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Education of Israel
29
Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.” “The peoples who shall hear
all these statutes shall say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and
[28]
understanding people.’”
Deuteronomy 26:19
;
28:10
;
4:6
. In the
laws committed to Israel, explicit instruction was given concerning
education. To Moses at Sinai God had revealed Himself as “merciful
and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
Exodus 34:6
. The fathers and mothers were to teach these principles
to their children. Moses by divine direction declared: “These words
which I command you today, shall be in your heart. 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.”
Deuteronomy 6:6, 7
.
These things were not to be taught as a dry theory. Those who
would impart truth must practice its principles themselves. Only
by reflecting the character of God in the uprightness, nobility, and
unselfishness of their own lives can they impress others.
True education is not forcing instruction on an unready and un-
receptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest
aroused. God’s method of teaching provided for this. In the home
and the sanctuary, through the things of nature and of art, by methods
and rites and symbols unnumbered, God gave to Israel lessons illus-
trating His principles and preserving the memory of His wonderful
works. Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given impressed
mind and heart.
In the arrangements for the education of the chosen people it
is demonstrated and proved that a life centered in God is a life of
completeness. Every desire and drive He has implanted, He provides
to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks to develop.
God, the Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the beautiful,
provided to gratify the love of beauty in His children. He made
provision also for their social needs, for the kindly and helpful
associations that do so much to cultivate sympathy and to brighten
and sweeten life.
Education Through Religious Festivals
As a means of education, an important place was filled by the
feasts of Israel. In ordinary life the family was both a school and a