Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro
 
For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. Proverbs 4:2

Here is another call for fathers to be the spiritual leaders of their homes - and the primary Bible teacher in their children's lives.  The father here is speaking to his sons.  Here is something we desperately need to recover in our day - that spiritual mentoring of sons by their fathers.  I work with men every week - and I see in their eyes the pain they feel because this did not happen in their lives.  There is something missing in the "man's experience" when he is not mentored by his father.  We find in so-called primitive cultures that the fathers train their sons and bring them through a "coming-of-age" ritual.  These boys know then they have left the world of youth and moved into their roles as adults - as men.  For the most part our boys have no idea when this happens - and as a result we have a plethora of 20-60 year old boys running around in our world making tremendous messes of their lives - and the lives of their wives and children.

The father her says to his son these amazing words, "For I give you sound teaching."  The church today - if sound teaching is offered at all - is considered responsible to teach our children and our youth the things of God.  These things are needed, but they are only to be suplemental to what is happening in the home.  If our children do not hear these things from their fathers - what the church does will not replace it.  We need to grasp that our children are most likely to become - not what we want them to be - but what we actually are.  If the father does not teach his sons the things of God - no youth pastor will ever completely fill that role.  Most likely the boys growing up in that home will mirror his level of commitment to the things of God.  This is why it is imperative that fathers take their roles with their sons very seriously. 

The father offers to his sons sound teaching in the Word.  For the father who does this for his sons - they have an inheritance that goes far beyond silver and gold.  They have a foundation that will stand the test of time - and if they follow their father's example - they will wind up blessing multiple generations of their family.  For a society that does this - there is a sound foundation that will bless for years to come.  Our founding fathers took such a role very seriously - with their own families - and with our nation as a whole.  Look at the blessings that have come even into our day because of their faithfulness. 

The father also instructs and commands his sons not to abandon his teaching - literally, his law.  Here is another biblical principle that we need to recapture.  College professors and liberals today infect our children with the thought that it is the height of ignorance to simply believe what their parents taught them - especially when it has to do with religious beliefs.  They save their greatest vitriol for Christianity and belief in God.  The result of swimming in such moral and educational bilge water is that our children too often abandon their faith during these years and walk in ways that they regret for years to come. 

Oh dads, your role is far greater than you could ever imagine!  YOU are responsible for giving your sons "sound teaching."  The King James calls this "good doctrine" and this is so very accurate.  Take your role seriously fathers!  Make time in your life to know good doctrine yourself.  Even if your father did not take this task seriously - you start something wonderful in the future generations of your family.  Spend time with your sons and daugthers teaching them the things of God.  Implant within them good, sound doctrine from the Scriptures - as well as an example your children want to follow long after they leave your home. 

We live in a day where the "Tea Party Movement" is seeking to restore the nation our forefathers gave to us.  They do so pointing to the Constitution and the restoration of limited government.  Being a patriot as well as one who believes strongly in our form of government and freedom - I applaud these efforts.  But, they will ultimately fail if our nation is not also restored to her former religious - and by that I mean Christian - heritage.  We cannot be governed by the United States Constitution alone.  Our forefathers realized that first and foremost they were governed by the Law of God in their hearts.  They spoke of how limited government could exist because the 10 commandments initially governed the human heart - and limited wickedness in society.  Without this "inner-law" governing the hearts of Americans and their leaders - no external law can reign in society - without it being adversely affected by the inner wickedness of the fallen human heart.  This is where government will never be able to fill the void of godly fathers.  Without dads teaching their sons the things of God - at least teaching and modeling for them a life governed by the commandments of God - society will inevitable fall apart.  Without dads who teach their sons and daughters the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Without their hearts being transformed so that Law is written on their hearts - evil will gain ascendency in our individual lives - in our corporate structures - and in our governing bodies. 

What I would love to see is that the Tea Parties not just speak to the abandonment of the Constitution - but also speak to the abandonment of our children by their fathers.  When I say this - I am not speaking of the fathers who physically abandon their children - although I see this as part and parcel of our spiritual decline.  I speak of how the fathers of the United States have abandoned their children spiritually - expecting government and the church to fill a role God never intended them to take.  Only a revival of godly fathers fulfilling their roles in their families will truly turn the next generation around in our land.  May the Lord have mercy on us - and bring about a revival of fatherly proportions. 
 
 
Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye. Proverbs 7:2

To what extent should we watch over God's Word in our lives?  How much of a love and a desire are we to have for it?  That is the subject of this proverb - and the imagry used here will help us to grasp it and know the depth of love and care with which we should hold God's Word.

