The Value of Parents

Parents play an important role in their children gaining wisdom according to Proverbs 1:8.

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”

This is emphasized in chapter two beginning with the first two verses.

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;”

Why are parents so important in gaining wisdom? First, they are important because they have already traveled the path on which their children are embarking. They have already made many of the mistakes and know where the holes, the land mines and the booby traps of life are located. They have met evil men who have cheated them and experienced the perceived short cuts to success that were really dead ends. They have already had to wrestle with their own desires and know the value of delayed gratification and the power of compounding interest. In other words it just makes sense to learn from those who have experienced the hard knocks of life rather than experience them your self.

But there is second reason to listen to your parents. They love you and want you to succeed. There are many people out there willing to give advice and help but they are really trying to sell you something or take advantage of you in some other way. Are these strangers acting in your best interest? It may be too late when you find out they are not! But your parents are not like that. God has placed them there as your parents for your own good to disciple you. That means they are there to teach and guide you, but it also means that they are there to chastise you when you go down the wrong path. Hebrews 12:6-11 relates God’s chastisement to our parents.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

So here is the lesson from this Proverbs text. God has given to us our parents for our good. They are not perfect and they will make mistakes and they don’t replace obedience to God. But we are to receive our parents’ counsel and instruction as from God and for our good.