Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
As we have seen in the past, God wants His sons to know Him and to serve Him faithfully. We have also noted that God does not think less of daughters than He does of sons. Daughters are important as well. God created Adam first. He gave Adam some specific instructions. He took a rib from Adam and formed the woman and brought her to Adam. God knew that Adam needed an help meet for him. The woman that He created what that help. Of course Eve was not a replacement or a substitute for God. Adam needed God most of all.
In our text today, God addressed the children. That would include both male and female. It is important for children to hear the instruction of a father. Hearing, in the context, is more than just acknowledging a sound. It is paying attention to what is being said. We know that as we pay attention to what God has to say, if we are walking in His wisdom, we will not reject what He says.
Our earthly fathers need to be men who know the fear of the LORD and are walking humbly with Him. God expects every child to honour their father. Honour does not mean following the wrong ways of the father. It means giving him the respect due him as a father.
The children need to attend to know understanding. You cannot know understanding if you are not in attendance. Attendance speaks of paying attention. The father is older than his children. He is supposed to have learned some things. He is supposed to have a walk with God that allows him to give wise counsel unto his children.
In verse 2 we see that God gives good doctrine. Solomon is the writer of these chapters and in his early days as king, he drew heavily upon God’s wisdom. Thus he had good things to pass on to his children. Good doctrine is very important. Good doctrine differentiates itself from bad doctrine. Catholicism is full of bad doctrine. Their teaching on God is false. They accept the lie of evolution. They also have a false view of Mary. They accept a false view of Jesus Christ, suggesting that He needed the help of His mother Mary to save us. Even with that “help”, they cannot offer enteral life to anyone. Even the popes are not assured of eternal life.
There are many other religions that are full of false doctrine. God’s Word is good doctrine. Everything God says is true. Some of it is warnings and records of sin. However it is all true.
The children need to guard against forsaking His law. As mentioned in Solomon’s early days as a king, he drew heavily on God’s law. He forsook God in several areas. He had multiple wives. He multiplied horses and chariots to himself. He did not need them. He needed God.
In verse 3, Solomon admitted that he was his father’s son. It is important for the father to have humility. No father is the inventor of truth. It is a blessing when a godly son can look back at the instruction he received from his godly father. That is a rare thing, but it was true for Solomon. King David had his sins. However, king David demonstrated what true faith looks like. He knew the importance of confession of sin. He understood the need to own his sin. He also understood the importance of seeking God’s forgiveness. He did not want to hold on to his sin. He wanted to be set free.
Solomon understood that his father loved him. He also understood he was loved by his mother. That love did not cloud the eyes and minds of his parents. Sometimes parents worship their children rather than parent them. True love is seeking to help someone to be what God wants them to be.
In verse 4 we see that David took the time to teach his son Solomon. Fathers have many responsibilities. It is important for fathers to have patience and take the time to teach their children. It does not need to be a formal, dedicated lesson taught. It can be the many life lessons that are learned as a father goes through his day. An absentee father cannot teach his children good doctrine. He will teach them things, but not the things they need to learn.
We see further understanding of the word “hear” in verse 1 here. The person that is truly hearing things, is doing so with the intent of retaining what he has heard. It is important to guard the truth and keep it. God’s word will never be destroyed. However, we can forget it in our hearts and lives. We can ignore it and go our own way. As we see here, the keeping of God’s commandments is life.
In verse 5 the children are again reminded of the need to get wisdom and understanding. The children need to make this a priority. There is nothing more important than going after God’s wisdom. Again we are reminded not to forget God’s wisdom. We need to be in the Word daily. We need to know the God of the Word personally. We need to live by His Word daily.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
In verse 6 we see further instruction of what it means to get wisdom and understanding and not forgetting it. Forsake her not. Nothing any person will ever say supersedes God’s wisdom. Every word of man needs to be examined in the light of God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom will preserve life. Many a parent has wept over a child that died due to drunkenness or other foolish things. Many a father has died too young because they chose to reject God’s truth.
Many people talk of loving a certain food or a certain thing. We need to love God’s wisdom. We need to cherish that because His wisdom will keep you. Samson rejected God’s Word. He wasted his life and died a tragic death because he chose to reject the truth. Near the end he regretted that fact, but he could not go back and reclaim what he had lost. Far better to pay attention to the truth and avoid the many pitfalls the devil has set.
God knows there is great reward for those who will humbly submit to Him. The best time to do that is as a child. Thus parents need to see the importance of setting an environment for this to happen. We cannot make our children do right. We can be intentional in seeking to set an environment where they can receive God’s wisdom without all the noise of the world.
Pastor Bartel