Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
Wisdom's first school is the home. Why should a father's instruction and a mother's teaching carry such weight — and what happens when a son ignores them?
The verse opens with the words "my son." One writer hears affection in that address, and behind it God's own approval of family ties:
The usual appeal of affection, "my son," follows this basic statement. Where His fear reigns, the relationships God has made and approves are of great value; where it does not reign, those same relationships carry on sin and misery. Parents are to be honoured and heard — the instruction of the father and the teaching of the mother. This is what the son learns first, and it forms and directs his obedience, unless self-will fights against it. The father's instruction and the mother's teaching are his graceful ornament. Many a son can testify how early they act on the heart, and how much they shape conduct and even character. Sadly, men have forgotten the word of the wisest, and parents and children alike have proved their folly.
The ESV calls it a mother's "teaching." An older translation says "the law of his mother." One writer explains what that covers:
Solomon now addresses the young person, "my son." In the normal course of events, one should certainly listen carefully to the instruction of his father, and not ignore "the law of his mother." That law is the example and advice of her care for her son.
Many treat obedience at home as a small matter. One writer answers that:
Whatever the popular opinion may be, the Scriptures do not count obedience to parents among the minor or negligible virtues. It is not compared to a jewel worn out of sight, which might easily pass unnoticed. It will shine out, conspicuous in the character.
The same writer turns to the one Son who kept this perfectly, in a village the Gospel record barely describes:
We know little of our Lord's quiet life in that remote village of Galilee where He grew up. The inspired biographies contain no more than a brief sentence or two about the early days. But we do read this of our Lord: "And he went down with them [Joseph and Mary] and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them" (Luke 2:51). In this the Lord Jesus magnified the law of Moses, and especially that one commandment. It stands out because of the reward promised to those who keep it: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you."
He took a real place as a son, and He kept its duties:
The blessed Lord Jesus claimed no exemption from the obligations of a son that rest on all mankind. Though He was the Eternal Son, He learned obedience in this relationship as in others.
The New Testament repeats this call to children, and lifts the motive higher. One writer traces the change:
Then we have the children, who are called to obey their parents in the Lord. It was not a question of the flesh — how could that be trusted? Let them obey in the Lord. To honour one's father and mother was both an obligation and had a special promise under law. Those children had a relationship with their parents in the flesh and under law, and they obeyed — for it was indeed right. How much more, then, does it become Christian children to show them reverence?
What should parents pass on? One writer points to Timothy, taught by his mother and grandmother:
What a heritage for any child — to know the Holy Scriptures! We may have little to leave our children in the way of earthly possessions. But if we have given them the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures from childhood, we have given them greater riches, greater treasures, than everything else this world owns. Lois the grandmother and Eunice the mother both had real faith. We may be sure it was they who taught Timothy the Holy Scriptures while he was still an infant — that is what the Greek word means — for his father was a Greek.
- Affection first. The call comes as "my son" — an appeal of love, not a demand, resting on relationships God Himself made and approves.
- Two voices. A father's instruction and a mother's teaching — her example and her advice — shape a young heart first.
- Visible, not minor. Obedience to parents is no hidden jewel. It shines out in the character, and Scripture never calls it a small virtue.
- The perfect Son. Jesus claimed no exemption. He was submissive at Nazareth, learning obedience in the relationship He had taken.
- Still binding. Children obey "in the Lord." Where parents pass on the Scriptures, as Lois and Eunice did with Timothy, the child inherits more than any earthly wealth.
for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.