In this sermon, the speaker shares his experiences of preaching the word of God and traveling across the nation. He recalls a powerful encounter with a man who commended him for fearlessly preaching the unadulterated word of God. The speaker also mentions witnessing the devastation of families who have lost their children and how they turn to the words of Job in their grief. He shares a story of a man who wrote a heartfelt letter to his parents, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, and how his parents had been praying for him daily, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

Thank you. Can we bow for prayer for a moment? Our Heavenly Father, thank Thee for the wonderful hymns of our faith and that we could sing in joy and rejoicing at our Redeemer. And we bless Thee that we can be here together because of Christ, no other reason. He died for us, He rose, and we're in the school of God. And so we would learn from Thy Word, take this, Thy servant, and wash me in the blood of Jesus Christ afresh, that I might be a vessel of meat for the Master's use. And open all of our hearts, even the hardest heart that has no interest in God, open their hearts. Tonight, every one of us, through the working of the Holy Spirit and in grace and mercy on all of us, in Jesus Christ's name, we unitedly agree and ask this of our Father in heaven, Amen. A wise son, a wise son maketh a glad father, maketh a glad father. But a foolish son, a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. That word involved the grief, the grief of his mother. A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Proverbs 10 verse 1, a foolish son is a grief, a grief to his father and bitterness, bitterness to her that bear him. Proverbs 17 verse 25, a foolish son is the calamity, the calamity of his father. That word means the ruination, the destruction of his father as Eli's sons were. It was not the ark being taken that made Eli fall to his death in shock, it was his son's first stop that caused the death, the ruination of that man. A foolish son is the calamity, the ruination, the destruction of his father. Proverbs 19 verse 13, this is, to my knowledge, the 29th time I've toured the USA and I have been greatly privileged and honored to have had so many times to meet so many multitudes of people of the godly, I believe, the conservative godly pulpits that allowed me to address their people. After a few occasions of traveling across this lovely nation of yours, I was stunned in one very great auditorium when a man walked up to me with a group of men who I had no idea was in the meeting, probably a harsh old name across the world, so loved, revered. He looked at me and I noticed there were tears in his eyes and he said, Brother Daniel, I have seldom, if ever, heard any man dare to preach with such uncompromising fearlessness the unadulterated word of God. And then he said these words to me, be careful brother, be careful the devil doesn't sit back and let you do that. You see, Brother Daniel, if he can't get you, and he knows he can't get you, he's going to aim at your children a thousand times more than he'll aim at any other Christian's children who mean nothing for God, who make no stand for God in the front line of the battle. You see, if he can get one of your children, Brother Daniel, just one, he knows he'll have you on your face, crawling, until the day you die. You'd better pray very earnestly for your children, Brother Daniel. And tears were coming down his face as he said those words. He said nothing else to me and I've never heard, should I say I've never seen him again. Just walked away. That's all he had to say. I stood for a while looking at him as he walked away, wondering why he was weeping when he said those words. The godliest man I ever knew in my life, and I have no doubt now, I will never ever meet anyone more godly than the godly Will McFarlane, who I have preached of numbers of times. And many people in different countries have walked up to me when they had heard me preach on him and said, you're right. We've always said, I never met a more godly man in my life. One man said to me, to have stood in Will McFarlane's company, your conscience won't allow you to ever recover. I suppose that's beyond comprehension to most of us. But I know a man who in his godlessness, without Will McFarlane preaching to him or speaking to him about God, but just simply standing, talking, the man fell down and wept and sobbed publicly his way through to Christ. Through the godly, holy character, to the degree God can work within a man who allows him to have his way, to the degree which the Will McFarlane did. One of the most anointed lives and certainly one of the most anointed preachers I've ever heard in my life. A number of us young preachers, many years ago, in one of the very large conferences in our country, were sitting in the dining room hall of this great convention center. And we were talking about the godly Will McFarlane as preachers. The dining hall was virtually empty. People had finished their lunch between the meetings. We were talking about his godly conduct and influence on all of us who to some degree wanted to emulate him by the grace of God before we died. One man said, have you ever noticed that that man in his 60s has not one wrinkle on his face? Have you noticed? And look close, he hasn't got a wrinkle on his face. It's uncanny. And so we were all thinking about it and another preacher, young preacher, well not too young, he said, I believe it's his walk with God. His resting in God and the walk and pursuit of God that kept him from not having the fears and the worries and the concerns. I believe it is his walk with God, this wonderful walk with God. Suddenly, we heard a voice at the end of the table that we were sitting, standing around each other talking. There was a little lady that was sitting and we were oblivious of her. And she said these words, no, no, you're wrong. We all turned to her. She was eating. I don't believe it was merely his walk with God, although I would say he is the Godliest man I think I've ever met. But I don't believe that's the reason he has no wrinkles on his face. Perhaps it's because he and his wife could never have any children. And we looked at this little lady with dark rings under her eyes and wrinkled face, bent back and gray hair as if she had been a battered bird. She sat there like a battered little bird. And none of us said a word. Further than that, as we looked at that lady, and she with tears coming down her face, carried on eating. In our country, we have a number of German communities. Southwest Africa is basically German speaking because of the German missionaries and then the communities and then the cities. German Southwest Africa, now Namibia, since its independence from Germany. Throughout Southern Africa, you will find communities and towns, large towns that are 80% plus German speaking. They to this day, after all the years, the early immigrants, virtually every family there will tell you who their first forefather was that came to Africa and why. To win the black, to Christ. The Germans who were saved had this longing to be used of God to bring the native of a country to Christ, especially Africa for some reason. And well, the missions that they started, because most of these people have got a letter, letters written by those people back and forth concerning why they were in Africa. The souls, this one came to Christ, this group has come to Christ that we now ministry to. These mission stations became schools, houses, and then later on developed to communities and towns now. But they all still speak German as if it's the only language on earth, some of them. After all these years and years and decades, a few hundred years now, I have preached in number of these Lutheran churches across our country that are evangelical and some that didn't ever have the gospel preached in its history, but they let me preach. And I'm very honored by that because of the godly that somehow fought for me to get in those pulpits. Very godly lady by the name