The Household of Faith: April 2013
Table of Contents
The Household of Faith
God has established the “household” as a means of accomplishing His own purposes of love, grace and responsibility. He, Himself, is a householder: we “are ... of the household of God”; “we ... are of the household of faith.” Christ is a householder: “Christ, as a son over His own house.”
The householder has privilege and responsibility respecting those who are in his household. They are dependent upon him; he is responsible to God for their care. Those in his house may come under blessing or loss, through his faithfulness or failure.
Every house is built by someone, “but He that built all things is God.” We are responsible to God as His servant over any household He has entrusted to us. “Christ Jesus ... was faithful to Him that appointed Him.” Moses was faithful as a servant in His house. Our Lord Jesus is presently acting faithfully in God’s house, the church, interceding with God for each and every member of the household. We who are in the house are to “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
May we who have households be faithful, counting in faith upon God for His overruling hand of grace and mercy. May we who are in the house give joy and encouragement to the householder.
The Household As a Circle of Grace
“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). “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 11:13-14). “They said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
There is always a tendency in our hearts to limit the grace of God. There is therefore continual need to examine the teachings of Scripture, with the simple desire to be found in entire subjection to the Word of God. For example, there are many beloved saints who have overlooked the meaning and force of the words which the Apostle used in reply to the jailor, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). The necessity for individual faith is seen and the connected promise of individual salvation, but for all practical purposes the additional promise is often forgotten. In like manner, when the question is now put, “What must I do to be saved?” the answer is almost universally given as, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” omitting the words “and thy house.” It is so both in preaching and in writing; there is consequently an unintentional narrowing of the circle of the grace of God.
We propose, then, to trace the Scriptural teaching on this subject — on the connection of the household with the believer — and I think we shall see that the principle applies both in the past and present dispensations.
Noah
Let us turn, first of all, to Genesis 7:1: “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.” This passage is exceedingly important, because it is so worded that no doubt whatever can be entertained as to its express significance. The ground on which the Lord commands Noah to enter with his house into the ark is, “Thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.” And if it should be objected that probably all the members of the household were also “righteous” before God, the after-history of one of the number — Ham (Gen. 9:22-25) — forbids the thought. The force of the statement, therefore, cannot in any way be diminished, that the family of Noah was delivered from the judgment of the flood because of the faith of its head. Thus, the whole household was brought, in the grace of God, out from under the judgment and placed upon the new earth because of the faith of Noah. Not only so, but the circle of God’s grace was still enlarged, for we find that the sons’ wives were also included in the merciful purposes of God, thus making up the eight persons of which the Apostle Peter speaks as having been “saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20).
Abraham
We pass now to another instance recorded in Genesis 12: “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him. ... And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came” (vss. 4-5). We wish to point out the fact that the household of Abram was brought with himself out of Chaldea and Haran into Canaan, and this was done on the same principle as in the instance of Noah, the household being linked before God with its head.
Lot
We take, in the next place, the remarkable case of Lot, and it is the more striking because he had declined from the path of faith, forsaken the character of a pilgrim and become a citizen of Sodom. The long-suffering of God was now about to change to righteous judgment, because the sin of “the cities of the plain” was very grievous. Again, we find that the same principle applies that it was not only Lot, but also his family that was spared, or had the opportunity of being spared, in that day of destructive judgment. “The men said unto Lot, Hast 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, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it” (Gen. 19:12-13). It must always be remembered that Lot, notwithstanding his grievous position, was a “righteous man” (2 Peter 2:8), and we accordingly see, as in the other instances, that God linked the family of His servant with himself, that His mercy and grace went out and embraced all that were connected with the “righteous man,” offering to them salvation from the judgment that was about to fall upon that doomed scene, though his sons-in-law in unbelief chose to remain in the city under judgment rather than escape for their life.
