He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.    Proverbs 17:21

Wisdom knows that children can be a source of great joy - and also a source of incredible sorrow.  This particular proverb points us to the fact that a man who has a child - and that child becomes a fool - is a man who will have a great deal or sorrow, pain, and difficulty.  There are a couple of things we should note, though, in this statement.

When a man sires a fool - it is not just the process of having a child that is meant here.  God calls us to rear our children according to His Word - making sure that we first live it before them - and also that we spend time teaching them this Word as well.  Listen to what God says in Deuteronomy on this issue.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

It is so important to see here a call to reality in our own spiritual walk first.  We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and might.  We are to put His Word on OUR hearts first.  Then right after this is the command to teach these things DILIGENTLY to our children.  The way this is said givbes the impression that this is to be part of our lifestyle.  When we do not do this - we are paving the way to be one who has sired a fool.  But the reality is that the foolishness was not inherent in the child - it often is a learned response.  Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, proverbs tells us, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.  Often a fool is created by one who thinks that discipline and correction are too strident for a child.  The fact is leave these things out of a child's life - and you will sire a fool before it is over.

The father here has no joy - because has to watch his son live like a fool.  He watches his boy live a life that is very self-destructive.  He also watches as the lack of his own parenting comes back to haunt him.  Let me give a brief testimony concerning rearing children.

God has blessed me with 6 wonderful children - and a very, very godly wife.  We are in the twilight of rearing our children.  Child-rearing is not a spectator sport - and often is a full contact - heart-breaking activity.  God has blessed us with very godly kids who have a heart for God.  But this was NOT something that was like falling off of a log.  There were times when we taught - times when we had to discipline - and times when we wondered if discipline even worked.  But we trusted God's Word.  There were also times when we had to confront our teenage children with their lifestyle choices.  We faced times when we were the "uncool" parents - and even times when one would tell us that they hated us and that we were ruining their lives.  Ah, good times . . . But there were also times when we would invest in our children - being at events - spending hours talking, listening, and even answering difficult questions.  All this required time, effort, and at times very tough choices. 

I am saying this to say that too many men are little more than sperm donors to their children.  I know that is a rough statement - but rearing children requires a lifetime committment to them - and to God.  By the way, it also requires learning how to walk with god yourself.  There were times when God would call ME on the carpet - rebuke me - and correct me.  Honestly - the best place to learn parenting is from how God dealt with His people.  There were times when I would have to face the fact that I had been a hypocrite - and then would have to sit my children down and admit it to them!  We were anything but "perfect parents."  We were participants in the gospel and the grace of God.  We were participants in growing up in the Lord.  I know that at least I was a royal doofus many times.  There are times when I wonder how any of my kids could turn out well when I look at the progression of my own heart.  When I think of how often I fell - how often I failed - and how often I was on my face dealing with my own sin.  I've had to face daily discipline from God - and from brothers who help me stay committed to the Lord.  Without this - I would have utterly destroyed my testimony. 

Here is what I am trying to say.  Life is a full-contact sport.  It is hard.  It is difficult and often is exhausting.  It also has a million blessings intersperced in it as well.  To live it - we have to turn to God a billion times - often wondering when we will ever get it right.  But this IS life.  We sire fools when we do not both walk with them through this wonderful gauntlet - as well as teach them and cheer them on as they make their way through after us.  It requires us to live our lives for God's purposes and plans - even in having children.  It requires us to die daily to ourselves and live for God's glory in it all.  Is this easy . . . NO!  Is it possible . . . YES!  Is it rewarding and awesome and amazing as we walk with God through it all . . . ABSOLUTELY!  Therefore, I urge you men out there reading this to take the task of loving God, loving your wife, and siring and rearing children very seriously.  It will take your whole life to do it - it will cost you everything to accomplish it - but it will mean everything to you when you look back on it with joy - seeing your kids follow Christ. 

Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. Proverbs 24:19-20

Ever watch what is going on in the world and wonder if the evil and wicked are winning the day?  It is difficult at times not to fret and become angry (even at God) when we watch the evil men and women of this world seemingly prosper and succeed during our lifetime.  But the wise man knows the Word of God - and knows that God promises that He is just, and knows that in the end it will not go well for the wicked.  His lamp may burn brightly for a season, but in the end his lamp - his influence - his power will be put out. 

We are warned against two things in this passage.  The first is that we do not fret because of evildoers.  The word "fret" here actually does not refer to worry but rather to anger.  The word for fret is the Hebrew word, "nahar" which means to burn, to be kindled and glow, or to grow warm.  It refers to someone becoming angry.  It was the word that was used of Potiphar's anger when he thought that Joseph had raped his wife.  It is also used in Joshua 23:16 of God's anger toward those who disobey His Law.  Here, we are being warned against becoming angry at God - because we watch evildoers prosper in this life.  David struggled with this very thing in Psalm 73.  The more he looked at the wicked and the evildoers in this present life - the more his anger was being kindled.  He reached the point in that psalm where he said that he almost betrayed his generation until he entered the sanctuary and saw the latter end of this wicked people.  His betrayal would have been the things he said about God and His justice.  David would have allowed his fretting to be manifested toward God.  But he saw that all at once these prospering evil people fell - that they faced God's wrath with no recourse.  He saw that they thought all was well until death or calamity crushed their world.  Since they were only living for the here and now - that meant that their entire world was destroyed.  David's fretting ceased - and instead he felt compassion toward them - and awe and fear toward God in his "ULTIMATE JUSTICE." 

We are also warned not to become envious of the wicked.  This second warning comes because we will watch the shrewdness of the worldlings as they use graft and corruption to gain wealth in this world.  We may watch them seemingly succeed in regard to money, sex, and power.  But once again we must see things from God's perspective.  As they gather power, sex, and wealth to themselves - they are also storing up wrath for disobeying God's commandments and laws as well.  Their supposed prosperity comes at an eternal price tag.  In the end their future will be horrific - not blessed. 

That is what these two verses in proverbs deals with in the second verse.  We are told that there will be no future for the evil man.  The word future is our old friend "acharith" which means the end of the matter.  Though the wicked does all his evil desires, and seemingly prospers in them - he is not seeing long term.  He may enjoy the moment - but the latter end of his life will be devastating.  There is NO future - NO latter end - NO prosperity eternally.  He will be damned for his rebellion and destroyed utterly for his wickedness.

Only someone who sees with a ridiculous short term vantage point would trade a few years of pleasure for infinite pain and suffering.  God's Word refers to this life on earth as a mere breath while there is no end to our state in eternity.  The other warning to us here is that the lamp of the wicked will be put out.  As I said earlier, he may burn brightly for a little while - for a breath or two - but his light will be extinguished.  Consider all the terrifying dictators of the past - Hitler, Ghengas Khan, Sadaam Hussein, Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot - and a host of others throughout history.  For a brief moment they seemd to have a bright light burning for themselves and their regime.  Yet all are viewed as horrible men who committed disgusting crimes against humanity itself.  God assured that these men do not live on as famous - but as infamous.  So also will be the legacy of all those who oppose God and live out their wickedness.  Their lights will go out - snuffed out by God Himself.

The wise man does not become angry with God over such men and women.  He certainly does not envy them.  What we should do is pity such men.  We should pity them and pray that they would repent and turn to God.  We should also realize that God is showing them great mercy by not consuming them instantly in His wrath.  He is offering them another day of mercy during which time they have opportunity to hear the gospel and repent.  But know that beyond any shadow of doubt the day is drawing near for them to be judged according to God's law.  Envious?  Angry? - no . . . we should pity them - and we should tremble before the awesome, exact justice of our holy God.  And as wise men - we should depart from their ways and fully embrace those of our Lord.