure our children see us laboring to teach lost souls. If they do not see us making every effort to teach others, they will not fully understand our duty as christians to bring lost souls unto Christ. I’m afraid that our lack of commitment to teach our friends and family members will only lead to our children not fulfilling that duty when they are older.