The age of responsibility (to be able to vote etc) has been lowered from 21 years to 18 years in many countries. In some, the governing authorities want to lower this further.
The Bible is our handbook for living (2 Timothy 3:16), and after pondering on it, I believe God has given us His age of responsibility. Let me show you.
When the Israelites left Egypt they came to the “Promised Land”, the land God had promised them, flowing with milk and honey. Twelve spies went in to investigate and report back to the elders and community their findings. Two came back with a good report and the remainder with a bad report that Israel could not enter as the people were too numerous and too strong. The community would fall by the sword and their wives and children would be taken as plunder.
The community followed the advice of the 10 who gave a bad report. The people raised their voices in complaint, cried aloud, grumbled and wanted to choose a leader to take them back to Egypt. The two who gave a good report stated that Almighty God was more than able to meet their needs and give them victory, but the people would not listen. “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron …. In this desert your bodies (the bodies of those complaining and grumbling) will fall – every one of you 20 years old or more ..” – Numbers 14:26.
Almighty God, himself, set an age of accountability or responsibility at 20 years old or more. Everyone 20 years old or more would perish in the desert who had complained and grumbled. Those who were under 20 would survive and come into the promised land.
This age is substantiated in other ways. For example, those who were 20 years old or more were to give an offering to the Lord (Exodus 30:14), the men 20 years and over were counted in the census ((Exodus 38:26), you had to be 20 years old or more to serve in the army (Numbers 1:3).
As Almighty God moves, his disciples (followers) are to step in line with His Spirit and Scripture, rather than the ways of the world. I think with my family and I, we will adopt 20 years old as the age to give “the key to the door”. What do you think?
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Post published in: Faith