Heed Parental Instruction

Christ as the Source of Wisdom in Proverbs

0:03 Proverbs chapter 1. In the second chapter of Paul's letter to the church at Colossia, he makes the statement that in Christ Jesus are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.

0:28 Again, the same apostle says in 1 Corinthians 1.30, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom. If Christ is made wisdom to his people, if all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in him, then when coming to a book like the book of Proverbs, which states at the very outset that its purpose is to impart wisdom and understanding, we must read the book of Proverbs in the recognition that a greater than Solomon is here.

1:07 A greater than Solomon is here. And that is the purpose of the book of Proverbs. That is the purpose of the book of Proverbs. A greater than Solomon is the Lord Jesus himself, who spoke through the biblical authors.

1:16 For we read again in the New Testament that the prophets spoke by the Spirit of Christ. Do you remember Peter said, Asserting what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow. It's a tragedy that some commentators have failed to see Christ in the book of Proverbs. And so they've said, we really question its right to be in the canon.

1:46 But there was no question in the Jewish church. And when Jesus put his imprimatur upon the entire Old Testament received by the Jews of his day, and said the scriptures cannot be broken, the sacred writings cannot be broken, he himself was including the Proverbs, for he wrote them as the Spirit of Christ in the prophets spoke, even the prophets. These are the words that are here before us. So then, as we approach this book, we must constantly approach it in that perspective, and in that light cast upon it from the full revelation of the New Testament.

The Fear of the Lord: The Canopy of All Knowledge

2:26 We've studied together something of the authorship of the book, its literary form, its intent. Then we look together at the explicit statement of the purpose of the book in verses 2 through 6. General instruction to all the people of God. Specific instruction to the simple, to the young, and to the wise.

2:49 Then last week we studied together verse 7, which is the very dominant, overriding, canopy perspective of the entire book. It is the key to everything that follows. The fear of the Lord is the chief part of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom, and instruction. Whatever we learn of true wisdom, it is learned in the context of the fear of the Lord.

3:20 That is, such a regard of the revealed character of God, that His smile is life's greatest blessing, His frown is life's greatest curse. And so the chief ingredient of all knowledge is only present when the fear of the Lord is present, when the fear of the Lord is present. Divorce any field of knowledge from the fear of God, and it becomes glorified ignorance. For if you take the chief part out of something, whatever is left isn't worth much.

3:54 The fear of the Lord is the chief part of all knowledge in every sphere. And therefore, as we come to the detailed instructions, particularly to the young, in the first nine chapters, we must never divorce these instructions on the most mundane matters, such as laziness. God's going to have something to say to some of you who can't kick the sheets off and get going in the morning. But we must never regard this as mere sort of homey instruction.

4:23 This is to be viewed within the perspective of the fear of God. Your regard of God's smile and God's frown is to be something that's very real to you, even in the issue of whether or not you kick the sheets off and get going in the morning. So the knowledge of industriousness, that Solomon talks about, the knowledge of avoiding the temptations of youth, gullibility, sensuality, none of these warnings and directives are to be divorced from the fear of God. That's the chief ingredient of all knowledge.

The Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Knowledge

4:58 And so if Solomon's purpose is, as he states it, to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the words of understanding, to give knowledge to men, then we must realize that he has in mind, in every field of this knowledge, the fear of the Lord as its chief ingredient. So much then for what we've covered thus far. Tonight we move to a consideration of verses 8 and 9. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother, for they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

5:42 Now before we come to a careful exposition of the text itself, you'll notice by way of introduction, the connection between verse 8 and its preceding verse, of course, verse 7.

5:57 Put the two together and you have a beautiful framework of the whole matter of how knowledge, true knowledge for life comes to us. You have in verse 7 the vertical dimension. The fear of the Lord is the chief part of knowledge. A man who does not acknowledge the existence of the God who reveals himself in scripture.

6:22 The man who does not rightly react to that revelation in love, in honor, in trust. That man cannot understand life. He's omitting the chief ingredient of life. And so the fear of the Lord, a proper vertical perspective, is essential to all knowledge.

6:38 But then Solomon moves immediately into the horizontal. And he moves...

6:43 He moves into the realm of the parent-child relationship, which is but one application of a more general principle. Knowledge comes in the fear of God and in the proper regard to God-appointed instructors.

7:02 It's just as though we have the first and second table of the law before us. The first table of the law has to do with loving the Lord thy God with all thy might. And the second table has to do, with our love to our neighbor. And so if we would be made wise with that wisdom that Solomon is going to deal with, we must have the fear of the Lord.

7:24 We must regard his person, his claims, his eye, his demands. But we must not stop there. We must then be willing to submit to those whom God has ordained to be our instructors. For you see, that wisdom of which the fear of the Lord is the chief part, though it resides, it resides ultimately in the word of God given to us in the scriptures.