Cornelius
All these examples have been taken from the Old Testament. Let us now turn to the dispensation of grace. Let us look first at Acts 11. The Apostle Peter had been to Cornelius, had seen the Holy Spirit poured out upon the Gentiles, and had, in virtue of the commission entrusted to him, admitted them into the church of God on earth. But when he returned to Jerusalem, “they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them” (Acts 11:2-3). In reply to this complaint, Peter rehearsed the whole of the circumstances which led to his visit. Furthermore, he told them how that Cornelius had been commanded by an angel to send for him in these words: “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 11:4-14; compare Acts 2:38-39).
The Jailor
Here, then, at the very outset of Christianity, we have the reappearance of the connection of the house with its head, and passing on to chapter 16 we find exactly the same thing declared by the Apostle Paul in answer to the jailor. “Believe,” says he, “on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (vs. 31). Thus, we have the principle, which, as we have seen, applies throughout past dispensations, declared in the present by the two foremost representatives of Christianity. We must be very careful, however, not to go beyond the divine intention, and hence we must now seek to ascertain the significance of the connection.
Individual Faith
In the first place, then, let it be very distinctly observed that it does not mean that the faith of the head of the household ensures the salvation of its members. No truth is more evident from the Scriptures than that there can be no salvation apart from individual faith. The examples of Ham, Esau, the sons of Eli and of Samuel, and Absalom are solemn warnings that the faith of the parent cannot save his child. Let there be no misconception or mistake on this point, for error here would be of the most fatal kind.
The Place of Privilege
and Responsibility
But, second, while it is not a question of individual salvation, the household of the believer has a special place of privilege, in the view of God, upon the earth. The children are linked with the believing parent and are thus looked upon as in external connection with God’s people — as separated unto Him on the earth and in the sphere of the immediate action of the Holy Spirit. Such is the force, we judge, of the scripture in 1 Corinthians 7:14: “Now are they [the children of a believing parent] holy.” Holiness means separation unto God, and as it cannot be in this case intrinsic holiness (nor the holiness which the believer has in Christ), it can only signify external separation; that is, they are detached, as it were, from the world and connected with that which bears the name of Christ upon the earth and which is the habitation of God through the Spirit. Hence, in Ephesians and Colossians, the households of believers — wives, husbands, children, parents, servants and masters — are included in the exhortations given, each class being separately addressed. And in this fact lies the foundation of the believer’s responsibility to govern his household for the Lord.
If, therefore, we admire, on the one hand, the abounding grace of our God in thus flowing out and embracing our households, we must not forget, on the other, the responsibilities that are thereby entailed, for privilege and responsibility are ever connected. The Lord enable us each to learn our respective responsibilities in His own presence and give us grace so to meet them that His name may be glorified in us and in every member of our households!
E. Dennett, adapted
The Christian Home - a Bastion Against the World
Among the people of God, all down through the ages of man’s history, God has intended the home to be a haven of safety, warmth, godliness and love. When the church was formed, God provided another place of protection from the influence of the world, namely, the Christian assembly. Thus today we have both the Christian home and the Christian assembly as places of safety and refuge, away from the influences of an ungodly world. Satan has constantly sought to destroy these, and particularly in these last days. Nevertheless, God still expects what He has set up to provide protection for His people, and He will give us the needed grace to maintain them, if we look to Him. Since this issue of The Christian concerns the household of faith, perhaps we can look at some of the practical entities that should characterize the Christian home, if it is to be a true shelter from all that is in the world.
The Word of God
First of all, the Christian home should be a place where the Word of God is honored, read, explained, and made a part of everyday life. As the world deviates more and more from what God has given us in His Word, so we need more and more to be familiar with God’s thoughts, as revealed in His Word. Parents should encourage this by reading the Word of God together and with their children. While every exposure to the Word of God is profitable, a family reading need not be simply a dry, formal reading of the Scriptures. Rather, the Bible should be read and then explained in practical terms and applied to everyday life, within the ages and maturity of the children involved. Also, every part of the Word of God should be read in a family context. Some parents may be reluctant to read certain parts of the Bible that deal with serious sin, but while the Lord does not hesitate to expose the wickedness of man’s natural heart, He does so by bringing it into the light of His presence and warning us about it. The Word of God never excites the flesh or gives rise to sinful thoughts.
