What Does the Old Testament Say About Spiritual Disciplines?
The Old Testament is important because disciplines (or practices) were required so Israel could remain in right-standing relationally with God. The Old Testament is also a clear picture of the overall plan of redemption that called for Jesus to take up the cross as payment for our sins.
Scripture Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (ESV) – “4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This could be our lone Old Testament passage and still gives us plenty to learn about spiritual disciplines. This passage is an imperative, which means it is a command that we are to keep the best we are able in all situations. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 speaks into our spiritual formation in two areas. First, we are to love God holistically. Second, we are to teach Biblical principles to our children and keep them at a high priority in our homes.
First, we are to love God holistically.
Did you know that a person in America can attend a worship service three out of eight weeks and still be considered a regular attender? What would that look like if an athlete only practiced about 20 hours per year?
An individual will not have growing levels of spiritual formation with that type of church attendance pattern. In many cases, an individual that adopts mediocre church attendance as normal - lives in disobedience to God’s commands. Allow me to explain. According to verse five, loving God holistically involves one’s heart, soul and strength. Jesus provides clarity to this verse in Mark 12:30. He said loving God holistically involves one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. The following bullet points describe the areas of our lives that should be changed as we learned to love God holistically.
- heart = thoughts
- soul = feelings, purpose and desires
- mind = logic, reasoning and decision-making
- strength = capabilities and potential
If loving God holistically transforms our thoughts, purposes, desires and decision-making, the result is more frequent attendance to a worship service. I believe attending church every week is the minimum requirement for one who desires to love God holistically.
Second, we are to teach biblical principles to our children and keep them at a high priority in our homes.
We cannot teach something to our children that we do not possess ourselves. Our own spiritual formation is necessary for the spiritual formation of our children. We ought to passionately pursue and engage in the spiritual formation process of our children.
Our text provides four phrases that will develop spiritual formation in our children’s lives.
First, we shall diligently teach God’s commands to our children. The original language reveals the depth of the imperative command. The first phrase in verse seven translates to sharpen or to pierce. Our job is the present God’s commands to our children, so they can sharpen and pierce them (and us). Hebrews 4:12 supports this translation, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Our job is to keep biblical principles at a high priority in our homes and to continually sharpen our children. It is God’s job to pierce our children’s soul with the truth of Scripture.
Second, we shall talk about God’s commands as we go through life. The phrase translates guide as a shepherd guides his flock of sheep. Guidance is stronger in different seasons of life and can become more difficult as our children approach adulthood, but we ought not cease the shepherding of our children. As a shepherd pursues a sheep that is off the correct path, so we ought to steer our children back to the correct path when they stray. If we are not pursuing our own spiritual formation, we will lose in this area.
Third, we shall bind our children with God’s commands. The instructions in verse eight came from an Egyptian custom the Israelite learned from their days in slavery. Words of importance were placed on jewelry near their hands or close to their eyes. We might picture a bracelet or eyeglasses. The significance of binding this way was for the joining together and unifying God’s commands with an individual.
Fourth, we shall write God’s commands around our home. This phrase pictures God’s commands being visible throughout our homes. The translation for write is to engrave, which makes God’s commands a permanent fixture in the home and provides a constant reminder of biblical principles. Deuteronomy 6 shows one of our parenting goals is to keep biblical principles in front of our children and a high priority in our homes. This goal necessitates spiritual formation training for our own personal growth.
As we have established a biblical rationale to pursue spiritual formation, we will explore passages that point to spiritual disciplines. The book of Psalms is full of spiritual formation passages; I will only mention a few.
Scripture Text: Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV) – “4Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Scripture Text: Psalm 34:4-5 (ESV) – “4I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Scripture Text: Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV) – 1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Scripture Text: Psalm 119:33-37 (ESV) – “33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. 34Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 36Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! 37Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Today, search your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Look for opportunities to walk more deeply with Jesus Christ.
That could mean you complete to reading your Bible every day for the next 30 days.
That could mean you pray every time you stop at a red light.
That could mean you listen to only Christian music for the next 6 weeks.
Whatever opportunities the Holy Spirit brings to mind, allow him to plant seed and cultivate that work inside you.