7:49 God does not impart that wisdom generally, immediately, but immediately.

7:58 A man who has his Bible may be made wise with all the wisdom he needs in order to live life to the glory of God. But generally speaking, God does not impart the wisdom even of the scriptures immediately, but he imparts it immediately. Immediately. You remember the example in the New Testament?

8:17 Here's a man who's got the scroll of the Old Testament. He's reading about Isaiah. Understandest what thou readest? And what was his answer?

8:26 How can I except some man teach me? And so Philip, from that point in scripture, preached unto him Jesus. Timothy had the scriptures as a child. From a child thou hast known the scriptures.

8:43 But how did he know them? He had a grandchild. He had a grandmother and a mother who taught him, who instructed him in the ways of God. And it's a part of God's principle of dealing with men that he imparts absolute wisdom, ultimate wisdom, which resides only in the scriptures, but he chooses to impart it by the human vessel.

9:06 This is true in evangelism. How shall they hear without a preacher? How blessed are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. And so the connection between, in verses 7 and 8, seems to be more than accidental.

9:19 It seems to bring together these two perspectives. One without the other is not sufficient. Unless the fear of God is the supreme canopy, we have no basis of judging the instruction of a father and a mother as to whether or not it is worthy of our submission. But, if we do fear the Lord, we can never say, Oh, well, I fear God and just, I just don't care about anybody.

9:45 No, no. No, wait a minute. If you truly fear the Lord, you'll show it by submitting to the instructors that he places over you. So these two things are tied together.

The Essence of the Command: Receive and Retain Parental Instruction

9:54 So much so that Matthew Henry, in treating this section, says the two ways by which wisdom comes are, number one, the fear of God, number two, the fear of our parents. Well, so much then for the connection. Now let's address ourselves to trying to understand verses 8 and 9, in which we obviously have a simple command, My son, hear the instruction of thy father. The five and six and seven-year-olds can understand those words.

10:24 No fancy words. A simple command. Hear the instruction of thy father. Forsake not the law of thy mother.

10:32 And then in verse 9, we have a gracious promise. For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck. Now that doesn't sound so simple at first, and I hope to open up the words for you. First of all, then, let's look at this simple command.

10:49 First of all, the essence of this command. Having looked at the essence of the command, which will be a matter of defining the words, we shall consider together some of the assumptions of this command, and then, as time permits, some of the implications of the command. First of all, what is the essence of this command of Solomon? My son, hear the instruction of thy father.

11:16 And forsake not the law of thy mother. Whatever it is, it must be pretty important because he repeats it again and again throughout the book of Proverbs. Over in chapter 6 and verse 20, he says, My son, keep the commandment of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother. Chapter 15 and verse 20.

11:40 He repeats it in a bit different form. A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son, but a foolish son despiseth his mother. Chapter 20 and verse 20.

11:54 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness. Chapter 23 and verse 22. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. And so, this simple command is one of the most vital commands in the book of Proverbs.

12:17 It is one of the most vital commands in the book of Proverbs. If we would attain unto true knowledge, we must face at the outset that we've got to reckon with this matter of the parental authority which God has placed over us. So let's look then at these words. First of all, the word, my son.

12:37 Who is Solomon addressing in the words, my son? Well, there are two possibilities. One possibility is that he's addressing the offspring of his own son. He's addressing one of his own flesh.

12:49 He's addressing one of his sons born of one of his wives. The other possibility is, and this was common in the Hebrew thinking, that this is a tutor, an instructor addressing his pupil. If you were a particular pupil of a certain tutor, he would address you as a son and you would address him as your father. So that the instruction was carried out in a context of family love and family respect.

13:22 In either case, and I'm not sure which it is in this particular passage, in either case, the instruction is coming in a context of intimacy and of love. Whatever Solomon is going to say, he's not saying, as the guard in a prison to someone whom he regards to be the riffraff that he wants to boss around. No, no. He's saying, my son.

13:47 So the essence of this command is missed unless we set it in the context of the intimate connection of a father to his own son after the flesh or a tutor to a pupil who regards him in a context of fatherly affection. Now then, the words forsake not, I'm sorry, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother. What do these words hear? And forsake not me.

14:19 Well, the word hear in this particular place as so often in scripture means something more than being in the place when certain vibrations come out over the larynx and through the lips of a man and hit your ears and register on the inner ear and send the message by the auditory nerve to the brain. It means something far more than that. Hear in a biblical sense means incline yourself to receive in faith and obedience the words that are given. You remember through the prophets again and again God said oh that my people would have a heart to hear me.

14:59 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God. The whole biblical concept of hearing involves more than just listening. It means to hear with a view to obedience. Hence the parallel and you have a Hebrew parallelism here is it is the opposite of forsaking the word of the Lord.