of Ingrid Niebuhr. She's dead now. She died of cancer about 10 years ago. What an incredible woman of God. I felt honored to be in her presence. She had the respect of the entire community above anyone else in that community, even the pastor. She had this deep respect because of her walk with God, her integrity, and her courage for God. Ingrid Niebuhr stayed in their home on the little farm outside of the community many times when I was to preach there. Her sister Gretel married to Mr. Jones, Gretel Jones, equally godly and her brother, a singer who takes his choir across South Africa many years ago, not now, but he was godly. The children. One day I had the privilege of going to their parents' home and the God-fearing mother of Gretel, Ingrid, and I think his name was Gustav. But this God-fearing mother and I had come for a meal being in the community and just out in one of the farmland just outside of the community up there in Denhauser, I think Sprat area in northern Natal, Sutherland, where I was sitting with this godly woman. And I shared with her of the impact of her godly children upon my life, for I was very young. I was a young preacher. And I thanked her for raising such God-fearing children that serve the Lord in such a wonderful way and have won the respect of their communities. She said, there's one of my children you haven't met, brother Keith. Would you like me to introduce you to another child of mine that you haven't met? I said, but nobody told me of another child. Oh, come with me. We went in the table through this old farmhouse to the back section to a very large room and there lay a grown-up lady who had never ever in her life walked. She had never ever been able to hold a spoon to feed herself. She had never once been able to help herself. She was like a cabbage, a vegetable case. She was dressed beautifully, her hair done beautifully in this cot that she couldn't get out of or fall out of. And she had this gentle smile just looking up with these bright eyes looking at me. And so the mother introduced me to her and her to me. And then she stroked this little lady's head. And she said, this is the child that gave me more joy than all of them. This child gave me nothing but joy. This was a gift from God to me. Never could speak a word in her life. Never could do anything for herself, just to be careful. Her mother said, you see, every other child I've had, I was on my face weeping for their souls. As they pursued sin, they aged me. They broke my heart. I wept on my face as they went to serve the devil in the devil's houses, feasting from the devil's table with the devil's children. The things that Satan would put out and hold out to his children, those who serve Satan, my children went. They didn't long hope to have anything in their hearts for the house of God or God's people. But this child, I've never ever had to weep a tear over her soul. I've never had to grumble before God. I've never had to grieve and cling to God and fast and pray and age. This is the only child I had that just gave me joy because I know if she dies, she goes straight to heaven. From her birth to this day, there's no judgment for this child and no sin, nothing. Nothing will come upon her because of her mind. This child was my greatest gift from God and gave me such joy. Oh, children of the godly, does it not disturb you that of your own free will that every one of us have, you have chosen to seek to pursue sin with sinners in sinful places, though your parents are godly? Does it not disturb you that your choice to deny God and pursue sin has robbed your godly parents of the joy that should have been theirs because of their pursuit of God? It was their rightful inheritance to have joy. But all the devil needed was one of your children, brother Daniel, because he knows if he can get his one, he'll have you on your face weeping till the day you die. Does it not disturb you that you robbed them of what they rightfully deserved in their pursuit of godly integrity, that you were the reason the devil gave them to have to weep and age and become grave? Proverbs 22 verse 6 says, chain up a child in the way he should go. That's obviously God to godly parents. And when he is old, he will not depart from it. What a wonderful promise. But there's always other promises and other warnings. There's no such a thing as taking a promise there and saying, that's it. You see, it depends on the other scriptures. We have to compare scripture with scripture. And there's so many scriptures telling us of children who choose the devil, who will destroy their parents, their godly parents. You have to look at them all. What if your child rejects your influence, your instruction, and chooses to rebel and seek sin because of the free will that God never forced a man to love him? Because that's not the love that God wants. It has to be a choice. A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness, the grief, the grief of his mother. This is speaking of godly people. All the way through the part of when God hammers out and directly says, the godless, the wicked. Oh, be careful. Proverbs 29, verse 17. Correct thy son, God says, and he shall give thee rest. Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Isn't that lovely? God says that. Correct thy son now, godly. And he shall give thee rest. He shall give delight unto thy soul. But what happens if your son or daughter don't want or refuse to accept your correction? What happens? Proverbs 17, verse 30, verse 17. The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother. Isn't that tragic? Scorns obedience to, literally, he scorns to be obedient to his mother, his godly mother. Oh, the eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother. This is tragic. A fool despises his father's instruction. A fool despises his father's instruction. Proverbs 15, verse 5. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instructions. Proverbs 13, verse 18. My son, hear the instruction of thy father. Forsake not the law of thy mother. Fools despise wisdom and instructions. Proverbs 1, verse 7. Hear the instruction of thy father, this book warns. Forsake not the law of thy mother. Proverbs 30, verse 11. There's a generation that curses their father and doth not bless their mother. That's a horrific statement. There's a generation that curses their father and doth not bless their mother, as God instructed them to. I wonder if God wasn't specifically, not uniquely, but specifically speaking of this generation. Shame. They bring shame and grief and heaviness and destruction to the lives of the godly parents because of their wickedness. Oh, his choice of friends. He that is a companion of riotous men, shameth his father, God says. Proverbs 28, 7. And I believe God is speaking about the godly. Not just generalizing some book here of good proverbs. This is God's word to God's people and to those who would seek God. He shameth his father. Proverbs 28, verse 7. His choice of friends causes godly parents grief and fear and shame. And shame. A companion of riotous men, shameth his father. Proverbs 28, 7. Fools make a mock at sin. Proverbs 14, verse 9. And a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13, verse 20. It is fearful. His choice of wife. Not just his choice of friends. Bring shame and grief and heaviness to his godly parents. Because if you have your choice of godless, wicked people to be your companions and your choice of friends, you will choose one of them eventually to marry. His choice of wife. Esau. Esau's choice of wife were a grief of mind. A grief of mind unto Isaac and Rebekah, his parents. Genesis 26, 35. That is tragic. Esau took to wife ungodly woman. Genesis 26, 34. Which were a grief of mind to his god-fearing parents. 26, verse 35. Oh, he took to wife Judith, the daughter. These people who were godless, from godless backgrounds, who had no fear of God. Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of Esau's wife. Genesis 27, 46. Genesis 28, 1 and 2. Isaac called Esau's brother Jacob and warned him and instructed him not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers as Esau, his brother, had done. And of course, Jacob obeyed his parents and married a god-fearing and upright woman. And God honored him in a remarkable way because of that obedience to what his parents wanted and values. God honored his whole life in a remarkable way. Oh, children from Christian homes, honor thy father and thy mother, God says. Exodus 20, verse 12. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long. Take care to note that little statement. Don't play the fool with God. Ye shall fear every man, his mother and his father. Leviticus 19, verse 3. Ye shall fear. The closest to our words today would be revere. Ye shall revere every man, his father and his mother, God says in the law given to Moses. Honor thy father and thy mother as the Lord thy God has commanded thee, that it may go well with thee. That it may go well with thee. Deuteronomy 5, verse 16. Do you think God jokes? Do you think this is just something you don't ever have to worry about? Hebrews 12, 7 asks, what son is he whom his father chasteneth not? Disciplines not. Verse 9, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence, that is respect. But what if we didn't revere or respect? That's the big question which is strewn through the Bible, warning and the consequences even to godly parents. Oh, they for a few days, that is for a brief time. That's all God gives us, parents. It's so brief, believe me, one of the greatest fights in life is the brevity of life. When you think it's just beginning, it's gone. And the children, that little baby you got in your arm in one moment, grown up and gone. Don't doubt this, just a few days. They chastened us. They disciplined us, corrected us, instructed us. Prayerfully, as God fearing after their own pleasure. They did the best, literally. As best as seemed best to them in their limitations as humans. For we've had fathers which corrected us, we gave them reverence. But what if we didn't revere or respect them? That's the big question here tonight. Proverbs 19, verse 26. He that wastes us, his father, and chases away his mother, is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach. I'm too scared to share the real meaning, the full implications of what God sees a child will stoop to in his pursuit of sin, if his parents try and stop him, would he resort to. I'm too scared to even tell you illustrations of the state and the condition I saw mothers and fathers, physically, to the anger of a child who did not want to be stopped. I met a very godly man, and I do love to be with him and his godly wife whenever I can, when I go to their city in South Africa to preach. I love to find occasion to be with them, they're so godly. He shared his testimony with me years ago. What an amazing testimony, this godly man. He said, when he was young, his soul pursued sin, with both hands, earnestly, the Bible says. That's given over to sin, and determined, everything the devil can give, I'm not going to miss or waste anything. Oh, he said he forgot completely about his parents. It's not of their physical existence, but the care of his parents didn't matter. The further you throw yourself into sin and evil, the less you care. When you care about sin to the degree you care only about sin, the less you care about anybody else, and there's no such a thing as not affecting other people. If you sin, everyone that loves you, beginning with your parents, are affected tragically, no matter who you are. Oh, he said three years, he was young, fled from the house to live in sin, no restrictions. He didn't worry, not one night did he lose any sleep, have any concern, he didn't contact them. And then in his wickedness, one night God got hold of him and saved his soul in a mighty way. As he rose from his knees, the burden, the grief that fled, that just shed across his life, his heart and his mind. And he, being the other side of the world, and this is long ago now, he wrote them a letter. He wrote a 16-page letter the night of his salvation. God just needs to get hold of you. And the first thing he'll put right is your mother and father. If you've neglected them, if you hurt them, if you hadn't obeyed them, if you grieved them, if you raged them, if you ruined them, if you took away their joy, suddenly this comes. And this man wrote them a 16-page letter. His father eventually wrote back, and these are the words. We didn't know whether you were dead or alive anymore. And we have wept on our faces as we prayed for you daily. Thank you for contacting us at last. To the degree you give yourself over to evil and sin and wickedness, to that degree you simply forget others exist, apart from those whom you are immediately feeling affected to. When Jenny and I were first married, young missionaries in Africa, we were put into an apartment on the third floor of this old building. It was a palace to us, to you it would be a very poor man's home. It was our palace. Opposite us, as you opened the door into this long passageway that went into many, many, many, many apartments, opposite us was a door facing us of two young men, young university students. While they were studying in one of the big universities in Africa, not too far from us, that's where they abode. But they were wicked. The wickedness that went on there with drugs, drink, the partying and the close to death incidents as they were hanging over balconies and one actually fell right down, the consequences we don't know the full details. But these boys were wild. What was the tragedy though? Daddy would stand at that door weeping. I used to time him, 13 minutes, just this, calling their names. They never ever opened that door to their daddy. One day he turned and saw me looking at him, grieved. He said, have you seen my son? Have you spoken to them, dear preacher? Have you spoken to them? When he walked away, a number of occasions I just stood there wanting to weep. And then the door would open a few minutes later and they'd say with a smile, is he gone? They don't care, you don't care about hurting. You don't care about grieving if you're thrown into sin. To the degree you're thrown into sin, you care about yourself. Oh, young man, young woman, in your pursuit of sin, have you forgotten about your father and mother? Their hearts, their wounded hearts, have you? Does their grief not concern you? As a young preacher, I once was able to preach in a reformatory. In your country, you'd call it a correctional school. These young guys, 14 years up into 19, perhaps 20, to give them a chance. They don't put them into prisons. Many of them were murderers. Many had killed their own fathers. I prayed with many of them. There was a wonderful movement of God there. When I was just young, over 200 came to Christ, 223. Not one was ever known to have backstabbed. That did something for my faith in my ministry. And what to preach and what to believe works. One of the young boys had wept and sobbed so uncontrollably, we virtually had to stop the meeting and stop the message, pray him through. He called me one day. He wanted to be alone and to speak to me. Of course, the police never left you alone. The warders, the police were standing around, but they gave us privacy that he could speak. And he said, Sir, my father told the police that he will never ever speak to me again. My father told the police to tell me that till the day he dies, he would never allow me near him again or our family. His son is dead. He will never ever forgive me. Sir, my father had reason to say. But the tragedy is I never cared. It didn't disturb me. I never lost sleep about that. The police said on a number of occasions, you understand? He hates you so much, you're dead. You are never to contact him again till he dies. You will never. Do you understand? Yes, I get the message. I understand. Don't worry, I won't. He said, Sir, but the night that you prayed with me, while I was on my knees seeking God's forgiveness for all my wickedness and sin, all I could see was my father and the grief. I couldn't sleep that night. I want their forgiveness. I never wanted his forgiveness. But