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A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
English Standard Version. (2016). (Proverbs 10:1). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Wisdom is so important. When Solomon was asked by God what he wanted, he responded wisdom.
- To know and understand God’s world (Kingdom) is essential.
- It makes our parents so incredibly happy.
- The key outcome of raising children is that turn out to be wise.
- Are we teaching wisdom?
Stupidity is another thing altogether. Not knowing what God wants us to do makes our families incredibly sad.
May we all choose wisdom.
Here are the key ideas:
- The key outcome of parenting is to teach wisdom.
- God’s goal for us as parents is to seek and impart what it means to be wise in God’s world.
- We should assess our advice to children on whether is wise or stupid. Avoid stupid living. Our children are watching.
In ancient times as now in the Middle East, children grew up to be a family’s honor or shame. Even today men in Arab cultures are addressed by the name of their oldest son. When people work in Amman for example, Jordan, he was called “Abu Steve” (“father of Steve”).
The intended contrast, then, is not between joyful fathers and grieving mothers but between the honor or shame that comes to both parents based on their son’s choices. Therefore, this first proverb supplements the instruction previously that one is wise for one’s own sake, adding that life choices also cause others to rejoice or grieve. The appearance of a “wise son” and his parents marks the middle and end points of the contrasting proverbs (10:1; 15:20). The mention of family also connects with the larger theme of establishing a household, which runs throughout Proverbs.
A “fool” in Scripture is never a mentally deficient person, but rather one arrogant and self-sufficient; one who orders his life as if there were no God. The rich man was not mentally deficient, but he was a “fool” because he supposed that his soul could live on the things in the barn, giving no thought to his eternal wellbeing.
Good news: There is real good news. In Jesus, we have wisdom. The power of the Holy Spirit is ours. If we ask for wisdom, God will give it to us. It is ours for the asking!
Reading this morning the story of Eli and his sons. nasb calls them worthless sons. 2 Sam 2:25b says “if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for them? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.” Right after reading and pondering this, I cried my email and your post came up. So much here!
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Thank you Mary. Blessings for a stunning day. God is with you.
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Good description of the fool: “arrogant and self-sufficient; one who orders his life as if there were no God”. Sometimes I think of the fool as someone who might be diagnosed with an anti-social personality disorder, but the term includes more than these people.
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Reblogged this on Citizen Tom.
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Michael,
Heartly agree. We all need to be reminded often of the consequences of the rewards and duties as parents and grandparents.
Also the need to vote for wise rather than foolish representatives in our Nation…..because… essentialy the same proverbial outcome will result…. if we consider our Nation bears a similar relationship as a mother does to nurture all of us in the USA and the world.,
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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Reblogged this on Rudy u Martinka and commented:
Michael,
Heartly agree. We all need to be reminded often of the consequences of the rewards and duties as parents and grandparents.
Also the need to vote for wise rather than foolish representatives in our Nation…..because… essentialy the same proverbial outcome will result…. if we consider our Nation bears a similar relationship as a mother does to nurture all of us in the USA and the world.,
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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Thanks for the reblog. Blessings.
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Love your explanation what a fool is
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