A Tetrad Of Teachers For Tumultuous Times
“To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity.” Proverbs 1:3 (KJV, emphasis added)
Do you remember your favorite and most influential teacher in grade school? My fourth-grade teacher was Mrs. Ivy Spikes. Mrs. Spikes was not just a masterful teacher she was also a marvelous motivator and she majored in the Master’s (Jesus’) love. She was a powerful portrait and purveyor of grace and truth. Personally, I know that she was the beautiful balm of healing for my heart that was filled with holes of hurt, crushed with a crippled confidence, and drowning in doubt. I am forever thankful that our Sovereign God used her to soften my heart and place the seeds of salvation in my life that would take hold some nine years later when I turned eighteen years old.
Teachers play a considerable contribution in launching us to lead lives that we would hope to be bountiful and beneficial to society. Someone once said, “It is not what is taught, but what is caught.” For the most part, this idiomatic expression means that values are learned from watching people who consistently practice them. It is the antithesis to the hypocrisy of “Do what I say, not what I do!”
In a perfect world, we expect our places of learning (schools) to be more than just developers and distributers of a didactic environment. Our expectation should be that our educators should encourage and teach students to be honest, impartial, kind, and respectful inside the classroom. This is especially paramount in a classroom represented by diverse people groups. However, I will concede that this is easier said than done because teaching morals and productive spiritual principles to students involves more than just the cognitive (knowledge) level. We need a divine dynamic that will condition the soil of the soul so that the seeds of change can take root in their character.
According to the Word of God, scripture is sometimes identified as seed that must enjoy the perfect environment to take root. For instance, in Luke 8:5-15, our Lord Jesus shared a parable about a sower who sowed seed that fell into four different conditions. It was the seed that fell on good or useful and agreeable soil that sprang up and brought forth fruit. Likewise, our hearts and minds must be like agreeable soil for the seeds of instruction.
The title of this blog mentions a tetrad (4) of teachers for turbulent times. I submit to you that these teachers include wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity. All four of these teachers specialize in disciplines that are essential for enjoying a life that meets our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’s expectations. They will also instruct us in the way to go (Psalm 32:8a). In addition, they place us in a position to catch and cultivate the character necessary to navigate in our current confused, combative, cataclysmic and Christ-less culture.
WISDOM will instruct us on being prudent and circumspect.
JUSTICE will instruct us to exercise what is just and right.
JUDGEMENT will instruct us to determine what is proper and fitting.
EQUITY will instruct us on what is even or fair.
Join me next time as we place ourselves under their instruction.
Remember when a person is taught, both the teacher and the student are responsible for what is caught.
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR