Topical Bible: Parents: Covenant, Benefits of, Entailed on Children

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The concept of covenant in the Bible is a profound and sacred agreement between God and His people, often involving promises and obligations. Within the family structure, the covenantal relationship between parents and God can have significant implications for their children. This entry explores the benefits of such a covenant as they are entailed on children, drawing from scriptural references and theological insights.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible presents the family as a fundamental unit within God's creation, with parents holding a pivotal role in the spiritual and moral upbringing of their children. The covenantal relationship between God and parents is seen as a channel through which divine blessings and guidance flow to the next generation. In Genesis 17:7, God establishes His covenant with Abraham, stating, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" . This passage underscores the transgenerational nature of God's covenant, extending His promises to the children of those who are faithful.

Spiritual Heritage and Instruction

One of the primary benefits of the covenant is the spiritual heritage it provides. Parents are entrusted with the responsibility of teaching their children about God's laws and His faithfulness. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 instructs, "These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" . This passage highlights the importance of continuous spiritual instruction, ensuring that children grow up with a strong foundation in the faith.

Protection and Provision

The covenant also entails divine protection and provision for the children of believing parents. Psalm 37:25-26 states, "I have been young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread. They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing" . This assurance of God's provision reflects the covenantal promise that extends to the offspring of the righteous, ensuring their needs are met.

Moral and Ethical Guidance

Children benefit from the moral and ethical guidance that comes from being raised in a covenantal family. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" . This wisdom literature emphasizes the long-term impact of a godly upbringing, suggesting that children who are taught to follow God's ways will continue to do so throughout their lives.

Intercessory Prayer and Blessing

The covenant relationship also involves intercessory prayer and the blessing of children. Parents are encouraged to pray for their children, invoking God's favor and guidance upon them. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself exemplifies this practice, as seen in Mark 10:13-16, where He blesses the children brought to Him. This act of blessing signifies the importance of seeking God's presence and favor in the lives of the young.

Conclusion

The covenant between parents and God is a powerful conduit for blessings, protection, and spiritual growth for their children. Through faithful adherence to God's commands and diligent instruction, parents can ensure that their children inherit not only material benefits but also a rich spiritual legacy that aligns with God's eternal promises.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 6:18
But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
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Exodus 20:6
And showing mercy to thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
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Psalm 103:17
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children;
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Library

The Second Commandment
... The parents are in covenant with God, and God lays ... fathers upon their children;'
but religious parents procure a ... love God, not only for his benefits, but for ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 2 the second commandment.htm

The Domestic Relation.
... She is to be honored by receiving the benefits, by way ... such duties, is a stranger
to the covenant of grace ... Parents by carelessness can in a very short time ruin ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter xiii the domestic relation.htm

The Universality of Actual Grace
... who believe in Christ under the New Covenant we read in ... is that the prayer of Christian
parents acts like ... should be directly excluded from the benefits of the ...
/.../pohle/grace actual and habitual/section 3 the universality of.htm

A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to ...
... from God to dishonour and disobey parents.' p.535. ... Even because they have forsaken
the covenant of the ... they appropriate unto themselves the benefits of election ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a holy life the beauty.htm

Christ a Complete Saviour:
... manifest in the flesh.' He undertook the work by covenant; and all ... to speak to the
second, THE BENEFITS OF HIS ... And this punishment is so surely entailed to the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/christ a complete saviour .htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... in Judah, were, at first, like their parents, merely the ... to bring home to the people
the benefits which their ... author of the Book of the Covenant advises the ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... The merchant who sets out for foreign lands "leaves his possessions to his
children"for fear of lions and Asiatics.". ** Thutmosis III. ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... of old had made a solemn covenant; His dwelling ... in all the genealogies enumerating
the children of Jacob. ... the brazen trumpets,* and its capture entailed that of ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... snuff, put the branch to the nose,[5] and say, Contemptible! (Malachi 1:12,13; Ezekiel
8:17). 'But wisdom is justified of all her children' (Matthew 11:19). ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

The Desire of the Righteous Granted;
... of that which is desired is only entailed to righteousness ... that budded, the tables
of the covenant, and the ... Eden, there he converted our first parents: 'And come ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the desire of the righteous.htm