Isaiah 6 [1] in the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Luke 18[15] And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. [16]  But Jesus called them unto him , and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. [17]  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Isaiah at last received the touch he needed after being hindered by His vision of King Uzziah. Eventually King Uzziah died and Isaiah also saw the Lord and received a divine touch. He is now well commissioned and no more hindered.

In Luke 18, we see children being brought to receive a divine touch also hindered by Disciples who were not spirit filled. The Disciples were zealous followers of Jesus who were yet to be commissioned to go for Him.

Christ then declares to the adults that the Kingdom is a kingdom of children i.e. for those born-again in the spirit and warned that they also be as infants – filled with the spirit to enter. Otherwise, just like Isaiah before God’s commissioning, the Lord cannot fully reign in them and they (adult mentors) will only pollute the children’s destiny -  teaching with unclean lips as Isaiah confessed in  Isaiah 6[5]  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips…

Who is the King Uzziah hindering the touch of God on our children? I mentioned a few of his manifestations in my previous post.  They include Focus on Human intellect and civil perfection that enthrones man and not God.  Also with Subtle deviations to God’s complete word – Man and no more the Holy Spirit – is enthroned in scripture interpretation and revisions of the Bible abound.

Whatever is on the throne reserved for God is King Uzziah.

Today the educational system is designed to fulfil what the world wants.  Teachers even in Christian schools may not be spirit-filled but rather well trained. Every age including the present post-modern age has defined its own ideal of society whether in terms of social, political and educational ideals.  The current Western world-view focuses on protecting the rights of the child first, government /society comes next and then the distrusted disenfranchised parent is left bewildered.  See example in article on Protests from parents.  God is also not in the reckoning and the Christian supernatural experience is derided as fables and openly discredited - replaced by a fascination with repackaged “friendly and entertaining” occultism. We are told our children are now being taught to be neutral until they can grow and chose their preferred channel to God, gender preference and almost everything else. But they really are being mind-washed to see God as irrelevant. This is the so called progress of the modern age.

The Christian Theo centric view is very different .  It focuses first (as in all things) on God, then the parent has a major role in educating children – before the child’s perspective. The government hardly features in the Bible equation.   See article on Principal bans Bible.

As a further illustration, in the Judaism/Islamic view, very early education is deliberately intensive in doctrine and character.  The result is that you do not need to tell a Muslim or Jewish bride to dress appropriately and cover herself well irrespective of latest more creative fashion trends. It is also unlikely that, in these cultures, the stranger social habits and fashions of today  (though not necessarily absent) will gain the sort of open ground as witnessed in the Western view.

I Corinthians 15:31, The Apostle Paul said “… I die daily”…. This means Paul is an infant everyday…by the help of the Holy Spirit…his spiritual age is under 1 day…a baby indeed – but a Spiritual titan…a true citizen of the Kingdom.  This is only how we can be infants – by daily dying to the flesh and its strongest ally – the world’s enlightened view.

Are our children being hindered by disciples who are at best zealots unable to cope with King Uzziah alive and finding it hard to see God?  Their virtuous words and wise admonitions can only be hindrances – their lips like Isaiah’s, can only be unclean.   Isaiah could not kill King Uzziah but God helped to bring his reign to a shameful end…God will help us.

Times of Recession, like in other times of shakings, are times to carefully examine the foundations.  What are children being taught about finances and debt? How do they learn contentment and living within the boundaries of God’s ethical and moral laws? How do we teach them they cannot and need not borrow to have what they cannot afford?

I spoke this morning to a group of teachers at a Christian school’s early devotion  – on the need to intercede more for education and the children not just in Nigeria but all over the world. Our prayer was for the  Lord Jesus once again to address every hindrance and obstruction in the way of children receiving His touch as He has done before.

Our God reigns.

Read more in Wealth out of Ashes. Also, for more reflections and related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Bode