Children should also be encouraged to read the Bible on their own. If children are old enough to read, they are old enough to read the Word for themselves and to allow the Lord to speak to them through it. In this way God’s Word becomes woven into the fabric of our lives, and as an old brother used to say, we learn to “think in the language of Scripture.”
Peace and Rest
Second, the Christian home should be a place of peace and rest. We live and move in a world of confusion and turmoil, and there is scarcely any respite from it. We are in the last days. More and more the self-centeredness, covetousness and hatred of man’s natural heart are being manifested. We may have to live and move in such a world in order to get an education or make a living, but the character of the world should not be allowed to invade the Christian home. Our homes should rather be a haven from all of this, where the soul and spirit are refreshed and restored.
Parents must take the lead in all this and foster an attitude of calmness, peace and encouragement. Such things as anger, harsh words, bad moods, sinful attitudes and irritability must be carefully avoided. If we have been wrongly dealt with out in the world and have had a hard day, it is easy to bring all this home with us and corrupt the domestic environment too. Paul could remind the Ephesians, “But ye have not so learned Christ” (Eph. 4:20). We are beginning to see “the sea and waves roaring” (Luke 21:25), referring, no doubt, to the restless and troubled state of the nations, but our homes should be a calm harbor, free of all this.
A Place of Order
Third, the Christian home should be a place of order. God is a God of order, and we see this first of all in creation, then in His regulation of His earthly people in the Old Testament, and finally in His instructions to His church. Because God’s claims and His Word have been largely set aside, the world has increasingly become a place of disorder. It has even become fashionable in some circles to lead a disorganized and somewhat sloppy lifestyle, as if this were more likely to produce a proper result. In actual fact, it is really, at least in most cases, self-seeking and a lack of energy to do what is right. Discipline is set aside, and the end result is often an undisciplined attitude toward everything, including spiritual matters. Good habits do not all come naturally; they must be cultivated and practiced.
Of course, this can be carried to an extreme, which should be avoided. When our Lord was on earth, He had to tell Martha that she was “careful and troubled about many things,” because she was “cumbered about much serving.” It is possible to spend so much time on one aspect of our lives that we neglect something else that is more important. However, this is really a lack of order, for proper arrangements in our lives would take note of priorities and deal with them accordingly. All of this only emphasizes the need for discipline and order in the home. Again, this must start with parents, who must teach by both precept and example, and sometimes by discipline. Parents must remember that they cannot teach their children something that they have not learned themselves.
A Place of Holiness
Fourth, the Christian home should be a place of holiness. God has foretold us that in the tribulation period, right after the Lord comes and takes us home, the days will be like the days of Noah and Lot, where unbridled lust, violence and corruption were rampant. He has also given us a strongly-worded description of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:1-7, a condition of things that will lead into the tribulation period. God does not judge iniquity until it is fully ripe, and we know that the tide of evil in this world will eventually reach a crescendo before the judgment of God falls. We are already seeing this awful wave of sin beginning to rise, and, again, it is easy to allow it to affect our homes. No Christian family wants the wickedness of the world in the home, but modern technology, such as television, the Internet, home movies and other electronic devices such as iPods, all tend to bring the world into our home. We cannot totally eliminate the use of at least some of these things, but they should be carefully controlled, realizing that it is not technology itself but rather the use man makes of it that causes harm. When we are exposed to the world in this way, it is very easy to adopt the world’s way of thinking and speaking — an attitude that will gradually deprive us of our joy in Christ.
Recreation and Activity
This brings us to our fifth point — proper recreation and activities for our families. It is a principle with God that He never takes something away from us without first giving us something far better in return, and it should be the same way in our homes. Children need what is given to us in Scripture as a type — honey. Honey speaks of the sweetness of nature, and throughout the Old Testament it is presented as that which enlightens and encourages, if taken in moderation. When Israel was pursuing the Philistines in the time of Saul, he forbad anyone to taste anything until his enemies were fully defeated. Jonathan, not knowing of the decree, tasted some honey he found and was refreshed. The rest of the people obeyed Saul’s order, but then dishonored the Lord by eating meat with the blood, because they were faint with hunger. In Proverbs we are told, “Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee” (Prov. 25:16). Too much honey is not good for the body, and too much of the things of nature can spoil us spiritually. However, to deny children recreation and the enjoyment of natural things will harm them spiritually as well. We are dead to sin and dead to the law, but Scripture never says that we are dead to nature, and it is most important to remember this with our children. Sinful and worldly pleasures should be carefully avoided, but children need exercise and play, and parents should provide for this.