there on my knees as I was praying with you, and you were talking to me about what to do now, all I could think was my father. Sir, I want you to find him. I want you to go and find him for me. I beg you, I'm begging you, because no one else, I don't want anyone else to go to him. I want you to tell him what God has done for my life. And tell him this is not just for a little moment here in this place because of the consequences, you see. This is forever. And it is. Trust me, he didn't backslide till this day. Forty-something years later. He still pursues God. It was real, he was saved. I want you to go and ask my father for forgiveness. I want you to tell my father I've changed forever. I'll never be the same. And that I'm sorry. I'm grieved at what I was and did. And I want him to forgive me. It took a few months before I got there. And I realized his father was a very wealthy man. As they led me through his business. It was incredible size in one of the most, the best, most prestigious business area of that city. Well, eventually I got through to where his offices were. There he was behind the glass doors of all these things. And I told his secretary. And she wanted to know, of course, why I wanted to see him. Well, I have a message from his son. When he went through, when she went through, he screamed. But he screamed such obscenities and blasphemy. And I could hardly believe, I trembled. That this dear lady had to have this abuse of all these filthy, depraved words. In his anger. You tell him that all the blasphemy and the filthy language. The guttural words. In his anger that I dared to come with a message from his son. He's dead to me. I will never, ever listen to him again. I'll never forgive that boy. He's dead. I'll never forgive. You go tell that fool to get out of here with all the filthy language he could. So the lady came out, knowing I'd probably heard everything, but weeping. She was so terrified of him. And this loss of control and screaming. She said, he won't see you, sir. You ought to please go. I said, you go back in there, lady. And you tell him I will not go. You tell him I'm going to stand here and he has to come out. Even if I stand here 24 hours. I will stand and I will tell him what his son sent me to say. Tell him that. Go. I'm not going to move and he's not going to get out of that doorway. And she was very alarmed and very unnerved. And she went back in and of course the screaming and the depraved language. Was just unbearable. The whole place, all that could hear in these different compartments next to all the areas where his office was. They were all, came to a standstill and all standing together and horrified at me. Eventually he called her and said, I must come in. So she said, he'll see you now. So I walked in, shut the door. And of course he called me the most horrible words and in the most horrible way. I thought he was going to physically hurt me. How dare you? Who do you think you are? How dare you? I should have called the police. How dare you come in here and demand to see me because of my son. He's wicked. He's evil. He destroyed our lives, man. Get out. Tell him I don't want to. So I raised my voice and said, sir. Did your son have any choice in life but to be what he is with a father like you? Did he have any choice? I've sat here for an hour, nearly two. And I've listened to your language. I've looked at your anger. You're angry with the world, sir. I've never seen anybody this angry. You're angry with everybody and you don't care about anybody. Look at the poor woman. She's weeping. And you, is this how you spoke to his mother? Is this how you raised that family? Is this how they grew up? Did he have any choice but to be what he was with a father like you? And I told him in the soul of salvation. And I said, your son wants your forgiveness. But to be honest with you, sir, I've suddenly realized you need to ask his forgiveness. Because I know in my heart, this is how you raised them. This is what they grew up with. A father like this. He fell on the ground. That shocked me, but he really fell. And he sobbed and sobbed so uncontrollably that I had to get on my knees in fear for the way he was so broken. Crying, oh God, oh God. I saw the little lady face against the window, tears in shock, looking at this man crawling on the ground, sobbing. Not knowing what to do. Then he half pulled himself up, couldn't get up. Even when I left, he couldn't stand. I never ever once realized or thought, until now, but you're right. God sent you here. I have to blame. He had no choice with me as his father, but to be what he is. And I've never once even thought, allowed myself to think that. What is wrong with me that I never thought? You tell my son. I'm coming down to see him. Tell him I forgive him. Tell him I love him. Tell my son that I beg his forgiveness. Do you understand me, boy? I'm the one who needs forgiveness. I'm made to become a rebel. A good father measures his wealth, not by his possessions, but in the happiness of his family. I saw this in Atlanta when I was preaching up there a few weeks ago in one of the churches, the Lilburn Baptist Church in Atlanta. Then one of the pastors, David Huff, he's a godly man, he knows Mr. Gothard very well, and ATI and all that. But on his table in this little office that I was allowed to use, he had this little plot. A good father measures his wealth, not in his possessions, but in the happiness of his family. I rather was moved by that. As a God-fearing parent, you can only be as happy as your unhappiest child. I want to repeat that because the man that said this had the right to say it. There's a certain silence looking at him and all he's been through. As a God-fearing parent, Brother Keith, you can only be as happy as your unhappiest child. And tears came down his face. Many parents have had to face the tragedy of the death of a child or children. Don't believe Job was the only one that lost all of his children in one moment. Don't believe that's just something in the Bible for nothing. This is a set workbook in the school of God. This is the only set workbook in the school of God in every one of you from the day of salvation till death. Have to learn from it and face every exam. All that about Job. I have been in numerous homes. I've been there as news came that their children were all dead. Why God saw fit to let me be there, I don't know. But I was stunned as I saw these people in brokenness and shock. Because they're human. Fall to their knees and cry out the words of Job. The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. There should be the name of the Lord in all these. Job sinned not with his lips, nor spake unadvisably with his lips. I saw that. I witnessed people in the school of God passing the exams. No matter what God allowed, which we can never question. Never. The death of a child is a tragedy, though. But I would say worse than physical death is in homes where I've been where a child threw themselves into the hands of the devil himself, Satan openly, and were destroyed by wickedness and evil. That sorrow is greater than the sorrow of a physical death. Don't doubt this. That grief brought greater, deep, deep grief than physical death. In the homes I have been in and called to be in. As children lost innocence, like the prodigal took everything he could and went as far away as he could and served sin with both hands until there was nothing left of life before he thought of his father again. Oh, how many parents I have heard say these tragic words. I wish I could just die. I wish I could just die. Oh, that I had wings like a dove. I would fly away and be at rest around 55, 56. I remember standing with a very godly man years ago and saying, Brother, I wish I could just die. Job said those words. Let me die. Ezekiel said the words. Jeremiah said those words. Let me die. Oh, God, let me die. And this godly man smiled at me gently. A little tear came down here as he looked at me smiling and said, No, Keith, that's not the way. That's not God's way, Keith. That's the easy way out. No, in the school of God, Keith, we have to seek for grace to face no matter what comes upon our lives. It might be sent by the devil to destroy us, but it's allowed by God. There's a reason. There's a broader picture. They meant it for evil. God meant it for good. Whatever evil comes upon you, in any way, Keith, you've got to seek God for grace to survive and to triumph no matter what comes on you. In the school of God, that shook me. When Ezekiel, the king, faced death, he cried, Oh, I'm deprived of the residue of my years, my remainder of what life should have been. Isaiah 38, 9. My age has departed. But then suddenly, as God mercifully spared his life, the preciousness of life gripped him. And he cried, The grave cannot praise thee, O God. Death cannot celebrate thee. