FAMILY WORSHIP BIBLE GUIDE
Edited by Joel R. Beeke
Reformation Heritage Books. 856 pages. £15.24
ISBN 978 1 601 785 008
The first sentence of the Introduction to this book hits the nail on the head: ‘Family worship has fallen on hard times.’
And so it has! How many readers of this review have won the struggle to establish family worship on a daily basis? The enemy of souls must be delighted that the computer, the smartphone, the TV, Facebook, Twitter, and the other social media, plus many other excuses, seem to have won the day in many, or perhaps most, Christian families.
This book consists of an excellent introduction which gives a great deal of good advice in a short space. Have a regular Bible reading plan. Talking about the young, J.C. Ryle is quoted: ‘Fill their minds with Scripture… give them the Bible, the whole Bible.’ The Introduction is clear. Be plain. Allow discussion. Be loving. But be insistent that the Word of God deserves to be heard. Aim for brevity. Don’t be tedious. Let the very young watch adults pray. Plainly the advice in the Introduction would justify the book’s existence if nothing else followed. (It is worth pointing out that this fine Introduction is acknowledged to be a summary of Joel Beeke’s book Family Worship. This earlier book is where those who wish to instigate family worship could start.)
Every Bible chapter
Following the Introduction, there are comments on every chapter in the Bible, which accounts for the large number of pages. These make up the bulk of the space and are printed on thin paper.
The comments vary in quality and usefulness. This reviewer thinks that these comments should be taken only as suggestions. After all, most believers in family worship are likely to be quite capable of applying the Word of God to those who are present.
Age of children?
If the family is gifted with children, they will need to adapt their remarks to the age range and disposition of the hearers. It is a fair criticism to say that the comments make no serious allowance for the age of those present at family worship. If there are no children or they have left home, the parents can often dig deeper and spend longer together. The reviewer agrees with Beeke and his three main helpers that the fruit of family worship is worth any effort expended. Those who neglect family worship may well, perhaps inadvertently, heighten the danger of contributing to the natural drift into unbelief. As we all know this is already built in to every soul at birth.
There is no guarantee, but the family which takes the advice about family worship in this book will very likely reap rich spiritual rewards. That is where the evidence points.
