10 August Exodus 10

If you don’t protect your kids, Satan will snatch them

Exodus 10:7-10 (NIV) “Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” 8 Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.” 9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.” 10 Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil”.Even after seeing seven mighty plagues in Egypt, Pharaoh was still unwilling to fully obey God. Just like before, when he wanted Israel to worship God while staying in Egypt, he tried to make a deal with God again. This time, he offered to let the Jews go into the wilderness to worship if they left their children and their mothers behind in Egypt. Pharaoh wanted to keep the woman and children as hostages to force the Jews to return to captivity.Henry Matthew wrote the following in his commentary on Exodus 10:10 “Satan does all he can to hinder those that serve God themselves from bringing their children in to serve him. He is a sworn enemy to early piety, knowing how destructive it is to the interests of his kingdom; whatever would hinder us from engaging our children to the utmost in God's service, we have reason to suspect the hand of Satan in it”Israel had to teach their children about God and his law, as we are obligated to do with our children today. Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (NIV) “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”This is further confirmed by Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV) “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”. Also, Deuteronomy 11:19 (NIV) “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Satan stands ready to capture the minds of your children if you don’t protect them. Deuteronomy 28:15,32 (NIV) “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand”.Solomon reminds us in Proverbs to train children in Chapter 22:6 (AMP) “Train up a child in the way he should go , Even when he is old he will not depart from it”.Furthermore, we must model the behaviours we want our children to exhibit. By embodying these values ourselves, we should teach our children the importance of hard work, humility, and respect for others. We can also encourage our children to develop a relationship with God by attending church, praying, and reading the Bible together. Psalms 127:3 (ESV) Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Good parenting aims to produce wise children who know and honour God with their lives.I conclude with Joshua 24:15b (AMP) “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”