No documented cases exist of an adult being what-n-why’d to death by the incessant inquiries from a small child, but that doesn’t mean it’s never happened. Anyone who’s spent time around children knows they are the fount of never-ending wonder and questions.
In the future your children will ask you, “What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?” God gave this verse to parents to prepare them to address a specific category of whats and whys: those concerning faith and religious practices. As the children of Israel prepared to inhabit the Promised Land, God equipped them with laws, decrees, and regulations for success and prosperity in their new home. He instructed them to catechize their offspring in these truths at every teachable moment and answer inevitable questions their children would ask.
Imagine the questions those children had as they watched their parents prepare Passover, bring offerings to the Tabernacle, and honor the Sabbath. What amazing stories their mothers and fathers had to share. They would recount suffering slavery in Egypt and a hard-hearted Pharaoh who refused to release his slaves.
After devastating plagues, the Israelites finally escaped in the dark of night, only to be nearly recaptured before God parted the Red Sea, allowing them to cross while Pharaoh and his army drowned. They dined on manna from heaven each morning and received the Ten Commandments from atop a mountain that burned and quaked with the presence of Yahweh. They had experienced such an incredible journey under the longsuffering Moses to the land that flowed with milk and honey.
When God instructed parents in the old days to be prepared for future questions, He expected them to faithfully keep His commands and lovingly instruct their children to do the same. Scripture reminds us that younger generations are listening to our words and watching our actions—especially as they relate to the things of God.
Consider your example and the experiences you share. When your children ask you, enthusiastically respond with the hope that lies within you. Instill the same love and awe of God that those Israelite parents did by sharing God’s testimonies, laws, and decrees with your little ones for them to pass down to future generations.
Elisha Todd is a writer.