15:21 It's to hear with a view to obedience and having heard with a view to obedience to continue to hold on to it with a view to continued obedience. So as one servant of Christ has said these words hear and forsake not mean receive with readiness and then retain with resolution. Receive with readiness. Retain.

15:48 Retain with resolution. And those things are our responsibility. As Solomon takes his son in hand or takes the pupil in hand to teach him the first thing he pleads by way of an entreaty by way of a command is be disposed to receive with readiness and then be determined to retain with resolution. Now then what is he to receive and to retain?

16:18 The instruction of thy father and the law of thy mother. That is their teaching and their directives regarding the true meaning of life. They want to open to you the path of wisdom. He sets out his purpose in verses 2 to 6.

16:39 This is what I want to give you. I want to give you wisdom and instruction. I want you to discern the words of understanding. I want you to know how to be furnished for wise dealings.

16:50 How to live amongst men in righteousness, justice and equity. I want to give wisdom, prudence to the simple, to the young man, discretion, all of these things. He said now if these things are to be accomplished they won't be accomplished automatically. They will be accomplished as you receive with readiness and retain with resolution the admonitions and the instructions that I am to give to you.

17:17 There is the essence then of the command that we have before us.

Assumption 1: Parents Impart Positive, Rational, Authoritative Directions

17:24 And implicit in that command is that some people have a right to instruct. And those people are our parents. They have the responsibility to instruct us and we are to receive the instruction they give. Solomon assumes that it would be understood by his hearers that it's a matter not open for debate that the Father has the right and the responsibility to instruct his son and the mother has a right to give law to her son.

18:00 Now isn't it strange that something that Solomon could assume is not only up for debate in our day but is openly and overtly denied.

18:12 But God does not have the unhappy facility of accommodating the structures of his authority to the whims and fancies of men. And stupidity and self-destruction. No, no. This word comes to us with all the authority and freshness with which it came to any son or daughter in Solomon's day.

18:35 Hear the instruction of thy father. Forsake not the law of thy mother. God has invested them with the right to instruct you and to lay teaching and law before you. And God expects you to hear, to receive with readiness and to retain with resolution every bit of their instruction given within the framework of the fear of God.

19:02 So much then for the essence of the command. I hope that's helped to give you an understanding of the precise meaning of the words. Now, and this is the heart of what I feel God would say to us tonight. What are the assumptions bound up in this command?

19:17 In other words, if I say to someone, shh, be quiet. Listen to the music. I'm assuming some music's being played. My very command assumes certain factors.

19:28 I'm assuming they can hear me when I say, be quiet, and the music is playing. I'm assuming they've got the faculty of hearing. I'm assuming that there's music being played. Well then, when Solomon says, my son, hear the instruction of thy father.

19:44 Forsake not the law of thy mother. There are some tremendous assumptions. What are they? Well, first of all, he's assuming that parents will impart positive, rational, authoritative directions to their children.

20:02 How can a young person receive with readiness and retain with resolution instruction and law which isn't given?

20:13 No, no, he's assuming that this pupil or this child of his, whichever case it may be, in Solomon's mind, he's assuming, that the parents are giving positive, rational, and authoritative directions to their children.

20:33 Why do I use those words positive, rational, authoritative? Because the words instruction and law in the text have those ideas bound up in them. Notice, hear the instructions of thy father. Now, like it or not, some of us don't like it, but like it or not, this is, quote, the Christmas season.

20:57 And all this materialistic madness has come upon us. Some of us go into hibernation about this time of the year. We just find it vexes our souls to hear all this squawking about high prices, and we want more wage and all that, and to see the billions of dollars being spent for junk. People over there in India and Pakistan are starving.

21:23 Some of us can't, feel happy about it. We can't. But anyway, that's another whole kettle of fish. So you bought something for your kids,

21:35 and then you get home, and Christmas Eve, you open the box, and you see all this pile of pieces of metal and nuts and bolts, and you scratch your head, and you say, what in the world is this? Until you find a little piece of paper, and on the top it says, instructions. Now, what, does that mean? Well, it means, if you pay attention to what's on that paper, you'll be able to make some rational sense out of this mass of nuts and bolts and pieces of metal.

22:08 Now, sometimes I question whether any rational person wrote the instructions. I think the closest I've come to reverting to some of my old vocabulary since I've been converted is when I've tried to put some of those things together with those hopeless instructions. And I have some mechanical inclination, so I know it's not all me. But nonetheless, you buy a model, you buy this particular thing, the instruction is what?

22:36 Well, it's the plan, how to fit it together. It's supposed to be the rational explanation of the order and relationship of all these parts, all these components. Now he says, my son, hear the instructions of thy father. He's assuming that the father is giving positive, rational directions for his children.