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do now this day. And then he adds these words, The father to the children shall make known thy truth. That's all he says of what was in his heart now that he knew he was being spared. I think that's very significant. That's very significant. You see, while we are mercifully spared by God, there's still hope. There's still opportunity for us to influence our children, no matter how wicked they are. There's still, there's the ability to pray. We dare not waste time if God prolongs our days to simply drown in our sorrows and lose faith. The living, the dead can do nothing more. But the living, he shall praise thee. He shall hope for thy truth. The father to the children shall make known thy truth. There's still time. Or we need to enter into warfare, beloved, on our knees while we have days, while we have one day left to influence our children. There's a lady by the name of Lisa Bass. She was a missionary in Africa. I met her and remembered her mainly because of her children, who are both theological students now in Cape Town wanting to serve God. But the one had this mohawk hairstyle. I've never seen anybody like that. And studs. Good grief. Nonetheless, I don't want to think of it. This dear boy was really a grief to his mother. And I remember preaching to him and he had a tender heart. This is what was so astonishing. That's a praise, you see. But she said to me, Brother Keith, in the school of God, my children taught me how to stay on my knees. Apart from which I would never have done that in my whole life. How to stay on my knees. My children taught me that, brother, in the school of God. They reach a stage when words no longer touch them. I had to just keep quiet and talk to God. But I did. I didn't give up talking to God, though I couldn't say it. They wouldn't allow me to say a word to them anymore. But I didn't give up. I had to learn to trust him alone to reach their hearts. Through the years, from time to time, I found myself reasoning with God and saying, when thou art finished with me, God, through this, maybe then you can start reaching them. Here in America, there's a family I was with them last year. It's a woman, very godly family, had children that were giving grief. And she spoke of them with heartbreak. But then she said, oh, brother Keith, the Lord is very, very busy with me through my children. Teaching me so much, so much about patience, faith, and holding on to God's words. Hoping where there is no hope on a human level because God holds out his words to me. I was sitting in a mall a few months ago in Cape Town, the most beautiful city in the world, they said. Voted more than any other city on earth by the tourist classes of the world. The most beautiful city on earth. Well, we have that privilege. I was sitting in this magnificent mall, one of the best malls in the entire world. We have many privileges there. And I noticed a whole group of young people, young men and girls, all looking at me and talking. So eventually they made their way over to the table where I was having something to eat. My wife was away. And so they said, are you Keith Daniel? Yes. They heard on the internet all these websites and that, you know, messages and all that. So I said, sit for a while and talk to me. Let's have some fellowship. And the one boy there, he had something about his face. His eyes were like cataracts of blood. I don't know what it was. I could never put it into words. But I said, what happened to your eyes? What caused it? So there was silence at the table. He just put his head down and said, it was sin. I lived in great wickedness and I'm very ashamed. How long have you been saved? Four years now. Tell me about your salvation. I had a godly mother. My father is not godly. And I pursued sin into drugs. Drugs that destroy people's minds, destroy their lives. Few recover who play the fool the drugs I was with and all the wickedness. But my mother's prayers, no meeting, no message to break the heart that the Holy Ghost can reach. Just a mother's prayer. So I phoned his mother. I said, give me your mother's telephone number. I said, I needed to get to Jenny's books. Jenny's published three books this year. So I wanted to send them to you. So I said, listen, your son met me. And what a fine young man. And his faith and his mind should have been destroyed with all those drugs. I've seen some that they look like they're not human. Even though they profess salvation. Through the past, how God protected him. I mean, his mind and his achieving at his workplace isn't God merciful. And he said he had a praying mother when I asked him about salvation. That's about all he said. Or she said, brother, I could do nothing but pray. And there's a verse in the Bible that says, pray without ceasing. I would never have ever imagined that that's possible. I prayed 24 hours a day. You might not believe that, Mr. Daniel. But I knew my son was about to die. I knew that he was dying and probably dead. But in my hope that he was still alive. One night, I prayed through that night. I prayed through that day. I prayed through the next night. I was crying. I couldn't sleep. 24 hours, I was crying to God. Suddenly, a peace flooded my heart. I couldn't explain it to myself, but I accepted it. I couldn't groan anymore. There was peace. Within 30 minutes, the phone call from my son. Mother, I have been saved. You see, he said there in his sin, knowing he's dying, that he didn't have much time. The way he was living in such wickedness. He just suddenly, suddenly there in the streets, in the gutters, stood and showed God with every faculty of his being and God saved him. And he knew God saved him. Is that possible? Oh brother, Diyamudi said, who can pray like a mother? I don't like to differ with Diyamudi, but I think a father can too. With as much agony and with as much longing that God, the holy God, cannot turn his face a moment longer. Apart from doing an incredible miracle, more incredible and awesome and wonderful than seeing someone raised from the dead. Which normally only through the superfluous sensual people who want sensationalism. But this is the greatest miracle of all. To pray to a God that in his integrity at some point will do something of an amazing miracle. Oh, when we have to cast ourselves upon grace and we know apart from grace, our son will die. Our daughter will be dead. We find in the school of God what it is to pray without ceasing. I don't know about you, beloved, but I pray every day. Not once, I don't know how many times. I don't just pray. I groan. I wake up in the middle of the night and I groan for my children. Even if they're saved. Even if Roy is a preacher. I don't take that for granted. Even if he's married this godly girl, that few will ever have the privilege to know such a godly girl. I still groan. I don't take anything for granted because I've seen so many who are on fire today, destroyed tomorrow. I'm not talking about eternal security. Please, man. I'm talking about the heart, the life. Oh yes, the grace of God will get us through it all. It can destroy everything. So even my saved children, I've cried to God and groaned. I've come to the conclusion that if God doesn't cut my life off, that I have no time to reason. But if God lets me know I'm dying and I have moments, I have no doubt