One down.....7 to go! So we graduated our oldest on Friday from our highschool at home. A wonderful time of reflection as we had to prepare words of blessing to her on her. The words flowed out of me easily as I knew exactly what I wanted to communicate to her. Shockingly, I made it through with only a little sniff at the very beginning.
King David's son was also graduating from his highschool thousands of years ago. King David knew he needed to do everything in his power to prepare him before he left home. David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all my lands. I will therefore make preparation for it." Ok, maybe it wasn't highschool Solomon was graduating to, more like "King Schoole", but in a way he was. He was graduating from being a young boy in his father's house to being a king one day! His father wanted to build a house for the Lord, but God told him, "No, it will be your son instead." Though he wasn't the one to build it officially, he decided there was something he could do. He realized how "young and inexperienced" his son was and that he could give him a helping hand by providing all the materials he would need.
In a way, I feel this is what we've done by homeschooling our daughter. I would love to give her a house, a husband, a career, all her future kids in a little package, ready to go, but God has said, "No, she must get these things on her own, with my help." Our job, as parents, was therefore to see how young and inexperienced she was and give her all that she would need for life while she was under our roof. Isn't that what all parents strive for?
We provided her with the tools of education, certain courses, certain opportunities, encouragement, a stable home environment, hard work......all that we could within our means.
David did this, too. "Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him......" That was what we did on Friday night. We called our daughter and charged her to do all that was ahead of her for God's glory. David said, "Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as He has spoken concerning you. Only may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when He gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. With great pains I have provided the house of the Lord 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working gold, silver, bronze and iron. Arise and work! The Lord be with you!"
This is what we've asked the Lord, too, that He would be with her, that she would "succeed in building the house of the Lord" as one day she will build a house, her own house and family that, Lord willing, God will give her one day. She will need discretion and understanding, just as Solomon needed as she already has students under her. Perhaps one day she'll even have her own children under her charge. But she must keep the law of the Lord. She must observe His statutes and rules. She must also be strong and courageous as there will be tough times ahead. Yet she need never fear or be dismayed. David provided all sorts of gold, silver, bronze and iron for Solomon. We can not give her that, but we have an abundance of siblings, other teachers, grandparents who will have her back if she needs help! And to all the opportunities we've given her, "to these she must add". She'll need to look for more opportunities herself.
I love David's charge at the end, "Arise and work!" That's it! Now, she's just go to go out there and work! Save money! Be ready for what is ahead!
David also commanded "all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son saying, "Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and His people. Now set your mind and heard to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord."
That is what we now commend our other children who surround her. None of us have to be afraid. God is with us. He's given us peace "on every side". He's delivered the "inhabitants of the land" into our hands by showing His faithfulness to us from the beginning. Now, our daughter, our other children, ourselves, all we have to do is "set our minds and hearts to seek the Lord our God". We need to "arise and build" the sanctuary of our home, continuing to charge all of our kids with the same message of courage, strength and determination until that final day when the ark will rest and Christ has ultimately returned.
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