Wisdom Lesson 1 Listen to Your Parents

Today we will examine the first wisdom lesson of Proverbs, contained within chapter one. But before we begin, there’s a crucial framing device we must uncover first. This frame starts in Proverbs 1:2: To know wisdom and correction. These words are repeated again in verse 7 where we see: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and correction. Coincidence? I think not!
 
These verses provide us with the primary themes for Proverbs as well as the frame for four important characters. In verses 4-5 we read about the simple, the youth, the wise, and the discerning. The framing looks like this:
                       
Knowledge
Wisdom
Correction
                  Words of Discernment
                              Simple  - Youth  - Wise  -  Discerning
                  Words of Wise 
Knowledge
Wisdom
Correction
           
Isn’t that beautiful? The Lord wrote this section so that the frame could point inward, highlighting how knowledge, wisdom, correction, the words of discernment, and the words of the wise are essential in order for the simple and youth to become wise and discerning.
 
A phrase our students often hear at The Masters Guild is, “It is not what it means but how it means it.” God’s Word is filled with structure, and learning how the Bible means will add a life-time of enjoyment and awe. The Bible is a masterpiece of beautiful design.
 
Before the first Wisdom lesson can be revealed, we must explore the purpose of verse 7:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and correction.

It functions as the bottom of the frame, closes the introduction, and introduces the first wisdom lesson, serving as what is known as a ‘hinge statement.’ The simple and youth will become wise and discerning ONLY if they learn to fear the LORD by not despising wisdom and correction.
           
This is the guiding principle for one of the most critical parenting insights in Scripture. In order to encourage our children to fear the LORD and become wise, we must lead by example. If we do not fear the LORD, neither will they. The fear of the LORD is hating what God hates and loving what God loves. This is the foundational philosophy and theology for the family.
 
Building on this foundation, we can now introduce the first wisdom lesson:

My son, obey the correction of your father and do not neglect the teaching of your mother (1:8).

There are two important roles laid out in this lesson. We read that the father is the primary correction giver and the mother is the primary teacher. If we think of this in relation to our hinge statement, then we see that the father is able to give his children the correction they need because he himself was willing to be corrected. How does the mother teach her children? Through being teachable herself.
 
The father’s primary role is to correct, lovingly but firmly, and the mother’s primary role is to teach, especially when the children are young. Did you know that the Hebrew word for teach is Torah which is a Jewish word that stands for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible? The Torah was to be the children’s primary influencer. It was the mother’s role to impart the Torah to her children at a young age. This does not mean that the father was not involved in teaching nor the mother in correction. But because by nature the father was primarily the hunter, provider, and protector and mother primarily the nurturer and comforter, the roles of corrector and teacher were a natural fit.

Directly after the the roles of parental responsibility are revealed, we read about the compelling awards for the child. The child who accepts correction from his father and regards the teaching of his mother will receive:

An ornament of grace and honor upon his head, and chains of victory about his neck (1:9).

Of the twelve lessons of Wisdom, this first lesson is the most important! If a child will heed the correction of his father and listen to the teaching of his mother, he will be able to understand the fear of the LORD, find the knowledge of God, and knowledge will become pleasant to his soul (Proverbs 2:5-10).

I can’t imagine giving anything more important to my children.

For more literature on parenting with wisdom, I invite you to review the following recommended reading!

God bless,

Dr. Mark Hamby

Recommended Reading:
Basket of Flowers (Ages 9-14)
Shepherding a Child’s Heart (Ages 16+)
Families Where Grace Is in Place (Ages 16+)
Education of a Child by Fenelon (Ages 12-99)