"A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother" (Prov. 10:1).
The first nine chapters of Proverbs set forth the need and nature of wisdom, contrasted with the temptations, allurements, and dreadful consequences of folly. We now come to the Proverbs of Solomon. Bridges explains that “they are for the most part unconnected sentences, remarkable for profound thought, and acute observation, expressed in an antithetical or illustrative form; the whole comprising a Divine system of morals of universal application; a treasury of wisdom in all its diversified details, personal, domestic, social, and civil.”
The previous chapters serve as a striking introduction to these proverbs, which Solomon recorded for the instruction of his own children. The glorious description of Christ as the very essence of wisdom (chap. 1, 8) commends to us His gracious instruction as the only basis of true happiness and practical godliness. Solomon describes for us the great love Christ has for His people, the delight He has in those who follow His ways, and the abundant blessings He has in store for those who seek wisdom, not in the world, but in Him.
Solomon probably chose this particular proverb—“A wise son makes a glad father …”—as an introduction to the rest to remind us of the value of a godly education in its personal and social influence. God has made the family the foundation of society. For better or worse, the character is primarily shaped and molded in the home. It is here that the fabric of a nation is strengthened or loosened. When instruction according to biblical wisdom is lost in the family, the consequences inevitably reach a broader scale. The grief begins in the heart of the mother, but if enough families fail to instruct their children according to God’s ways, all society will eventually mourn over the ills of an ungodly generation.
If you are a parent or a grandparent, you are commanded to know God’s ways, live them, and teach them to your children or grandchildren. If you are single or married with no children, make your parents glad by walking according to the instruction God has provided in His Word. If you have no parents, make your heavenly Father’s heart glad by following His ways. Choose the way of wisdom, know the Word of God and live it.
If you have adult children, praise them in a letter for the ways they please you. Also tell them about ways they make you unhappy. If you have young children, write a letter they will read later in life. If you don’t have children, tell God about things you would like to change, that you might be more pleasing to Him.
