Parenting by the Book
STUDY 13
Text: Proverbs 9:10
23 September 2001
THE CONCEPT OF “THE FEAR OF THE LORD”
Dear Parents,
THE EMPLOYMENT OF “REPETITION”
Many children think and complain that parents nag at them. Some parents do nag. Others are afraid of being seen as naggers and thus they abstain from repeating themselves.
There will be times when it will be necessary to repeat ourselves. There are times when the Scriptures repeat themselves too. This is not wrong in itself. When rightly used, repetition can prove to be a very powerful and effective means of teaching.
We have a clear example of one who repeats himself. The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1 that he was aware that what he wrote was not anything new. However he felt that though he did not have anything new to teach his readers, nevertheless he wanted to remind his readers of the truth that they are already established in. Take time to read 2 Peter 1 and be encouraged to remind your children on the subject of how to fear the Lord.
TEACHING BY COMPARING
One of the effective ways to teach children is to teach by comparison. Let’s compare Proverbs 9:10 with Proverbs 1:7.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.Proverbs 1:7
Children learn even better when we teach them how to compare and how to distinguish one item from another. Get the children to see how many differences they can pick up as you teach them God’s Word.
Some may not be able to pick up much. However, with time and practice they can be trained to pick up subtle differences. They will be able to appreciate the different aspects of “the fear of the LORD”. The things you would like to point out to children would include the following. There are differences such as “wisdom” and “knowledge”. Note the addition of the concept of “understanding”.
Of course younger children will not be able to appreciate subtle differences. Nevertheless, teach them the skill of how to observe differences. Their minds will be sharpened along the way, if nothing else!
FOCUS ON ONE OR TWO NEW ASPECTS AT A TIME
Ultimately, we can focus on only one or two aspects at a time. Don’t overdo the teaching bit. Children learn best when they can apply the lessons on their own.
Prayerfully,
Pastor Charlie