Paul’s early training in the law of God, a law that was holy, just and good, had the desired results. He tells us of this in Gal. 3:23-25. We can imagine like all boys how the rigid training must have caused in his youthful heart at times a spirit of rebellion. How amid many tears he learned his lessons from a stern but loving parent, who knew at the early stage of the boy’s life what was best for him regardless of the boy’s own feelings, The example may well be heeded in this modern day of child psychology, not withstanding its fears of “repressions” and “phobias.” Those who have such problems may find in the final analysis that the welfare both spiritually and socially, of the child is better served by using Bible psychology.
The object of the early years training is to plant within the young mind the fundamental principles that will be retained whether their possessor is aware of it or not. If this is done, like Paul in a crisis of one’s life, these fundamental principles will be brought to bear in such a way, that they will be the schoolmaster that will lead to Christ. This is the duty of Christian parents, painful though the process may be, there is no other way to bring up a child in the way he should go, other than God’s way.
That this was the apostle’s own early experience, and that he appreciated its spiritual value is evident as we read his own words in Ephesians 6:1-3. He passes the advice on to every saint of God that if obedience is to be a part of the child’s character, it is engrained there by the heeding of the parental admonition he gives to bring them up in
“fear and admonition of the Lord.”
Above all things, this early training developed in Paul, a marvellously logical mind. When one considers how keen that mind was, one wonders way it was that he did not recognise in the writings of the prophets, in particular Isaiah 53, that the one he persecuted at the outset of his career was the long promised Messiah. There is a lessen in that of course, and it seems to be that no matter how logical or keen the mind may be, unless it is directed in the right channels, it is of no account. It is a living example that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God, and that God has called the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. Two more things we would call to your attention that must have had a start in Paul’s early life.
One, is that he had a strong sense of loyalty and love toward his own race. See Romans 9:1-3; 10:1-5. Yet he had a stronger loyalty toward the commission he had been given to preach the word of God. So that we find him telling Israel that because they would not listen, he would go to the Gentiles. He almost lost his life for telling them this. What lesson can we derive from this fact? Our prayer and heart’s desire is that those close to us may come to a knowledge of the Truth. But we have greater responsibility than that even, and it is that we love Christ above all earthly ties. How many times like Paul we are compelled to sadly turn from those near to us by fleshly ties, to others of a more receptive mind who will listen to the words of life. But it has its compensations, for did not the Master remind us that
“There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” Luke 18:29-30.
Thus we have the comfort of many brethren and sisters, and the promise if faithful, of life everlasting. Paul’s loyalty to his own race may be perceived again in the incident at Rome where he assures the elders of the Synagogue that although it might appear he had something to accuse his own nation of, it was not so. Read Acts 28:17-30. The other, is that it is obvious that he must have had during his early years in Tarsus an education in the Greek schools. We find him on more than one occasion referring to the Greek poets. One illustration is his notable speech on Mars Hill in Athens.
It is quite probable that the poet he called their attention to was Aretus, a poet of his own city in Cilicia. Undoubtedly he was familiar with the Greek games, both in his early youth, and later in Corinth. He used the familiar sight of the athletes many times in teaching spiritual truths. Adopting language and incidents with which his listeners would be very familiar living in the Greeko-Roman world. See I Cor. 9:24-27. The familiar and beautiful phrase
“The crown of righteousness that fadeth not away”
classical words that mean so much now to the believers, were based upon the giving of the laurel wreath to the victors in the Marathon races of the day that Paul witnessed. He took full advantage of teaching in language and object lessons that were well understood in that day. What a lesson to us to talk in language and use similes that are contemporary in our day. It does not stretch the figure at all when we I say that it is comparable to speaking
“five words with our understanding,”
which is preferable to speaking
“ten thousand words in I an unknown tongue.”
At an early age he was put to learning the trade of a tent maker. Brother Boulton in his “Life of Paul” tells us that all Jewish boys were compelled to learn a trade. One Rabbi saying,
“Whosoever I does not teach his sen a trade is as if he brought him up to be a robber.”
It is, I believe, quite superfluous to deal at this time with the dignity of working with one’s hands, the supreme example of course being Jesus himself, the carpenter’s son. However, such I work as weaving leaves much time for one’s mind to work. Ask any sister who does needle point or — sewing or such work, they will tell you of the multitude of thoughts that pass through the mind as the hands are working.
Concerning such thoughts no better advice could be followed than that of the apostle when he says in writing to the Philippians 4:8,
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things I are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, we Whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Thoughts we believe, are very much like words. That is, the scripture tells us that
“Every idle word that a man speaks, of that he shall give account in the day of judgment.”
So it is no less with idle I thoughts, for words idle and other- wise first are generated in the mind before they are uttered. We should like to pass on to you a thought on this which was given by Alfred Norris at Wilbraham concerning idle words, and apply it to idle thoughts. The thoughts we have when we are busy working mechanically with our hands and m otherwise, are the thoughts that I pass idly through our brains.
They are not the carefully mulled over thoughts when we are preparing an exhortation, or something for I Bible class. Nor are they the carefully prepared thoughts that find expression in words when we meet and talk with our brethren and sisters upon whom we wish to leave m a good impression (which of course is quite proper and right). They are the idle thoughts that reveal what kind of people we really are. The thoughts that many — times find expression in words that I come hot and heavy when our tempers are inflamed.
These are the thoughts that God is more interested in than the carefully considered ones. And we believe, like I words, they can either be on the good side of the ledger or the bad side in the day of judgment. (sees Matthew 12:36, 37, and for word, we take the liberty of putting thoughts.) For before words I spoken they are born in the inner recesses of the mind. Hence, put the kind of thinking into practice advised by the apostle in his letter mg to the church at Philippi to which I we have referred, and the words will be after the same order as the thoughts, namely,
“True, honest, just, pure, and lovely.”
Daniel The Prophet – (Part 3)