I claim that I do not homeschool out of fear, but as I consider it, perhaps I do after all. Deuteronomy 6 is a passage that many homeschoolers claim as a biblical reason to homeschool. How can we be faithful to the LORD's instructions here while sending our children away for more than 30 hours a week?
Moses begins Deuteronomy 6 by telling the Israelites the things the LORD has instructed him to teach them, "so that you and your son and your gradson might fear the LORD your God..."(Deut. 6:2- emphasis mine). Later in verse 13, he states, "You shall fear only the LORD your God..."(empasis mine). Moses goes on to instruct the Israelites how to answer their children's questions about the LORD. The response ends with, "So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as today." (Deut. 6:24, emphasis mine) Isn't that beautiful, "for our good always and for our survival"? God loves us and He desires good for us, that's why He has revealed to us how we should live. He knows the blesssings that will come to us and our children from fearing Him.
This command to fear the Lord is repeated throughout Scripture. The Hebrew word for fear in Deuteronomy 6 is Yare' and means, "to fear, be afraid, stand in awe of, reverence, honor, and respect." (KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon)
God wants us to take Him seriously! We need to stand in awe of Him, revere Him, honor, and respect Him, and we need to teach our children to do the same! Psalm 34:9 states, "Fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him."
This idea is not limited to the Old Testament. In Luke 12, Jesus encourages his disciples not to fear those who kill the body, and says, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed, has authority to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5) Those are strong words from the mouth of our loving Lord Jesus. He uses the Greek word phobeo, which literally means, "to put to flight by terrifying, to fear, to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience." (NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon)
Jesus also says, "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and drown in the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6) When reading these words, we must question whether sending our little ones to school might be a stumbling block to them?
It is then, out of respect, honor, and reverence to the Lord, that I home-educate my children. His word is clear about my responsibility to Him in training up my children. When He instructs me to teach my children dilligently all throughout the day in Deuteronomy 6:7, I fear Him and obey. Training up my children (Proverbs 22:6) and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) cannot be accomplished in the time left between school, homework, sports, and extra-curricular activites when the kids are tired and grumpy. Rather, it is best accomplished day-in, day-out in the midst of learning, loving, and living. Someday each of us will stand before God and give an account. In that day, I want to hear Him say, "well done."
So do I homeschool out of fear? Yes, I do! I fear God. |