The children of Israel were told not to “seethe a kid in his mother’s milk” (Ex. 23:19); that is, they were not to cook it in that which was designed for its nourishment. When we force the Word of God on children in an overbearing and legal manner, or use it in a way that brings death instead of nourishment, we can be guilty of the same thing in principle. Let us by all means use every opportunity to bring Scripture before them, but also provide honey in suitable amounts. Games, outings, and other enjoyable activities should involve parents, if possible, and perhaps other Christian children. The Word of God wisely gives no rules as to all this, as details must be worked out before the Lord, taking all of our circumstances into account.
Teaching by Precept and Example
Finally, the home should be a place of teaching, not only by precept, but also by example. Parents should read the Word of God with their children, but children should also be encouraged to read the Scriptures on their own. Parents should teach their children good work habits and lead by example, in such things as order, finishing a job that is started, and keeping a bedroom clean. They should be taught early on the value of money and the proper use of it. The wild spending habits and debt of many societies today can be traced back to parents who did not teach their children properly, because they themselves were undisciplined in this area.
Parents should lead the children in service to others. Children can help cook and bake for others less capable, and they can also carry out thoughtful errands for neighbors or elderly friends. They need to learn early on that life is not “all about me.”
In the spiritual realm, children should be taught to evangelize. This may come easier for some families than for others, but in 2 Timothy 4, Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” Each one of us should be found “holding forth the Word of life” in our everyday lives; parents will teach this more by example than by precept.
Above all, a Christian household should be characterized by putting the Lord first in all things, so that it is clear to all who come in contact with it that “Christ is all, and in all.”
W. J. Prost
Set Your House in Order
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). “Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). “I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” (2 Cor. 12:14).
God created the family unit and has chosen to bless whole families, not merely individuals. The significance of God’s blessing whole households first came into play at the time of the flood, when God saw it necessary to judge the world because of the violence and corruption of the human race. He said to Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Gen. 7:1). It was Noah’s faith and obedience that was instrumental in saving the whole house. This is confirmed in the New Testament: “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). The faith of Noah caused him to labor many years preparing for the coming judgment; it was not merely a free escape ticket handed to him by God. Noah’s faith caused him to act; he “prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” Would not every true-hearted householder that believed what God told Noah do such a thing to save his whole household, rather than himself alone!
Abraham
The second example we wish to consider gives us a view of why God chose to reveal His ways with Abraham and make him a depository of His blessing. He said to Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him” (Gen. 18:19). God’s blessings are invaluable and must be treated accordingly. God does not cast His pearls to swine. Rather, He entrusts them to those who will honor Him in their use of them. This includes passing on the entrusted blessings, in the right way, to the following generations. Psalm 78 states it beautifully: “We will not hide them from their [father’s] children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done” (vs. 4). This is done with a view to cause them to keep the Lord’s commandments, as it goes on to say in verse 7: “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.” It can only be done inasmuch as we walk in obedience and in the good of these things ourselves. It involves every part of our life, as the Lord said of Abraham, “He will command his children and his household after him.” And then it goes on to say, “And they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him” (Gen. 18:19). We have in this example ample evidence of what God looks for in those to whom He may entrust His blessing. It ought to prompt our interest and strengthen our desire.
