PARENTS MUST TREAT CHILDREN IN DISCIPLINE …………… Contrast Sarah from Michal . These two women were opposite to each other in how each related to her husband. Sarah subjected, respected and obeyed her husband; but Michal despised her husband and disrespected him. The husband of Sarah was Abraham, for she was his first wife; and the husband of Michal was David, for she was his first wife. . How did Sarah respect her husband? When she was within the room, she saw within herself the nakedness of Abraham and could tell that he was already old; yet she still called him ‘My Lord’ even though she laughed about the possibility of her getting pleasure (Genesis 8:12). Remember before then, Abraham commanded her and gave her instructions on specific menu, which she must prepare at once, and she obeyed immediately (Genesis 18:6). Therefore, God honoured Sarah for obeying and respecting her husband by giving her a child and the seed of the woman called Isaac: As it is written, “And Sarah said, God has made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Who would have told Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? For I have born him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:6-7). . How did Michal disrespect or despised her husband? When she was within the room, she saw her husband, David, dancing before the LORD; and in the process of dancing and leaping, his nakedness was uncovered to her and she saw that. Then she despised him within her heart (2 Samuel 6:16). After that, when David came to bless his house, she called her husband ‘Shameless man. How could you, the king dance so naked without honor and uncover your secret part before the maidens of your servant today in public.’ (She was obviously angry that other ‘low level’ women have seen her most valued secret pride and treasure in her husband’s body). Nevertheless, David answered her, “It was before the LORD who has chosen me above your father and above your father’s house, and has made me ruler over Israel, the people of the LORD: therefore I will dance and play before the LORD. Yet those maidens shall still respect me more than you.” For that reason, God also despised Michal and shut up her womb so that there was no seed of the woman through her forever: As it is written, “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child till the day of her death” (2 Samuel 6:23, 20-23). . You can see why a woman must subject to her own husband while seeking for the seed of the woman to bruise the head of the serpent. Even if she has children already, it does not mean those children shall be counted by God as the seed of the woman. Hagar had a son, Ishmael, but her son was not counted by God; Rebecca had twins in her womb (Esau and Jacob), but only Jacob was counted by God while Esau was not counted among the seed of the woman (Romans 9:8, “6-13). David had so many children whom God counted among the seed of the woman, but none was through Michal. Obviously Michal only saw the presence of those maidens while David danced before the LORD, just as Sarah only saw the presence of three strangers while Abraham served the LORD. Many women are now seeing their husbands with ordinary men or as ordinary, but they are not seeing the LORD whom their husbands represent or serve. . Contrast Abraham from Eli the Priest. . In the last update below, I did mention that Abraham commanded (use iron hand on) his children to follow the after him to serve the LORD. He did it so much that he was ready to sacrifice his only son, whom he loved, on the altar for God. He even went to the point of tying his own son with ropes and cords like one ties a criminal or an animal about to be slain; then he lifted up the knife to kill his own son for God but was restrained by the voice of an angel (Genesis 22:9-10). How will one feel if his or her own father, mother or brother lift up knife or gun to kill him or her? He or she will probably never forgive that father, mother or sibling who attempted to kill him or her; but even if he or she manage to forgive, it may be hard to forget complete. However, Isaac was well trained and he never resisted, rebelled, fought, or spoke against his father for attempting to do that to him. Sarah did not even challenge her husband for attempting to kill her only son in her old age in the name of God. Perhaps Abraham did not tell her before taking the young boy to far distance, what about when they returned and she heard what happened, did she challenge her husband for making such unilateral decision without her consent? . The point is this; Abraham commanded his house after him to follow the LORD, even to the point of deciding from which community Isaac’s wife must come from. All because of God, and his household were subject to him because of God. Eli, on the other hand, did not command his house and children to serve the LORD. His own two sons practically slept with ladies in the church and fornicated with sisters. They violently ate from the offering in the church (sacrifices that people brought) and made people to despise the house of God. The only thing Eli could do was to preach to his sons and warn them of God’s judgment (He could not command his house, but he could preach to them of God’s judgment – 1 Samuel 2:22-26). . Here is the comparison and contrast between Abraham and Eli. 1. Both of them were very old, but one commanded his own house while the other only used soft hand on his own house to appeal to them. 2. God had already made promises to both of them. However, the promises of God to them depended on whether they will command their house and children after God or not. Thus the reason God fulfilled all the promises He made (including those God gave to him when he asked him to leave his father’s house and land to a land God will show him – Genesis 12:1-3) to Abraham was because Abraham commanded his house after God (Genesis 18:19). On the other hand, the reason God breached or break his promise to the house of Eli was that Eli did not command his house after God (1 Samuel 2:30-36). . God gave Eli a sign that day, saying, ‘The two sons of Eli whom he could not command, shall die in one day; and all that are of the house of Eli shall die prematurely. None of them shall grow old before dying. God also used the boy Samuel for the first time to tell Eli the second time about what He will do to Eli. yet, instead of Eli to sit up and do the right thing by commanding his children as is required, he simply said, ‘He is the LORD, let him do whatever He likes’ (1 Samuel 3:16-18). . Of course, there are stubborn children who will still rebel even if their fathers use iron hand on them. It is better that the