44
Peter’s Counsel to Parents
our children, in order that the youth may be surrounded by circum-
stances the most favorable for the formation of a character strong
enough to withstand the evils of this world.
Lesson from Israel
After the descendants of Abraham had spent many years in Egyp-
tian servitude, God raised up Moses to deliver them from their oppres-
sors. In order to induce the Egyptians to heed the message given to
them through Moses, God brought upon them many plagues. But they
continued to harden their hearts. Because of their stubborn resistance,
Moses was at last directed to say to Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord,
Israel is my son, even my firstborn: and I say unto thee, Let my son
go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I
will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”
Before Egypt was visited by this terrible judgment, the word of the
Lord came to the fathers and mothers among the Israelites, directing
them to gather their children with them into the house, there to remain
until the destroying angel had passed over the land. “Moses called for
all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a
lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall
take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason,
and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the
bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the
morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and
when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the
Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come
in unto your houses to smite you.”
“The children of Israel ... did as the Lord had commanded Moses
and Aaron.”
“It came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne
unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the
firstborn of cattle.” God passed over the homes of the Israelites. Upon
the children of the parents who were faithful in gathering their little
ones within the circle of the home, no judgment fell.
This experience of the Israelites is a wonderful lesson for us today.
In this time of peril, God-fearing parents, like the fathers and mothers