GOD'S VIEW OF SEX

The Bible makes it clear that there is nothing shameful about discussing sex in  a proper context.  In Israel, God's people were told to gather together, including  their "little ones," to listen to the reading aloud of the Mosaic Law. (Deuteronomy 31:10-12; Joshua 8:35) The Law frankly  mentioned a  number of sexual matters, including menstruation, seminal emissions, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, incest, and bestiality.  (Leviticus 15:16, 19; 18:6, 22, 23; Deuteronomy 22:22) After such readings parents no doubt had much to explain to their inquisitive youngsters.

There are passages in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Proverbs that convey loving parental counsel on the dangers of sexual immorality.  These verses show that immorality may be tempting at times. (Proverbs 5:3; 6:24, 25; 7:14-21) But they teach that it is wrong and has disastrous consequences, and they offer guidance to help young people avoid immoral ways. (Proverbs 5:1-14, 21-23; 6:27-35; 7:22-27) Furthermore, immorality is contrasted with the satisfaction of sexual pleasure in its proper setting, within marriage. (Proverbs 5:15-20)  What a fine model of teaching parents to follow!

Does such teaching lead children to commit immorality? On the contrary, the Bible teaches:  "By knowledge are the righteous rescued." (Proverbs 11:9)  Do you want to rescue your children from this world's influences? One father said:  "Ever since the children were very young, we've tried to be totally frank with them when it comes to sex.  That way, when they hear other children  talking about sex, they're not curious.  There's no big mystery."

As noted in earlier chapters, sex education should start early.  When teaching little children to name body parts, do not skip over their private parts as if these were somehow shameful.  Teach them the proper names for these.  As time passes, lessons about privacy and boundaries are essential. Preferably both parents should teach the children that these parts of the body are special, generally not to be touched or exposed  to others, and are never to be discussed in a bad way. As children grow older, they should be informed as to how a man and a woman come together to conceive a child.  By the time that their own bodies begin to enter puberty, they should already be aware of the changes  to be expected.  As was discussed in Chapter 5, such education can also help to protect children from sexual abuse. -Proverbs 2:10-14. 

Next time: HOMEWORK THAT PARENTS HAVE

From the book: THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS, 1996