Long before the founding of Cambridge in 1209, Oxford in 1096, and the first public school, God designated the primary classroom to be the home and family. Deuteronomy 6 begins by giving a series of instructions about keeping God’s commandments. Among this, The Shema, the most explicit teaching of monotheism in Scripture, is given in Deuteronomy 6:4. Following these instructions, Moses addresses the primary teachers of these commandments—parents. The classroom by which God has established and designed for children to be trained is through the family. Therefore, it is within Deuteronomy 6:6-9 that parents are instructed on how they are to teach their children.
Text-Driven parenting will be demanding, exhausting, and take extreme diligence. The cost is worth it. The heart of your child is worth it.
The Source of Teaching
Moses begins by instructing the parents on the source of their teaching—God’s Word. The curriculum that should be used by the parents are the “words that I have commanded you.” While there are many important things to teach children over the years, the most important is the Word of God. For it is the Word of God, alone, that is sufficient, inerrant, and authoritative.
However, Moses does not cease to speak after stating that the curriculum is to be the Bible. Instead, he also instructs parents on the instrument through which it is to be taught. The Word of God is to be fixed in the hearts of parents. Before a child can learn the Word of God, the parents must first have it firmly planted in their hearts (Deut. 6:6).
There's an old country phrase you may or may not have heard, "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket." The point is this: Parents can use the most sophisticated catechism ever written, the most meticulously designed theology course for children, the most programmed children’s ministry in town, and the most expensive classical education curriculum; but if the Bible isn't in the parents’ hearts, children will be ill-equipped and trained.
We’re pleading with you, for your children’s sake, to have a daily quiet time. To study your Bible. Read broadly and deeply. Take notes during the sermon on Sundays for follow-up and family discipleship throughout the week. Be active in Sunday school or groups. Have intentional conversations about all things pertaining to life and godliness.
In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell writes about what he calls the “Law of the Lid.” In this section, he mentions that “leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential.” What he is getting at here is that you can never take people higher than you already are. If you want your children to know the Bible, you'll always need to know and grow more. Be intentional about putting the Word of God in your heart.
The Diligence in Teaching
After addressing the source of teaching, Moses moves to the diligence that must be present in the teaching of children. Moses tells parents that they are to talk about the Word of God always. Deuteronomy 6:7 states, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
What does this look like practically? When you're playing outside, you’re teaching your children the Word of God. When you’re in your home, you’re teaching your children the Word of God. When driving to the store, you’re teaching your children the Word of God. When you tuck them into bed at night, you’re teaching your children the Word of God. When you wake them up and begin morning routines, you’re teaching your children the Word of God. Simply put: you’re utilizing every moment for a teaching opportunity. Every moment the Word of God is flowing out of you. When you’re children ask difficult questions about life, God’s Words should be your response (not experience, feelings, opinions, or statistics). When you discipline your children, you must educate them as to why disobedience demands a response and consequence. There is never a time when you are to stop teaching and training your children—morning and evening.
Text-Driven parenting will be demanding, exhausting, and take extreme diligence. The cost is worth it. The heart of your child is worth it.
The House of Teaching
After addressing the source of teaching and the diligence in teaching, Moses moves to the house of teaching. In Deuteronomy 6:8-9, Moses instructs parents to have their person and household adorned with the Bible. In Israel, these commands were taken literally. They were actually commanded to take the words of The Shema, bind them to their hands and foreheads (v.8), and place them on the doorposts of their homes and gates (v.9). While, as New Testament saints, the command is less rigid, there is still a principle to apply.
First, the command to “bind them as a sign on your hand” gives the imagery that the Bible should drive and influence all the work one does. Whenever your hand moves, the Bible is what guides and directs it. At Text-Driven Ministries, this is what we mean by Text-Driven. The Bible determines everything we do. In the teaching of children, more is often caught than taught. You can tell your children that losing your temper is sinful and believe that fully in your heart, but if you lose your temper every chance you get, that's what your children will learn. If you model godly living in your actions, your children are more likely to replicate it.
Central to my dad's ministry has been the emphasis on daily quiet time. Of the highest priorities in the Christian life, my dad would say that time alone with God in Scripture and prayer is high on the list. Yet, my dad teaching me about the importance of quiet time didn't make me learn it. Physically seeing my dad practice it consistently did. If you're going to teach your children, let your actions be driven by Scripture.
Secondly, the command to “they shall be as frontlets between your eyes,” gives the imagery that the believer must have the Bible constantly on his mind. The Bible isn't meant to be something that we think of here and there, but constantly. Parenting isn't just teaching your children right actions and right beliefs, but also right thinking. The Word of God should be so constant on your mind that it characterizes and shapes your thinking. Your children should think of you as a Bible scholar simply because you're meditating on the Word of God. When your children come and ask you what you're thinking, do you want to answer with worthless thoughts and empty words or the very words of God?
For all of my life, my dad has had a bird feeder placed somewhere where he can see it while he does his morning quiet time. As he looks out the window and views the birds being cared for, he is reminded from Matthew 6:26 that God cares for him. My dad wants the Bible to be constantly on his mind, so he intentionally places reminders around him so that he will.
Lastly, the command to “write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” gives the imagery that your home should be characterized or distinctly marked as a home firmly built on the Bible. Now, this doesn't mean only having artwork from Hobby Lobby with Bible verses stamped across it, but rather that your home emulates all the commands that have been addressed in Deuteronomy 6. When your children's friends come over, their thoughts should be, “Wow, they really talk about the Bible a lot.” When those hurting in your local church walk in, they leave with knowing the Bible more, not self-help quotes. The point is this: when other parents want to be known as the fun house, the sports-watching house, or the great food house, you should seek to be known as the text-driven house.
Conclusion
In Deuteronomy 6, we learn that parents are the primary educators and trainers of their children. Therefore, parents do not come alongside teachers, coaches, or churches; they come alongside you. One day, you will answer to God for what you teach your children and what you have trained them to love and cherish. Will your response to God be that you taught them the Word of God or the things of this world?
Written by Klayton Carson. This article was originally written as part of the Text-Driven Family series for our ministry partner, Text-Driven Ministries. For more information and weekly resources, go to www.textdriven.org.
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