The Parents’ Responsibility

Recently, the writer was reading the Bible together with my son. We came to the stories of 2 families in the book of 1 Samuel, and I took that opportunity to relay the teaching in the Bible, and my own aspirations for him, to my offspring who will soon be embarking on a new phase of his life. The writer firmly believes that to leave behind a splendid spiritual inheritance to your children is the parents’ responsibility. Ensure that they will observe from their youth the handiwork of God through our religious encounters, and that the whole family will thereby turn to and serve the Lord. As well, the writer hopes that the next generation will hold fast to the Truth and be pleasing to God throughout their lives. The theme for the Church in May is “Establishing a Serving Family”. Let us contemplate once again the role and responsibility of parents from the Biblical perspective.

The Books of Samuel record the early history of the Israelite kingdom, and begin with some familial events. Elkanah was a reverential Levite (1 Samuel 1:3, 21, 1 Chronicles 6:27). He used love and fairness to deal with certain conflicts among family members, and employed understanding and kind words to comfort his beloved wife. He was a good model of a husband. Barren and aggrieved, Hannah beseeched and made a vow to the Lord. God acceded to her petition, granting her a son. After giving birth, Hannah kept her vow and presented the child to serve God, so that she was further blessed with more children. Hannah was a praying mother, a rare reverential woman in that age. She taught Samuel carefully, and in the few years she was weaning him, she was able to establish for him a superior spiritual foundation. Although Samuel was later tutored by and learned to minister before God from the High Priest Eli, he was not influenced by the two evil sons of Eli and did not fall into their ways. The child continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with men. In the end, Samuel was chosen by God and became a priest that was pleasing to His will. The Lord had the following declaration about him, “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.” (1 Samuel 2:35)

On the other hand, Eli did not fulfill his paternal duty to properly discipline his sons, turning a blind eye to the wicked deeds in the lives and service of Hophni and Phinehas. Although God had sent a man of God to warn him, he paid no heed, because he honoured his sons more than he honoured God. So Eli permitted them to fatten themselves through their offices as priests and publicly scorned the Lord (1 Samuel 2:29). His sons’ sins were great before God, so that even the people despised going to Shiloh to offer sacrifice to the Lord. In those days, the word of the Lord was rare and there were not many visions (1 Samuel 3:1) God did not wish to speak with the High Priest and Judge Eli, but preferred to speak with the child Samuel, telling him that the house of Eli would be severely punished. Although Eli knew that his sons had brought on the curse themselves through their iniquities, he did not restrain them (1 Samuel 3:13). He failed in his responsibilities to his own house and to the house of God, bringing the wrath of the Lord and His retribution. He and his sons died on the same day, and even his progeny lost the glorious priesthood.

The wax and wane of these two families all hung upon the attitude of the parents towards God and their discharge of the duty to discipline their sons. Dear brothers and sisters, mark well your opportunities to properly guide your children. It is true that today’s youth are difficult to teach. Some are born obstinate and refuse to be admonished; some are hot-tempered and have no self-control. Their attitude and behaviour are the shadows of the way we were before turning to God. In this crooked and depraved age, we should use the Bible as our rules for family life to inculcate the next generation. Employ wisdom and love in the Lord to nurture them. For certain delinquent children, parents should even utilize fasting, prayers and tears to guide their development. To establish a serving family, we must first not neglect the responsibility of edifying our children.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

By: Daniel To

Peace Evangelical Church of Richmond Vancouver

May 21, 2006