Proverbs 1:8-19
8 My child, listen when your father
corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 9 What you learn
from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. 10 My
child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! 11 They may say,
“Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the
innocent! 12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them
whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. 13 Think of the great
things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. 14 Come,
throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” 15 My child, don’t
go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. 16 They rush to commit
evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. 17 If a bird sees a trap being
set, it knows to stay away. 18 But these people set an ambush for
themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. 19 Such is the fate
of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. (NLT)
On the path of gaining wisdom God has placed
fathers and mothers as or primary guides in this process. Proverbs 1:7 cut straight
to the heart of the matter by explaining all TRUE knowledge begins with
reverence toward God and a healthy respect for discipline. Parents who are
themselves committed to God balance the scales of wisdom: The father supplies
correction and the mother offers instruction. When we, as children, ignore mama’s
instruction, daddy gives us the correction and redirection we need to get us
back on the path of wisdom.
My father, an extremely quiet, was an example of
Godliness and discipline. One experience that stands out in my mind from my
early teen years happened just after, when I was 12 or 13. In my parent’s home
the evening meal always consisted of meat, potatoes, vegetables, bread and
butter. There was always a butcher’s knife on the table. On this particular evening,
I was being a typical, mouthy, disrespectful teen/preteen and I hear, “That’s
it! I’ve had enough of this!”
The quiet, peaceful man I knew as daddy, got up,
grabbed the butcher knife, and looked at me. I had never heard him yell and I
certainly never seen that look before. I got up and began running through the
house yelling, “Daddy don’t kill me! Please, Daddy don’t kill me! I promise I’ll
be good!”
My father had no intention of killing me, but that
spanking made an impression on me. When we ignore Mama’s instruction we will
face daddy’s correction.
The first instruction “If sinners entice you –
Turn your back on them!” These words found in verse 10 are followed by several
statements they may use to tempt us into their schemes. They are just wetting
our appetite for sin.
Verse 15 restates the instruction, “Don’t go along
with them – Stay far from their paths!” This second warning is followed by the
results of sinful behavior until we see in verse 17 sinners do not have the
brains God gave a bird. Sinners get caught in their own trap. “They are trying
to get themselves killed.”
At this point we run head-long into the stop sign
of verse 19, “Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money – It robs them
of life.” This is in contrast to John 10:10 where we learn Christ came that we
may have life more abundantly. Stay off the path of the simpleminded! Gain
wisdom, accept correction, and follow the path that leads to Life Eternal. Check the link below.
The Bible and a Belt
The Bible and a Belt
