27. That they must participate therein with us

27 That they must participate therein with us

Something of the future in freedom that was the content of their wildest dreams that they now received from the holy God of heaven and earth lies hidden in that small word “moeten” (must) regarding the participation of our children with us in the payment of our and their Vow Debt. It speaks of spontaneous compulsion through overwhelmed thankfulness. Such may be the Vow People at birth, the moment when he sees the light of day, when he as suckling appears with an open future road in front of him between the peoples on the earth.

A Vow Day celebration up to the far future that not at least breathes something of this joyous deliverance from being accepted in mercy by the holy God of heaven and earth as Vow People, keeps itself busy with signs without real meaning (betekenis).

Nevertheless, if a generation of children is carried along by such a spontaneous compulsion of overwhelmed thankfulness, then they must experience that thankfulness with their parents. That will only be the case if something becomes visible from the parents of what the Bible calls: “...thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand . . . and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:8 and 9), because then alone will it sound convincingly when you “teach them diligently . . . and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”. (Deuteronomy 6: 7)

Remember now that nobody on earth knows our lives on its inside better than our children. You can cheat the whole world on what it in the last instance matters (Philippians1:10); your children know what is important to you and what is mere window dressing.