I will be taking those last moments of life to groan to God in my dying, crying to him for my children's well-being and spiritual well-being. And protection from Satan and sin and failure. If David is a man after God's own heart, there's no other man in history who fell to be a murderer and a adulterer. Don't take anything for granted. Prayer is all we got. I'll die praying for their protection, brother, sister. I met a very godly lady whose three children had been missionaries and they're very godly children to this day. Her name is Thelma Renneke in Rostenburg. And she was sharing with me how she clung to God and wore out and wore out and aged. And she took promises and kept coming to God. Promises that God had given her for her children even before they were born. And she used to come and say, Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope. She had nothing but the promises of God. Then, she said, there came a moment taking my children out of my keeping power and placing them into God's keeping. There was a deliberate attempt to let God take the burden because it was destroying her. Before that date, very little ever happened. You see, my eyes were on them. What they were doing, not on him until that moment. There came a point I had to cast my eyes upon him, off him and myself and leave it. And from that moment, God just swept into their lives one after the other till they became as godly as they are. All went out into the mission period, yes. For years. Oh, hallelujah. I once stood with a preacher who was speaking about the anointing of God on our ministry to the degree we soak ourselves in prayer. And his wife turned to me with tears, standing there. And she said, Mr. Daniel, just as my husband who is a preacher has to earnestly seek God daily to be anointed, to preach, so a Christian mother must seek God earnestly, daily for anointing to raise her children. As earnestly as my husband is a preacher, needs to have God's anointing to have the right to preach and the ability to preach that it's God, not him. Sure, a mother has to seek the anointing as earnestly from God as they do for the ability to raise her children with God's anointing. But how do we receive such anointing from God? As a father and a mother to survive mentally, let alone spiritually. As parents, when these terrible things come upon us through our children who have a free will, how do we retain peace with God in the midst of all the turmoil and all the hurts that may come upon our lives through our children and other things? Though we seek God with all our heart. Well, you remember that old hymn? I believe it's Roy's favorite hymn, when peace like a river attended my way. Let's be honest, it's not just sorrows. Hallelujah, there's joy, unspeakable and full of glory. There's praise and worship in times of all the goodness of God and the thrilling things he does in the adventure called life when you are saved. But even though there are these times when peace like a river attended my way, when sorrows like sea billows roar, whatever my lot thou has taught me to say, it is well that my soul... Have you ever been to the sea and watched the waves coming? Oh, I was a bit wild when I was young and I used to love to swim with these fellows, but we nearly died a few times. We nearly drowned, we were so foolish, you know. Just the daring and yeah, into the sea where there's a backwash and waves so high you'd think it's mountains falling on you. And yeah, we used to be taken in our foolishness when we are swept out with the back current that no one should be swimming. Here we are in the end, and all these waves just suddenly come high. You always get in the spring tide so high, a couple of them. And so you take it with all your bravado and you are thrown. You hit your head in the sand underneath there. Your mouth's full of sand. Ever been in that situation? I was so foolish as to get into that not only once. You come up hoping that you're going to be able to just get to the top. Whoa, I'm sure I made it. And as you get up and you've swallowed all the seawater and you're really desperate and full of fear. Whoa, here comes the next one. Worse. There's the next one. Is there no mercy here? It's one after the other when you think, wait, when will it stop just to be able to survive? Whoever wrote that hymn was really wise. He was in the scream school of God. I'm him. I don't know about these fellows that are walking and leaping and praising God every step of the way. Everything's right. Financially, in every single way. I don't see that in the Bible. But the fact is this fellow is in the school of God that you and I are in. And sorrows like sea below rise. Oh, brother, sister, they come. And you just wonder, how am I going to survive? How am I going to survive? The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity in spite of his weakness. God's put something in our spirit that we can survive the hurts of this life. But it doesn't end there. God suddenly says something that even he is fearful of when it comes upon our lives. But a wounded spirit. Even though God gave us something of endurance and ability to survive the most horrible atrocities and hurts and wounds and to survive. There comes a point of wounded spirit. A broken, wounded spirit. Who can bear? How will that person survive? God asks. God asks. Proverbs 18 verse 14. When a man's mind collapses. And unable to survive the hardships. Oh, to avoid that ever happening. To avoid that ever happening to you, father and mother. We need immunization. That's a very unusual word for a pulpit from a pulpit. To be immunized. To be able to survive life's griefs. Fears, sorrows, wounds without being destroyed. It takes a vital relationship with Christ. That daily is renewed and strengthened to be able to survive this world's hardships. It has to be the foremost discipline of your life daily to survive in this world. To survive its hardships and its hurts and its injustices. As a Christian. And there is immunization. Don't doubt that. I've read, when I was preparing this message, three articles in newspapers. Forgive me bringing the newspapers. And by the way, I don't love newspapers. But I do buy them. My one son said to me, Daddy, why did you spend that money on the newspaper? You just looked at it two minutes later, you threw it down. Sure, I said, well, I don't like the newspapers. Why do you buy it? Well, I'd like to know if the Third World War has started. We don't have a TV. We don't have a radio. We don't have anything. So I, Daddy, every now and again just needs to know, you know, in case people say, well, didn't you know the Third World War started? Anyway, I don't really like to read the newspaper. I like to keep every bit of strength for my Bible. And my eyes do weaken. But I say, look, I look at the pictures. I ask God's protection. For anything that could in any way defile me, because so much rubbish is in the newspapers. But if there's something God wants me to know, or just pray for, I ask him to bring my attention to that. Well, being in this sermon, I got this about immunization. Immunization essential for survival. Hmm, that's a very big newspaper. One of the big, greatest newspapers in the world. It's impossible, this man says, to fight an enemy you don't know, can't see, and wouldn't even be able to recognize. Any soldier will tell you that before going into the battle, they gather intelligence through reconnaissance missions, which is to be used to ensure that this God is better prepared for the battle. Yeah, immunizing your child can keep him alive, for millions die every year across Africa. Whose parents did not take the trouble or make the effort. These children would never have died. And millions, I'm not talking a few hundred thousand. The only reason they died and couldn't survive is their parents didn't take what was there, that they should have taken. That's proven. It's not just a chance. Your child will not get these diseases. That are really all across Africa and other countries. It enables the body to be a soldier that can battle against all these diseases