The Bible as a Teaching Tool for Values

When I had my child, I already knew in my heart that I wanted him to grow up Godly and be exposed to Christian values. But how was I going to do it? I was not the Sunday School kid when I was growing up. But I love to read, and this is another thing I am sure of—I also wanted my child to love reading as well. 

So, I bought a beautifully illustrated children’s Bible and kept it until he was old enough to read on his own. Maybe it is my book hoarder personality, but I was also able to buy a couple of Bible storybooks that were on sale (insert facepalm emoticon here). We started with those storybooks—repeating the stories all over again until they were well-tattered and much drawn on.   

I have heard somewhere that it is good to have our hearts to be filled with God’s word to the point that we are overflowing and just pouring Bible truths everywhere and in all that we do. So I just shared and shared stories with my little one. Every night, we would read Bible stories together—still from a children’s version as he is only very young. 

 Learning from Biblical Characters

I love it that I am able to discuss Biblical characters with him, and he would share his pure and childlike insights that are filled with wisdom. It is not uncommon for him to say things like “God can x-ray inside our hearts you know” because I was saying that God is able to know what we are really thinking.  

Recently, we just finished reading about Moses and his journey and how he passed on the baton to Joshua. I mentioned that I really liked the part that Moses was already 80 years old when God first spoke to him directly and tasked him with the very big and important work of freeing the Israelites from slavery. Imagine, someone super old and in the retirement age already (in relation to our times) but is still doing hard, physical, and emotionally-charged projects.  

I said to my child it is like God has a penchant for choosing unlikely heroes to do work for Him. And that is when we started trying to list down the other unlikely heroes we know in the Bible. God does not choose the bravest, strongest, most handsome people. Now I am no Bible expert. I just explained to my son why I think that is so. And I think it is because these “weak” and “scaredy-cat” people are sometimes the more moldable or the more God is able to showcase His glory through them. So even if we are small or think we do not have any worthwhile job in this society, God can actually use us to do big things for Him.            

Unlikely Heroes from the Bible

The following is our rough list of unlikely heroes—real people whose values we can try to emulate. Maybe you could add more to it! 

Noah - Obedience

It did not say in the Bible exactly how old Noah was when he started building the ark, but it did say that he was 600 years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. We can only imagine that Noah must have been really old already when God gave him this monumental project, at least more than a senior citizen’s age. We are not sure as well if only Noah and his immediate family worked on the construction of the ark. He could have hired help. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is, he spearheaded a job greater than him at an “old age” and only made it possible because of God. The next time we think we are too old (or too young!) to do something significant, think of Noah! From Noah we can learn obedience.   

Moses - Humility

Moses was a murderer and a fugitive, yet God used him in one of the greatest assignments ever! Although I felt really, really sad that Moses was not able to step foot into the Promised Land after leading more than half a million Israelites out of Egypt, we can see that he did not grow bitter towards God. He is shown in the New Testament as an example of God’s will. From Moses we can learn humility. 

Ruth - Loyalty

Ruth was a Moabitess, raised among pagans. What I love in her story is how God led her (someone who does not worship Him making Ruth very much an unlikely heroine) to marry a prince of the tribe of Judah, which we can see from the book of Matthew is also in the line where Jesus came from. She is redeemed and eventually put in the family of God. On a side note, I think the book of Ruth is also important not just because of the key lineage which will lead to Jesus but also because of the model in-law relationship shown between Naomi and Ruth. We in the modern times can certainly glean good values and lessons from that. From Ruth we can learn loyalty.

Paul - Bravery

Paul terrorized Christians. He was very, very bad—a real life bully to Jesus believers. However, his life changed 180 degrees, and he became one of the greatest evangelists ever, contributing to many of the books in the New Testament. From Paul’s example, even if we think we are the “baddest” of the bad, there is nothing that Jesus cannot do. He can turn our life around and use it for His glory. That is why Paul’s story is one of my favorites in the Bible—God can transform something undesirable into the most beautiful thing. From Paul we can learn bravery. 

I am sure there are a lot more unlikely heroes in the Bible. The Word of God is timeless and an excellent book for teaching values. As simple as reading the stories every day with our children impacts a lot not just in their lives but in our lives as parents as well.      

Written by Katherine Tanyu

Aside from God, her family, homeschooling (and books!), Katherine's love lies in stationeries. She and her husband manage growing stationery brandsForestmillⓇ, PrevailedⓇ and Boss StationeryTMin the Philippines. She is also the community moderator of a Facebook group forOffice and School Supplies Wholesalers. Katherine blogs at https://kmtanyu.wixsite.com/thiskatwrites.

See articles on The Canadian Schoolhouse written by Katherine.