WWUTT 1589 Let Your Father and Mother Be Glad (Proverbs 23:9-25)

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The words that have been given to us in the Bible are ancient words but they are good words, true words, that have been true for every generation they have been given to, so that we may hear and live when we understand the text.

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This is When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the

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Word. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we feature New Testament study, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and our

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Q &A on Friday. Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you Becky. More Proverbs today.

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We're gonna pick up where we left off last week, so I'm in Proverbs 23 and I'll start reading in verse 9 and go through verse 25.

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This is the Word of the Lord. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the insight of your speech.

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Do not move the ancient boundary, and do not come into the fields of the orphans, for their

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Redeemer is strong. He will plead their case against you. Bring your heart to discipline, and your ears to words of knowledge.

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Do not withhold discipline from the child. Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

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You shall strike him with the rod, and deliver his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart also will be glad, and my inmost being will exalt when your lips speak upright things.

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Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners, but be zealous in the fear of Yahweh always.

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Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. You, my son, listen and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.

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Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat, for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

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Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

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Buy truth, and do not sell it. Get wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.

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The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

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Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you."

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What kind of themes do you see recurring in these passages that we read? There's a lot of father to son, a lot of parenting elements to this, right?

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Of course, all the way through Proverbs we've been hearing a father speaking to his son, telling him wise things.

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You know, even when we get to Proverbs 31, which is the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, but we typically know

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Proverbs 31 as the Proverbs 31 woman chapter, right?

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It's a woman who fears the Lord. Even there, that's not really an instruction being given to women, not directly, although women should certainly read it and desire to exhibit those traits of the of the godly woman there in Proverbs 31.

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But it's still a father speaking to his son about a godly woman, the kind of woman that he should look for.

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So we see still more guidance from a father to his child. Now, any man or woman can read the book of Proverbs and receive the wisdom that is being given here.

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Our Heavenly Father speaks to us all, whether we are sons and daughters of God. But this is the context of the book of Proverbs, a father guiding his son.

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And here in verse nine, the father says to his son, as the father speaks to his Children, do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the insight of your speech.

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Now, something similar we might compare this to would be the word of Christ in Matthew 7 6, where he said,

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Do not give to dogs what is sacred or cast your pearls before swine, for they will trample them underfoot and then turn to attack you.

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What Jesus is saying there is the blessedness of the promises of God that have been given to us in his word.

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We're not going to give to fools who are going to mock them and not listen to them. Even when it comes to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, there comes a point where in speaking with a stranger or a neighbor or even a family member, if it doesn't sound like they're getting it, and they're just continuing to mock what it is that you say, don't continue to press in, because then their heart is just going to become all the more hardened, and they will hate what you were saying all the more.

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And they will make a mockery of the word of God that you are speaking. And you don't want the word of God to be handled in such a way.

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So we use it as a tool and an instrument to convict. And if it does not appear as if the person is convicted and wants to listen to the message of the gospel, then we withhold it.

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Maybe until a later time, or maybe that person will never stand and listen to it at all.

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So we must be careful. We must even be wise when it comes to who we share the oracles of God with.

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And in this particular advice, it is being said, do not speak in the hearing of a fool. Do not give wisdom to a fool who does not desire to become wise.

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He will despise the insight of your speech. Verse 10, do not move the ancient boundary, and do not come into the fields of the orphans, for their

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Redeemer is strong, and he will plead their case against you. Bring your heart to discipline, and your ears to words of knowledge.

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This is three verses here, but all these verses going together. So again in verse 10, at the start of verse 10, do not move the ancient boundary.

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Meaning what? The law of God that he has laid down. His word. What he has established.

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Don't change the rules. God is the one who has established truth.

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And so if we are going to know what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong, we come to his word.

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It's right here in the Bible. This is how we know the the truth from the lies.

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We read it according to his word. Since God is the one who has established all truth, since he is the law giver, we must come to his word to know what the law is.

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You cannot redefine it. You cannot change it. You cannot move the line. Do not move the ancient boundary.

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Do not come into the fields of the orphans. Now when the law was given to the children of Israel, there was a portion of their field that they were supposed to leave unharvested for the orphans and the widows.

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And so that's what's being talked about here. As if there were an invisible boundary line there in your field that you are not to cross so that the orphans and the widows may have it.

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So that everyone in Israel could be fed. And if you cross that line, you are taking away that which

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God has designated for those who do not have. And therefore you are taking food out of the mouths of orphans.