that take so many millions of lives. When anyway, we won't even go into the diseases. Immunization. Here's an article that's interesting. Forgive me. You're not here for the night, okay? Okay. This Iceman fellow. His body has somehow conditioned itself to face the severities that no human could face. But because he dives into the Arctic in Iceland. He dives into the coldest waters on Earth. And his body is conditioned that he swam the Atlantic. Can you believe it? This fellow, Lewis Pugh. Now, a medical scientist looks at this phenomenon because people just can't do that. But your body. You see, you learn to survive. Your body can condition itself. Considered to be the greatest cold water swimmer in history. He's able to perform anticipatory—you struggle also, don't you judge me. Thermogenesis. There you are. It is a mental generator. It heats the body ahead of the event. Renowned specialist, Professor Tom Noak said as he documented this man's abilities and what he reaches. The body temperatures have learned to rise as he gets into cold water. Which most people will never ever experience in life. You see, he's learned how to survive the severities. Isn't that something? Here's a young boy in some tribe swimming under the water. When the waters—oh, come, you know. They can go under the water for so long, it's uncomprehendable. They can see as good as you and I can see without water. And they make a living catching these fish, you see. This Andaman Sea. Sea gypsies. In an open world. Anyway, here you can—but the spiritual immunization, daily spiritual immunization is vital for our survival. Ephesians 3 16, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man daily. I love that. To be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man daily. Though the outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day, God said, through one thing, the meditating and feeding from the word of God. There's no other way. Christians, don't invite the devil to destroy you by neglecting the one thing God gives, that he will make you daily. That daily immunization and protection. Beloved, in every trial God permits me to face in this world, this book is my only source of survival. This book becomes my source of survival. It renews my faith. It has the healing balm upon any wound that will come upon every Christian. In every circumstance, God allows his word becomes his voice. In every crisis, God allows you to face. It's no longer just a discipline or some sort of a ritual of reading a chapter. His word, the sovereign God's word becomes rhema for your survival. And that's how sovereign he is. But you have to make that discipline. And it costs. But it costs you a billion times more if you don't. His healing word. He sends forth his healing word. Beloved, there is the discipline of a quiet time required in all of our lives for survival. Not just to do what's the right thing to do. For survival, full stop. And you are very, very, very tragically ignorant of spiritual things if you believe you will survive the hardships and the hurts of this life and stay close to God without it. There is the discipline of a daily quiet time. And it is a discipline. But there's also the discipline of that discipline. To discipline yourself not to be merely keeping a ritual. So that ritual can become a discipline that doesn't mean anything. The quiet time has to be the most sacred, nurtured moment of every day of your life. It cannot be a ritual. It has to be fervent. It has to be seeking God with all the heart, soul and might. Expecting to hear his voice reaching out as you study. Reaching through this word to your circumstances and to your heart's need. To retain peace and strength and healing where there's wounds. Great peace have they which love thy law. Not just peace, but great peace. Nothing shall offend them. No matter what comes upon you, you will not be destroyed. You won't be destroyed. God promises. Psalm 119, 165. Blessed is the man that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Psalm 112. Character never can be strong, noble, nor can conduct be worthy of intelligent beings bearing God's image. If scripture truth be not wrought into the very soul by personal searching and pondering of the scriptures daily. The word of Christ can get into your heart and transform you through deep searching, pondering, meditation alone. This costs you everything to never neglect. I found that from Dr. Divinity J.R. Miller in Green Pastures' book. Oh, beloved, he wakeneth mine ear to hear morning by morning. Isaiah 50, verse 4. Early in the morning is still the best time for gathering of men, my beloved, for that which God provides in the desert where you wouldn't survive apart from God providing, reaching out and giving you the food you need to survive. Oh, early in the morning. It's a bedside book, page 10. Oh, my voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning, when I look up, Psalm 503, when I bless the Lord, my reigns also instruct me in the night season. How? Through his word, through meditating the scriptures. God reaches out through his word day and night, and we need to seek that discipline to make it vital to open this book, earnestly seeking to hear in every crisis of life for God to give us the immunization. Beloved, be assured we will all make mistakes in our marriage. We will all make mistakes toward our children. It's not one of us that will not make mistakes. John Wesley said mistakes are not sin. He knew things, but I'm still learning. But we all make mistakes, but we must never dare to give up, no matter how many mistakes we've made. Our best is good enough for God's sake. One of the grave mistakes we can make in our longing and expectation for our children, spiritual well-being. A gentleman here on this tour up in Atlanta was saying to me, we can't expect God to accomplish in our children what he took 40 years to accomplish in our lives, Brother King. And that's a grave mistake we make. We dare not force all the light we've been given upon them, expect them to take and live it, what God took 40 years to do in us. We can only, by example and our prayers, hope that they will emulate us and reach the stage God's given us on every level. But we can destroy them by expecting them to be exactly what we are after 40 years. That's a mistake. Be careful to encourage the little God's doing and to pray, hoping for the rest that has to come that took God 40 years in your life. Another grave mistake that we can make to our children is Proverbs 23, 13 and 14. Withhold not correction from the child. So beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell, God says. But be careful. I don't believe God takes any intelligent human being, especially when the Holy Spirit is in you, and expects you to beat your child with a rod because of that verse. I don't believe anyone who has the right mind to say it's literal and that's it. You've got to look in the light of all scriptures, not to break his spirit if he instills us. You bring them up in the nurture and fear of God, let God bring them up through you in his love. As he treats you, you have to speak to your child. I remember as a little boy standing at the gates of our home, mother was down at the staircase in our gardens, and father and I were standing and there was a gentleman who lived down the road and he had his son, my age, looking at me as father and his father were talking. They suddenly were speaking about rebelliousness, you know, and having to discipline their children and he said these words, oh my son knows not to play the fool with his daddy. When I say do something, he dodges because I beat him and I beat him with no restraint and I only stop beating him until he starts climbing the wall with his nails. My son knows not to play the fool with me. And he looked at his child, he just looked up, then looked at me with his big eyes. Three days later that child committed suicide, threw himself across the railway line down the road. Oh, that father died and never lived from that day on. He was as good as dead. Be careful. One look to one child is all the