Parents need to secure a future for their children

FRIDAY, MAR. 16: The attack on the black males of Bermuda is nothing new.

Indeed during the days when a certain Bible baby was born, there was an all out attempt by one people to destroy another people. The leader of Egypt, Pharaoh, sent out orders to have all baby boys thrown into the River Nile to drown.

Exodus 1:22 - And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

Pharaoh has seen that the Israelites were multiplying and their numbers were too high, which could lead to trouble, because he believed that strong young Israelites would not simply adjust to slavery under him. No, they would rise up and fight for liberty.

Exodus 1:10 - Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Hence, Pharaoh ordered their death in order to maintain his control over the people.

That scene is not unlike what is occurring here in Bermuda.

Males with a fantastic amount of potential are succumbing way too early, and are having their lives limited or snuffed out.

Our males are drowning too. They are drowning in hopelessness; drowning in vices that soon suffocate the life out of them. They may not die literally. 

However, they perish and find that they have a limited mindset for survival.

While the River Nile became a watery grave for countless baby boys, there was one baby boy who avoided that fate. The Bible highlights that his parents were of a different mindset than many other parents.

The parents in the text were both from the Tribe of Levi. The Levitical tribe was a “set apart” tribe, responsible for protecting the holy place, and the only tribe out of which the High Priest would come. The Levites were especially anointed. Therefore, this baby boy had a mother and a father who were anointed. Not just one parent, but both parents had a special portion of God’s presence upon them.

When anointed parents produce children, they seek to speak into the lives of their children and then they do whatever it takes to ensure that it comes to pass.

And that is what the parents of the baby boy did. They desired to secure a future for their son, which caused them to build a secure structure that would carry the baby to safety.

They built an ark of bulrushes and made sure it was waterproof because it was going to carry their son’s life.

Attitude

What if parents today took that same attitude? What if today’s parents decided that they would do whatever they could to ensure a good hope and expected end for their son?

What if they determined that even though around them was death they would speak life?

Even though the enemy was real, they operated according something else that was just as real — their love for the child and their faith that God had a divine purpose for their son.

The ark they made not only sealed in their son, but it also sealed out the water that was all around it.

The waters that had killed so many were not going to kill their son.

Yes, the statistics of the day said one thing but they believed that what they were doing was what God had commissioned them to do.

The actions of those parents saved their son’s life.

The actions of those parents demonstrated that they had a reverential faith and fear of God. Those parents took unusual steps in order to secure a future for their son.

What are the parents of today’s baby boys and girls willing to do in order to seal in a good future for their children?

What unusual steps will the parents of today take in order that their children are not casualties of the “pharaohs” of today?

The parents in our text did what they had to do. I pray that today’s parents will do likewise.  Your child also has a divine purpose.

Do not let him or her fall victim to what is going on all around you. God is greater than your circumstances and God will cause you to see life in your child, speak life into your child and secure life for your child.

Respice finem.