#DailyDevotion Make Your Fathers Glad
June 12
Prov 10:1–23
Pro 10:1-3 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. (2) Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. (3) The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked…16 The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin. (17) Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
We continue with proverbs from the mouth of Solomon. What makes one wise and what makes one foolish? Wickedness and righteousness seem to have something to do with it. Certainly we would want to live in a manner of life that makes our fathers glad and not to bring sorrow to our mothers. Yet how do we do that? We are told things gained by wickedness will not profit us but righteousness will deliver from death. Certainly he know that no matter how good we live we will die never the less and many who live in sin die ripe old ages.
Verse three sound a bit like Mat 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” And then again in Joh 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” or Joh 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Not included in today’s read nor tomorrow’s are these verses: Pro 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.” Pro 10:29 “The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.” Now there is an absolute beginning of having the fear of the Lord and being on the way of the Lord. That is we must trust the Lord our God and believe in his promises. As we trust the Lord and believe his promises our actions in life will correspond. Sure not always perfectly but it will be different from those who lack such faith. In the Old Testament it was trusting in the promise of a coming messiah and the teaching of Moses. In the New Testament era all men everywhere are called to trust in the messiah who has come Jesus Christ and his promise of everlasting life.
Without this basic trust we will not curb our tongue, watch our actions, restrain our thoughts and desires. We will not heed instruction. But with this faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit will begin to open our ears and mold our hearts to the fear of the Lord and place on the paths of righteousness. Our fathers will become glad and our mothers will not be in sorrow.
Heavenly Father, grant us true fear of the Lord that we may walk in righteousness and have ears that hear and eyes that see all the good you have for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.