The Sacredness of the Home

The Sacredness of the Home THE SACREDNESS OF THE HOME
H. C. Hale

God is the author of two divine institutions. The home is the oldest which had its origin in the garden of Eden, when Jehovah God performed the first marriage. The church is the other divine institution, which had its origin on the first Pentecost, after the resurrection of Christ. Both these institutions have been misunderstood and have been desecrated. All the trouble comes because men have abused the home and the church. We are speaking regarding the sacredness of the home. I am taking the liberty this evening of reading what others have said about the home. I shall read some statistics pertaining to the. grave problem of juvenile delinquency. I am reading these clippings because others have worded my thoughts. From an old clipping which I have in my hands we have a definition of the home. Will you listen: “To describe a home is more difficult than many think. The home is not made up of external circum-stances. There are homes of granite and marble, of brick or wood. The palace and the cottage are not so far removed from each other as we often think. The humblest dwelling may be a fairer home than the most costly mansion. 'Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.’ Where love and sympathy have woven their canopy over human lives, the heart centers itself, as surely as planets in their spheres. Go where you will in search of beauty, variety, or pleasure, you will say with undissembling fervency:—

‘There is one land of every land the pride,
Beloved of heaven o’er all the world beside,
There is one spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
Say, would’st thou then ask, where shall That spot be found?
Art thou a man, a patriot? Look around:
Still shalt thou mind, where’er thy footsteps roam.
That land, thy country, and that spot thy home.’ But the importance of the home in its relation to the state consists, not simply in its blessedness, but in its influence upon the formation of character. ‘Who can measure this influence? The soul is affected by environments to a great extent. Disposition, character and destiny are often determined before an individual emerges into manhood, (italics mine, H. C. H.) the most potent energies society has ever known have come out of the home life of the land.’ Doctor Wool- sey, one of the ex-presidents of Yale College, says that the decline of the Roman empire began really in the corruption of home life. President Dwight of Yale College, in giving an account of how he was educated, says that the whole story is summed up in a single sentence, T had the right mother.’ He by no means ignores the influence of other means; but he firmly believes that the determining part of his education, that which chiefly made him what he is, was gained during his early years, and in the family.”—American Baptist.

If the decline of the Roman empire began in the corruption of the home, what of the American home today! We face one of the gravest dangers in the history of our nation in the gradual decline of the home. It has been brought about by a lack of appreciation of the sacredness of the home.
No doubt during the days of Noah, when the world was corrupt before God, and that God saw that every imagination of the thought of man was evil continually—that this downward course destroyed civilization. This same thing destroyed the Israelites; as well as the Babylonians; the Grecians. The Cause of Juvenile Delinquency
I know that most people tire of hearing statistics and editorials. They are sometimes as dry as dust. However I beg of you to listen. Eleven months after Pearl Harbor, Newsiveek carried an editorial with the following:

“A jolted older generation became suddenly aware of a riotous and ever growing procession of juvenile burglary, larceny, assault, robbery, criminal homicide, rape and other sex offenses, arson, truancy, runaways, and disorderly conduct. Among the gravest cases were those of prostitution both professional and casual, by girls anywhere from 12 on up,—feminine camp followers, popularly dubbed, ‘Victory girls/ ‘cuddle bunnies,’ who defended their relation with men in the armed forces on the grounds of patriotic duty.”

Six months later, Ella Winter, writing in Colliers, told of unprecedented acts of juvenile vandalism, and asserts that in numerous American cities delinquency among girls thirteen to fifteen years of age has increased from 20 per cent to 58 per cent. Iln one large metropolis there existed a huge organized gang of boys and girls who committeed holdups, robberies and murders. All smoked marijuana, and no boy could join who had not perpetrated a crime or seduced a girl. Four hundred of these young criminals were taken into custody.

Such are the conditons that prompted J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to issue the vigorous and solemn warning to American parents:

“This country is in deadly peril. We can win this war, and still lose freedom for all in America. For a creeping rot of moral disintegration is eating into our nation.

“I am not easily shocked nor easily alarmed. But today, like thousands of others, I am both shocked and alarmed. The arrests of teen age boys and girls, all over the country, are staggering. Some of the crimes youngsters are committing are almost unspeakable. Prostitution, murder, rape. These are ugly words. But it is an ugly situation. If we are to correct it, we must face it—. . . These are not isolated horrors from another world. They are danger signals which every parent—every responsible American —should heed.”

