“When your son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son …” (Deuteronomy 6:20-21).
The Extraordinary Father is a man who readily understands that a biblical legacy is not only his privilege and his opportunity, it is also his responsibility. In the matter of Adam and Eve before their encounter with the snake, we learn the power and the blessings of a God-given legacy. In Cain we learn the tragedy of its loss.
Following the ravages of Adam and Eve’s disobedience it was necessary for our Father to teach us all about His “testimonies, statutes and judgments.” Then our Father taught us the necessity of generational connection and our legacy responsibility to teach the same to our children and to our children’s children. That is the foundation of biblical legacy.
The Extraordinary Father will know that a biblical legacy is not optional for him and his family. He knows that such a responsibility is not on the table for debate or for amendments. It is not subject to the ravages of cultural change. Biblical legacy must be seen as our Father’s plan and His provision to challenge the ravages of cultural depravity. Biblical legacy is forever anchored in what God’s Word describes as His “testimonies, statutes and judgments.”
The Extraordinary Father will be aware of what the Bible says about the matter of legacy. He will meditate on the biblical message through every page of Scripture. He will apply what he learns in his own life as the first order of building the legacy for the generations to come.
The Extraordinary Father will know the biblical revelation of the serpent’s effort to destroy such a Legacy. He will have knowledge of what the serpent did, and how the serpent destroyed the legacy of Adam and Eve. That is one reason the message of Adam and Eve’s loss of legacy is provided to us. To make this point more clearly, let me give a few illustrations of the fight against biblical legacy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
- In a book from a public school library are to be found these words: “Be kind to your parents even though they don’t deserve it.”
- Some governments now assume primary responsibility for, and authority over, the education of children.
- The twentieth century activated and popularized the philosophy of the so-called generation gap, driving a wedge of resentment and silence between the generations.
- A former University professor in Virginia wrote to and about parents: “When we American college teachers encounter religious fundamentalists…we are going to go right on trying to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussible.”
- In the run-up to the United States presidential election of 2016, one of the candidates is quoted as saying: “…deep-seated religious beliefs have to be changed.”
But the Extraordinary Father will keep his focus on what God has said and not on what men are saying. He will know how to recognize the enemies of biblical legacy and he will know how to come out from among them and not be yoked with them. He knows not to touch the unclean. He knows how to “remove his foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:27).
Here are a few examples of the specific biblical teachings for establishing a biblical legacy.
- “Now these are the commandments, the statues, and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you… that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statues and commandments… thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life” (Deuteronomy 6:1-2).
- “My son attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: that thou mayest regard discretion and that thy lips may keep knowledge” (Proverbs 5:1-2).
- “Train up a child…” (Proverbs 22:6).
- “The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
This is what the Extraordinary Father does. For more specific instructions see Deuteronomy 6.
To Think and Pray About…
- Be thankful for the fact that there is a biblical legacy to be passed on notwithstanding that we live in a fallen and sin-cursed world.
- Consider three or four ways in which you might intentionally communicate this legacy to your children and grandchildren.
- The secular world is no friend of the true Christian faith; keep this in mind as you endeavor to be faithful in conveying a consistent worldview to your children.
Written by Robert Alderman
This chapter is take from The Extraordinary Father. CLICK HERE for more information.