The Ground of Grace
We turn now to an example in the life of Hezekiah, who was a good king that trusted in the Lord God of Israel like none before or after him. Yet there is a lesson to be learned from his life, concerning his request that his life be prolonged. What we are about to notice is possibly one of the easiest pitfalls to fall into, especially for one who has been used of the Lord in blessing. When Isaiah told king Hezekiah to set his house in order for he was about to die, he wept sore and prayed to the Lord to remember how he had walked before Him in truth and with a perfect heart, doing good in His sight. It was an appeal to the Lord based on his godly walk. This is not a good ground to take with God; in fact, it is very risky. The grace of God is a better ground on which to intercede with God. The Lord did add fifteen years to his life and promised to deliver Jerusalem from the hands of Assyria for the sake of David his father. It appears that the Lord’s reference to David was a way of pointing Hezekiah to the example of how David had interceded with the Lord. It was not on the basis of his own righteousness. On one occasion David said, “If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me again, and show me both it, and His habitation” (2 Sam. 15:25). On another occasion he said, “Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure” (2 Sam. 23:5). This is an example of one standing on the ground of grace.
The Treasures
After the Lord had raised Hezekiah up to health again, the king of Babylon sent letters of condolences to him for his sickness. Hezekiah received the men and showed them all the riches of his house. What folly for a king who was surrounded by enemy nations stronger than he! It is one thing for the treasures of Israel to be made public in a time of great strength like David and Solomon, but it is quite another in a day of weakness. The prophet Isaiah calls to his attention the result of showing his treasures to these visitors — the treasures would be taken away and his sons made eunuchs in the palace of Babylon. Hezekiah, in showing the treasures, did not give the glory to the Lord. Could he defend those treasures on his own? Earlier when Sennacherib came against Jerusalem, Hezekiah interceded so beautifully with the Lord, recognizing his own lack of strength (2 Kings 19).
The next part of the story, though so sad, reveals an import lesson for households, for it reveals Hezekiah’s motives. “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” (2 Kings 20:19). What a lack of care for the next generation! Self-centeredness does not make for a strong household. What Hezekiah said is much worse than the bumper sticker which says, “I’m retired — spending my children’s inheritance.” A lot more is at stake than money; the issue involves the moral and spiritual welfare of the succeeding generations. It is a way of teaching that we think it is all right to be selfish. Is it any wonder, in this case, that Manasseh the son of Hezekiah was not a godly king? Certainly Manasseh must give an account for his own failure, too. Also, to be fair in commenting on the story, we must remember that Hezekiah did not have the advantage of a godly father to teach him these things. May we each, in any measure that we see these things, put them into practice and give thanks to the Lord for His mercy to us in the measure we are preserved from these pitfalls.
Our Failures and Expectations
How often we are made to feel our weakness and failure in properly putting into practice these principles in our households! And along with this, how often we have unfulfilled expectations! In our attempts to order our households, time passes, and we do not always see those in our home going on the way we had hoped. Then we may become discouraged. To be distressed for dishonor done to the Lord shows a right motive, but it is easy to confuse this with our own motives. Let us have a contrite and humble spirit in these things. The Lord promises to dwell with such (Isa. 57:15).
The enemy is subtle in confusing us, seeking to make us think that, because of our failures, God’s grace will cease and our household will not be blessed. While it is true that we reap what we sow, this does not hinder God from blessing according to His riches in Christ Jesus. Let us cling to His promise in faith. Let us never cease trusting God, no matter what happens, for in doing so we are leaving the ground of grace. Consider those in the Old Testament who claimed blessing for their household, and notice how often those who had faith for their households failed in how they acted. Noah got drunk, Moses killed an Egyptian, Rahab told a lie, and David had a list of serious failures. Without doubt each of these failures brought in governmental consequences, but it did not stop God from honoring their faith.
One more word about seeing expectations fulfilled: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Heb. 10:35-36). We cannot expect to see all the fruit of our labors in this life. With some, like Moses, God leaves them to train in His school a long time. No doubt Moses’ parents saw very little of their desires fulfilled in his life. The ultimate goal in this is not for us to see the fruit now, but that the Lord may have it fulfilled for His sake in His timetable. Doing things for reward in this life is not the best option. The Lord spoke of this concerning those who sought for glory before men and said, “They have their reward.” May we each be encouraged to trust the Lord regarding our households “until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5).
D. C. Buchanan
The Need for the Word of God in Our Homes
“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons” (Deut. 4:9).
