Genesis 7:1; Acts 2:39
“The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Gen. 7:1). Because of his faith, the same promise of preservation from the Lord to Noah was good toward his household. This order established by the Lord Himself opens the door for faith to be exercised by the head of every household where God is honored. May the Lord give us each obedience of faith in His promise, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). “For the promise is unto you, and to your children” (Acts 2:39).
Faith
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb. 11:7). This faith of Noah that caused him to build the ark serves as an example for our time. God has told us that just as He destroyed the past world with a flood, He is going to destroy this present world with fire (2 Peter 3:7). It is important then that we exercise the faith of Noah, both for ourselves and our households. The ark for us is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He alone delivers from the coming judgment. In this way Noah is also a type of Christ who, as the righteous Head of a saved family, saves all who are in association with Him. In this respect we do not have to build the ark, but rather bring our families into it. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
Let us not conclude by this that the necessity for the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the children of Christian parents is denied. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This is as true of a Christian’s child as of everyone else. Grace is not hereditary. The principle to be impressed upon Christian parents is that Scripture inseparably links a man with his house. The Christian parent is warranted in counting upon God for his children, and he is responsible to train his children for God.
Separation
The practical result of faith in the Lord Jesus will be that we make our homes a place of separation from the world, and a refuge from the evil of it. The whole system of living in pleasure without God is about to be judged. The same evil moral conditions that were the cause for God’s judgment in the time of Noah are with us today and will bring down His judgment on this present world. The fear of God coupled with faith in the Lord Jesus will cause us to make a place of refuge from it for our families.
These principles are confirmed by many other examples in Scripture. Abraham was taken into God’s confidence in respect to the judgment about to fall on Sodom and Gomorrah, and this was specifically in reference to the way he ruled his house. The Lord could say of Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him” (Gen. 18:19). A man who knows how to command his house is worthy of God’s confidence. This is a wonderful truth, but one that should exercise the heart and conscience of every Christian parent.
Likewise Moses, when the children of Israel were about to depart out of Egypt, would insist that “we will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters” (Ex. 10:9). Pharaoh wanted them to leave their children behind, but God’s mind was that all should go — young and old. But sad to say, today many dear believers profess to go out to serve the Lord, but they leave their children morally in Egypt. The children are educated and trained for this world rather than for the kingdom of God.
Again, later in Israel’s history, Joshua could say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). He and his house were linked together, and he would not serve the Lord apart from them. The Christian parent should not leave any shadow of doubt as to the real, deep-seated purpose and object of his soul. The management of his home should reflect this.
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus said to Zaccheus, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9). In the case of Cornelius, the Lord told him, “Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:1314). In both cases their houses were connected with the blessing. This precious truth runs throughout the Word of God, in every dispensation.
What wonderful blessing can result from a godly beginning for a child! Moses’ parents were able to teach him only in his earliest years, but as a result, in later years, he boldly “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:2425). Samuel spent only his younger years with his family, but the strong and godly influence of that home was felt throughout his life. Timothy was the product of a mixed marriage, for his father was a Greek. Yet, the faith of his mother and grandmother resulted in much blessing in his life. Paul refers to their “unfeigned faith.”
Government
On the other hand, if we look through Scripture, we shall find that in every instance where there has been failure in this matter, it has produced its own results under the government of God. Eli’s sons “made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Sam. 3:13). As a result, they died under the government of God, and eventually his household lost the privilege of being priests of the Lord (see 1 Kings 2:27). David committed a serious sin, and the Lord said to him, “The sword shall never depart from thine house” (2 Sam. 12:10). Four of his family died, no doubt under the judgment of God. Many other examples of both blessing and failure could be brought out from Scripture, but these are sufficient to show the principle. The essence of the matter is this: Oftentimes the failures of my children reveal the unjudged failures of my own life, and a righteous God may use them to chasten me, because I have not judged myself.
In conclusion, let us remember that grace and government are parallel truths. One does not negate the other. Thus, David’s sin was pardoned, but he suffered under God’s government. Grace can and will restore, but we may bear consequences of our failure in spite of grace. Likewise, let us never take pride in the way we have managed our households, as if God blesses only on that account. No, we must remember that God blesses on the ground of His sovereign grace, and if there is any blessing in our homes, let us give Him the glory for it. Just the same, God holds us responsible for the way our homes are conducted and deals governmentally with us according to our conduct in the home.
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