Parent to Child
What Do I Teach?

From one end of the Bible to the other parents are encouraged to share God’s truth with their children (Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Psalm 78:5; Ephesians 6:4 “Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”). What a blessing and responsibility to teach them the lessons and share the truths that God considers to be the most valuable and essential for a full life. The wisest parents use His curriculum! And what specific lessons do they impart to them? What do your children need to hear? Of all the things that we could teach them, what should we stress most? In this lesson I want to examine some of the topics that Solomon selected to share with his son.

Everyone Needs Wisdom

“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion” (Proverbs 1:1-4). In your own way the following truths must be communicated:

• “Son, no one is born wise and just naturally knowing how to live. Some of your peers may be born with more physical ability in an area, and maybe a faster mental processor in their head to learn and remember information (IQ), but no one is born ‘wiser’ than any other”. This means you get to be as wise as you choose to be.
• “Son, you don’t have to live by trial and error and make a mess of things before you can acquire wisdom. The wisdom God offers in His word is ready and useful for young people too. Thinking that you must rebel or ignore advice in order to learn will take you far from wisdom, and you will suffer greatly both in this world and the next.”
• “Son, wisdom is very accessible (1:20)”. Make it a habit to listen to God’s word every day and communicate with him in prayer every day.

The Foundation

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

• “Son, nothing can replace having a healthy respect for God. Without this one quality, you will never become wise. Without a healthy respect for God, all the other qualities such as love, mercy, patience, virtue and so on will not render the fruit in your life they can with God as your ally”
• “Son, from math to history to physics, all the learning and information you will acquire in the future will only fit together if you have the context of knowing well the author of all knowledge”.

“I Will Not Always Be There”

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10).

• “Son, you will be tempted, and I cannot prevent that from happening. I will not always be there for immediate help or advice. You will face most of your temptations alone. No matter how well I tried to raise you and protect you when young from evil, evil will find you. You need to be ready to handle temptation on your own with the strength that God supplies”.

“Let This Define You”

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart” (4:20-21).

• “Son, even though you must often face temptation alone, you will not be alone (6:20-22). What I taught can always be with you. In the midst of the enticement, remember my words and the words of God”.
• “Son, be very selective about what you allow into your heart, what you allow yourself to think, how you portrait yourself and others. Make the following priorities: Remain a “kind” person. Be kind in your words, be merciful, generous, forgiving and compassionate. Do not allow the world to make you into a calloused person. Remain someone who loves truth, defends it, and stands upon it. The world will try to make you into a compromised person. The world turns boys into mediocre men, that is, men who opt for what is convenient, rather than what is right and true. The world will try to untie both these qualities from your heart. Be exceptional instead.”
• “Son, you will likely be faced with one wave of trial after another, and these waves are your enemy’s attempt to wear you down and blur God’s instruction. That is why what I teach you must be engraved, and written extremely deep upon your heart”.

“Be Humble”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

• “Son, no matter how smart or talented you become – or what others say about you, you can never be smart enough to go it alone, figure things out for yourself, or build something enduring without God. Be humble.”
• “Son, acknowledge God in all your ways. That is, trust His advice in dating, selecting a mate, making a marriage work, raising a family, and in how you work, how you study, how you recreate, friendships, in choosing what you read, listen to and watch – everything becomes a part of you. Live determinedly!”

“Beware Of The Takers”

“Son, there will be a number of people you will encounter who will attempt to lead you away from God and wisdom. These people are takers. Here are some examples of what I mean”:

• Those who try to convince you that your parents are too strict, they don’t understand you, and if they don’t like how you are living, they’ll just have to accommodate you (1:14).
• Those who try to tell you that you can rebel and escape the consequences, that “you will not get caught”, and that nothing bad will happen (1:17-18; 6:27-28). The truth is, truth eventually surfaces, and the ripples of our choices change all the lives around us to a degree far beyond what we realize.
• Avoid people who are continually one step away from the actual commission of a sin, those who encourage others likewise (Romans 1:32), the type of person who causes problems, and urges others to take a spiritual risk, but seems to escape detection at the moment (6:12-13). Some research indicates that 60-70% of communication is nonverbal. The Bible even talks about avoiding friends who use body language to communicate evil. “The expressions in verse 13 seem to refer to any look or gesture that is put on and therefore a form of deception if not a way of making insinuations” (Gaebelein, p. 934). Obviously, gestures, tone of voice, and even facial expressions can be used in a sinful manner. “With a hint here, and a wink or gesture there, the trouble-makers can sow discord at will – until God’s hour strikes for him” (Kidner, p. 72).

“The Adulteress”

For a man, she might be the ultimate taker. Solomon says so much about this woman. Almost three chapters (5-7) are dedicated to warnings about her. This seems to indicate to me that most men, even men who are not looking for her, will encounter women like this in their lives. “Son, let me warn you. Know about this type of woman”:

• She is a liar (5:3; 6:24). Some of these women are very bold (7:11), yet others seem sweet, gentle, kind, vulnerable and understanding. She will find you fascinating and amazing – yet it is simple because you are convenient. There is no real love here.
• Life with her will eventually be miserable (5:4). She will turn on you. The “understanding” will end, the demands will arrive, and you will regret the day you met her.
• Like many takers, there is no thought of God, eternity, heaven or hell (5:6). Her mind is immersed only in the present; her only god and only allegiance is the feeding of her own selfish desires (Philippians 3:19).
• She does not know who she is. Her whole view of reality and what is normal and real is messed up (5:6).
• Do not be deceived. Anyone, I mean anyone who would lure you away from a mate, is a taker. You will lose! (5:9-10; 6:26“For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread”). It is not an exaggeration to suggest that if you cheat on your mate, if you end up with a women (or man) who is a cheater, your hard-earned wages and possessions will end up in the hands of others. Someone else will likely live in your nice house. Someone else may be driving around in what was once your nice car.

“Sin Has No Mercy ”

“And you groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed” (5:11); “Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out” (6:33).

• “Son, if you ever start thinking that the world is a very open-minded and forgiving place – do not be deceived. It is all talk. There is no true forgiveness out there, no real sympathy and no real or genuine acceptance”. Sooner or later, this becomes very clear.

“Watch The Little Things”

• “If you can get it done now – do it. Beware of the cost of procrastination” (6:10).
• “That time you did not study when you should have, that time you slept in way too late, that time you quit before you should have – it is all adding up; it is taking money out of your future paychecks”.
• “Watch what appears to be a good-hearted, but a foolish, time-consuming commitment” (6:1-2). Learn to say “no” so you can say “yes” to the better things.
• Do not even begin the process of sin (6:25; 4:14; 4:26-27). Pursue goodness!

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net