These words set before us two things of unspeakable importance; namely, individual and family responsibility. God’s people of old were responsible to keep the heart with all diligence, lest it should let slip the precious Word of God. And not only so, but they were also solemnly responsible to instruct their children and their grandchildren. Surely we too are imperatively called upon to give ourselves to the careful reading of the Word of God; we need to make the Bible our supreme and absorbing study.
It is to be feared that some of us read the Bible as a matter of duty, while we find our delight and refreshment in the newspaper and light literature. [Could we today add television, the Internet and Facebook?] Need we wonder at our shallow knowledge of Scripture? How could we know aught of the living depths or the moral glories of a volume which we merely take up as a cold matter of duty, while, at the same time, something else is literally devoured?
The Lord said to Israel, “Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 11:18). The “heart,” the “soul,” the “hand” and the “eyes” were all to be engaged about the precious Word of God. This was real work. It was to be no empty formality, no barren routine. The whole man was to be given up in holy devotion to the statutes and judgments of God.
Our Testimony
Do we, as Christians, enter into such words as this? Has the Word of God such a place in our hearts, in our homes and in our habits? Do those who enter our houses or come in contact with us in daily life see that the Word of God is paramount with us? Do those with whom we do business see that we are governed by the precepts of Scripture? Do our children see that we live in the very atmosphere of Scripture and that our whole character is formed and our conduct governed by it? It is a delusion to imagine that the new life can be in a healthy, prosperous condition where the Word of God is habitually neglected.
We do not, of course, mean that no other book but the Bible should be read, but nothing demands greater watchfulness than the matter of reading. All things are to be done in the name of Jesus and to the glory of God, and this is among the “all things.” We should read no book that we cannot read to the glory of God and on which we cannot ask God’s blessing.
The Family Reading
Heads of houses should ponder this matter seriously. We are most fully persuaded that there ought to be in every Christian household a daily acknowledgment of God and His Word. Some may, perhaps, look upon it as bondage, as religious routine, to have regular family reading and prayer. We would ask such objectors, Is it bondage for the family to assemble at meals? Are the family reunions around the table ever regarded as a wearisome duty? Certainly not, if the family is a well ordered and happy one. Why then should it be regarded as a burdensome thing for the head of a Christian household to gather his children around him and read a few verses of the precious Word of God and breathe a few words of prayer before the throne of grace? We believe it to be a habit in perfect accordance with the teaching of both the Old and the New Testaments.
What would we think of a professing Christian who never prayed and never read the Word of God in private? Could we possibly regard him as a happy, healthy, true Christian? Assuredly not. Now if it is thus with an individual, how can a family be regarded as in a right state where there is no family reading, no family prayer, and no family acknowledgment of God or His Word?
It is by no means necessary to make it a long, wearisome service. As a rule, both in our houses and in our public assemblies, short, fresh, fervent exercises are by far the more edifying.
It may be said that there are many families who seem very particular about their morning and evening reading and prayer, and yet their whole domestic history from morning till night is a flagrant contradiction of their so-called religious service. Under such painful and humiliating circumstances, what of the family reading? Alas! it is an empty formality; in place of being a morning and evening sacrifice, it is a morning and evening lie.
For the Glory of Christ
We should measure everything in our private life, in our domestic economy, in our daily history, in all our interactions with others and in all our business transactions with that one standard — the glory of Christ. Our one grand question must be, “Is this worthy of the holy name which is called upon me?” If not, let us not touch it; let us turn our back upon it with stern decision and flee from it with holy energy. Let us not listen for a moment to the contemptible question, What harm is there in it? No truly devoted heart would ever entertain such a question. Whenever you hear anyone speaking thus, you may at once conclude that Christ is not the governing object of the heart.
We have all of us much need to consider our ways — to look well to the real state of our hearts as to Christ, for here lies the true secret of the whole matter. If the heart is not true to Him, nothing can be right in the private life, the family, or the assembly — nothing anywhere. But if the heart is true to Him, all will be right. Surely love to Christ is the grand safeguard against every form of error and evil. A heart filled with Christ has no room for anything else, but if there is no love to Him, there is no security against the wildest error or the worst form of moral evil.
