I often find myself thinking … What will be chosen from these little souls when they are my age? Where will they be? What will they do? And, especially: will they keep the faith?
I struggle to stay authentic. Because: a child may not hear what I am saying, but they will certainly see what I am doing.
In this sense, it bothers me to tell you the following.
Nehemiah 11: 1
Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. 2 The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
Not everyone could go to live in Jerusalem: the Holy, Holy God Himself, chose who to live in the holy city, He Himself chose each of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Then how is it possible that the descendants of these people, when the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, their long-awaited Savior, came, did not recognize Him? and, as if that were not enough, they also shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
It is quite possible that we will find the answer two chapters later.
Nehemiah 13: 24-25
Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name
Our descendants …
Did their children, their descendants, no longer be able to recognize the Messiah because they no longer spoke the Hebrew language? I hope we understand this parable. The Hebrew language is the holy language, the language in which God spoke.
Allow me this resemblance.
To each of us, those to whom God has revealed Himself, we have been drawn. Not everyone can know the Holy, Holy, Holy God, but only the one to whom He reveals Himself.
But do I want God’s presence to leave my house with my death?
Let’s look at our children, our descendants. Let’s look at those we often ignore, because we have our affairs as great men. Often, when I made a mistake, in word or deed, and I have to put it in order, I apologize only to the adults who were present. I forget that one, two or three children also attended the scene.
Let us not be surprised that “half of their sons spoke the Ashdodian language and DID NOT KNOW how to speak the Hebrew language,” the holy language.
What language do our children know? Have we ever been in a hidden corner and watched what language our children use when they play alone and no one sees them? What language do our young people speak when they listen to music on their headphones? What language do we speak when we watch a movie on our own? When am I alone on my phone? When I read a book, what language do I speak? Ashdodian? They could no longer speak Hebrew. Do we adults still know her? Or, even worse, do our children learn this foreign language, Ashdodian, from us?
We…
What language do we use among ourselves? Yo! Me! Is that how we address each other? Or as the Lord Jesus addressed the disciples. Maybe it helps you choose the language you use, if you always have the Lord Jesus before your eyes. Then you can no longer address your neighbor anyway, you can no longer look at anything, you can no longer listen to anything. He’s there, he sees you! He sees you? Am I still aware that he sees me?
A mother teaches her daughter the holy language
Perhaps we are inspired by the example of a missionary mother in South Africa and how she taught her child to speak Hebrew.
One day he went on a mission with his daughter. There she washed the only sweater the little girl had. When it was dry, they noticed that the sweater had faded so badly that it could no longer be worn. The little girl went to her mother to tell her that she needed a new sweater. My mother’s answer was, “Am I your God, if you ask me for a new sweater?” The girl understood this language, she had probably already become accustomed to this language. Pray! You need something? Pray! Ask the Lord! Thus, she did not get upset, did not grieve, did not think: “How does my mother talk to me ?!”, but went and prayed. Two days later, the Lord gave her a new sweater!
Are we still able to present our God in this way to our children? So that they, as children, may know His power, and walk in His ways. Let them fall in love with Him, let Him fill their time. Whether they are listening to music, reading, talking, or watching a movie — it all happens in Hebrew, HOLY TO THE LORD. Or even we no longer speak Hebrew? We got used to Ashdodian! It doesn’t seem foreign to us anymore! We have become bilingual: at church and when we are with other Christians we speak Hebrew, but when we are at home, Ashdodian. And the work of God in my family will be extinguished with me. When the Lord comes, our descendants, and perhaps even ourselves, will no longer recognize Him.
Then let us not be surprised that the Lord, through our leaders, through Nehemiah, must rebuke us, curse us, strike some of us, pull our hair out of our heads, put us, force us, force us to swear in the name of God that we will cling to Him!
Sincerely,
Oana
