A Father s Desire. Proverbs 1:1-8 and selected verses. Every father wants good things for his children

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1 A Father s Desire Proverbs 1:1-8 and selected verses Every father wants good things for his children Proverbs 1:1-9 [1] The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: [2] To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, [3] to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; [4] to give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion, [5]a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, [6] to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. [7] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. [8] Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching; [9] indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck. What are the things a father wants for his children? There are many more things than we can look at today, but we will look at seven things from the book of Proverbs 1. For his children to fear the Lord The fear of the Lord is not only having a deep respect for God and His ways, it means that a person realizes how powerful God is and how puny we are. A person who fears the Lord, does not take God s grace, mercy and love for Granted. He realizes that God has the power of life and death. God has the power to save or destroy. A person who fears God, understands that God disciplines those whom he loves which makes the person live a more holy life, because he does not want to experience God s 1

2 discipline. Fearing the Lord is the same respect a small child has toward a loving but just school teacher. The child knows that if he listens to and obeys his teacher that all will likely go well for him. If he disregards, disrespects or disobeys his teacher he knows the teacher may choose to discipline him. Is God a loving God? Absolutley! Did Jesus call us His friends? Yes He did. But should we have a deep respect for God and His ways causing us to live lives of obedience before Him? Yes we should. Prov 1:7 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Proverbs 8:13 - "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate. Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 10:27 - The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 14: In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge. [27] The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 15:16 - Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, Than great treasure and turmoil with it. Proverbs 15:33 - The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility. Proverbs 16:6 - By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. 2

3 Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the Lord leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. Proverbs 22:4 - The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life. Proverbs 23:17 - Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always. 2. For his children to listen to instruction They should not only listen, they should heed the instruction. This does not mean they don t think for themselves, but it means they need to learn to listen and obey. Proverbs 1:8-9, Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck. Parents normally want the best for their children. They give them instruction to protect and help guide. It is true that some parents are overly protective and controlling, and that can be bad. But parents have a measure of wisdom and their children would be smart to listen carefully to what they say. God gave children their parents. Proverbs 3:1-2 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

4 Proverbs 4:1-2 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father,and give attention that you may gain understanding, [2] For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. Proverbs 5:1-2 My son, give attention to my wisdom,incline your ear to my understanding; [2] That you may observe discretion, And your lips may reserve knowledge. The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming." 3. For his children to learn to stand alone After telling his son that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, Solomon tackles and important issue: peer pressure. And Solomon essentially encourages his son to stand alone. Proverbs 1:10-19, My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. [11] If they say, Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; [12] Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; [13] We shall find all kinds of precious wealth, We shall fill our houses 4

5 with spoil; [14] Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse," [15] My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, [16] For their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed blood. [17] Indeed, it is useless to spread the net In the eyes of any bird; [18] But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. [19] So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. This passage tells the story of a person being inticed to join in with others to do evil things. This story is representative of any time a person get s tempted to join a group of others that is doing somethings wrong to take illegal drugs, to lie about something, to cheat on a test, A person who stands alone must choose to do what s right no matter what everyone else is doing. 4. For his children to understand the different kinds of people and choose to be wise Proverbs 1:22-33, "How long, O naive ones, will you love simplicity?and scoffers delight themselves in scoffing,and fools hate knowledge? [23] "Turn to my reproof,behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;i will make my words known to you. [24] "Because I called, and you refused;i stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; [25] And you neglected all my counsel,and did not want my reproof; [26] I will even laugh at your calamity;i will mock when your dread comes, [27] When your dread comes like a storm,and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind,when distress and anguish come on you. [28] "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;they will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, [29] Because they hated knowledge,and did not choose the fear of the Lord. [30] "They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. [31] "So they shall eat of the fruit of their 5

6 own way, And be satiated with their own devices. [32] "For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, And the complacency of fools shall destroy them. [33] "But he who listens to me shall live securely,and shall be at ease from the dread of evil." Naïve people are simple. They love simplicity. They don t complicate their lives with learning right and wrong. They don t worry about rules. They follow the crowd and don t have their own moral compass. Whatever the crowd is doing, they do. It is like they can t think for themselves. They let everyone else do their thinking for them and often follow bad examples. Scripture says that the waywardness (the disobedience, willfulness, irregular actions) of the naïve will kill them. Their lack of a moral foundation will be their undoing. Scoffers delight in scoffing. They like to put others down. They like to mock people. Fools hate knowledge. They do whatever they want to do. They like playing the fool. 5. For his children to live kindness and truth Proverbs 3:3-4 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. [4] So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Some people err on the side of kindness. They are kind to a fault. They never challenge anything anyone says. They are just oooy goooy kind. We need to be kind, but we also need to hold tightly to the truth. 6

7 6. For his children to trust in the Lord Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. The trust needs to be wholehearted 7. For his children to be financially responsible Proverbs 3: Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Honor God with your wealth give Him the first if you do, you will be blessed. Don t co-sign notes. Save for the future Give to God s work Summary These are not only things our earthly fathers should want for their children, they are things our heavenly Father wants for His children. Let s list them again Fear the Lord Listen to instruction Learn to Stand Alone Understand the different kinds of people naïve, scoffers, fools and choose to be wise Have kindness and truth Trust the Lord Be Financially responsible 7