There we have warnings and facts from men and women who are alarmed over our homes. Here is the irony of it however; and that is our attention must be called to these things from men and women of the world. We have been sleeping all too long. It is high time that Christian people wake up and begin to build Christian homes. But you say, we are young people; and Christian mothers and fathers. I reply that it is our solemn duty to go forth and preach the gospel of Christian homes to the world. This is our only hope. The Divorce Evil.
Back of the juvenile delinquency and the breakdown of our homes there must be a cause. Many men and women and boys and girls look upon the marriage vows too lightly. These vows are sacred and binding. They can’t be set aside by men, and human laws. Yet there exists the idea that marriage is for convenience and if it doesn’t work, we will set it aside. It is no small wonder that we should be alarmed, when we are told that one out of seven marriages wind up in the divorce courts. Why this? Young people have not been taught the sanctity of marriage. “And Jehovah, God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him. ” (Genesis 2:18) Note: One woman for one man. Jesus is very plain right here: “And he answered and said, Have ye not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh ? So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:4-6). “And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.” (V. 9) This connection between husband and wife is closer than parent and child. Paul in speaking of the connection between husbands and wives and Christ and the church, stated that this mystery is great. Yes God is the author of marriage. “Marriage is honorable,” said Paul. Then adultery is dishonorable—yes a disgrace! But because it has been popularized by Hollywood, adultery and divorce are popular—to such an extent that one does not become the idol of the youth until he has had a number of divorces (legalized adultery). Our young people have been influenced too much by the silver screen and the jazz of the radio, by such as Sinatra and others. The time is here when consecrated gospel preachers are unpopular, whereas these others hold the attenion of many fathers and mothers. And the shame of that thing is that many of these parents are members of the church of Christ!

Responsibilties
The marriage vows and the home impose certain responsibilities upon each member in the home. The place of the husband in the home has been definitely defined. “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). “And thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16). These scriptures are too plain to demand comment. One of the reasons why some homes do not function smoothly, is that the man is not the head of the house. This command does not give the husband the right to look upon the wife as a slave.

These Scriptures teach also the place as well as the responsibility of the husband in the home. Some men are often more anxious to hear a statement of their privileges than a declaration of their responsibilities. Every husband should love his wife more than any other creature on earth. “Husbands love your wives,” said Paul (Eph., 5:25). In Colossians he put in the expression: “Be not bitter against them.” (3:19). If these commandments were obeyed there could not be unhappiness in the Christian home. Every husband is required to provide financial support for his family. This duty is inherent in the very nature of things. That man that fails in this is worse than an unbeliever. He fails in being a Christian much less as a father. Every man should see to it that he give the very best to his family. He should make himself a useful citizen and an influential Christian. The wife will certainly help him in this endeavour. The husband should be as prosperous as he can be. It is no sin to make money. The sin comes in the improper use of it. Idleness is a sin however. The husband’s wages or his salary are not his own. They belong to his family. If anyone in the family is called upon to go sacrifice and do without, it should be the father. In the same sense there are definite responsibilities of the wife. “Wives be in subjection” (Ephesians 5:22). The young lady who decides to marry the man she loves should be content in being in subjection to her husband. Yes, she is to love, honor and obey him in the Lord. But again, “Let the wife see that she fear her husband.” To ridicule this statement is nothing but disrespect to the Holy Spirit. No one understands this to mean that the wife is to be afraid of her husband; that she is to jump at every beck and call. “Fear God and keep his commandments” is also a divine injunction, but God does not want his children to be afraid of him as if he were a tyrant. He is a loving, kind-hearted Father and invites us to love him. So it is with the wife and the husband. She is to look upon him with love and admiration. To her he should be the greatest person in all the world. But again we read these words: “In like manner ye wives be in subjection to your own husbands, that even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behaviour of their wives, beholding your chaste behaviour coupled with fear.” Peter was speaking to wives who had husbands who were, not Christians. The main thing for the wife is to ’win her husband over to Christ. How is this to be done? By nagging, and arguing and creating an unhappy atmosphere? By all means no! Here Peter suggests that some husbands may be converted without the word. This does not mean that one can be saved without obeying the word of God, but so far as the wife is concerned she does her work without the word. She lives a beautiful, Christian life, and this life is the sermon that demands the respect of the husband. He then will be eager and anxious to listen to the gospel. I have known as some of you that this works. Another passage which teaches the responsibility of the wife is found in Titus 2:3-5. “That aged women likewise be reverent in demeanor . . . that they may train the young women to love their nusbands, to love their children, to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” To my mind that is a beautiful passage. Here the wife is told to love her husband and her children, and to be “’workers at home.”

Home was ordained as the place for women to work. Today we have all witnessed the wife and mother leaving the home, and seeking employment in secular and public work. The children are left with a maid who is often incompetent. The mother rarely sees her children except at night and morning. The father has no contact with his family. Please don’t think I am too pessimistic. These are conditions which face us today. They are realities. Let us do something about them.

Need for Mothers
I do not know why it is, but it is true that the mother has the most important place in the home. This is no doubt because her responsibilities were defined by the Lord. “Keepers at home” was not spoken just to fill up space. Most of the great men had great mothers. Timothy not only had a mother who was godly, but a grandmother also. There is an old proverb which says: ‘‘An ounce of mother is worth more than a pound of correction.” All of us remember some great lesson which our mothers taught us. What a need today of the right kind of mothers! A young man was leaving home during World 1. His mother stood in the door and waved good bye to him. Words were few, but those words spoken were mighty and stayed with that young man.

“I love the words, perhaps because
When I was leaving Mother,
Standing at last in solemn pause
We looked at one another.
And I—I saw in Mother’s eyes,
The love she could not tell me,—
A love eternal as the skies,
Whatever fate befell me;
She put her arms around my neck
And soothed the pain of leaving,
And though her heart was like to break,
She spoke no word of grieving;
She let no tear bedim her eye,
For fear that might distress me,
But kissing me she said good-bye,
And asked our God to bless me.”

Mother home and heaven are three beautiful words. What is home without a mother, and how can heaven be gained without a home?