Sound Wisdom And Right Relationships

Happy Father’s Day!

All fathers have certain things in common. Through procreation, provision and protection, the dad helps fulfill the physical needs of every child. In addition, spiritually and intellectually, the father takes the lead in instructing, modeling and correcting his children. The mother also fulfills these functions, but the lead comes from the father.

In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs is the book for parents. Large sections of the Proverbs are a father’s lessons to his children. Especially in the early chapters, the father addresses his son or sons repeatedly, saying ‘my son,’ or ‘my sons’ (1:8, 15; 2:1; 3:1, 21; 4:1, 10, 20; 5:1, 7, 20; 6:1, 20; 7:1, 24). The father also includes the mom, saying repeatedly “hear your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (1:8; 6:20). Godly parenting involves both the father and the mother. It main object is to teach children about God through the Word of God.

Proverbs chapter 1 is special because it presents the main themes that run throughout this great book. In the first chapter, there are 3 main themes. First, there is the great exhortation to spiritual and intellectual development (vv. 1-9). Key verbs point to the priority of gaining knowledge and wisdom: to know (v. 2), to discern (v. 2), to receive instruction (v. 3), increase in learning (v. 5), acquire wise counsel (v. 5) and to understand (v. 6). Key nouns also express this drive: wisdom (vv. 2, 7); instruction (vv. 2, 3, 7, 8); understanding (vv. 2, 5); knowledge (vv. 4, 7) and teaching (v. 8). God’s point is that a man must develop his brain and do everything he can to get genuine knowledge. He cannot just hang out in the pool halls and playgrounds, learning from the unlearned, and end up murdering and stealing for a living (vv. 11-13). He must not be proud of his learning, but he must be an avid learner. Second, one must choose one’s teachers carefully. Here, the teachers are God, the Word of God and one’s parents. God, the Word of God and one’s parents make excellent teachers because they are trustworthy. They love you, seek your benefit and not your harm, and speak truth and do note deceive you. Parents may fail when they themselves depart from the Word of God. However, the second great lesson of this chapter is that a student gets genuine understand by revering God and pay close attention to one’s parents (vv. 7-8).

Finally, every person needs to avoid a criminal element in society which cannot appreciate God’s Word (vv. 7, 22, 24-32), whose end is destruction and calamity (vv. 18-19; 26-31), but who nevertheless try to instruct you and lead you on their path to destruction.