What is happening in this passage about parents and children?

In this passage, Moses is talking to Israel before they enter the promised land. He looks ahead to a time when children will see all the commands, rituals, and customs God has given and will ask, “What do these mean?” Moses tells the parents exactly how to answer. They are to explain that their people were slaves in Egypt, that the Lord brought them out with great power and with signs and wonders, and that He gave them the land. Because of this, God commanded them to keep His laws, which are for their good and to keep them alive.

What does it mean that Israel were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt?

Being Pharaoh’s bondmen means the Israelites were slaves under Pharaoh’s control. They had no freedom and were treated harshly. When parents answered their children, they were to remind them that their people once lived in misery and hard service in Egypt. This background shows why God’s rescue was such a great kindness. He did not leave them in that bondage but brought them out with a mighty hand. Remembering this slavery made their obedience to God’s commands an answer of gratitude, not just bare duty.

Why does Moses tell parents to start with the Exodus when kids ask about the law?

Moses teaches parents to begin with the story of God’s rescue from Egypt because obedience grows out of gratitude. God did not first give a list of rules to strangers. He first saved His people from slavery with great signs and wonders and then gave them His commands. By retelling how the Lord brought them out to bring them into the promised land, parents show that God’s laws come from love and mercy. This helps children see that keeping His statutes is a thankful response to all He has done, not a way to earn His favor.

What does for our good always tell us about God's commands?

The words “for our good always” show that God’s commands are not meant to harm or restrict His people in a harsh way. They are given for their benefit. Through His statutes, God teaches them how to live in a way that leads to life, safety, and blessing. In this passage, Moses says God commanded these things so that He might preserve them alive. Obeying God is both their duty and their advantage. When they fear the Lord and follow His ways, they experience His care and protection in their everyday lives.

What does it shall be our righteousness mean in this passage?

When the passage says, “it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments,” it is speaking of a life that lines up with God’s standards. If a person kept every command perfectly, in heart and actions, that obedience would be counted as righteousness before God. The problem is that no ordinary person keeps God’s law without any failure. Because of this, faithful readers understand that this sentence shows what the law requires, but also points out our need for someone who truly keeps it. It shows the goodness of God’s law and how far short we fall.

How does this passage explain the link between rescue and obedience?

This passage ties obedience directly to God’s rescue. Parents are to say, “We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out… and He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in.” God saved them first, then gave them His statutes. So their keeping of the law is an answer to what God has already done. Obedience is not a way for them to free themselves. Instead, it is how they show thanks and honor to the God who has already freed them and given them a land as He promised to their fathers.

What does this teach about how to talk to children about faith?

This passage shows that God cares about children understanding their faith, not just copying rituals. When children ask why certain commands and practices exist, parents should welcome the question and give a clear answer. They are to tell the story of what God has done, explain His kindness and power, and then show how His commands flow out of that. It encourages honest questions, simple storytelling about God’s rescue, and connecting obedience to God’s goodness. Faith is meant to be explained and passed down, not kept vague or left unexplained.

What does this passage teach about God's character?

This passage shows God as powerful, kind, and wise. He is powerful because He brought Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with great and severe signs and wonders. He is kind because He rescued slaves, gave them a good land, and kept them alive. He is wise and good in His commands, because they are “for our good always” and are meant to preserve life. God does not save people and then leave them without guidance. He saves, gives them a place, and then teaches them how to live in a way that pleases Him and blesses them.

How can this passage guide my own obedience today?

This passage reminds you to remember what God has done for you before you think about what you must do for Him. Just as Israel looked back to slavery and rescue, you can look back to how God has shown mercy in your life. Obedience then becomes a response of thanks, not just pressure. It also encourages you to see God’s commands as “for your good,” not as random rules. When you face a command that feels hard, you can trust that God’s heart is to preserve and bless, and that walking in His ways is the path of real life.

Why might the phrase about righteousness be hard to understand?

The phrase about righteousness can be hard because it speaks of being right before God through doing “all these commandments.” Faithful readers have seen this in more than one way. On one hand, it plainly describes what perfect obedience to God’s law would be. On the other hand, we know people fail and do not keep every command. So this line both upholds the goodness of the law and shows why people cannot rely on their own obedience to be fully right with God. It pushes us to see the standard and our need for help beyond ourselves.

Deut.6.20

Deuteronomy 6:20

KJV

And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?

Teach Your Children

And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?

Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:

And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.

And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.