discipline that child needs. Another child might need a little spanking until he gets the message. You don't spank a child that doesn't need him but a look. You have common sense. And most disciplined I believe God in the light of all scriptures is telling us you've got to get the message through to them that they must stop and must listen to you. But you don't have to beat a child until he commits suicide or hates you. Moody said if disciplining a child doesn't hurt you more than the child, you're sinning. Other things may change us but we begin and end with our family. I want to repeat that, I saw this on a plaque the other day. Other things may change us but we begin and end with our family. Unless we divorce. A newspaper cutting about a month ago, according to the Marriage Foundation, 45% of all marriages in the Western world will divorce within two years. The world is so unstable. I was with a lady who was forced to work. She didn't choice and she is an estate agent. She was telling me about this divorce. She said, you know, Brother Keith, we have to ask the reasons you're selling the house first thing, give the reasons, that's the first thing we ask. What are the reasons you're selling? And there's the five D's, all the D's that every estate agent knows as to why the first is always divorce and then there's debt they can't maintain, etc. But she said the most tragic thing is that almost every home that she goes into that selling, there's a little baby room with a cot and beautiful things and children's things all over the wall and love and joy and peace and all sorts of... There is just enough time to bring a baby and they can't survive past that because this world is so unstable. Divorce. It's everywhere. Our beloved, the greatest mistake you can make as a parent is believing that it's better for your children that you separate and divorce because you can't work things out. We all have to work with marriage. Don't get me wrong, if your husband's a psychopath, sister, I would take your hand and run with you before he comes home and he doesn't hurt you or your children. I'm not foolish. But 90-something percent of every divorce, I believe in my heart. God forgive me if I'm wrong and please will you forgive me. You didn't have to divorce and you shouldn't have. You should have worked at it and can work at it. I'm not whipping anyone here. I'm asking everyone left, don't consider this unless it's a psychopath you're dealing with. And here I have an article, what destroys children's confidence more than anything else in life is parents who separate and divorce. Statistics given across the world by social workers. Oh, don't give up. Don't give up. Mistakes can foolishly be made. But do not believe that that's the answer for your children and not have to endure anything more. Jenny's mother once said to her, the most important choice you will ever make in life, apart from seeking God's salvation, is who you choose to marry. Children are a heritage of the Lord. I love that. Children, God says, are a heritage. It's like you've inherited wealth. Psalm 120, 17. Your first mission field are your children. They will never, ever be a mission field in your life that's more important than your children. I don't care who you refer to in history. And sacrifices made, your first mission in life is your children. Don't ever forget that. Great sacrifices are made for the mission field. For God's sake, don't think making great sacrifices by the grace of God to survive is not God's will for your children. Malachi 2, 14, God speaks of the marriage covenant. And then he actually, in the only place of the Bible, tells you why he made the marriage covenant. It's not referring to Genesis 2, where God looked upon Adam and saw it's not good for a man to be alone. So he caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. No, not loneliness. That God made a marriage covenant. Wherefore did he make one? Why covenant of marriage? And it says here that he might seek godly seed, godly children from your union. From you he wants in marriage, godly children. That's what he instituted more than anything else. To bear seed and to raise him up and to seek godly seed from this union. The just man walketh in his integrity and his children are blessed after him. Proverbs 20, verse 7. But he that trobleth his own house through his sin, that is, he that breaks down his family's happiness that could have been there, shall inherit the wind. Proverbs 11, 29. Shall end up with devastation and great sorrows, literally. Every wise woman buildeth her house constructively influences through the grace given to her by God in its context, her family. But the foolish clotheth with her hands. Proverbs 14, verse 1. She destroys everyone through her foolishness. I remember a young boy excelling in South Africa. He didn't go to homeschooling, that wasn't even allowed legally. It was no such a thing. I'm talking about years ago. I was a young Christian. But his father was everything. His father loved the children, loved his home, loved his family. And his father professed to be saved. And these boys excelled, him and his brother. They were the top marks. They were the students of the students in every. He excelled in South Africa, one boy. And the other was pretty much close behind him going to achieve. Because the daddy was at every event pushing. These boys excelled in whatever because the daddy was just in control with his children. And one day, he just walked away from them. For a young woman, the age of his eldest son, still at school. Can you believe that? I walked down the street of the city. And I looked through and I saw sitting in the gutters. Now, you don't do that in the city. I saw that son. An upright achiever. Delightful boy. Head of the, basically, of the youth of this church. Evangelical. So I went and I sat next to him. And he was broke and smashed. And when he looked at me, he just looked at me and began to cry. I didn't say, well, just look at me and cry. I said, listen, if your daddy made shipwreck, it doesn't mean you have to. You don't have to let his sin and what he did destroy you in life. You need to get up, get through with God again. He just looked at me for a while and then he said these words. No, when my daddy left my mommy and me and my brother, that girl, he destroyed us forever. Two days later, I won't tell you what he did with his life. And then his brother, and then my mother died much later. They say of a broken heart. We'll stop. And then one day he was dying. Funny enough, he called for me. Brother, when I walked away from my wife and my children, that young girl, as I walked out of my home, I knew I was destroying their lives forever. But sin takes such a hold of you. It took so hold of me that I did that knowing I was destroying their lives forever. And soon I looked at this woman that the devil had used to make me so full and I hated her. Careful, careful, no matter who you are, no matter how good a father you are today. The organization against mistakes, don't ever neglect it daily for it's daily, according to this book. Don't ever play the fool with your walk with God and the day you don't meditate the Word of God as your greatest delight in life that you single out and discipline yourself and nurture as the most guarded, protected moment of your life. The day you don't is a day you or your family, sir, could really be destroyed. I'm not playing the fool because I've been in too many homes and lives to play the fool anymore about this. The just man walketh in his integrity. His children are blessed after him. Proverbs 27, but he that trobleth his own house shall inherit the wind. He that trobleth through his sin, he breaks down his family's happiness and destroys it. He'll inherit the wind, Proverbs 11, 29. He'll end up with devastation and sorrows. Every wise woman buildeth her house. I think it's only men that can play the fool with immunization, protection, that you won't be really devastatingly hurt by the evils of this world. But the foolish woman plucketh it down with her hands. You look in its context.