C. H. Mackintosh, adapted
Family Character
We learn from Scripture that the family of Shem had become very corrupt in the days of Terah, the sixth or seventh generation from Shem; they were serving false gods. But the power of the Spirit and the call of the God of glory were heard by the heart of Abram, the son of Terah, and separated him from that corruption.
We also know that a godly influence extended itself from this to others in the family. Terah the father, Sarah the wife, and Lot the nephew join Abram in this, and they all leave the land of Mesopotamia together. Abram’s brother Nahor, however, did not come within this influence. He and his wife continue in Mesopotamia and thrive there. Children are born to them; goods and property increase. They pursue an easy and respectable life, but they do not grow in the knowledge of God, and they bear no testimony, or only an indistinct one.
The character of Nahor’s family was thus formed. They were not in gross darkness and corruption like the descendants of Ham in Canaan, among whom Abram had now gone to sojourn. They had a measure of light derived from their connection with Terah and Abram, and as descendants of Shem. However, all that was sadly dimmed by the cherished principles of the world from which they had refused to separate themselves, and a family character was thus formed.
The Refreshing Energy
of the Spirit
Bethuel was one of the sons of Nahor, and the one most brought into view. He had flourished in the world, and he had a son named Laban who evidently knew how to manage his affairs well. He seems to have known the value of money, for the sight of gold could open his mouth with a very hearty and religious welcome, even to a stranger (Gen. 24). Here we reach a significant period in the history of this family.
A fresh energy of the Spirit is about to visit this family. They had been brought into a certain measure of light. Now it becomes us seriously to notice the nature of that visitation of the Spirit, for it will be found to be a separating power or visitation. As the call of the God of glory had before disturbed the state of things in Terah’s house, so now the mission of Eliezer disturbed the state of things in Bethuel’s house. Abram had been separated from home and kindred, and so is Rebekah now to be. It leaves the serious impression that a respectable, professing family may need to be visited by the same energy of the Spirit as a more worldly or idolatrous family. The ministry of Eliezer (God’s servant, as well as Abram’s) came to Bethuel’s house to draw Rebekah out of it and to lead her on that very journey on which, two generations before, the God of glory had led Abram. A professing, decent family may have to be aroused and a fresh act of separation produced in the midst of it.
Character and Mindset
But there is another lesson in this history to which I would call your attention. Rebekah comes forth at the call of Abram’s servant, but a character had previously been formed, as it is with us all, more or less, before we are converted. We may heed the separating call and power of the Lord, but the character and mind derived from nature, from education or from family habits we take with us after we have been born of the Spirit, and they may carry in us from Mesopotamia to the house of Abram.
I need only briefly speak of what took place; Rebekah’s history sadly betrays what we may call the family character. Laban, her brother with whom she had grown up, was a subtle, knowing, worldly man, and the only great action in which Rebekah was called to take part gives occasion to her exercising the same principles. In the procuring of the blessing for her son Jacob, we see this Laban-leaven working mightily. Her mind was too little accustomed to repose in the sufficiency of God and too much addicted to calculate and to lean its hopes on its own inventions.
We too must watch against the peculiar tendency of our own mind and rebuke nature sharply, that we may be sound or morally healthful in the faith (Titus 1:13). We must not excuse this tendency of our nature, but rather mortify it for His sake who has given us another nature.
These lessons we get from the story of this distinguished woman. Beyond this, her way is not much tracked by the Spirit. She reaps nothing but disappointment from the seed she had sown. She loses her favorite son Jacob and never sees him again after her own schemes and contrivances ended in his long exile.
Jacob’s Character
But there is more; Jacob got his mind formed by the same earliest influence. He was all his days a slow-hearted, calculating man. His plan in getting the birthright first and then the blessing, his confidence in his own arrangements rather than in the Lord’s promise when he met his brother Esau, and his lingering at Shechem and settling there instead of pursuing a pilgrim’s life in the land like his fathers — all this betrays the nature and the working of the old family character. How important to watch the early seed sown in the heart!
