What did Joseph, Moses, Naaman’s servant girl, and Daniel have in common? Each of them was torn from his or her family at a very young age and forced to live among unbelieving strangers. As a teen, Joseph was sold and lived as a slave among the heathen in Egypt. While still a young boy, Moses was adopted by none other than the pharaoh’s daughter and taken into the unbelieving Egyptian palace. Naaman’s servant girl and Daniel were also torn from their homes and carried off to foreign lands. Can we even begin to imagine the fear and terror that these four young people faced? Their ordeals were enough to scar them all for a lifetime.
Yet these four shared something else. These young people all had an intimate relationship with God. They knew who he was and what he had done for them. Each of them held tightly to what they were taught as youngsters. That also means that each of them had parents who realized the need to introduce them to the Lord while at a very young age. Their parents all took the time to sit with them and tell them about their loving God. Having lost their children to godless people who would now have complete control and influence over them, how many times did their parents wonder if they taught their children well; if their youngsters were ready to live in Satan’s back yard?
If today’s Christian parents were told that they would have to relinquish their children to a heathen society, might they view their responsibilities differently?
We discover some interesting insights when we look at the life of Timothy. Timothy lived in the days of the early Christian church. He willingly left his home as a young man to become a close companion of Paul on his missionary journeys.
Timothy was the child of a Hebrew mother, Eunice, and a Greek father. He grew up in Lystra, a town not far from Paul’s birthplace in Tarsus. Paul was impressed with Timothy’s upbringing. “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul knew that Timothy was trained in God’s ways from early on by his faithful mother and grandmother. Several verses later Paul continues to speak to Timothy’s childhood, stating, “As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know these from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14,15).
What a wonderful reflection on the training given to young Timothy. Nowhere does it say that it was the local rabbi or school that was responsible for his upbringing. He received his training in the home of Eunice and Lois who realized it was their responsibility to see that Timothy was trained in God’s ways, just as did the parents of Moses, Joseph, the servant girl, and Daniel. Those parents saw to it that their children were trained thoroughly in the Scriptures. They followed God’s instruction in Deuteronomy 4:9, “Watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children.”
Joseph became second in importance to the Egyptian throne and saved scores of people. Moses led the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. The servant girl found healing for Naaman’s body and his soul. Daniel sat with the rulers of Babylon. And Timothy became a great missionary, all because of the efforts of faithful parents who understood the importance of training their children in the Lord!
Prayer thought: Thank the Lord for providing faithful parents.
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