After the Lord gave his law to Israel at Sinai, he commanded them through Moses to keep these commandments in their hearts, to continually meditate on them and teach them diligently to their children (Deut. 6). Professor Cammenga’s new book, The Ten Commandments for Children, helps Christian parents carry out this calling today by giving them a framework for intentionally instructing their children about God’s law. In the first seven chapters, this book systematically covers what God’s law is and why we are called to obey it. The author then goes on in the remaining 21 chapters to explain what is forbidden and what is required in each of the Ten Commandments.
The book is designed to be read like a devotional. All of the chapters feature a two-page explanation along with three discussion questions, a related passage to read from the Bible, a suggested Bible verse to memorize, and a Psalter number to sing. There are even QR codes in the front of the book so that you can download the 1912 Psalter app for Android or iOS if you don’t have a copy of the Psalter at home. The overall format of the chapters is very well done, although I think it would have added value to the book if there were prayer prompts included in each chapter that coordinate with the theme of the meditation.
It took our family about 10 minutes to go through a chapter for our devotions after dinner, including reading, discussion, singing and prayer. The text of each chapter is simple enough that my six- and eight-year-old were able to grasp the main idea and come up with answers to the discussion questions (if they were paying attention), yet complex enough that my husband and I found it to be edifying as well. Reading through this book guided us to discuss with our children why and how we are called to live as God’s people in a way that we have not before. If you have elementary aged children, I highly recommend purchasing this book to use in your family worship. The book will be released in mid-May, and you can pre-order from the RFPA here.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
The Left Fork 