father and mother have used iron hand to command their children after God, even if despite that the children do not obey, than for the fathers to just allow them to do what they want without correcting them when they are under the age of childhood. . You may have kept your marriage as it is in the beginning with the first man and woman, yet for your child to be counted among the seed of the woman, your child must be disciplined after God; and if necessary, use the rod to enforce the discipline. For indiscipline disqualifies a child from being counted among the seed of the woman. As it is written, “He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24). Again as it is written, “The rod and reproof gives wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame” (Proverbs 29:15). Again as it is written, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15) Again as it is written, “Withhold not correction from the child: for if you beat him with the rod, he shall not die. You shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell.” (Proverbs 23:13-14) . Recall that the first child ever born by a woman, the first of the firstborn of a woman was spoilt because he was left on his own. I speak about Cain. Usually, parents especially the mothers treat their firstborn sons with so much pampering because that was their first experience of having child and male in particular. The pampering is usually more with the male firstborn than with the rest of the children, and because of this, many of the firstborns usually grow up to become wayward or selfish if care was not taken to keep him under discipline on time. . Why did the first born of the woman not counted among the seed of the woman? Why was Cain wasted? Here is the root. When Eve gave birth to a son for the first time, she said, “I have gotten a man from the LORD’ and she named him ‘Cain’ (Genesis 4:1). That was the root of the problem. . The root of the problem was in what she said when she named Cain. Now let me show you. The meaning of “Cain” is “Gotten”. Cain means ‘gotten’ or ‘acquired’ according to the meaning of the name. She said, ‘I have gotten a man (male child) from the LORD’ – (Genesis 4:1). This is usually how the first born sons are raised in their childhood by parents which makes them end up selfish and wayward, ‘They always make them believe they can get whatever they want or acquire their parents inheritance as the first born’. Cain was named ‘Gotten or Acquired’ meaning ‘Cain’; this made him to believe that he must always get whatever he wanted or acquire the most. Therefore, when his brother’s sacrifice was accepted and his own was not accepted, he felt bitter and ended up killing his brother. . Do not raise your children, especially the firstborn sons, to believe they can get whatever they want or acquire everything they desire. This is because, if they grow up with that nurture, they will be wicked when they do not get what they want from people, especially from those they are superior to. Most rich men children who were raised to always get whatever they want because their parents are very rich, hardly show mercy to those under them who have not given them what they wanted or who they believe have taken what should belong to them. For instance, ‘A rich girl that is raised in that way will believe another girl has taken her fiancé from her and she will be jealous, not because it is her fiance before, but just because she has interest in the boy, and so she believes she must get what she wants or the boy is already her own. Thus, she will treat the other girl as an enemy or one who is holding her special treasure when it is not even her treasure yet.’ So it is with politicians who believe the power or government belongs to them because they always get what they want or else they destroy things. So it is with those who fight for properties, estates etc. because they were raised to always get what they want even if it belongs to another person. . Look again at what Eve said when she named him ‘Cain’. Eve was too proud in that statement, perhaps that was what played in the life of Cain. If you use different Bible translation to read that verse (Genesis 4:1), 1. New English Translation (NET) placed it this way, “Then she said, “I have created a man just as the LORD did!” (Meaning she was equating herself with God and she was calling herself a creator) 2. International Standard Version (ISV) placed it this way, “I have given birth to a male child – the LORD.” (Meaning she called the male child “The LORD”. So the male child was the LORD to her) 3. New King James Version (NKJV) placed it this way, “I have gotten a man from the LORD.” 4. King James Version (My official translation) placed it this way, “I have gotten a man from the LORD.” . What is the pride in that statement? I have explained in parenthesis under the other translation the meaning they gave, but for the last two translation, I now show the pride in that statement. . There is difference between “I have gotten from God” and “God has given to me.” When you show what you got, you are proud; but when you show what you received, you are humble. Gotten or Acquired is used to express one’s achievement, in a sense of attaching glory to oneself. So even though she said, she got from the LORD, the glory was to herself. “I have gotten a son from the LORD” which Eve used for Cain was different from “God has given me a son” which Eve latter used for Seth (Genesis 1:25). . One can get something from God without God giving him that thing; one can get something from people, without them giving her that thing. A man can exploit a woman to get things from her, without her giving the man that thing, and vice versa. ‘Gotten’ expresses exploit or spoils of war or acquisition during a contest, battle, or winning a game over an opponent to claim a prize from the opponent without the opponent giving that prize to you. So, gotten expresses triumph, victory and self-glory. On the other hand, no man can RECEIVE anything, unless GOD GIVES that thing to the person (John 3:27). And when a man knows that what he has was what he received, especially from God, he does not boast as if he did not receive it (1 Corinthians 4:7). A man only boast of what he or she has when he or she believes he or she got or acquired that thing by merit or hardwork, usually as a triumph. . I once said we should learn from the mothers of superior capacity after they were made so, but I now correct that statement by placing exception to when Eve named and treated Cain her firstborn.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 06:23:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015