Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Today, we will begin to talk about the discipline of reading our Bibles. In a world with so many distractions at our fingertips and schedules that are full, it is no wonder that we struggle with this discipline.
I am going to have several posts for this discipline:
- Resources ( Family worship books, devotional books, hard to teach theology question books, apps for reading, etc.)
- Genres - We will look at the different literary genres that are used in Scripture and how to read those and then teach them to your children
- Examples of how to apply and teach some of the difficult subjects and stories of the Bible to your children always looking to Jesus
- Bible story books/study Bibles
There is SO much out there. I won't even be able to scratch the surface, but hopefully, I can point you to some of my favorite websites and resources and help you to teach even the youngest of children to read/listen to the Bible exegetically.
The Law of the Lord Is Perfect
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in yours sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
This week, I am going to read Psalm 19 (focusing on the middle especially) to my children every day. There are so many good resources out there, but only the Bible is the perfect resource. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness in His Word. It is our very life (Deut. 32). It is perfect. Although resources can be helpful tools, do not let them ever replace actual time spent in the Word with your children.
RESOURCES
Favorite websites: (these are where I usually find good resources, but you can usually find them for a bit cheaper on Amazon.) With Mother's Day coming up, you might find a few books you want to snag for yourself for summer reading.
- Westminster books - this is a GREAT place to find books that are full of sound doctrine. They also often have sales and if you go in with friends, you can get books cheap.
- Matthias Media - This is an organization that I love. They strive to produce resources to help grow and disciple the church and families.
- Christian Book - you can often find really good prices on this website, and they have a large selection. This is where I bought Bibles for my children.
Favorite books for you: (these are some of my favorite books that have helped me personally. I don't have a lot of time for reading these days, but even having some of these as resources to look things up has been incredibly helpful.)
- Show them Jesus - if you have not read this book, this should be #1 on your list (after your Bible). This book has helped me in how I read and teach my children Bible stories. It has also helped me personally as I read and study the Bible. He goes through examples of how to read and teach which is very helpful. A must for parents or anyone who teaches children.
- The Gospel Story Bible - this is a resource I recommend for parents to read, even if you end up using a different Bible story book for your children. I like this Bible because it tackles a lot of stories that other Bible story books skip, they quote actual passages from the Bible, there are a few follow up questions built in, and most importantly, the applications are right on. The author takes us through the cross each time and points us to the Gospel, which is what we need to hear every day. It is similar to the Jesus Storybook Bible, but less poetic in that it doesn't take liberties and speculate (the nature of storytelling). The art still isn't my favorite, but is ok. And the only other criticism I have is that the print is very small and can be hard to read because of the colors on the page. Otherwise, a must have in your home! This resource has helped me more than any other children's resource in how to more accurately teach my children Scripture.
Books on Family Worship:
- Family Worship - so good. He also has some online resources available
- The Family Worship Book - I just ordered this, and am looking forward to looking at it this week. I love the phrase used "domestic liturgy."
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