Papa B
Proverbs 3:1-4
Pro 3:1-4 ESV My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, (2) for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. (3) Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. (4) So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
There are two proverbs here. The first is his admonition to his children to remember and keep the teachings he is giving them because it is given in love for their benefit. The second is regarding love and faithfulness. Solomon regards love and faithfulness as precious things to cherish and in doing so you will be honored for it.
The second proverb reminds me to teach my children how precious love and faithfulness is to God and to us.
Proverbs 2:6-15
Pro 2:6-15 ESV For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; (7) he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, (8) guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (9) Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; (10) for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; (11) discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, (12) delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, (13) who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, (14) who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, (15) men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.
Wisdom is given by God. One of the interesting items in this passage is that God stores up wisdom for the upright. He puts some away for a rainy day. Which means, as you seek God you will always have something else to learn. That’s cool. Solomon also tells us the benefits for certain characteristics such as integrity, justice and righteousness. Solomon tells us that such virtuous living will be pleasant to our souls and there is an equal consequence for choosing not to live virtuously.
Practical application: We don’t seek wisdom to get to the end of it. It’s not like reading a really thick book. God has good things for us to learn and keep learning our whole lives and God is there to shield, guard and direct us all the way along our journey.
Proverbs 2:1-5
Pro 2:1-5 ESV My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, (2) making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; (3) yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, (4) if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, (5) then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Solomon is encouraging is children to seek to become wise, to desire it like they would a hidden treasure. The pursuit of wisdom leads you to the LORD.
Practical application: I should make my ear attentive to God’s instruction and make it my heart’s desire to gain understanding. If I just fill my heart with knowledge I’ll end up prideful, but if I seek wisdom the process will teach me to fear the LORD.
What kind of father are you?
I’ve read quite a few blogs and articles about fathers raising their children. One of the scriptures that gets tossed about a lot is from Deuteronomy 6:7 and I think that’s great. I love that scripture and I have personally opined on it at great length. I think it is very important to integrate your faith into every aspect of life so that training your children in the ways of the Lord are easy and fluid, but I fear there may be more.
I ran across a scripture that totally changed my heart on training my children. I used to say, “My job is to show them Jesus and lead them to life with Him.” Sounds good, right? Very noble, quite fatherly, and very short sighted.
Take a look at the book of Judges. Look at Judges 2:10. Here is what’s going on: Joshua has led Israel in taking the promised land. He and that generation died, then their children died, then THEIR children “did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.” What’s up with that?! That would be like my grandparents landing at Plymoth Rock and I somehow missed knowing about it. Here’s my take on what happened.
The generation that took the land taught their children to obey the form of worship. That next generation performed worship without fully understanding why so what they passed on to their children was ritual without meaning and that generation opted to drop the whole mess all together.
So where does that leave me? I need to train my children to train their children. I want for my daughters to love God so much that they want their children to love God so much that they want their children to love God… I don’t want my kids to “go to church” because that’s what the family does. I want them to desire Christian fellowship. I don’t want them to tithe just because I said so, but because God is worth of their first fruits.
So, what kind of father are you?