Proverbs 4:1-12
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a boy in my father’s house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,
4 he taught me and said,
“Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor.”
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
11 I guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
Related Text:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Proverbs 1:8
Proverbs 6:20-24
Proverbs 31:1-9
2 Timothy 1:2-3
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Do You Know What You’re Teaching?
The book of Proverbs is filled with very rich, very practical, and sometimes very common sense wisdom. The following 2 selections from Proverbs have to do with the wisdom that parents can provide.
Proverbs 1:8-9
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
Proverbs 6:20-22
20 My son, keep your father’s commands
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them upon your heart forever;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
God’s Word tells us to honor our parents, listen to what they have to say, and be obedient. It’s one of the ten commandments, it’s in proverbs, and it also pops up in the New Testament in Colossians and Ephesians.
But as a new parent, I read these Bible verses from a whole new point of view now. As a parent, I have to know God’s Word if I am going to teach the right things to my children! WOW, that’s HUGE! It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children about God, about all He has done for us, and about how He wants us to live our lives. To teach it and to instruct our children about God’s Word, we must know God’s Word! There’s no other way around it. This is big time stuff. Deuteronomy 6:6-12 tells us flat out to surround our kids with God’s Word.
And if you’ve dismissed today’s Bible study up to this point because you don’t have kids or you’re still a teenager, then think on this. Children aren’t the only reason to be obedient to God. Having kids puts verses like the one’s we’ve read today into a different perspective, but I’m not saying that having kids is the only reason to know God’s Word. We should surround our lives with the knowledge and wisdom of God. We should be obedient to God out of love for God, and love for God doesn’t depend on whether or not we are parents yet. We should strive to become spiritually mature, to be closer to God more and more every day. The Fruit of the Spirit should be so evident in our lives that it overflows onto everyone we have contact with; friends, family, co-workers, other students at school, the checker at the grocery store, and, yes, our kids too, if we have them.