23:02 He's not just giving laws and treating them like brute beasts. He's giving instructions to his children. He's saying, look, this part of life and this part of life and that bolt in life and that nut in life, God has ordained to fit together this way. Son, do you see the instructions?

23:20 There's all the parts. Now here's the instructions as to how they fit together. He assumes that the parents are giving instruction, but not just instruction. Notice, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

23:34 The marginal reading is teaching, but it's teaching that is authoritative.

23:40 Parents are constituted by God in such a position and relationship to their children they're not merely to give advice.

23:51 Forsake not the law of thy mother.

23:55 See how beautifully God fuses the concept of authority and instruction? Not just instruction and then say, alright, now if you'd like, you put the thing together. No, no. Instruction and law.

24:08 Law in the context of instruction. Much later on, the writer talks about the child left to himself that bringeth shame to his mother. And may God have mercy upon any of us who are parents, who are contemplating parenthood. And you youngsters who one day if God spares you will have the privilege and responsibility of parenthood, may you understand that God expects you to impart positive, rational, authoritative directions to your children.

24:45 Without doing it, you're not worth the name parent.

Assumption 2: Parents are United in Instruction and Law

24:50 So Solomon assumes that this is given. That's one of the basic assumptions inherent in the command. If he says, my son, receive, hear the instruction of thy father, he assumes instruction is given. Forsake not the law of thy mother.

25:07 Second thing he assumes, is that both parents are united in their instructions and in their laws.

25:18 He assumes that the instruction of the father and the law of the mother will be in the same ballpark and that the game is being played according to the same rules. Hear the instruction of thy father. Forsake not the law of thy mother. Different voice, different instrument, same tune.

25:40 In the same way, in the same orchestra pit with the same conductor. A beautiful symphony of instruction. Oh yes, your mother's instruction is not quite the same in terms of content and manner and the rest as that of the father. But it's the same thing.

25:58 Coming through a little different way, but there's no dissidence. There's no two people playing two different pieces in the same orchestra pit with two different conductors. No, no. No, no.

26:10 Both parents are united in their instruction and in their law. One parent in the providence of God in terms of the temperament of the child will have more influence in a certain facet of the child's instruction. The relationship between a mother and daughter being what it is. The mother will impart certain things to the daughter that a father will not.

26:32 The relationship between a father and a son. God is realistic in facing this. So he's given two parents out this great responsibility of instruction in godly wisdom and he assumes Solomon does in this section that they are united in their instruction and in their law. And what tragedy comes and what crippling comes as far as practical wisdom for life is concerned where there's only one parent giving instruction or law or worse yet where you've got two parents barking up two different trees and the poor child is torn in his affection for mother or father and is confused because there is no unanimous thrust in the instruction and in the law of the father and of the mother. Listen to me you young people. Sometime when you get starry eyed on some unsaved girl or fellow remember starry eyes lead to marriage altars and marriage altars lead to maternity rooms and maternity rooms lead to children and children lead to this awesome responsibility and God have mercy upon you if you willfully with open eyes curse your children by not giving them the united instruction of a father and a mother.

28:00 Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Some of you went down that path willfully thank God there's mercy and forgiveness and grace to make up many of the lacks. I know that and I feel with some of you in this very building tonight and I'm not speaking harshly to you but I'm speaking sober words of warning to some others praying that the spirit of God will burn the warning into your heart and bring it to remembrance sometime when you get starry eyed and begin to rationalize. Hear the instruction of thy father forsake not the law of thy mother there's indication that they're absolutely united.

Assumption 3: Equality of Mother's Authority in Parental Role

28:44 That's the second assumption in the command. Parents will not be united. They will impart positive rational authoritative directions. Secondly both parents will be united in these directions and thirdly and oh how this note is needed in our day God has given an equality of authority to the mother in the sphere of domestic responsibility.

29:08 Forsake not the instruction of thy father hear the instruction of thy father forsake not the law of thy mother. Now the Bible is clear that in the husband-wife relationship the wife is to take the place of submission. I don't care if the woman's lid movement wants to march in here and spit on me burn me in effigy.

29:37 God has constituted the woman to be submissive to the husband. He made her for that. He made her for that. He's constituted the man to take the headship in love not in tyranny.

29:52 It's only sin that is turned man's role of headship into tyranny. Grace restores it to a headship that reflects the loving reign of Christ over his church. But the woman's position with relationship to the husband is not one of inferiority but one of loving submission to his loving headship. But now in the parent-child relationship she shares equal authority by the appointment of God.

30:23 Now in setting up the administrative principles of the home the husband is to exert his headship. Fathers rear your children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. But in the implementation in the dissemination of directives and commands and wisdom here this text reveals and the Bible is unanimous in this perspective that the authority of parenthood is just as much invested in the mother as in the father therefore solemn in assuming this says not only are you to receive the instruction of the father but you are to forsake not the law of the mother. God has shown this in many ways in scripture.