Watchfulness and care is how we should keep God's commandments.  They will give us life.  Thus we want to protect ourselves from disobeying them - from forgetting them - from being distracted from obeying them.  But to what extent should we do this?  That is where this proverb uses a great picture to teach us.

How well do you protect your eye?  If you are like the average person you will protect your eye almost instinctively.  When something is coming toward your eye - you will close it - and most often will cover your eye to keep it from being injured.  One of the ways that a raven determines whether something is dead or alive - is that it pecks at the eye of the animal.  If the animal does not react to protect its eye - it is dead.  So, we see that the manner in which we should protect God's Word in our hearts and minds is with an almost instinctive defensiveness.  In the same way we would protect our eyes from injury - we would protect the Word from being taken from us - from being the instruction for how we should live each day.  This is what is meant by keeping the teaching of God's Word as the "apple of our eye."  This phrase is a Hebraism for keeping the very pupil of our eye. 

Watch over God's Word - watch in order to obey and honor God in how we deal with it.  Watch so that disobedience and disregard for it are absolutely out of the question.  Watch over it so that you would prefer having your eye poked out than to walk in a way that would be contrary to it.
 
 
The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined.   Proverbs 10:8

There is great wisdom in learning to listen.  The art of listening is for the most part a lost art.  I remember ministering to a young man at the University of Memphis.  Even though he did not know Christ, he did know how to listen.  As we ministered to him again and again he sought to take in every single word that was spoken to him.  He did not want to defend himself or put in his two cents worth unless the one speaking to him had finished what they were saying.  No interruptions happened when you spoke to him - and he was the picture of good manners and politeness.  I also remember asking him after a couple of visits if he had always been this way.  His answer was that he had not - but at a point in his life he knew he would learn much more if he would learn to listen well.  Thus he made it his ambition to listen as well as he possibly could.  There were struggles - he said the worst was having his own mind run after what he wanted to say next rather than actually hearing what the other person was saying.  This was one situation where a lost person was used by God to bring amazing conviction to me - because I am what is called a verbal processor - therefore I have a bad tendency to talk to much - or to chomp at the bit to put my two cents into every conversation.

Solomon spoke very wisely when he said that the wise of heart will receive commands.  The wise man is the one who desires to listen - and to listen well.  He is definitely this way when he hears those giving him commands.  A businessman will tell you that too much time is spent in business dealing with those who don't listen well to commands.  They don't listen to the actual words being spoken to them and as a result get things wrong.  In business - and believe it or not in all of life - this is costly.  If the person would take the time to receive the command and do so with great precision - much good would come of it.  This is a matter of spiritual life and death when it comes to listening to the commandments of God.  Oh, how we need to tune our ears to what God is saying and has said in His Word.  That one skill and practice will save us much grief - and much pain.

Why don't we listen well?  The proverb instructs us in this by saying that we don't listen well because we are too eager to talk.  "A babbling fool will be ruined."  The fool spoken of here is one who hates wisdom and morality - and who walks instead in his own folly.  This man babbles when he speaks.  He does not want to listen to commands - he wants to give them - or at least mock them.  This is the one who immediately interrupts when someone speaks of the Lord and begins babbling about his hatred of the Lord.  He may take the direction of science or philosophy - but behind it is a disdain for the things of the Lord. 

The problem with this babbling fool is that he never does hear God's commandments - at least not hearing with the intent to obey.  Because of this the Word says that the direction of this person's life is toward "ruin."  He will experience "labat" - which is to be thrust down or torn down and ruined.  This word is used three times in the Old Testament and all three times it speaks of those without wisdom and understanding.  All three times is speaks of the ruin that comes to them because of the disregard for the Word of the Lord.  This one wants to thrown down the commandments of God - but in the end, he himself will be the one who is thrown down. 

Wisdom is learning how to listen - how to receive commands.  This will help us spiritually forever - but it will also help us daily.  The fact is that all throughout life we will be receiving commands and requests to do things.  If we learn to listen to them well and carry them out diligently - there will be great blessing!
 
 
Hear, my son, your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.   Proverbs 1:8-9

Why do we need to listen to our fathers and mothers?  It is because God intends for us to learn of Him through them.  If you watch television and listen to the dominant voices in our society you will hear this particular admonition greatly militated against.  Our world wants us to make our own path and decide what we believe for ourselves - or at least when they are trying to influence us.  There are those who think that a child who is being trained and taught diligently by their parents is being indoctrinated.  Their answer is to stop this child abuse and let children make up their own minds concerning how they respond to the message from the fallen world.  Of course you see what this brings when you look at society today and the direction that most children are going.

