Be not wiser than God

Last week, we had another good discussion as we are slowly plowing through J. C. Ryle's Duties of Parents.  We looked at item 13, Train them remembering continually how God trains His children.   Now how do we do that?

As we read through the Bible, there are many, many things we can learn about parenting that simply would not be found in the concordance under "parenting" or "mothers" or "getting your child to learn table manners".  Our culture has made us very index-dependent.  Indices and concordances can be very helpful, but God in his wisdom, didn't put an index in the Bible.  He very well could have, but he didn't.

Now if you don't have an index for a big book, it kind of forces you to read through it carefully.

But we are index-dependent, and we are short of time.  We need help!  We need daily help and wisdom with our family and our children.  And, it is much easier to look in the proliferation of magazines and books on the topic of child-rearing, with their call-outs, tables and multi-indented indices, and find our particular problem, and its corresponding "solution".   

Perhaps in our hearts, though, we just have this idea that the Bible should be sufficient.  Oh, wait, that is what it says, isn't it?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, 

and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 

for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

2 Timothy 3:16

So, where do we find "getting your child to learn table manners" in the Bible?

I'll get back to that in a minute.

Now God the Father is ever training the members of this family for their everlasting abode with Him in heaven. He acts as a husbandman pruning his vines, that they may bear more fruit. He knows the character of each of us, — our besetting sins, — our weaknesses, — our peculiar infirmities, — our special wants. He knows our works and where we dwell, who are our companions in life, and what are our trials, what our temptations, and what are our privileges. He knows all these things, and is ever ordering all for our good. He allots to each of us, in His providence, the very things we need, in order to bear the most fruit, — as much of sunshine as we can stand, and as much of rain, — as much of bitter things as we can bear, and as much of sweet. Reader, if you would train your children wisely, mark well how God the Father trains His. He doeth all things well; the plan which He adopts must be right....

...Reader, be not wiser than God; — train your children as He trains His.

These are some observations that we can only get by a panoramic view of the Scriptures, not an index- or concordance-driven view. Zoom-out, so to speak.

Bro. Ryle gives us three things to look for as we take the slow boat through God's Word:

• See, then, how many things there are which God withholds from His children. 

• See, too, how often God leads His people by ways which seem dark and mysterious to our eyes. 

• See, also, how often God chastens His people with trial and affliction.

Wow, I'm thinking about sorting socks here.  Say you have to match maybe 300-odd socks.  You look at them all and figure out about how many piles you need for sorting.  We use about three piles at our house:  darks, whites and multi-colored.  

This is what Bro. Ryle is recommending, three piles.  One pile for things God withholds, one pile for times he leads them and they don't have a clue, and one pile for the way he chastens those he loves.

This is kind of obvious when you think about it, but by doing this, we can observe God's parenting techniques, his goals and priorities and methods.  In the situations where we can,  imitate them.  After all,

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: 

but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Proverbs 13:20

Obviously, there will be some aspects or situations that we cannot just plug in to our daily life.  We are not God.  However, there is much we can apply, and that is why it is there.  Seek and ye shall find.  

Well, that is all I have time for right now.  Gotta match some socks today.

That thing about children learning table manners?  You know where to look...