The birth of Esau and Jacob is given us at the close of Genesis 25, and as they grow up, occasion arises to let us look in at the family scene, which is truly humbling. This was one of the families of God then on the earth — the most distinguished, in which lay the hopes of all blessing to the whole earth and where the Lord had recorded His name. But what do we see? Isaac the father had sunk into the stream of human desires; he loved his son Esau because he ate of his venison! Esau, as a child of the family, was entitled to the care and provision of the house, but for Isaac to make him his favorite because he ate of his venison was sad indeed. Do we not see here some further illustration of our subject? Isaac had been reared tenderly. He had never been away from the side of his mother; he was the child of her old age. His education perhaps had relaxed him too much, and he appears before us as a soft, self-indulgent man.
What sad mischief opens to our view in this family scene! Are we saying too much that one parent was catering to nature in one of the sons, and the other parent to the other son? Isaac’s love of venison may have encouraged Esau in the chase, as Rebekah’s cleverness, brought from her brother’s house in Padan-aram, seems to have formed the mind and character of her favorite Jacob. What sorrow and cause of humiliation is here! Is this a household of faith? Is this a God-fearing family? Yes, Isaac, Rebekah and Jacob are children of promise and heirs of His kingdom, but they gave precedence to their own desires over acting in faith and obedience to God’s promises.
The Consequences
At another time and in other actions this family delights and edifies us. See Isaac in the greater part of chapter 26; his conduct is altogether worthy of a heavenly stranger on the earth. He suffers and takes it patiently, and his altar and his tent witness his holy, unearthly character. So with Rebekah in chapter 24; in faith she consents to cross the desert alone with a stranger because her heart was set upon the heir of the promises. But here in chapter 27, what shame fills the scene, and we blush and are confounded that heirs of promise and children of God could so behave!
But it remains for us to see grace assuming its high, triumphant place and attitude. Isaac loses his purpose touching Esau, Rebekah has to part with Jacob, and Jacob himself, instead of getting the birthright and the blessing in his own way, has to go forth a penniless exile from the place of his inheritance. The only wages of sin is death, but grace takes its high place and shines through Jehovah’s burning holiness.
Jacob, the son and heir, has to lie down alone, uncared for, unsheltered, the stones of the place his only pillow. But grace is preparing a glorious rest for him; he listens to the voice of wondrous love, and he is shown worlds of light in this place of solitude and darkness. He sees himself, though so erring, so poor and so vile, thus associated with an all-pervading glory full of present mercies and consolations. The holiness of grace still leaves him a wanderer, but the riches of grace will tell him of present consolation and of future sure glories.
There is then such a thing as family character, and the recollection of this, when we are dealing with ourselves, should make us watchful and jealous over all our peculiar habits and tendencies. When we are dealing with others, it should make us considerate and of an interceding spirit, remembering that there is a force of early habit and education working more or less in all of us. But let us not forget that if a certain family character clings to us or habits with which birth has connected us, so are we debtors to exhibit that character with which our birth and education in the heavenly family have since connected us.
J. G. Bellett, adapted
Oh, Happy House!
Oh, happy house! where Thou art loved the best,
O Lord, so full of love and grace;
Where never comes such welcome Guest;
Where none can ever fill Thy place;
Where every heart goes forth to meet Thee;
Where every ear attends Thy Word;
Where every lip with blessing greets Thee;
Where all are waiting on their Lord.
Oh, happy house! whose little ones are given
Early to Thee in faith and prayer—
To Thee, who from the heights of heaven
Guards them with more than mother’s care;
Oh, happy house! where little voices
Their glad thanksgivings love to raise,
And childhood’s lisping tongue rejoices
To bring new songs of love and praise.
Oh, happy house! and happy servitude!
Where all alike one Master own;
Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued,
Is never hard nor toilsome known;
Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly,
Whatever Thine appointment be,
Till common tasks seem great and holy,
When they are done as unto Thee.
Oh, happy house! where Thou art not forgot
When joy is flowing full and free;
Oh, happy house! where every wound is brought
Physician, Comforter, to Thee;
Until at last, earth’s day’s work ended,
All meet Thee in that home above,
From whence Thou comest, where Thou hast
ascended,
Thy heaven of glory and of love.
Spitta