From the beginning, children are an integral part of serving and worshiping the Lord. In Exodus, we studied how God's Spirit filled master craftsmen Bezalel, who was thirteen years old, and his assistant, Choliab, with wisdom and skill to build the Tabernacle. Isn't it amazing that God gives children talents and gifts when they are young? Can we help but ask, "What gifts and talents has God deposited into the children in our family and church to fulfill the assignments He has given us?"

In Leviticus, the tragic story of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of following God's instructions, even when we are young. We must teach children and teens what God says in the Bible so they will avoid the consequences of sin and disobedience. Such instruction begins in the home with godly parents in a loving and nurturing environment.

To underscore the responsibility to impart God's values to our children, God instructs Moses in Deuteronomy to remind His people to teach their children and grandchildren His commands. How? Repeat them, discuss them, tie them, wear them, and write about them. Where? At home, on the road, when going to bed, and when waking up. In this, the Lord details a lifestyle of teaching and learning about His Word that is intergenerational in scope.

In Deuteronomy 33, the Pentateuch concludes with a solemn but beautiful picture of intergenerational worship! Children are present as Moses blesses the tribes of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. It's a picture of everyone gathered together, listening. The lifelong model involves nurturing children's faith in corporate worship settings.

This is our model! Empty churches will be filled once again when we return to God's order of intergenerational worship, vividly illustrated in the pages of the Pentateuch as a blueprint for us to follow today.