Fri Jun 13

Listen up, little ones

Listen for the word son.

Reading

Proverbs 1:8-19—Listen, My Son, to Your Father’s Instruction.

Keys for kids

• Fathers and mothers teach wisdom to their children.
• Children need to listen to their parents.
• Sinners want you to listen to them instead.

Questions

1. Why should children listen to their parents?
2. Where do parents get wisdom to teach their children?
3. What do sinners want?

Notes

Many of the proverbs are sayings from Solomon to his son and are wisdom for parents and their sons and daughters today, as well. Newheiser notes that God’s plan is that parents are to be the primary teachers of wisdom. In Proverbs we have a beautiful picture of a godly family at work. … A major purpose of the book of Proverbs is to prepare a young man to wisely and effectively assume the responsibilities of adult life.

As the whole of the Bible and these verses make clear, both father and mother take part in the instruction of their children. While by nature children often resist this instruction, in the Lord, they can—and must—delight and receive this instruction. And when they do, God says it is a noticeable and beautiful thing.

But those who would be wise have an enemy. And sinners love company! While people do sin when alone, many who are planning to sin love to get others to join with them in their sin. This gang or mob mindset often pulls in the unsuspecting and unprepared. The wise parents warn their sons and daughters, preparing them to suspect and to resist such invitations.

Such wisdom is good for all of us. If sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded. Sinners will entice. Their enticements will often seem persuasive. It is for those reasons that in both the physical family and the church family we call one another to be on guard. We encourage each other daily so that no one is hardened by sin’s deception (Heb 3:13), enticed by sinners’ persuasion.

Swedish Method questions

Praise

Psalm 28a, 119s

Prayer

1. Pray that you will stand against sinners’ enticements.
2. Pray for the hearing of God’s word preached this Sunday.
3. Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.