“Is that true, mommy?”
“You shall say to them, “This is what the LORD says:
“Do people fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and
not repent?
Why has this people, Jerusalem,
Turned away in continual apostasy?
They hold on to deceit,
They refuse to return.
I have listened and heard,
They have spoken what
is not right;
No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a horse charging into the battle.
Even the stork in the sky
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove, the
swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The judgment of the LORD.
How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the LORD is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
The wise men are put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jeremiah 8: 4-9 NASB)
“Is that true, mommy?” she asked as her eyes looked up toward her mom. Surely a mother would not lie to her daughter. Surely not! Maybe it was a tease, or maybe it was a direct lie because the mother thought that was the answer her daughter needed to hear. Needless to say, the little girl’s question shouted the truth of the situation—Parents should NEVER LIE to those children God has graciously provided.
- So, why do parents lie and not train up their children in the way they should go?
- Why don’t they teach their children right from wrong?
- Don’t they know it’s much easier to bend a twig than the trunk of a tree?
Children come to us small, so tiny that we hold them in the palms of our hands, and then they begin to grow. We teach them hot from cold & how to cross the street, so why don’t all parents sense the urgency—to teach their children about the goodness of God?!!
It is a travesty!
The LORD says,
“I have listened and heard,
(Jeremiah 8: 6 NASB)
They have spoken what
is not right;
No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a horse charging into the battle.”
If we listen, it is easy to hear parents say: “I don’t know what to do; my kids are hopeless.
Or
If we listen, it is easy to hear parents say: “I will just let them grow up to discover their own kind of religion, and I won’t force my it on my child. Do parents believe they are doing their children a favor—when they fail to teach them the most important person (JESUS)?!!
It is a travesty!
The LORD says,
“Even the stork in the sky
(Jeremiah 8: 7 NASB)
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove, the
swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The judgment of the LORD.”
As one drives along a country road, we see all types of wildlife. So it is not surprising to see birds of prey in their habitat doing the work of the day, flying this way and that. We see birds caring for their young, carrying twigs in order to build nests & worms in order to provide lunch. After they have prepared and trained their child how to fly, then the day arrives for the parents to gently nudge their fledglings from the nest. The parents gently push, the small child-like birds fall so fast and so far, going down toward the ground, but then they find their wings, and they begin to flutter. As they do, the little birds begin their ascent toward the sky. These parents know what is most wise to teach their little ones—That one must know how to fly up toward God!!
Yes, it is a travesty when other parents do not!
The LORD says,
“How can you say, ‘We are wise,
(Jeremiah 8: 8 NASB)
And the Law of the LORD is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.”
“What does make one wise?” was the question asked. Without hesitation, the response came. “Wisdom does not come with age; nor does it even come with experience. Wisdom only comes from God. So how is it that parents can send their children to the best schools, take them on hikes to keep their bodies strong, cook for them the most amazing meals—& still not lead their children to see the purest, most beautiful sight of wisdom ever found?!!
Surely, that is a travesty in any land across the sea!
The LORD says,
“The wise men are put to shame,
(Jeremiah 8: 9 NASB)
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?”
We only need to look to nature to see the beauty found in this world. Everywhere, we see the evidence of God’s presence & of His power.
- We hike to the tallest mountains, & God is there!
- We swim in the deepest seas, & God is there!
- We read and study and prepare, sending our children to the best universities.
- We strive to prepare our children for the world they will face.
BUT—if our children have not learned about the glory of the LORD at our kitchen tables;
AND—if our children have not discovered that they are sinners in need of the LORD’S forgiveness—Then “what kind of wisdom do they have?”
Have parents really been wise in the raising of the children God has given them if then their children grow up and “have rejected the word of the LORD, . . .”
“Is that true, mommy? Is there really a God who loves us? & Did Almighty God, the Creator of the world send His only Son to die upon the cross? & Did this man Jesus really rise up from the dead three days later and ascend back to heaven where He remains seated on the right side of God?”
“Yes, daughter, God did all that for you and for me.”
“So, mommy, what if I never love and accept God like you do? & What if I live my life just as I want, without ‘religion’ standing in my way? What if I choose to believe differently than you until the day I die? Isn’t death just the end of our life, and that’s it?
Surely Mommy, if you are right and there is really a judgment of God as you say, then there is still time for me to have fun in this life.
Mommy, I am just not sure if I believe what you say, so I think it’s best if we agree to accept that we just believe differently, and that’s okay.
“No, daughter, that is not okay. There is only one right way, & that “WAY” is through Jesus!
“For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
(Titus 3: 3-7 NASB)
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”