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What does God say will happen to you if you do not consider, if you are not mindful of those who are in need?

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Verse 11, for their Redeemer is strong and he will plead their case against you.

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Instead what should you do? Verse 12, bring your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge.

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How are we disciplined and where do we find these words of knowledge? It's in the Word of God. We know how even we are to care for and love one another according to this

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Word. You might hear pastors say that we need to pay attention to the one of, to the one another's in Scripture.

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This is a common popular thing to say right now. We need to focus on the one another's.

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How do we love each other? Well we go to the one another's, right? And that's certainly a place to start, but that isn't the only place where we see how we are to love each other.

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But that is a great principle and it's all according to the Word of God. Jesus said in John 14, 15, you will show me that you love me when you obey my commands.

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And in 1st John it is said we show that we love God when we love one another. Now what does that love look like?

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It's one thing to say it, love each other. Okay yeah sure I'm supposed to love one another, but what does that love look like?

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And that's what we come to the Word of God to find. We know exactly what God has said this love is supposed to look like.

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Not what the world says, but what God has said. Now oftentimes in the Old Testament orphans and widows are used for those who are the most in need, those who cannot take care of themselves.

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But that doesn't mean that our charity, our kindness, our love for others is limited to orphans and widows.

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Everybody in the church we are to love and as Paul said to the Galatians in Galatians 6, as we have opportunity showing charity to everyone.

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We care first for our own just like you're going to provide for your own family under your own roof.

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We provide for one another within the church, but then as we have opportunity we even extend that charity to others and use that as a chance to share the gospel with them so that they may turn from their sin, believe in the

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Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. That is the most loving thing that we can do for anybody is to share with them the gospel that they may know the forgiveness of sins in the

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Lord Jesus Christ and life everlasting stored up for us in heaven above. Whoever believes in him will not perish under the judgment of God, but will have everlasting life.

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Verses 13 and 14, I mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago because it tied in with another proverb we saw in chapter 22.

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Do not withhold discipline from the child. Although you strike him with the rod he will not die.

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You shall strike him with the rod and deliver his soul from Sheol. There's a lot of stigma opposed to spanking in our culture today, even in some evangelical circles, but the book of Proverbs says to not spare the rod from the child.

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You should in fact spank them on the backside with some sort of an instrument or tool so that they will recognize

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I've done something wrong and there's a consequence for that. The pain that you cause them because of the disobedience that they did, that pain is temporary.

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It's not going to last forever. You are not scarring the child. You are teaching them the right way that they should go.

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And when they get older, what did we read previously? Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it.

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So we train them with the rod. They know the difference between right and wrong.

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You don't spank out of anger. It's not, well, my child frustrated me and I'm annoyed so now

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I'm going to spank my child. They're not learning anything through that kind of retaliation except I should not make mom and dad mad.

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That's really all they're learning there. But teach them the right way. Why are you getting spanked?

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Why are you getting punished? Why do I have to punish you because of this wrong that you have done?

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Help them to understand what they've done wrong and that there's a consequence for that so that you will teach them the right way that they should go.

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Don't withhold discipline from the child. If you strike him with the rod, he's not going to die. It's pain for a little while.

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You shall strike him with the rod and deliver his soul from Sheol. As we've read previously in Proverbs, whoever spares the rod hates his son but whoever disciplines him loves him.

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And so we must love our children and discipline them in the right way to go. Verses 15 and 16, we have more of this direction from a father to a son.

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My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will also be glad.

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And my inmost being will exult when your lips speak upright things.

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When I was a kid, I wanted to please my dad. And maybe you were like that as well. I want to please my father.

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And so I was always doing things to try to please my dad. Not because I didn't have the love of my father.

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I did. He told me he loved me and he was proud of me all the time. He still tells me to this day how proud of me he is.

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And I love doing things to to please my dad. And so we should desire also to do that which pleases our

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Father in heaven. We want to be worthy sons and daughters of God. Not because our actions make us worthy.

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They don't. As it says in Romans chapter 3, there is none who does righteous and all have become worthless.

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But it's by faith in Jesus Christ we have been made worthy. And so because of this wonderful gift that God has given us through his son, we want to be worthy sons and daughters of God.

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We were enemies of God. We deserved punishment and death and eternal destruction.

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That's what we deserved. That's the justice of God that we deserved. But he was merciful toward us and did not destroy us but has saved us through the giving of his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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As a propitiation. His death on the cross for us. And so now it is through Christ we've been adopted into the family of God and we've become his sons and daughters.

