The Bible, especially Proverbs, has a lot to say to us about parenting. We’ll talk about that subject today. We’ll also talk about whether or not we can question God and, from the New Testament, we’ll look at the church disciple process.

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Exodus 3 & 4
Psalm 16.1-6
Proverbs 5.1-6
Matthew 18.1-20

Parenting Teens, Questioning God & Church Discipline

Proverbs 5.1-6:

Parenting & Proverbs

Verse 1 starts “My son, …” Solomon was teaching his son and, of course, God is teaching His children.

Proverbs is full of instructions for us in our daily lives, but it also gives us lots of wisdom to help us be godly parents. In today’s reading, we find some strong warnings about sexual issues:

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
Lend your ear to my understanding,
2 That you may preserve discretion,
And your lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.

I can’t help but wonder how many fewer teen pregnancies and other sexual consequences there might be if we as fathers and mothers faithfully taught the truths in Proverbs 5 to our sons and daughters.

An Immoral Woman

Verse 3 speaks of the “immoral woman.” Most of us don’t think of our teenage daughters as “immoral women” when they text “inappropriate” photos of themselves to some boy, but they are behaving like it.

Perhaps we need to do a better job of teaching them what the Word of God says about their behavior. While I’m not suggesting we use the Bible as a club, we may be softening the truth to protect their feelings or trying to reason with them from a logical perspective.

Remember, it’s the Word of God that pierces hearts. In the meantime, our children are getting involved in sexual activity and making decisions that can alter their lives for years to come.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4.12).

This portion of Proverbs 5 and tomorrow’s along with some of the verses in Proverbs 7 can be powerful tools for parenting and a strong warning to those who are naive or rebellious in the area of sexual immorality no matter what age. You can get a preview of the truths in chapter 7 here.

The Help We Need

Of course, the principles in Proverbs and elsewhere in the Bible are not limited to the area of sexual behavior. God’s Word provides the help we need to live godly and to instruct our children in every area of life (2 Pet. 1.2-4).

Here are a few that are especially applicable to parenting:

How to receive correction and discipline (Prov. 3.11-12, 12.15, 15.14, 32, 18.15).

The importance of obedience (Prov. 1.8, 9, 3.1-4, 4.10, 6.20-23, 10.8, 12.1, 13.18, 30.17, 29.1).

The importance of guarding our hearts (Prov. 4.23).

Anger and self-control (Prov. 14.17, 19.19, 22.24, 29.22).

Diligence/laziness (Prov. 6.6-8, 10.4, 12.24, 13.4, 19.24, 22.29).

Drinking (Prov. 20.1, 21.17, 23.20-21, 31.4-7).

Greed/covetousness (Prov. 15.16, 27, 22.1, 28.25).

Selfishness (Prov. 19.17, 22.9, 28.22).

Temptation (Prov. 1.10, 15, 10.9, 14,12).

Boasting/bragging (Prov. 25.4, 27.2).

The mouth (Prov. 10.11, 14, 19, 31-32, 11.13, 12.13-14, 18, 13.3, 14.3, 15.1, 28, 16.28, 17.20, 28, 18.6-7, 21.23, 26.22-23, 28, 29.11-20).

Lying (Prov. 6.16-17, 19, 12.22, 19.5, 21.6, 26.18-19, 28.13).

Teasing (Prov. 10.23, 26.18-19).

Bad associations (Prov. 1.10, 15, 4.14-15, 13.20, 16.19, 29, 20.19, 23.20-21, 24.1).

Cheating and stealing/ honesty (Prov. 13.5, 11, 16.8, 28.13, 18, 29.24).

And that’s a short list. A good family devotional might be to read a chapter of Proverbs a day for a month and have each person share a truth that stands out to them.

However you approach your study of Proverbs, it’s rich with wisdom for parenting and our own lives.

You might also enjoy reading:

“Christian Parenting & Discipline in a Secular World”

“10 Steps to Parenting God’s Way”

“One of the Most Important Parenting Principles”

Today’s Other Readings:

Exodus 3 & 4:

And Now … Moses

We’re off and running in our study of Exodus. Yesterday we saw how a new Pharaoh came to power who forgot how they were indebted to Joseph and how the Jewish people had been a blessing to the land. We also talked about the rise of religious persecution and prejudice and how we should respond to it.

Moses is now the central human character. His story will help us understand how God is our Deliverer. But here in chapter 3, the man raised in Pharaoh’s court with all the education and privileges accorded someone of that stature has been herding sheep on the backside of the desert.

Just as we learned from the life of Joseph, God sometimes has to allow us to lose some of the trappings and encumbrances of life before we are fully usable to him. And it’s not over yet for Moses.

