Things That Were Written Aforetime...

There is more truth than fiction in the statement, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." But if the world is ruled like many homes today, we are doomed to a horrible fate; we will "come apart at the seams." In too many instances the home has ceased to be a place where love, discipline, and unity dwell. For many, the home is nothing more than four walls and a roof and hundreds of thousands of people do not even have this. How tragic because some of life's greatest moments are experienced in the home. It has been said that home is where the heart (the seat of affection) is, but unfortunately the hearts of many are no longer in the home. Edgar A. Guest noted that it takes lots of living to make a house a home.

The home is not an invention of man or the result of social evolution. God is the designer and builder of the home (Gen. 2:8, 24). He built it for man's benefit (Gen. 9:1). The first home was not a "tract home." It was "custom designed." It had everything in it man needed. It was fully "self-contained." Fellowship with God existed in the first home until sin destroyed it (Gen. 3:1). Loneliness and solitude were not present; God’s love overshadowed everything. The Edenic home was lost through man's sin (Gen. 3:23-24). Thorns and thistles, hard work, and physical pain became the order of the day. After the first residents were "evicted" from their home because of their own actions, they had a family; they were blessed with two sons, but one son rose up and murdered his own brother which may have been a premeditated act. The reason for this killing was jealousy (1 John 3:12), an attitude not likely based on impulse. Sounds like the twentieth century doesn't it? Similar things have happened to other homes; the house of David for example. David took another man's wife, slept with her, impregnated her, and had her husband killed (2 Sam. 11:1-27). His actions were followed by devastating events. One of his sons was killed by God for his sin, and another son (Absalom) became an insurrectionist (2 Sam. 15:6) and was finally killed by three darts thrust into his heart while he was yet alive in the midst of an oak tree (2 Sam. 18:14). This kind of thing is altogether too familiar isn't it?

Sons rebelling against fathers, children rebelling against parents. All such activity puts the home in complete disarray and neutralizes its influence.

The House of Eli, a priest, is another example of a home that went awry. His sons were evil. They knew not the Lord. They were immoral. They committed fornication with ungodly women, and Eli, their father, would not restrain them (1 Sam. 2:11- 4:18). This is what happens when there is no restraint in the home. If parents do not offer training, guidance, and discipline for their children, the same kinds of things, which often lead to violence, will continue to happen. We will have "killer kids" on our hands as one gospel preacher said.

There were homes, however, led by individuals who were devout servants of the Lord; Abraham, for example. Certain promises were made to him (Gen. 12:1-3). God (1) knew Abraham; (2) knew that he would direct his children to keep the way of the Lord; (3) knew that He would be able to bring upon Abraham that which He had spoken of him (Gen. 18:19). We owe this same kind of commitment to the Lord today. Our children must be directed in the ways of the Lord and this begins in the home. If we do not do this we disable our homes and take away their sanctity and rob them of their influence. Timothy had the benefit of a godly home. As a child, before he met Paul, Timothy had the influence of the right kind of home. He was taught the holy scriptures from childhood by his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). In these two women lived an unfeigned faith, the benefits of which were passed on to Timothy. He had what every child needs: parental example and instruction. He grew up in an environment conducive to the development of character and spirituality. We need the same kind of atmosphere because what we are in our homes will be what we are on the streets. What we are on the streets will be what we have been in our homes. Our attitude toward God and His word will determine how we treat others.

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