The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7
The cornerstone of a biblical
worldview must be the fear of the Lord. Understanding
how this world really works is impossible without the fear of the Lord. Recall the definition of worldview from the
last post: the overall
perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. If your
children interpret their world without the fear of the Lord they will never be
wise. Practically speaking, this means that the observations and conclusions that they draw from their experiences will
be flawed. If the fear of the Lord is absent, love of self will dominate a
child’s life. His choices will be driven by what he thinks is best for him. The food he wants, the toys he desires, the
friends he longs—all will be controlled by self-love if the fear of God is
missing. Modern culture has relegated God to the role of an appetizer in the
menu of life. He is optional, but certainly not required for enjoyment of
life’s entrees. To extend the metaphor,
the entrees our world craves are the ones that satisfy love of self. As Solomon says, fools despise wisdom and discipline.
This is
the world that your children inhabit. How
can you bring the fear of God into your children’s lives? The answer is obvious:
instruct your children in the fear of the Lord. But the next question is also obvious: How? In Chapter 9 of Instructing a Child’s Heart the Tripps
provide help to focus your parenting on this point. The chapter is entitled “Wisdom
& Foolishness.” Here is a paragraph
from this chapter that begins to answer this question:
How does a child learn the fear of
the Lord? To answer that question, let me ask another. What would my children
do if they knew there was hidden treasure in the back yard? They would dig up
every square inch of the yard to find the treasure. Learning to fear the Lord comes through
searching as one would search for hidden treasure. God will not hide himself from those who
earnestly seek him (116).
This chapter provides many examples
of using Scripture to lead your children towards the fear of God. The fear of
the Lord is an important aspect of what the book calls formative instruction. Embracing this concept will provide a sure
foundation for your parenting. Formative
instruction will teach your children to interpret life correctly. “It is not a single event, but a lifetime of
instruction that is based upon God’s revelation ”
(19).
Instruction in the fear of God acknowledges
that a child’s worldview must shift from love of self to fear of God. This is
why I believe that Instructing a Child’s
Heart is so crucial for today’s Christian parents. Sadly, the Christian
culture is often indistinguishable from the culture of the world, particularly
in the area of education. Understanding the role of formative instruction as
Tedd and Margy describe it will give parents a strong biblical basis for their
parenting. It will help parents communicate
to children, by their daily conversation and lifestyle, a worldview that embodies
the fear of God.
Let me know your thoughts.