Your family ID—bring it together!
You should tie them (God’s commands)as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. Inscribe them on the door frames of your houses and gates. (Deuteronomy 6:8-9, NET)
Do not let mercy and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3, NET)
Bind them (God’s commands) on your forearm; write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:3, NET)
Yes, I had a problem with keeping up with things when I was growing up. I vividly remember wearing a new coat to school that I was received at Christmas. The coat had my favorite professional sports team logo and colors. It was awesome and I wore it proudly that first day back from Christmas break. Unfortunately, I did not proudly wear or it bring it home that afternoon…I had misplaced my brand new Christmas gift. Soon, misplacing became lost and then lost became gone! The digression was not pretty!
Not sure if you have had similar moments but God, especially when it comes to His commands provided a design and plan so we would not lose or misplace them. A plan, that if followed would keep them both near and close as well as visible to the family and for others.
God’s first step in His design of holding close His commands was to keep them in our hearts. And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts… (Deuteronomy 6:6, AMP). The commands if not only remembered but practiced must first and foremost dwell internally. Of course, the greatest of God’s commands that must make its home in our hearts is to love Him completely (Deuteronomy 6:5).
But we are not to stop there…with a strong, firm heart-grip on God’s commands, then, in our family life, we are to express them in a more visual and public manner. This is where the biblical concepts of “binding” and “writing” come into play.
Both concepts mean to bring together and put in order. “Binding” denotes to tie together. This tying became known as the wearing of phylacteries or leather straps that have a tiny small wooden box connected to the strap. Inside the tiny box would contain certain rolled-up passages of Old Testament Scripture. These passages have included Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Exodus 13:1-10 or Deuteronomy 11:13-21 or the Ten Words or Commandments in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5. As the Deuteronomy passage indicates the strap, with the wooden box, would then be tied around a person’s forearm or forehead. The visual presence would constantly help the individual connect to the passage on God’s commands and remember or even recite the verses.
As a side note: The phylactery situation during Jesus’ days on earth had deteriorated into a designation of pride and showmanship as the religious leaders boasted of them. Their perverted expression reflects what happens when one fails to first keep the commands of God in his or her heart. If not, God’s commands become a mere platform to measure, judge, legalism, and division. This was not God’s purpose originally given through Moses.
But when the LORD’s commands are preeminently valued internally the visual expression of binding is a wonderful help for believers and families today. To display in one’s home Scriptures, spiritual markers, the meaning of their names, t-shirts, a piece of jewelry, and so forth become tangible expressions to identity oneself and family as being in relationship with Jesus Christ.
This also holds true for the biblical notion of “writing.” Writing signifies to sew or draw together. Similarly as binding and phylacteries, the writing notion involved small boxes as well, but were placed near the entrances of one’s home—doors and gates. They were called mezuzahs. Mezuzahs also contained rolled up passages of Old Testament verses in the small boxes. The placing of the Scriptures inside the boxes and then affixing the boxes to entry point locations at one’s home would clearly mark and testify to the family being a covenant family.
Therefore, the action of binding becomes a personal, family identification and reminders of whose they are as followers of Christ and the Scripture that points to Him. Moreover, the implementation of writing took the further step of the family displaying and testifying to their faith and walking with God as a public expression. So placards on the porch that read “Blessed” or “Thankful” or seasonal front yard displays to Christ at Christmas and Easter, as well as visits to neighbors, or serving together as a family doing greeting or serving ministries are the “tip of the iceberg” of thoughts and ideas to accomplish “writing.”
Shema Parenting desires to help and encourage parents and families to embrace and engage the action steps of binding and writing. Both are great moments for a family to identify to one another of who they are together in Christ as well as then to move their corporate identity and faith in Christ to follow God’s commands which are first, or heartbeat and ingrained into your lives. Great encouragement is given for each family to be creative in both of their binding and writing expressions to keep the Lord and His commands on our minds as well as before our friends and neighbors.
So, thank you God that losing Your commands does not have to be like me using my new coat! Thank You for providing ideas and directions to keep Your life of promise and purpose in front of us as a family as well as a witness to the watching world around us.