31:08 Let's look at a couple of verses. What is the fifth commandment? Honor thy father and thy mother. Put on an equal place of authority as far as the child is concerned.

31:23 And look at some of these sobering words in the Old Testament. Exodus chapter 21 and verse 17.

31:33 Exodus chapter 21 and verse 17. And he that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. God has secured the dignity of motherhood by saying that to curse her is to incur an equality of guilt as to curse a father. In a context in which the father was assigned dignity and authority to curse him was to incur death.

32:07 The passage says to curse the mother is to incur death as well. Look at Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 3. Leviticus 19 and verse 3. And the context is most interesting.

32:23 Let's start with verse 1. The Lord spoke unto Moses saying speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel and say unto them ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. And then he states as the first evidence of this holiness ye shall fear every man his mother and his father. So equal is their authority as parents God puts the mother before the father.

32:53 And he shall keep my sabbaths for I am the Lord your God. As God is explaining to his covenant people Israel what holiness means he puts in this context the first requirement this fearing this reverencing this giving proper respect to the role of the mother as well as that of the father. One other Old Testament passage Deuteronomy 21 and verse 18. Deuteronomy 21 and verse 18.

33:24 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son that will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and though they chasten him will not hearken unto them then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place and they shall say to the elders of his city this our son is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voice notice the plural he is a glutton and a drunkard and all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee and all Israel shall hear in fear. What was evil? A man, a son failing to regard the authority of the mother as well as that of the father. And so let me say to you young people for we live in a day that despises and disregards the dignified role that God has given to a mother that God has invested your mother with tremendous dignity and authority and I speak especially to you young men because you live in a day when the philosophy of womanhood is that she's a thing to be used no wonder fellows reared on the playboy philosophy can't respect their mothers she's a thing to be used and I've seen

34:53 and I saw it in my own family one time disrespect for my mother and I did a very carnal thing I went out and beat my brother up and I said good and proper and I see that and I see it sometimes in some of you and it grieves me because I know it grieves God and if persisted in it will incur the anger of God upon you because God has given to your mother an authority equal to that of your father in the discharge of parental responsibility and he says to you as a son as well as a daughter there's a more natural affinity between the daughter and the mother so that generally speaking there is less despising of mothers by the daughters but this despising of a mother by a son is open defiance of God's directive God has given an equality of authority and says forsake not the law of thy mother and I say to you dear Christian mothers don't you be bullied into fearing to assert your God-given authority assert it lovingly assert it prayerfully but in God's name assert it he assumes that the mother will give law to the son to the daughter don't be bullied into thinking you're just a lackey

Assumption 4: Parental Instruction is Derived from the Fear of God

36:21 to all the material necessities of that home and that's all God has given you a place of dignity to instruct your children in true wisdom may God help you to discharge that dignified role in the power of the Holy Spirit and in that sense hold your head high with a sense of tremendous destiny that God has given put into your hands to mold and to shape those children he has given to you and then the fourth assumption of this passage it's assumed by Solomon is this that the instruction of this father and this mother will be derived from and given in the fear of God you see you must never wrench anything that follows from verse 7 the chief part of knowledge is the fear of God son listen hear the instruction of thy father the chief part of that instruction being the fear of God forsake not the law of thy mother the chief part of that law being the fear of God you see the assumption is that this father and this mother are themselves partakers of the chief part of knowledge they've learned to fear God they've learned to walk in his fear they've learned to look at life in the perspective of the fear of God Solomon assumes

37:49 that these parents are godly parents though I would rejoice in any bit of common grace that is dispensed through unconverted ungodly parents and there is some common grace I would say lovingly and yet in such a way that I hope it will send an hour to the heart of someone here tonight you can't be a parent unless you convert you can father children you can mother children and in common grace you can perhaps be an instrument to keep them from making the worst mess of themselves they possibly could but you can't be a true father to impart true wisdom you can't be a true mother to impart true instruction why? because the chief part of instruction is the fear of God and if you're devoid of that fear you can neither by example nor by precept with any conviction instruct your own children oh blessed is the young person in this building tonight who has a father and mother who walk in the fear of God who are united in the goals that they have for you as children goals that have been hammered out on their knees with an open Bible listen to me young people I believe that one of the most intense segments for suffering in heaven hell is reserved for children who've got

39:18 parents walking in the fear of God who are instructing them in the perspective of the fear of God whose instruction and teaching the impartation of goals of ambition is all in the framework of the fear of God and fellas and girls throw it off and say I want nothing to do with it it would be bad for those who had godly preachers to preach to them once a week godly pastors to visit them but those who had a mother and father walking in the fear of God living and instructing them day by day in true wisdom true knowledge but who throw it off we'll see what happens to such later on in our study of chapter one one of the most frightening terrifying passages in all of scripture concerning those who hate and despise such instruction some of you young people when you see your other friends you say well I wish dad had a little better job I can't have the things my friends can have I wish mom and dad were a little bit looser at the joints about what they'd let me do and not do I feel kind of constricted oh listen to me young people God strip away the blindness from your eyes if you've got mom and dad who set up their no-no's because they've hammered them out on their knees in the fear of God thank God a hundred times a day for it if you've got mom and dad

