Job’s Lessons for Child Rearing
Job 42:14
“He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.”
We can learn a lot about child rearing from Job. When reading about this godly man we learn that he reared children who were very good children. Yet, after losing his children and enduring the horrible trials that came his way, he had ten more children. Three of them were girls. I don’t know why the Scriptures don’t give us the names of the sons, but in the names of the daughters you find three valuable lessons in rearing children. Let me show you these lessons.
He named his first daughter “Jemima,” which means “dove.” This is interesting because in the Scriptures the dove represents two things. First it is a symbol of peace. You will recall that Noah released a dove to see if it could find dry land, and when it did he knew that God was at peace with man. It is imperative that you teach your children to be at peace with God. The first way they need to be at peace with God is by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. I believe it is very important that you start teaching your children at a young age about salvation and its importance. Every day you should pray with your children that they would understand what salvation is all about and accept Christ at an early age. The second way they need to be a peace with God is by doing His will for their life. Teach them to obey the Scriptures and do what God wants them to do. Whenever they obey God, they will be at peace with Him.
The dove also represents the Holy Spirit. It is highly important that you teach your children the need of being yielded to the Spirit of God. One of the greatest ways to teach them is to be yielded to God’s Holy Spirit yourself. Show them how to regularly pray and yield themselves to Him. This is important if God is going to use them mightily.
Job named his second daughter “Kezia,” which means “cassia.” Cassia was a plant that its leaves were used in medicine and for aromatic oil. Job was showing us the importance of developing your child’s personality. After you get the spiritual right, then you need to work on their personality. Make sure they have a personality that is Christ honoring. They should learn to smile and enjoy life. Of course, they are going to learn their personality from you. If you have a poor personality, then they will develop a poor personality. In all reality, you need to make sure that your personality is right so they have an example to follow. Your children will go further in life if they have a personality that is Christ honoring.
Job name his third daughter “Kerenhappuch,” which means “horn of cosmetic.” Now you will notice this is the last area with which parents should work with their children. Your children need to learn to properly groom themselves. They need to learn to dress properly. They need to learn how to iron their own clothes. They should learn how to properly comb or brush their hair. I know this sounds like the obvious, but sadly most children do not learn proper grooming habits. Many times they don’t learn how to mix and match their clothing. It is important for your child to learn proper grooming.
Let me point out that the order Job named his children is the same order of importance we should place on each of these. Sadly, too many parents are more concerned with the cosmetic side of their children when they need to be concerned with the development of spiritual and their personality. All of these areas are important for your children to be well-rounded in life, but make sure you keep them in their proper order of importance.