“Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, he taught me and said, ‘Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty.’”
(Proverbs 4:1-9 CSB – Read the chapter)
The fourth of God’s ten words to the Israelites that were to serve as the foundation for all their interactions with Him was a call to honor their fathers and mothers. As Paul would later point out, this was the first command with a promise: that they would enjoy a long and fruitful life. The obvious question this command begs is how—how do we honor our moms and dads? Well, one good way is to show them the respect of listening to their counsel. Let’s do a little exercise in that together today as we get into chapter four and the fourth time Solomon has called his children to listen carefully.
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The Nexus 