◄ What Does Deuteronomy 6:7 Mean? ►

"You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up.

Deuteronomy 6:7(NASB)

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Verse of the Day

There are two mindsets in the world today 1) a biblical mindset and 2) a secular worldview. The first is a God-focussed, Christian mindset that is rooted in the wisdom and knowledge of God and the second is a God-rejecting, Christ-hating, worldly view, that is grounded on the wisdom of the world - where man is the focus of his own attention.

The mindset of the world permeates every avenue of life. It has become saturated in the laws that govern our land and floods into the eyes and ears of every member of the human race... through the media and advertising, through education, entertainment, leisure, work, religion, and a host of other outlets.

Even in the time of Moses, God knew that His chosen people would be adversely influenced by the worldly mindset of the surrounding, pagan nations which was why God gave very specific instructions to His covenant people concerning the commands He had given them: "You shall teach them diligently to your sons," He instructed, "and you 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 up."

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness due to national unbelief, Moses was, once again, preparing the children of Israel for their fast-approaching entry into the Promised Land. But the most important lesson they needed to learn, was to maintain a never-failing trust in God and an unshakable obedience to His Word.

In order for them to conquer the land and live as God intended, they needed to be morally prepared and God gave them practical instruction on how to live in the promised land of Canaan. They were to be obedient to the Lord by following all the instructions He had given them through His servant Moses.

They were to meditate on the Word of God and were to constantly remind themselves of all that the Lord had said to them in their wilderness wanderings. They were to diligently teach their children the decrees and statues of the Lord and to train them in the way they should go. They were to keep God's laws in their hearts and use them to give their children godly guidance in every area of life. They were to develop a God-focused mindset and ensure that their children did not depart from a biblical worldview.

Though this was a mandate given to Israel so long ago, the same two worldviews have marched side by side, traversed centuries of time, and are still very prevalent in the world today. However, the failure of Israel to faithfully follow God's instructions and diligently teach His Word to their children when they sat in their houses, walked by the way, lay down to sleep, and rose in the morning is a sober lesson to us all, for we are increasingly bombarded from all sides with a godless, pagan, worldly mindset, that is at enmity with God and all that is good and true.

How easy it is for any one of us to be influenced away from the Word of God and a biblical mindset into the man-centred focus of a secular worldview. May we recognise the serious spiritual danger we are in and determine to teach the truth diligently to our children, and to our children's children when we sit in our houses, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise up.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for this important lesson. Keep me alert to the dangers of falling into a worldly mindset and help me to keep the eyes of my heart on Jesus. I pray for the younger generation that are surrounded by increasing attacks on the Word of God. Help us all to teach the truth of God's Word to our children at every opportunity and protect the hearts and minds of our children and grandchildren. This I pray in Jesus' name, AMEN.