Dedication

I read Proverbs 31 today. The first few lines seem a little like an introduction which can seem less important than the rest but as I soaked in verse two I had to stop and re-read in a different translation to ensure what I immediately believed it to say.

“What, O my son?
And what, O son of my womb?
And what, O son of my vows?” NASB

Son of my vows? Her son is the result of her vow?

The Message Bible is always a nice commentary:

“Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of!
Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God!”

No…that isn’t what it says at all. Yes, I dedicate my children to God, but the verse isn’t saying that in my opinion. Moving on from Eugene.

What does the Amplified say?

“What, my son? What, son of my womb? What [shall I advise you], son of my vows and dedication to God?”

Yes, that’s what I was seeing. “Son of my vows and dedication.” From that, the phrase leaped from my own lips aloud as I thought it. “My children are the fruit of my dedication to God.”

What am I producing?

A direct reflection of my own submission to the Word,
my own awe of His holiness,
my own heart for the lost,
my own commitment to discipline and authority,
my own passion for His presence
and my own zeal for His house

as well as the lack of all of these things.

What am I producing?

My children are the fruit of my dedication to God.

I’m teaching on parenting tonight in the premarital class at church. I love that God is paying attention to the details of my life and proving it in the way He draws my attention to Himself. Seeing the Word light up in front of my eyes, like subtle neon, is such a blessed assurance of His desire to see these young couples informed and taught what He would have them know about shepherding their children into His fold.

I can’t wait to tell them how much He cares about them.