Psalm 103:13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.Proverbs 10:1 A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Therefore, fathers: how must we instruct our sons; mothers, how must we raise our daughters?
Instruct them in scripture and raise them in Christ Jesus.
Although the Proverbs etched in our memory of scripture speak specifically of fathers raising sons in obedience to scripture and to the Lord, the advice of Proverbs should flow also from a mother’s instruction and be heeded by our young women of faith.
Proverbs 1
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Warn your christian child against becoming a fool without knowledge of scripture and the commands of Christ.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
Our christian sons and daughters (like us) live in a world opposed to Christ, daily temptations to be enticed by many a sin to the company of the seduction and darkness of welcoming ‘friends.’
Proverbs 3:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
At what age in your childhood did you become ‘wise in your own eyes?”
Our younger children may earlier become friends of the world. Children of rebellious parents would lead your child to their worldly wisdom at an earlier age in these last days.
Proverbs 5:
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders all his paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Proverbs 10
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
Proverbs 12
8 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
21 No ill befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 14
1 The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Is yours a Christian home filled with the love, instruction and correction of scripture?
Does your Holy Christian marriage stand as example before your children of Christ’s own love for us?
Is your relationship to each of your children near to you as your relationship to Christ Jesus?
Do your children witness your relationship with God in their relationship with you?
LORD, Christ Jesus, we are your little children with so much to learn in humility in bowing down to your will for me, for my wife, for our children. Lord help us to be wise in your word and to walk faithfully in witness to your ways.
