February 28
Numbers 4:1-5:31
An odd thing has happened over the past decades. In former years it was assumed that children would be raised by parents, who had more wisdom, with the assumption that these children would grow into respectable adults. But now in attempt to be or appear to be relevant to their children, or appear to be in-step with the times, parents now adopt everything from their children. They adopt their dress codes, their music, their addiction to social media, etc. Children are now raised on a pedestal, in many circumstances, to the point of worship. I was recently speaking to one of my long time patients and asked about her daughter, who is in her twenties, also a patient of mine. I was told that she is now in a 4+ year relationship. I asked if marriage had been mentioned yet. She stated no, but that her daughter was "traditional". Her daughter had moved in with her boyfriend and they were sexually active. What made them "traditional" was that they would refrain from having children before getting married. I'm not trying to sound critical, I truly love both the mother and daughter. What I'm pointing out is how far things have changed. The majority of my adult friends applaud their adult children at taking this step and moving in together. Yet, when we were younger, this step would have been condemned. This decision would have been an area of embarrassment. Though many of our parents might not have had a relationship with God, they were raised in religion, and as such, held to a certain code of morals which were taught in that religion. With now a relationship with Jesus Christ being unpopular, along with religion in general, there has been a moral shift. This moral shift is being led by the children who often have no morals grounded in a relationship with God. We see a society which is literally crumbling, the reason should be obvious. But many simply throw up their hands in surrender.
We read in Numbers 4:1-3, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting." This same condition was repeated for the sons of Gershon (4:21-23), and the sons of Merari (4:29-30). The Levites could not enter active service in the priesthood until they were thirty years old. Before thirty they were being trained for this future service. After fifty, though they retired from active service, they did not retire to a house by the ocean as retirement means today. These older Levites, now over fifty were tasked with training the next generation of priests. These important principles of being in relationship with God was taught continually by those who were older and wiser to those who had to learn.
We now have it all wrong. Many are so enamored with their children that they are being led by them. In many cases the children supersede the amount of education that their parents had. Many have mistakenly confused knowledge with wisdom. These children are not natural born leaders. We read in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies." Knowledge is the acquisition of facts. We read in Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction." When it says, "fear" this does not mean to be afraid of, but to hold in awe. We should be in awe of God. This is required for true wisdom. Our society has turned things on its head. Many have stated, it's too late, their children have no love for God, and are living their own lives. For the Levites, the training never stopped, and they were not even considered fit for service until the age of thirty. May we all get rooted in His Word, for there is no true wisdom outside of the Word. May we realize that our children should not dictate societal norms. And may we realize it is never too late to pour out the things of God into the next generation.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: