Read
Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
Deuteronomy 32:7
Reflect
As a child, I lived in Pennsylvania for a couple of years. We used to take field trips to historic sites such as Valley Forge and the Liberty Bell, and I remember thinking that those trips literally took hours. It surprised me when, years later, I retraced some of those steps and learned that I lived only minutes from Valley Forge and less than an hour from downtown Philadelphia. And I learned just this weekend that a battle that became a major rallying cry in the American Revolution happened just five miles from our house in Berwyn.
The Battle of Paoli was fought on September 20, 1777, and it became better known at the time as the “Paoli Massacre.” A battalion of British troops silently caught a division of American soldiers off-guard and mostly sleeping in the middle of the night. Using only bayonets and swords, the British soldiers brutally sliced and stabbed the Americans, killing 53, wounding another 113 and capturing 71. Only 11 British soldiers were killed or wounded in the process. The Americans viewed the British tactics as treachery, and for the rest of the war they used the battle cry, “Remember Paoli,” to stir up the passions of soldiers during battle.
It’s amazing to me that I never learned about this battle in spite of living just around the corner from the battlefield. And we lived there during the bicentennial year of 1976, so you’d think that we would have heard something about it. It wasn’t until 45 years later that I found out about this event as I researched on my own.
Honestly, it really shouldn’t surprise me at all. Today, I encounter students every day who I assume should know so much more about certain events. I had a student tell me recently that we shouldn’t teach them about the negative events of history because they bring up too many painful memories. She said that things like the terrorist attacks of September 11 should be left in the past. Sadly, whatever the reason might be, most of my students know very little about that day — and it happened only 20 years ago. How much less do they know about things that occurred more than 200 years ago?
The principles regarding the teaching of history also apply to the way we teach our children about the things of God. Throughout history, the Lord has revealed Himself in the lives of His people again and again. But his people have typically neglected to teach their children and grandchildren about the faithfulness of God. As a result, those children and grandchildren have grown up without any respect for Him, and they have pursued their own path apart from the Lord.
Moses reminded the children of Israel repeatedly to teach their children about the Lord’s faithfulness. He wanted them to make sure that the things the Lord did to take them from slavery to the Promised Land were celebrated and never forgotten. It’s amazing that after the people arrived in Israel, their descendents were already struggling with the worship of pagan gods within a generation or two. They did not diligently teach their children about the Lord’s faithfulness, so future generations did not know or care about what God had done for them.
The same story plays itself out today. God has been so faithful to Christians throughout history, and we’ve seen His hand consistently in American history. Consider that less than 100 years ago we suffered a catastrophic depression that wrecked our national economy. In less than 20 years, America had won a war against a fascist tyrant and restored its economic fortunes. And less than 10 years after that, the United States had become the biggest beacon of economic, social and religious freedom in the world. Fast forward to today. Too many children know precious little about any of that, and most have never set foot inside of a church. To them, God and Jesus are mainly known as words that are used in profanity — not as the backbone of the prosperity and freedom that they enjoy every day.
Today, I pray if you have children that you are teaching them well about God’s faithfulness. God has done so much for each of us, starting with what He did to allow for our salvation and eternal life. If we want there to be a Christian heritage within this country (and around the world), it has to start in our own homes and communities. Tell your children about what God has done for you and this country. Share with them the deeds of his love and faithfulness. If you don’t, how will they ever know — and how will they ever come to love Him themselves?
Reflection copyright © 2024 Doug DeBolt.
