Wednesday Bible Blurb Parenting and Proverbs 5 28 2025
Parenting is either the pits or the greatest thing we will do in our life. Any way we look at it, parenting is a busy difficult time of life. We had five children and now six grandsons. Soon our oldest grandson will turn thirteen. I feel old. God said, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12 [NKJV]). Consider this, for our children to honor us we must be honorable.
Many years ago, newspapers ran a column called “Dear Abby” which was an advice column for life events. When it comes to parenting, have we considered what Solomon says in the book of Proverbs? Let’s look at the biblical advice column “Dear Solomon” and see what he has to say about parenting and raising children.
When I was younger and my father had died of cancer, I used to read Proverbs and when Solomon would say “My son” I would perk up and wonder what my dad might have said to me. Let’s look at “Dear Solomon” and his advice.
Pro. 1:8 “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.” “My son”, what wonderful words from a parent to a child.
Pro. 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Great advice.
Pro. 2:1-5 “My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.” Honor your parents!
Pro. 3:1-2 “My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” Keep the ten commandments and live a long and prosperous life.
Pro. 3:21 “My son, let them not depart from your eyes—Keep sound wisdom and discretion;” Sound wisdom comes from trusting and obeying God.
Pro. 4:1-5 “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” Great advice!
Pro. 4:10 “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.” Listen to your parents.
Pro. 4:20-23 “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Listen to your parents!
Pro. 5:1 “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,” We may be poor, but we are never to poor to pay attention to dad.
Pro. 6:20-21 “My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck.” Take the wisdom of mom and dad seriously.
Pro. 7:1-2 “My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.” Live long and prosper.
Pro. 7:24-25 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths;” Stay away from the enticement of harlots.
Pro. 13:1 “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” Be wise, listen to your parents.
Pro. 13:24 “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” It is much easier to train and teach a young child than to try to train and teach a young adult.
Pro. 15:5 “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.”
Pro. 15:20 “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.” Honor your father and your mother, make them glad.
Pro. 17:6 “Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.”
Pro. 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” For parents this is a difficult verse as not all children stay the course. We may think, “where did we go wrong?”
We are all sons and daughters of God (Rom 8:14-17). These verses from Dear Solomon apply to us no matter our age. May we all strive to teach our children well.
Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
“You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.
And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents well,
Their children’s hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.”
