There is no denial that godly parent is
vital to the progress of the son. Verse 5 begins with the presupposition of a good
father giving godly counsel to his son. No father who is worth his salt would
not have the best interest of his son at heart. So, when a son accepts the counsel
of this father and acts upon it, he is considered wise. The father on his part ensures
that he provides the right discipline. Here the word discipline is more than
just about taking punitive measures. It includes admonishing, counselling, coaching,
teaching, instructing, training, and correcting. Thus, when a son or a child
who has regard for the reprimand or correction of a godly father, he has done a
sensible thing. Only the foolish one
would reject the father’s discipline.
In a home where there is a great healthy parental-children relationship there is great wealth. Their home is filled not
only with physical goods but also moral and spiritual ones. They are protected
by God, thus will enjoy the rich resources He will supply. But one who is
wicked will not have such peaceful existence. They will experience trouble in untold
measures. The word income suggests the gains which the wicked has acquired
wickedly. They are nothing but only trouble. They are usually attained by
dubious means or expanded on dubious lifestyle. Hence, they will bring about troubles
and ruin.
Verse 7 tells us that the wise and the
foolish are distinguished by the things they say. “The lips of the wise spread knowledge.”
The words of the wise can be relied upon. They provide encouragement and insight
to listeners. This is not so for the words of the foolish. They are not
encouraging because their heart would harbor malice that would disable them from
speaking positive and edifying words. Their words are devoid of spiritual
character and will only accomplish mischief and misunderstanding.
Just
as wisdom and righteousness are correlated so also are foolishness and wickedness.
The latter pair will bring about the judgement of the LORD while the first pair
will be heard for their uprightness. Whether God values our offering to Him or
not depends largely on how we live. Our disposition, mentality and the way we
approach God will determine how acceptable our worship to Him will be. The
simple prayer of the upright is preferred to the ostentatious showiness of a wicked
person who makes his worship a big performance. No wonder the worship of the wicked
will be repulsive and revolting to God. On the other hand, God loves one who pursues
righteousness and makes it his aim in life to live by it.
Verses 10-11 consist of warnings that will befall the unrepentant
wicked. Though they were given stern discipline, they nonetheless hate the
correction. They have neither the desire to repent nor change, hence, will
receive their just dessert. Their persistence in evil will only lead to their
ultimate death. Both Hades or Sheol, the place of the departed spirit and Abaddon,
the place of eternal perish, are ever before the LORD. This expression emphasizes
that God is all-seeing. And if the realm that is unseen to human eyes after his
earthly existence, how much more will God be able to see the human heart now. Our
unseen thoughts and intentions are ever before His watching eyes. This
encourages us to be vigilant and circumspect in our thoughts that will lead to actions.
Be aware of your secret thoughts!
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