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No longer enemies of God. No longer sons and daughters of Satan. We are sons and daughters of God.

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And so because God has done this for us, we want to be worthy sons and daughters.

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As you might want to please your earthly father, may we live first and foremost to please our

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Father who is in heaven. Verses 17 through 21, this whole section now, this all goes together.

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Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners. Don't desire what it is that they have.

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Because where are those sinners headed? They're going to destruction. Don't desire the way of destruction.

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Even to desire the thing that God does not desire for you. That's sin.

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If you desire sin, it's sin. So don't be taken in the way of sinners.

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Instead, be zealous in the fear of Yahweh. Always. And I love that.

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This is the the legacy standard translation. This is the way they have translated this verse.

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And we come up with some rhyming words here. Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners, but be zealous in the fear of Yahweh.

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Always. That means we desire the fear of God. That's not something that we should be afraid of or we should run away from.

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We have this reverent fear of the Lord. And when we do, we won't want sin.

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Because we remember that God is a righteous judge who judges sin, but also that he's been faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

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1 John 1, 9. So in this zealous fear of Yahweh, we are kept from the way of sin and kept in the way of righteousness.

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That we would desire those things that are heavenly. That lead to godliness and glory. Not the path that leads to destruction.

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Verse 18. Still in the same thought as the previous verse. Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.

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You fear the Lord. You walk in his way. You have hope for your future. You my son, listen and be wise.

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And direct your heart in the way. We read back in Proverbs chapter 3.

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Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

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In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.

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So my son, listen and be wise. Direct your heart in the way. In the Lord's way. In Yahweh's way.

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Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine or with gluttonous eaters of meat.

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For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

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The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that bad company corrupts good character.

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So we should not keep company with those who are going to come to destruction. But furthermore,

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Paul also said to the Thessalonians that we are not those who get drunk at night. So we should not be children of night, but we're children of the day.

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This is 1 Thessalonians 5 beginning in verse 5. For you are all children of light, children of the day.

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We are not of the night or of the darkness. So let us not sleep as others do.

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What was being said here would happen to the glutton and the drunker. Well, he would become drowsy and he would go to sleep.

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He's going to be found sleeping on the day that Christ returns. He will be in darkness and he will perish.

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So let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

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1 Thessalonians 5, 8. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

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For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our

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Lord Jesus Christ. We go on to verse 22. Verses 22 and 23 go together.

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Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth and do not sell it.

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Get wisdom and discipline and understanding. We've heard this several other times in Proverbs.

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As a matter of fact, it was back at the beginning of Proverbs. So listen to your father who begot you. He has wisdom.

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He has the word of God that has been given to him, that he has learned, and now he is passing it on to his son.

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Remember, once again, the statement was made earlier, do not move the ancient boundary, but we continue in the ways of God that had been set forth for us from long ago.

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As it says in Romans chapter 15, I believe this is verse 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

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Remember back to verse 18. Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off when we follow in the way of God that has been set forth for us in his word.

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We have hope. So listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.

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Something else that the father is calling his son to attend to is the fifth commandment.

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You will honor your father and your mother so that it may go well with you. The father is instructing his son, continue to honor your father and your mother, even in their old age, even when you are not living at home anymore.

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Remember the things that they taught you by truth and do not sell it, whatever it costs you to get truth, get it because the truth of God is what leads to eternal life.

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John 14, six, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life.

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No one comes to the father, but by me. So the father says, get wisdom and discipline and understanding.

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Remember we read back in Proverbs 12, one, that the one who loves discipline, loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof, who hates to be corrected is stupid and will come to judgment versus 24 and 25.

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And here's where we will conclude. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

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Let your father and your mother be glad and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

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So in other words, walk in wisdom, walk in the right way so that your father and your mother who labored over you, your mother really labored for you and your father worked for you as well.

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But these two who have worked so hard for you, let them rejoice and be glad and see what their good work has led to the righteous path that you are in as given to us by our

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Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly father, thank you for the goodness you show to us every day and help us to walk in that goodness today that we don't despise truth.

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We love it and we love it so much. We share it with others so that they may hear the truth and so live.

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But we must be wise in these things. We don't speak in the hearing of a fool for he despises insight and speech.

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Instead, we go to those who are starving, who need the word of God that they may hear it and believe.

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Help us to be good parents. Help us to be loving brothers and sisters in the Lord. Help us to walk after the pattern that has been given to us in your word and according to our

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Savior. It's in his precious name that we pray. Amen. When we understand the text.