Parental Advice
May 21st, 2009Today’s lesson scripture is from Proverbs:
1 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight;
2 for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father, tender, and my mother’s favorite,
4 he taught me, and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” (Proverbs 4:1-9 NRSV)
Well, there’s the obvious: we wish that one generation could understand the wisdom of the previous generation. Unfortunately, we seem to want to prove that we’re smarter than our parents and grand-parents. It’s just the way of the world – until we reach that point where we suddenly realize that our parents may have had an idea or two about wisdom after all. Thanks be to God that we live to an age where we can finally realize this!
From a more subtle standpoint, we look at today’s scripture and think of not just what our parents may teach (because, after all, not all parents teach their children well — with apologies to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). Instead, we think of what “Wisdom” teaches. In our lesson scripture, Wisdom is female – it is worth remembering that Wisdom is equated with Word insofar as the incarnation is concerned. In any event, we are told here to prepare for wisdom – in the context of our religion that means Christ.
Recent Comments