A Burning Bush

In chapter 3.1-6 while Moses is tending his father-in-law’s sheep, God speaks to him from a burning bush. It’s a familiar story. But have you ever thought about what happens next?

At the end of verse 6, it says, “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” But the next 33 verses consist of a conversation where Moses questions God’s decision to send him back to Egypt. Yet, God patiently answers his questions until verse 13 where it says,”‘O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.’ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses …” 

God’s anger was not aroused until Moses began to object to going altogether. But even then God simply overcame his objection. Unlike us, God’s anger is never sinful but always righteous. 

It doesn’t mean that we should be flip with God but I believe we can take our sincere questions to God in prayer like Mary who after being told she would conceive and bear a son, said, “How can that be since I am a virgin?”

Outright Disobedience

But in chapter 4, after speaking to Moses from a burning bush and answering his questions, God threatens to kill him because he had not circumcised his son (Gen. 4.24-26).

God didn’t make a mistake and forget to check to see if the boy had been circumcised! He is omniscient! He knows everything that ever was, everything that is, and everything that ever will be! But He allows us to make choices—choices that sometimes test our obedience. Moses could have come back and done what he knew was right before leaving for Egypt, but he didn’t.

God was calling Moses to lead His people. Good leaders—godly leaders—are often tested. You can’t lead others where you’re not willing to go.

Verse 24 says, “… the Lord met him and sought to kill him.” But just as in the case of Jacob’s wrestling match with God, if God had really wanted to kill Moses, he could have done it with just a word. God’s desire was that he would repent and be spared.

Why would Moses disobey God in something as serious as circumcision? Matthew Henry says it may have been the fact that he was unequally yoked with Zipporah, a Midianite. Did he defer to his wife on child-rearing issues? The text says, after their son was circumcised, she threw the foreskin at his feet and called him a “bloody husband!” But, based on her quick reaction, she knew what they should have done.

God held Moses responsible for not leading his family. But, ladies, like Zipporah, we can certainly be a hindrance to our husbands by our disobedience or lack of support.

More tomorrow as we head back to Pharaoh’s court.

Psalm 16.1-6:

No One Comes to God Apart from Christ

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips (v. 4).

It is a lie that there are many ways to God.

Allah is not the God of the Bible. Buddha is not the God of the Bible. Neither are we to worship some vague idea of God. False religions can’t lead us to God. Sincerity is not enough. Jesus said, “…those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4.24). We must worship in spirit (sincerity), but also in truth! And the truth, according to Jesus, is:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (Jn. 14.6).

Matthew 18.1-20:

Warning Against Causing Others to Stumble

Jesus gave us a strong warning about being a stumbling block to others in verses 6-7 of this chapter:

6 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

“Little ones” here is not just referring to children, but spiritual “babies”—new believers or our weaker brothers and sisters. We are accountable for the example we set for others and should be willing to forego things that we may have the freedom to do if those things might cause someone else to fall.

Loving Confrontation

In Matthew 18.15-20, we find what is often referred to as the church discipline process. Many think the process is harsh and punitive, but that is not the spirit of this passage.

We also tend to focus on the end of the process and think it only concerns church leadership. The most important verses may actually be 15-16. These verses are an important part of the one-anothering we are called to in the body of Christ.

Verse 15 says:

… if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

This is NOT about you and how you have been offended. It’s about loving your brother or sister enough to say “this is hurting your walk with God and I love you too much not to speak the truth to you.”

Neither is this about becoming spiritual fruit inspectors always looking for and pointing out the faults of others! But it is about being willing, when necessary, to risk being rejected or misunderstood to lovingly confront a sinning brother or sister because of our love for them.

If you find yourself in that situation, you might pray:

Lord, help me to be willing to go to my brother or sister in private if they have sinned in a way that shouldn’t be overlooked or covered in love. Help me not make it about me, but help me to keep the focus on them, my love for them, and their walk with You. Help me, too, not to become a spiritual fruit inspector. Let me have your grace with everyone. I ask this in the name of Your Son. Amen.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about how we might be sleeping with frogs, what to do when we try trusting God and things get worse, how journaling can help us in our relationships with God and others, and how whining affects our lives.

I hope you’ll sign up for my emails so you don’t miss them. And if you know someone who would benefit from this post, please share it with them or on your favorite social media outlet. I would so appreciate it.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Prayer Helps

Do you ever struggle with prayer? Do you sometimes feel it’s just one more thing on your to-do list or that you don’t measure up in this area? Me, too, but these are some of the strategies that I’ve learned through the years that have helped me have a more consistent and meaningful prayer life.

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.