Title: Two Keywords of Education
Exodus (29) Two key words of education (Exodus 12:21-28)
<Remember grace>
There is something outstanding about the Jewish education method. It is an excellent opportunity to seize opportunities for children's education. Teaching too often makes education nagging. Education is effective only when the opportunity is exploited appropriately. Wood must be cut along the grain, and iron must be struck while it is hot. Don't say the right thing at any time. There is always a lot to nag about. To turn that nagging into proper education, you need to seize the appropriate educational opportunity.
In particular, the Jews awakened a sense of community by reminding them of the difficult times of the nation. So, Jewish children grow up relatively early as they respect their parents, deepen their sense of community, and dream of love for their country and nation while listening to their people's hardships. The Jews have become smarter because they have a clear sense of purpose as they grow older, not because they have unique smart genes in their blood.
Often, when children do well, they treat them educationally, but when they do poorly, they often treat them non-educationally. But the opposite should be done. When your child fails, cheer yourself up, thinking, “You have a good educational opportunity.” Failure is a good educational opportunity. When your child has failed educationally, you can make good use of it to produce a character.
The text clearly shows how the people of Israel used the Passover event as an educational opportunity for the consciousness of holy people according to God's will. What is the best training in training? It is an education that reminds us of grace and builds gratitude. Therefore, if you really want your children to do well, raise them as people who know grace and gratitude. For that purpose, the subject of education, including parents, must first become those who know grace and gratitude. Therefore, the education of children and future generations cannot be left solely to schools or academies, and church education is essential.
< Two Keywords of Education >
Another important aspect of education for children and future generations is hardship training. People have to suffer to become mature. In African jungles, lions, leopards, or cheetahs just kill their cubs when they babble. It is said that there is no need to live only because it is so big that it gets hit by a cow or a roe deer. When an eagle gives birth to two young, if you look closely, the mother gives the meat to the healthy ones rather than the weak ones. Even though the world of eagles is so cold, the reason why we should raise a powerful eagle is because if we have to raise it, it will be bitten to death by a crow.
Raise your children to be strong enough to overcome obstacles. The most important practical thing for that is 'obedience training'. In the text, the people bowed their heads and worshiped as a sign that they would follow the instructions given by Moses, and then went back and did as God had commanded Moses and Aaron (verses 27-28). No matter how much ceremonies to remind us of grace and teach gratitude, if the present obedience is not supported, he will never become a character.
There is nothing more important to becoming a person and becoming a saint than obedience. Even in the life of faith, it is more important to obey the Word a lot than to know a lot of the Word. It is the unanimous confession of many seekers that if they are determined to have the truth in their hands, they will not be able to find the truth. The truth is realized more vividly when we obey as much as we know in reality. That's why obedience is so important. After all, the two keywords for the education of children and future generations are ‘gratitude and obedience’.
Proverbs 14:26 has an important lesson that parents should not forget even in their dreams. “Those who fear the Lord have firm trust, and their children will find refuge.” Children will one day face storms and rainstorms. So, constantly teach your children not to despair in the face of storms when life cannot sail without them, and let them know that especially if you fear the Lord, you have a strong trust and that your children have a refuge.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9, David left this moving will to his son Solomon. “My son! You know the God of your father!” What a great testament. David told Solomon not to remember him or to know him, but to remember and know God. As such, always try to leave faith in your children, and for such faith education, always live with sincere faith from yourself. In the same way, experience the grace of the living God in faith and become blessed hearts who leave a precious legacy of faith to their children and future generations.