From Generation to Generation
A few short weeks ago I found myself behind the steering wheel of a 26-foot diesel truck with my car in tow as we motored north on I-35 through the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota. Many thoughts were flooding my mind as I considered the purpose of our trip: to move my wife’s parents from their home in Oklahoma City to live with us in their golden years. They had poured much into our lives over the years and now it was our privilege to return the blessings. Was this one way in which we could fulfill God’s command referenced in Ephesians 6:2-3 to honor our father and mother? The Lord seemed to say, “Yes!”
Even though we had communicated to our children during their homeschooling years the importance of respecting their grandparents and the older generation, we now had an opportunity to demonstrate the Lord’s instruction. It is significant to remind ourselves that giving honor or glory, in reality, is saying that someone is deserving of respect, attention, and obedience. I am happy to report that both sets of our parents have loved and honored God and have served Him faithfully in their respective, local Bible preaching churches for several decades. They are examples of Psalm 71:17-18, “O God, you have taught me from my youth: and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, and Your power to everyone who is to come.” We want to follow our parents’ desires “…which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. . . that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments….” (Psalm 78:3,4,7).
Christ-centered home education is more than simply studying a few textbooks. It is a process which passes truth to the next generation. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). The person of Christ must be the focus of our homes, including our educational endeavors.
God is eternal and operates from a generational viewpoint. Many times in the Bible, the Lord emphasizes strong generational connections. Notice some of the references. “…His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5); “You, O LORD, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation.” (Lamentations 5:19). Nebuchadnezzar testified, “How great are His signs and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3)
The virgin Mary said in Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
The many references to the term generation(s) in the Old Testament prompted me to study it more carefully. There are two Hebrew words which are translated “generation”. The first comes from the verb meaning, “to bear children”. Rather than referring to a specific number of years, each human generation lasts from the death of the father through the death of the son. Human history is the way God tells His story of working with human beings to bless them and to accomplish His purposes for them. The other word is related to the word for circle and refers to the life circle of an individual. Generations of people come and go, but God is faithful from “generation to generation” (a literal Hebrew expression meaning forever).
The danger is that a generation will arise that does not know the LORD God (Judges 2:10). Thus, it is imperative that one generation must teach about God’s character, attributes, and acts and write them down for the next generation (Psalm 102:18). God’s people must be taught faithfulness. God is faithful to a thousand generations by His very nature (Deuteronomy 7:9) and His salvation is available through the generations, that is, forever (Isaiah 51:8). As you begin your school year, keep Jesus as the main subject and be sure to look for ways to include the older generation. They are a blessing and have much to share.
We are grateful for the opportunity to have one set of our parents now living with us. It is a new chapter in our life story, but one we are anticipating with joy in our hearts as we serve them.