40:47 and dad and try to instruct you in the principles that should govern your ambitions and they don't set your sights on money and popularity but on other things thank God for it a hundred times a day if you've got parents when you start dating who sit you down and tell you what you're made of and what boys are made of and how they tick you say but that seems so unreasonable you thank God for parents who hammer out the standards of your social conduct in the light of their knowledge of the word of God and of human depravity and human weakness hear the instruction of life forsake not the law of thy mother blessed is that young person who has that kind of a father and that kind of a mother who seek to impart positive rational authoritative directives that their children might have discretion as simple ones that they might be made wise and oh I would entreat the prayers of those of you to whom God has not given this awesome responsibility that you pray for the parents in our assembly that we will see our God-given role that we'll embrace it from the heart that we'll take it seriously and give ourselves to working it out biblically then I say to those of you who will yet have that awesome responsibility

The Gracious Promise: Beauty and Royalty through Obedience

42:17 may God use even the perspectives of this command to come back again and again in the days that are ahead well we've got to hurry on now to this gracious promise and we'll just spend a few minutes with it and isn't it wonderful that God condescends to as it were graciously entice us into obedience by holding out a wonderful promise in front of us there's nothing wrong with that you know we must never get so spiritual in our perspective that we throw out the legitimate place of motives and the Bible uses them again and again Paul uses it in Ephesians 6 children obey your parents that's the first commandment with what with promise with promise alright what's the promise then here's the command hear forsake not what's the promise well let's look at it for they that is the instruction of thy father and the law of thy mother received and retained this will be he says a chaplet of grace unto thy head and this doesn't sound like so great so great a promise chains about thy neck that doesn't sound so good well let's look for a minute first of all that the figures use these are figures of speech this is a metaphor where you say instead of saying something is like he could have said for they should be like a chaplet of grace like chains you say it's actually that thing when you kids are out playing ball or something and you come in and somebody says

43:46 howdy go man you say that guy was a tiger in that game well you don't mean that he suddenly changed his color and got fangs and what you mean is he was like a tiger you use a metaphor well this is a metaphor so we've got to understand the figure then we'll get the message of it alright what is this chaplet or this ornament of grace unto thy head well as I've done some research on it the best I've been able to come up with is that it refers either to a very fancy kind of a turban that an easterner would wear or a wreath or garland for the head in chapter 4 in verse 9 in chapter 4 in verse 9 it seems to mean a crown for you'll notice in the parallelism of verse 9 she will give to thy head a chaplet of grace a crown of beauty so whatever it was whether it was a fancy turban whether it was actually a garland of beautiful flowers or a crown it was something that adorned the head and made a person beautiful so that's the first figure now the second figure chains about thy neck what's it do what's he talking about there well we've got some scriptures that tell us very clearly Genesis 41 in verse 42 when Joseph was exalted to a place of power and authority this is what happened to him in his external dress Genesis 41 in verse 42 and Pharaoh took off

45:13 his signet ring from his hand every potentate every ruler had this ring by which he made a seal we had something on that a few weeks ago Sunday morning he took that signet ring off Joseph could now stamp official documents etc he put it upon Joseph's hand arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck it was a fancy gold necklace that's what it was the chain was a necklace they did the same thing with Daniel in Daniel 5 in verse 7 let's just look at that one reference Daniel 5 and verse 7 down toward the middle of the verse the king of kings spake and said to the wise men of Babylon whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation shall be clothed with purple sign of royalty and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be third ruler in the kingdom now tie that together with Joseph when Joseph came to a place of power he had the symbols of power the signet ring the gold chain he says Nebuchadnezzar says whoever can interpret this dream shall come to a place of power and wear the symbols of power the purple robe the chain of gold about the neck

46:39 he shall be third ruler so whereas the chaplet of grace upon the head speaks particularly of an ornament of beauty the chains of gold about the neck speak of a sign of dignity and royalty now those are the figures what do they mean and this to me has been one of the most precious thoughts with reference to this whole matter of submission to parental instruction here's what Solomon says if you will hear the instruction of your father if you will incline your ear to embrace it and if you will retain the law of your mother two things will happen you will be made beautiful and you will be made royal now what are the two things every little kid loves and dreams about at least my kids anyway and I know we used to every little girl dreams about being what didn't she come on now be honest don't be so don't you dream about being beautiful sure you do and what captures the fancy of a little girl more than the thought that she might be either snow white who would have the prince's kiss upon the cheek that would awake her and go off happily ever after sure you thought that way some of you still think that way

