Teach Them to Teach

Two old warriors. Brothers. Scars from many battles – some they fought together, some not; but often on the side of victory in either case. They each have wisdom to share and swords which have become most precious to them.

One warrior’s advice to his son amounts to little more than “I’ve fought and won many battles. I hope you’ve learned something from me. With God’s help, I made it and you can, too.” Then he mounts his sword on the wall as a trophy.

The other warrior says, “Son, ‘I’ve fought a good fight; I’ve finished my course.’ Now take this sword. Remember how I’ve trained you with it. Keep it always with you. – Never, for even a moment, put it aside. – Continue practicing with it daily. It may look dull and feel clumsy to you now, but with much use, it will shine brighter and it will make you stronger, faster, smarter.” Then the warrior adds this very important final instruction: “Be also sure to pass this sword on to your own son, teaching and training him to use it skillfully. And when you’ve come to the end of your course, tell your son all that I’ve just told you.”
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I suppose many have been tempted to place a favorite Biblical instruction of theirs under the label of The Eleventh Commandment. If I were to yield to such a temptation, I’d want to cast my vote for those words from the passage in Deuteronomy 6: “Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” And I think I’d have a good argument, too. It’s written in the form of a commandment (“Thou shalt teach …thy children”). Better yet, this mandate is given very shortly after the second generation out of Egypt have just been reminded of the first Ten Commandments. It is preceded even more immediately by the first and greatest commandment; and it is being told to the generation whose parents did not keep the commandments. Then we soon discover in Judges what happens when, after Joshua’s generation, this commandment is not heeded “and there [arises] another generation after them, which [knows] not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)

In short, “Here are the commandments; do them, and teach them to your children. – Then teach your children to teach the commandments to their children. Teach them to teach.” – The Eleventh Commandment? Maybe not, but you’d better do it!