You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

God’s Plan For Homebound

Americans have become accustomed to the expansive culture of social interaction whether through electronics or the constant pursuit of entertainment, recreation and nonstop schedules of ball games, movies, vacations and such like. The nuclear society has disintegrated into a hectic world of work, isolationism from neighbors, limited family interaction and social distancing before the term became defined with a virus. Vance Havner correctly observed the automobile took the family into the world and television has brought the world into the home. The days of “Father Knows Best” are gone. Families rarely have meals together. Couples and parents work long hours. The children go to baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, piano, horse backing riding, theatre and a myriad of practices and then fill the calendar with endless games and programs as they pass in the night their parents. Lock-key parenting is a common practice where children come home to an empty house devoid of parental guidance.

The world changed when a virus infected thousands and governments began a program of isolating groups to stem the tide of the disease. One of the great changes that have taken place is the need for families to remain in place – homebound. Parents and children have to spend time together locked in the same house. Travel is restricted, activities canceled and homes have become the bastions of the long-forgotten art of: family. For many, it is a strange and new world. They recognize the faces sitting across the table as members of the family identified by pictures hanging on the walls. Parents are having to reconnect with their children. The transition is fraught with danger and panic. Many homes are ill-equipped. Thankfully there is access to the internet and televisions, tablets and computers glow 24-hours a day with zombies dwelling as worshippers before them giving honor to the electronic gods of mindless entertainment.

God has had a plan for the home since He expelled Adam and Eve from the garden. He created the man and woman to fill the earth. The family was established in the garden and the home was established upon the principles of God’s word and His will. Through the procreation of children the world was filled but sadly what was lacking was what made the family strong. Lost in the carnal pursuits of frivolity was the home where God was the center of its formation. When God gave the law to the Hebrews, He outlined the design of the godly home as a place where the knowledge of God was central. Children must be taught to love the Lord God with all their hearts. The instruction came from the voice of parents instilling in their families the godly principles of righteousness and truth. Diligence was required to teach the family the word of God. The divine plan for the home-bound was to learn to love the Lord God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength. This would require and demand parents who would commit themselves wholeheartedly to the commands of God.

An important key to the home is that God’s word must be repeated constantly in the hearing of the family. The Lord tells the parents to repeat them again and again to their children. Talk about them when they are at home and when they are on the road, when they are going to bed and when they are getting up. Place reminders of the law of God throughout the home. God’s plan for the home-bound was to instruct the family in the ways of the Lord. Whether in required isolation or when the crisis passes and the home is free to travel about, God’s word must be at the center of the home. Being bound to the home is a good thing when used properly. It may become a time when families reconnect with one another. Most importantly it must be a time when families connect with God.