48:05 it's one of the benefits of being a prince it's one of the benefits of a lengthy pastor to get to know people quite well and we dream about royalty the thought of having authority and carrying oneself with royal dignity Solomon says do you want to be beautiful do you want to have a truly regal bearing how do you come to it he said this is how you come to it by hearing the instruction of your father and by forsaking not the law of your mother and in a day such as ours where we have these two strands of worldly ambition beauty and attractiveness and the lust for power what a tremendous thing young people to have God's prescription for true beauty and true power I think there's one of the most subtle campaigns going on I'm not saying it's organized and there's a little conspiracy that meets up in the hills of the Poconos somewhere once a week to check progress but organized by the prince of the power of the air to absolutely distort every biblical concept

49:31 of what true beauty is almost all of you have a television set and have any interest in sports have seen this ad for Tijuana Smalls and there's that very carefree happy-go-lucky guy who's trying he knows who he is and the whole picture of the man about town who's free from all obligations who can walk up to any woman and feel confident confident in her personality he knows who he is or the beer ads that talk about you're only going around through life once you gotta get all the gusto you can what's the whole philosophy of that the way of true beauty is the way of this kind of thing that's projected upon us the thing that is emblazoned across every woman's magazine of what true feminine beauty is it's an absolute lie God says true beauty is the adornment the adornment of inward spiritual graces he says in Peter let a woman's adorning not be the outward plating of hair and of gold and of apparel but the inward adornment of a meek and a quiet spirit which in the sight of God is of great price listen as far as external looks are concerned God is as blind as a man whose eyes have been torn from his sockets chapter and verse alright man looketh on the outward

51:00 appearance but God looketh let me say to all of you young ladies who want to be beautiful what kind of beauty does God see what kind of beauty does he see tonight I'm not asking what kind of beauty can I see but what kind does he see does he see the beauty that emerges from a loving reverential submission to the counsel and directive of godly parents does he they shall be a chaplet of praise unto thy head an ornament of beauty and chains about thy neck it will bring you to a place of royalty and what is true spiritual royalty when a man is free a king a sovereign is free from the commands and dictates of those over whom he rules and what a thing of beauty it is to see that kind of royalty a young man walking through this life with all of its temptations and unlike the person described lately later on in the book of proverbs held by the cords of his own iniquities he walks as God's free man enticements on every hand but he walks like a king why he's been liberated by the power of godly instruction

52:27 applied to his heart by the holy ghost he wears a chain of royalty about his neck ah that's true royalty that's true dignity for whom the sun sets free is free indeed and he is free indeed and he is free indeed and he is free indeed and he is free indeed and when we are joined with Jesus Christ we become heirs of God and joint heirs and he is wisdom incarnate and as we are brought to the knowledge of him and learn from him as he mediates his knowledge through godly parental instruction we attain to the true nobility of the sons of God who are the joint heirs with Jesus Christ what's the opposite of that look at the prodigal he said I'm going to be free I'm going to be free I know who I am he believed that philosophy I know who I am and he left the instruction of his father and the law of his mother and what did it do to him a chaplet of grace about his head no yet nothing but his own what the Pennsylvania Dutch would say his own matted stroobly hair and the smell of hogs a chain about his neck no all he had around his neck was the rags and tatters a chain about his neck and the smell of hogs and the smell of hogs of his worn out clothing by rejecting the instruction of his father

Jesus Christ: The Perfect Pattern of Submission

53:56 and the law of his mother he brought himself to disgrace and to shame that's exactly where you'll bring yourself if you don't hear their instruction and receive and forsake not their law I want to close tonight with what to me is one of the most beautiful examples of this spirit and it's seen in the one who alone perfectly exemplified it even our Lord Jesus Christ we return first of all to Hebrews chapter 1 Hebrews chapter 1 speaking of the Lord Jesus greater than the angels the writer to the Hebrews developing his argument says in verse 5 for unto which of the angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and again I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son and when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith and let all the angels of God worship him

55:18 there's the command when the firstborn is brought into the world and there lies there in the arms of that probably teenage virgin mother this bundle of life God says angels of heaven bow and worship there's your creator lying on the arm of a mother little virgin mother there that's your creator acknowledge it bow and worship there's the one that holds your destiny in his hands worship him there's the one in whom you angels live and move and have your very being bow and worship him what a statement of the dignity of Christ at the point of perhaps his most obvious humiliation his most obvious humiliation for now he's assumed the role of a helpless infant and he's assumed the role of a helpless infant utterly dependent upon a mother and father's care for his very existence get the picture let all the angels worship him bow down all authority and power is in him now contrast that with the verse in Luke chapter 2 Luke chapter 2 and verse 51

