4 Attitudes & Responses
- Biblical Academia
- Sep 25
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 9
Four Old Testament Attitudes & Responses
Discipleship in the near eastern part of the world during the first century was understood very differently than that of the western part of the world today. Learning how discipleship was perceived within the early Hebrew culture, as well as, how Jesus fulfilled the calling, helps today's believers better understand the manner of discipleship that God has called them to.
The feast of Passover, is a feast that has been observed since the days of Moses. The fifth step of the procession of Passover is called Maggid. It means, “telling”. During Maggid, It is customary to teach children the purpose for observing the feast. Scripture details four different accounts of questioning along with four different responses based on how the question is phrased. It has been long believed that each example represents a different type of attitude and therefore a response designed to answer the question and attitude.
According to tradition, there is the wise child, the wicked or scornful child, the simple child, and the child who doesn’t know enough to ask a question:
The Wise Child's Question |
"And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?" Deuteronomy 6:20 KJV |
Response to the Wise Child |
"Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us." Deuteronomy 6:21-25 KJV |
The Wicked Child's Question |
"And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?" Exodus 12:26 KJV |
Response to the Wicked Child |
"That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead....And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations." Exodus 12:27-30...[31-40]...41-42 KJV |
The Simple Child's Question |
"And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this?..." Exodus 13:14 KJV |
Response to the Simple Child |
"...that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt." Exodus 13:14-16 KJV |
The Unknowing Child's Question |
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Response to the Unknowing Child |
"And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt." Exodus 13:8 KJV |
The response for the wise child focuses on the blessings for obedience. The response for the wicked and scornful child focuses on the punishment for lack of obedience. The response for the simple child focuses on the details of what they do for remembering obedience. Lastly, the response for the unknowing child focuses on showing the why of obedience.
The idea of the simple minded is someone who is a forgetful doer or someone who has been called to do something or informed of what to do, but is easily persuaded to do something else.
The word "simple" appears 18x in the Hebrew Old Testament (17x-6612, 1x-6615)
Strong's Hebrew 6612 - פְּתִי pᵉthîy; or פֶּתִי pethîy; or פְּתָאִי pᵉthâʼîy; from 6601; silly (i.e. seducible)
Strong's Hebrew 6615 - פְּתַיּוּת pᵉthayûwth; from 6612; silliness (i.e. seducibility)
Gesenius' Lexicon with Biblical Chaldee (Hebrew 6612): Concretely simple, foolish, easily enticed, and seduced
Four New Testament Attitudes & Responses
Discipleship in the near eastern part of the world during the first century was understood very differently than that of the western part of the world today. Learning how discipleship was perceived within the early Hebrew culture, as well as, how Jesus fulfilled the calling, helps today's believers better understand the manner of discipleship that God has called them to.
The New Testament depicts a similar representation of four attitudes. Jesus speaks of them in a parable. Both Matthew and Luke share the parable according to their own accounts.
The Wise Attitude
Response to the Wise
Servant "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?" Matthew 24:45 KJV | Steward "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?" Luke 12:42 KJV | Servant "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods." Matthew 24:46-47 KJV | Steward "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath." Luke 12:43-44 KJV |
The Evil Attitude
Response to the Evil
Servant "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;" Matthew 24:48-49 KJV | Steward "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;" Luke 12:45 KJV | Servant "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 24:50-51 KJV | Steward "The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. " Luke 12:46 KJV |
The Simple Attitude
Response to the Simple
Servant No Account Matthew 24 KJV | Steward "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will..." Luke 12:47 KJV | Servant No Account Matthew 24 KJV | Steward "... shall be beaten with many stripes." Luke 12:47 KJV |
The Unknowing Attitude
Response to the Unknowing
Servant No Account Matthew 24 KJV | Steward "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes..." Luke 12:48 KJV | Servant No Account Matthew 24 KJV | Steward "...shall be beaten with few stripes." Luke 12:48 KJV |
Everyone
"...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48 KJV
Stripes of Men
"I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:" 2 Samuel 7:14 KJV
Symbolic Parallels
Song of Songs 5:1-6:3 KJV
v 5:1 Wise Man: "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
(Symbolic parallel for characteristics of Christ. He labors in the field, enjoys the fruits of his labor, and shares abundantly with his friends)
v5:2 Simple Woman: "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,"
(Symbolic parallel for believers who know what the Lord is doing but are drawn to sleep instead of labor. They can hear the Lord calling them)
v5:2 Wise Man: "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night."
(Symbolic parallel for Christ who calls his believers to come into the field to labor with him.)
v5:3-5 Simple Woman: "3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock."
(Symbolic parallel for believers who prefer and choose comfort and pleasure over labor)
v5:6 Simple Woman: "I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer."
(Symbolic parallel for the Lord withdrawing himself from believers who do not answer when he calls.)
v5:7 Simple Woman: "The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me."
(Symbolic parallel for a believer who is beaten with stripes of men after the Lord withdrawals himself.)
v5:8 Simple Woman: "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love."
(Symbolic parallel for the believer returning to seek the Lord; inquiring of unbelievers.)
v5:9 Jerusalem Daughters: "What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?"
(Symbolic parallel for unbelievers questioning a believer about the importance of the believer's Lord over any other deity.)
v5:10-16 Simple Woman: "10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."
(Symbolic parallel for believers witnessing by exalting the Lord to unbelievers.)
v6:1 Jerusalem Daughters: "Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee."
(Symbolic parallel for unbelievers repenting and following the Lord of the believer.)
v6:2-3 Simple Woman: "2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. 3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies."
(Symbolic parallel for the believer who knows what to do to seek the Lord; remembering who he is and what his will is.)