The day of the Lord draws near. The judgment which will end this present time of God’s long-suffering approaches. The flood of wrath which will soon sweep over this earth piles up like the held-back Jordan of old. The worse than the fiery storm which overthrew the cities of the plain, gathers speedily. In view of this day, let us briefly trace some of the ways of God towards the families of His people in past times of special judgments.
The principle of “Thou and thy house” is not confined to our present gospel era, though, doubtless, it finds fresh force in this day of grace, and the privilege of “Thy house” is greater to us than it ever was to believers of the days of law, or of the still earlier times.
Noah, the preacher of righteousness, the foreteller of the old ungodly world’s overthrow, was not saved alone. The covenant was established with him only, but the blessing of salvation extended also to his family: “Everything that is on the earth shall die; but thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.”
Rahab, who perished not with disobedient, ungodly Jericho, was not saved alone; her prayer for her relatives was heard. “Thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household home unto thee.”
At the time of the exodus of Israel the “little ones” went out from captivity as well as the grown persons. “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons, and with our daughters.” And in vain did the enemy seek to hold the families of God’s redeemed people.
Again, upon the eve of destruction of the cities of the plain, the word came to Lot, “Nast thou here any besides? Son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place, for we will destroy this place.”
These gracious and encouraging testimonies should stir up our faith in this gospel-day, to lay firm hold upon the largeness of the word, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
True religion begins, in every sense of the word, at home. Our most earnest prayers, our strongest desires, our firmest faith should be for our near relatives. The unbelieving may—if they so determine—leave us, but we are not to forsake them, “For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean, but now are they holy.” God saves one in a family so that one may be the means in His hand of saving others. It is His most gracious and loving principle that His people should be centers of blessing, and what so near the center of the Christian parent’s heart as his little ones.
Quite true it is that Noah’s family entered the ark for themselves; that Rahab’s relations passed within her door for themselves, and that each soul must be in Christ for himself. But equally true is it that “when Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, ‘Son thy sins be forgiven thee.’” Our faith for others goes not further than laying our beloved ones in their sinfulness and helplessness at His feet, yet blessed is the answer to such faith when Jesus says, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee,” and “Arise and walk.”
The mothers of Jerusalem did no more—they could do no more—than bring their little ones to Jesus for Him to touch them, but “He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them.” Jairus besought Jesus “greatly” for his little daughter. “I pray Thee come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him.”
Another “cried out, saying, ‘Master, I beseech Thee look upon my son: for he is my only child,’ and Jesus answered, ‘Bring thy son hither.’”
Thus, not only does the plain and loving word say to us, “Thou and thy house;” but the examples of the ways of God with others speak as plainly and as lovingly. Do we read of one really earnest parent seeking his child’s blessing being turned aside by the Lord? May be the Lord tested the faith of some, but only that by Himself strengthening their faith He might make the reception of the blessing more sweet.
Doubt not, distrust not, Christian parent. Pray on, plead on; plead earnestly, ceaselessly, for your child’s salvation. Agonize in prayer—be in pangs of desire, in throes of longing. Nay, and if you be like that father who came so overwhelmed to Jesus—so overwhelmed with the condition of his child—as hardly to credit the power of the Lord, saying, “If Thou canst do anything for us,” still hear the Master’s word of tender encouragement, “All things are possible to him that believeth.” And let that word of Jesus so break down your heart as to make you say with tears, “Lord, I believe, help mine unbelief.” Ah!
“Why should we distrust or fear Him?
O! how He loves.”
Yet we will not forget the grave responsibility which attaches to the believing parent. Lot failed to receive the blessing contained in the words, “Nast thou here any beside?” And why? He had deliberately chosen the neighborhood of the wicked cities of the plain for his abode, and had by degrees so forgotten his pilgrim character as to become great in Sodom “He sat in the gate!” He had become a leading citizen in the city of destruction. He brought up and educated his family there, and only too well did they learn Sodom’s ways of immorality, and of mocking at God’s word. Alas, so well, that when Lot was really in earnest for his family’s salvation, and came, the eve of the city’s destruction, knocking at his sons’ doors, beseeching them to escape for their lives, saying “Up, get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city,” “he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law.”
Christian parents, beware of the neighborhood of the cities of the plain! Beware of leaving God’s companionship for a lodging place close by Sodom. You will be enticed into the city, you will become a respected citizen and form alliances there, maybe, not for yourself, but for your children. Vain will it be for you when in Sodom, to vex your righteous soul because of your godless surroundings; you will have no spiritual power with neighbors, servants, family, or children. Take heed lest you thus become their destroyer, though you yourself be saved. Shall they be left behind for the hastening fiery storm? You cannot bring them out from the power of evil, if you are yourself in the evil? Can anyone fulfill the exhortation of “pulling others out of the fire,” if he be in himself?
Ah! Lot, with what agonized gaze didst thou in Zoar behold the smoke of Sodom arise to heaven? Didst thou not then exclaim, “Had I turned away from Sodom, instead of making the city of destruction my home, my children had not been consumed.” Yet what availed thy tears then? Of what value were thy regrets then?
Let our prayer be so to walk with God before our children, that we may have moral power with them. To live a daily sermon of Christ before them, and to manifest a Christ-like example before them, is what we should seek after.
The word of God’s grace to us is, “Thou and thy house;” but if we become like the world, let us take heed lest His hand be against us, for what a man sows that also shall he reap.
We look for the whole family to be in heaven, dear Christian parent. There will be no graves above, nay, no sighing, no tear, no sorrow, no separation. The coming day will be a day of blissful reunion. Yet, O, how terrible the, thought, Will one child be left out? Shall we not all assemble above? May God in His mercy stir up hearts afresh to cry to Him for the speedy conversion of our loved ones, as the coming of the Lord draws nigh.