Passed On, Not Passed Over

"For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.” (Pr 4:3-4 AV)

It is interesting how children think the rules or principles which their father instructs are exclusive to him.  To the child’s defense, he probably cannot think big picture enough to think the truths he is being taught are absolute and the source is beyond his father.  Here, Solomon is affirming the truths he is sharing with his children, not because he has come to these truths by his own wisdom, rather, they have been passed down from one generation to the next because the nature of truth is that it is timeless.  His father, David, taught him.  David’s father, Jesse, taught him.  And downward the progression goes.  When the child of Solomon grows into his own family, that child will teach his children also.  This may not occur to us when we are children, but having children of our own has a way of revealing the reality of the truth above.  Truth is timeless.  Truth is absolute regardless of our existence to discover it.  Truth is eternal because God is truth.  He has passed it down to man and He uses man to pass it on to other men.

There are skills that my father taught me.  Then, there are truths which my father taught me.  For example, he taught me a lot from camping and scouting.  He taught me how to identify different types of fir and pine trees.  He taught me how to cook outdoors with minimal cleanup.  He taught me how to survive in extremely cold conditions.  He taught me different knots and their uses.  Most of which I employ today.  He taught me first aid and triage.  These are all skills that can be adapted and even modified to the abilities of the one using them.  There is no absolute right and wrong was of applying the details of these skills.  But, then there were the truths which my father taught me.  Truths like stewardship of the world around you.  Always leave a campsite better than you found it.  Respect wildlife.  This has served me very well as I took up hunting a few years later.  Ethics on the field drove every one of my harvests, save two.  The harvests were legal, and even permissible, but in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have harvested the animal.  There were two other occasions when I harvested a seriously wounded animal for mercy’s sake.  My father taught me to fear God.  One thing I took very seriously.  He taught me Sundays was church day no matter what.  The only out was if we were physically sick.  He taught me that if I wanted to buy something, I had to earn it myself.  He taught me there was no shame is working multiple jobs to make ends meet and the type of job you worked said less about you than the willingness to work.

The point is this.  Truth never changes.  It did not come into being by the preferences of an authority figure.  They always existed.  This holds true from spiritual truth from God’s word.  The preacher, if he is walking with God, should share truth of God’s word because it is God’s word.  He believes in those truths.  But those truths did not originate with him.  Many ears are offended at the truths from the pulpit and assume those truths are only valid as the preacher’s personal belief in them.  This is not true.  He studies.  He reads.  He consults.  Most of all, he listens to the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit.  He is charged with the responsibility of sharing those truths to those whom God has given.  His hope is what he has learned by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the writings of godly men will be learned, internalized, and passed on to others.  Paul said as such when he wrote, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2Ti 2:2 AV)  It is silly to fight what we are being taught just because we might think they originated with the teacher.  Yes, we have the responsibility and privilege to examine everything.  We have that duty.  But not with the attitude all should be rejected just because we think someone invented a truth for the purpose of manipulation.  Test the veracity of the truth.  Absolutely.  Let us leave the testing to the authority of the word of God and accept what we are being taught as it aligns with His word.  Then, pass it on!