Education
Teaching Our Children
The family, throughout Scripture, is considered to be the basic channel for the moral and practical teaching of children (Deut. 6:6, 7). Within the home, children are to learn the praises of the Lord and His strengths and works (Ps. 78:1-4), daily self-discipline (Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 29:15), and the history of God's people (Deut. 6:20-25).
Historically, the instruction of children was to be in three basic areas:
* Religious education. Children were expected to learn the Law in order to become a kingdom of priests and a holy people (Ex. 19:6).
* Occupational skills. Children learned trades in an apprentice environment and took on such responsibilities at an early age (1 Sam. 16:11).
* Military strategy and skills. Agility and courage were emphasized (2 Sam. 22:34).
Oral instruction was prevalent, with an emphasis on recitation of historical exploits, proverbs, and the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Instruction was to be daily-highly repetitive and behavior-oriented-so that lessons might be committed to memory and result in action (Deut. 11:18-21; Prov. 22:6; Is. 28:9, 10).
Women were a vital link in teaching their own children (2 Tim. 1:5) and mentoring younger women (Titus 2:3-5). They were also trained in professional skills such as midwifery (Ex. 1:15-21), cooking (1 Sam. 8:13), professional mourning (Jer. 9:17-19), singing in the royal court (Eccl. 2:8), poetic expression and prophecy (Ex. 15:20, 21).
The first mention of education in a public setting is one in which the people of God are commanded to read the covenant publicly once every seven years in the presence of all the people (Deut. 31:10-13). Parents are admonished to teach with love and responsibility (Eph. 6:4-7) and children to learn with an attitude of respect (Ex. 20:12; Lev. 19:3).
Taken from The Woman's Study Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment