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. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt
her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost
embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown
of glory shall she deliver to thee. (Prov 4:1-9)
How much does a father love his own son, a great king his beloved successor? We
get a glimpse of the choice words of wisdom of King David to His son, Solomon
in this passage today. We may break today’s text down into three parts: 1)
The Acquisition of Wisdom (v 1-2, 5, 7); 2) The Embrace of Wisdom
(v 4, 8); and 3) To Love and Cherish Wisdom (v 3, 6, 8-9).
What is the most advantageous means of acquiring Wisdom? If it is only by
experience, remember that experience is a harsh teacher! Would it not be more
prudent if we would learn from those who possess Wisdom? Are we as foolish as
the youth of our day in disregarding all instruction and counsel of the parent?
Hearing is a pleasurable way of learning, and it requires little effort.
Moreover, we learn from other’s mistakes and not from our own. God’s Word is
powerful and its counsel is stronger when it is heard early. So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans
10:17) There is no greater Wisdom than faith that results from the Word of God.
So the introductory remark to this chapter is: 1 Hear, ye children,
the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
The instruction of a father is of utmost value when it reflects that
instruction of THE FATHER in Heaven.
How shall we honor our fathers and our mothers? First of all, by recognizing
that our Father in Heaven is the ultimate and infallible Father. Obedience is a
means by which we honor our heavenly Father, and it should be a measure of how
we honor our earthly father and mother as well. My son, hear the
instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother (Prov
1:8) Remember the Commandment of God that promises long lie? Honour thy
father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days
may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD
thy God giveth thee. If honor and obedience is due to our parents of
flesh, how much more to the Father in Heaven? 2 For I give you
good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. When the law of our human
fathers have their foundation in the Law of God, it will be sound doctrine and
not to be forsaken.
3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight
of my mother. Whose son or daughter are you? There are but two
families on earth – those who are of the family of God, and those who are of
their father the devil. Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. (John 8:44)
Do we obey the counsel and instruction of God, or do we follow the lusts and
perversions of the devil? Rather simple, isn’t it? Can you comprehend the love
of God the Father in sending His only Begotten Son to die in your stead? Are
you tender and beloved in the Church of Jesus Christ? Jesus never minced words –
He called a sin a sin, and a sinner a sinner. Is the church today fearful of
calling sin, sin? Are perverse marriages truly simply an ‘alternate lifestyle’,
or is it abject sin? If so, is the Church sterile in passing God’s judgment
against sin?
All efficacious instruction must be taken into the mind by first passing
through the heart. We do not learn love, not through the mind, but the heart. .
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my
words: keep my commandments, and live. God’s Commandments are
written in the tender sinews of the heart of every Christian – and written
large in the Blood of love and sacrifice. Obedience to God’s Law of Love gives
life eternal. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all
sins. (Prov 10:12) Not SOME sins, but ALL sins. How is this possible?
If our love is great, our motives will always be kindled by love. Love never
hurts another or hates. It always seeks the greatest good for its object. If we
love God above all else, our intentions will always be obedience to His Law and
kindness toward His subjects.
Do you know that God never forgets our sins? But you may ask, “What of Isaiah
43:25” - I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine
own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Forgetfulness is a
characteristic of failure of mind. We may involuntarily forget something, but
God is incapable of any such human failure. However, God intentionally resolves
to not remember our sins. It is not weakness of mind, but intent of purpose! 5 Get
wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my
mouth. If we are told to forget not, we must make a
dedicated effort to keep those counsels foremost in our minds – reminding
ourselves daily and moment by moment of the healthful counsels of God. Do not
draw back from any of the counsel of god regardless of their acceptance by
society. We do not go along with sinful notions even if the world insists on a
political acceptance (or correctness) of the same. 6 Forsake her
not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
We forsake Wisdom when we cease listening to truth and listen to the counsels
of our desires and fleshly inclinations. But Wisdom will preserve us in faith
and truth. We must no simply accede to the words of Wisdom, but we must LOVE
them.
You will remember the old jeweler who hired a newly
graduated gemologist to help him in his Jewelry store as he grew older. The
first customer who approached the gemologist was seeking a diamond wedding ring
for his fiancé’. The young gemologist told the customer of the technical merit
of the diamond, the delicacy of the cut, and the weight in carats that made it
very valuable. The customer was not convinced. Finally, the old jeweler
approached. He took the diamond in his hand and held it up to the light and
described the beauty of the reflected glory of the diamond. He mentioned how
lovely such a stone of beauty would look on the hand of the man’s bride. The
purchase was made. Later, the young gemologist asked the old jeweler: “Say, you
have no gemological training, yet you were able to convince the customer to
purchase the diamond. I am a trained gemologist. Why was I unable to make the
sale?” “Well,” answered the old man, “you know diamonds – their worth, their
technical merit, their cut and setting; but I, on the other hand, LOVE diamonds
and that makes all the difference.”
7 Wisdom is the
principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding. Like the lovely diamond as a
symbol of love, love of Wisdom is the principle – the most important – thing.
As we learn Wisdom, many other mysteries of love and truth are revealed to us
in God’s Word. Hear it. Receive it! Believe it! Love it!
The description of a virtuous woman in the thirty-first chapter of Proverbs
tells how she will honor, promote and sustain her husband. The unwritten
counsel confirmed by Christ and Paul is that the man must love the woman with
the force of giving his own life for her. Then he may expect that reciprocation
of love which Christ expects of us. 8 Exalt her, and she shall
promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
See how Paul confirms this truth: Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it (Eph 5:25) Christ
first loved us and that is why we love Him. Men, love your wives so much that
her heart will reciprocate in kind. Wisdom is the best wife any person ever
had: 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a
crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. ?
