Reading

• Persons and Attributes
  • Parents and Children – Prov. 1:8-9; 10:1; 11:29; 15:20; 17:2, 6, 21, 25; 19:26; 20:20; 23:22-25; 28:24
  • The Elderly – Prov. 16:31; 20:29
  • Women and Wives – Prov. 11:22; 12:4; 14:1; 18:22; 19:13-14; 21:9; 25:24; 21:19; 27:15-16
  • Kings and Rulers – Prov. 14:28, 35; 16:10, 12-15; 17:7, 11; 19:12; 20:2, 8, 26, 28; 21:1; 22:11; 23:1-3; 24:21-22; 25:2-7; 28:2-3, 15-16; 29:4, 12, 14
  • Messengers – Prov. 13:17; 25:13
  • Companions – Prov. 12:26; 13:20; 14:7; 17:17; 18:24; 24:1-2; 27:8-10; 29:24
• Various Concerns
  • Caution – Prov. 16:17; 22:3; 27:12; 22:5
  • Reputation – Prov. 22:1; 25:9-10
  • Courage – Prov. 3:25-26; 14:32; 22:13; 24:10; 26:13; 28:1
  • Hope – Prov. 13:12, 19; 23:17-18

Devotional

In today’s reading there are a number of proverbs regarding children. Let’s consider some of them.

A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
(Prov. 10:1 NKJV)

Parents have life experience that kids don’t have yet. Every parent was at one point a child, so they know what it’s like to be a kid. Sometimes as children we forget that our parents know some things that we don’t know yet, because they’ve seen more and gone through more than you have as a child. The wise son or daughter will remember this and will seek to listen and obey their parent, as Eph. 6:1 says. Make good choices. Be wise. This is the best thing you can do to honor your parents and make them proud of you.

Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.
(Prov. 17:6 NKJV)

Children and grandchildren are a blessing from GOD. As parents and grandparents we must take our role seriously—and I’m speaking especially to us as fathers. In our society too many fathers have turned their back on their children. We’ve got to stop that trend! Now! Our children look up to us as dads and we need to be there for them. No child ever asked to be born and we obviously have no choice over which souls are given to us as our children, what their personality will be, what they’ll look like, or if they’ll be healthy or have physical or mental problems. Regardless, our job is to love them, and to lead them to the heavenly Father to whom they will give account.

²² Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. ²³ Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. ²⁴ The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. ²⁵ Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.
(Prov. 23:22-25 NKJV)