God says for a child to hear his father's instruction.  Just a brief word to fathers as this begins.  Dads . . . are you instructing your children in the things of the Lord?  Do they hear you speak of the things of God often - and in a didactic fashion?  Part of our problem today is that fathers don't take their roles seriously.  They abandon the rearing of their children to their mothers and to the world.  They figure that the educational system will do this work along with the mother.  But God does not see it this way - in fact - He does not even want the father to abandon the teaching of his children to the church - or the Sunday School.  This can be a valuable ally - but nothing can replace a godly dad teaching his children the things of the Lord.

Something that may even be more shocking to our current climate of child-rearing is the fact that this word "instruction" means more than just word of mouth.  It means to chastise and discipline a child.  The word here is used more of this than anything else.  The ideas of discipline, chastening, punishment, reproof and warning far outweigh the idea of instruction here.  This is a father taking the time to teach his son and daughter - but with more than just ideas.  The dad is teaching and training - using correction and chastening to drive the point home to the child who is to be learning from him.  What is told to the child?  Hear this - don't tune dad out when he offers chastening and instruction.  Listen and live - and be blessed.  It is so vital to a child's well-being to listen and to do so soberly!

The child is also told to not forsake the teaching of the mother.  Her teaching is not to be tossed aside and left behind.  That is the idea being passed on to the child.  He or she should take the mom's teaching and hold it fast - not allowing it to be cast to the side in favor of the world and what it seeks to teach that child.  The mom is to "lay down the law" here - as the word for teaching is actually torah - which is the Word used to describe God's Law.  Yes, there is a desperate need for rules and for expected actions and attitudes in a child.  And YES - the mother and the father need to work together not only teaching these things - but also enforcing them with discipline when necessary.

Rather than just issue this command, God's Word lets the child know what is coming when they do listen and follow.  This teaching and discipline will be a "graceful wreath to your head" and "ornaments about your neck."  The wreath spoke of conquest and victory.  When a child listens and learns from the Godly teaching and discipline of his father and mother - that child is going to gain valuable victories early in life over the flesh and over that part of himself or herself that rebels against the world.  Oh, what a blessing it is when parents help a child early in life to obey - to submit their will to another - to surrender their rights when being directed in life.  The worldling child knows little of this - and often is taught to rebel against God's ways and commandments.  There is already a fatal flaw in us in this regard - and we so desperately need to learn to respond to God aright. 

Children - learn to listen and follow the word and the warning of your parents.  It will go a long way to preparing you for the world you face.  But even more importantly it will help you listen to the God Who will draw you to Himself for the purpose of salvation and a life turned to the right!

 
 
The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. Proverbs 13:13

How you view and deal with God's Word will determine in great measure what kind of life you live and in the end, what kind of reward you receive. 

There have been those throughout history who have despised God's Word.  They hold it in contempt.  They scorn and disrespect what God has said.  They scoff at its commands and laugh at the worldview it presents.  For at least two thousand years they have tried to tear it down and make their own words powerful.  After two thousand years of this one would think the Word of God would have been beaten to dust.  Yet the Word of God still stands - still speaks - still works in the hearts of those who receive it as the Word of God.  Not only this, but it still is THE STANDARD by which we shall be judged before God.

The man who despises God's Word will still be in debt to it.  The grass withers, the flower falls off - but the Word of the Lord shall stand.  Every man will have to stand before God on the day of judgment and give account for the deeds which he has done in the flesh.  Every man is in debt to the commandments of God - especially those which he has broken.  The call out to the living God for judgment and are tied about the neck of those who have broken them like an eternal albatross.  Though they rebel against them and mock them, they will be tied to them as surely as Samson was chained to the grinding wheel for his sin.  Man may shout and insult the Word of God, but man will also stand accountable to it.  The debt mounts day by day - and that debt must be paid. 

The one who fears and respects the Word of God - who sees the commandment and trembles - that man will be rewarded.  It is only as we approach the commandments of God and fear that we will receive wisdom and understanding.  What is interesting is what the commandment will teach us who fear and respect it. 

God's commands require obedience.  Our problem is that we cannot offer it - not in the manner God requires.  We fall short of God's glory in the commandments and become guilty of sin.  By the commandments of God no man will become righteous - for by these very commandments we become aware of our sin and accountability to Him.  But the reward that comes from knowing this is that we come instead to a knowledge of our need - of a salvation that is apart from works.  This salvation comes through Jesus Christ - Who alone is the reward for those who learn from the Law.  As Galatians says - the law is given to us as a school teacher that we might be justified by faith.  We tire of our own efforts at reform and restoration and instead turn to the only means of salvation - Jesus Christ.

Despising the Word of God is a sport fit for fools.  Yet those who learn from the Word - who listen to the Teacher - run to Christ and find in Him a reward greater than any we could have ever fathomed!