56:41 and he Jesus went down with them Mary and Joseph and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them let it be so that all the angels of God worship him he went down to Nazareth and was subject unto them listen as a true man the Lord Jesus was to attain true wisdom true beauty true royalty in the same way that you and I are to attain it by hearing the instruction of his father and for all his people forsaking not the law of his mother so he went down to Nazareth and was subject do you see professing Christian young person your pattern he that saith he abideth in him ought himself so to walk as he walked you're called upon to walk as he walked when did God say let all the angels of heaven bow down and worship you bow down and worship you when did God summon the angel to acknowledge you

The Need for a New Heart and the Gospel Call

58:11 as their sovereign never you're a creature may lower than the angels here's the creator of angels subject to them that meant hearing their instructions forsaking not their law and so it's a word of directive to you Christian young people but then it's a word I trust of encouragement to some of you who are not yet in a state of grace listen you may be sitting there saying yeah but it's not in me to be like that no I know it isn't because my Bible says in Romans 8 7 the carnal mind is enmity against God it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can it be and you say it's just not in me to hear the instruction of my father every time he gives me instruction even though my mind tells me he loves me and I know he has my good at heart and he's getting his instruction from the scriptures and in the fear of God it's not in me I don't want to be subject to his instruction and I don't want to embrace the law of my mother it's not in me yes that's right that's a manifestation of an unregenerate heart of a carnal mind that's enmity against God and how are you going to be able to comply with the command of Proverbs 1 8 there's only one way when the same spirit that animated the Lord Jesus to be subject to his parents dwells in you

59:39 and that's Christianity Christ himself coming to take up his residence in us giving us the very dispositions that moved him and if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his the only way to have the spirit of Christ come to indwell you to dispose you unto a life in which you will hear the instruction of your father and forsake not the law of your mother is to have dealings with him not as a babe in a manger as a son subject to his parents but as the Lord of glory who came to that place of exaltation by way of a cross and an open heart and tomb and you call upon him for the mercy and grace that he provided for sinners in his death and that he graciously extends in the overtures of his grace through the gospel you see the gospel's here you can't miss the gospel it's everywhere if Christ is wisdom he is here and oh I trust that you hear his voice summoning you my son my daughter hear the instruction of thy father and if you can't hear it because you have a carnal mind enmity against God then right now apply yourself to Jesus Christ cry to him for a new heart and for the disposition to hear and then for all of you who profess to have heard his voice calling you to himself

61:06 may the Lord give you grace to embrace this directive that you may be adorned with true beauty and with true legal stature I think one of the most beautiful things in all the world is a life that has walked in the light of this precept may I give you an illustration that came fresh to my ear this past week the home in which I would stay while I was there in Michigan very godly home mine I ought to put that clock down a little lower I'd be a little more responsible a godly home where they had two sons and I mean these boys were boys 6-3-2-40 one of them and the other one I think I forgot what they said he is 6-3-2-something as well well it's a home where they've lived by what some of you kids would feel is sort of the tacky standards of a past generation but remember we didn't we can't help it some of those things were imposed on us so you have patience with us while we try to have patience it works two ways we've both got a bent and try to be a little looser at the joints in our feeling about some things but this boy came back from Vietnam during which time he'd send letters home and he'd address them this way to the best mother in the world such and such a street hall in Michigan that's all he put on 6-3-2-40 pounds out there in the thickest stuff

62:35 to the best dad in all the world tremendous relationship when he came home his hair was a little halfway between male and female in its appearance 23 years old Vietnam veteran his father just said son I expect a haircut by Saturday that's all he said 23 years old Vietnam veteran big enough to take his dad and whack one blow big enough to take his dad and mash it Saturday night he said dad barbershop was busy but I'm going on Monday he came back Monday with a haircut now what did that prove a triumph for the old generation against the new I'm not talking about length of hair you kids know me well enough to that so no I'm not jumping on that but I'm getting at a principle I tell you that was one of those beautiful things I've heard in a long time and what was the beauty that boy had a regal bearing that's what he had he was loosed from the tyranny of feeling his life would stand or fall with the length of his locks bigger perspective and the perspective was that the love and the bond of respect between him and his dad wasn't worth two inches of hair on his neck and he understood that and he eloquently declared it and mom and dad got the message that mom and dad have reason to go to bed at night with hallelujahs in their hearts and on their lips

64:05 that's the principle we're talking about and you see the fact that some of you fight tooth and nail for every little bit of your own right and your own way and your own step what it shows you're a slave you don't have a chain of royalty about your neck you've got chains of slavery around your hands and your feet oh may God exchange those chains for the liberty of entering into a delightful relationship to the instruction of your father and your mother it's a beautiful thing isn't it I could actually get sentimental when I talk about it may the Lord make all of us beautiful with that kind of beauty well let's pray