Raising Children

Raising Children

Proverbs 2:1-16

            The book of Proverbs is attributed primarily to Solomon, the Israelite king known for his wisdom.  Proverbs 1:1 says, “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King of Israel.”  In his later years Solomon lost his way and did not follow the God of Israel as closely as he should, but we remember him more for his wisdom than for his failings.

            Proverbs 2:1 begins with the words, “My son.”  Whether Solomon was addressing a biological son, or using the word in a more general way for those for whom he felt responsibility but who were not part of his family we don’t know; but the king makes it clear that this is a collection of wise sayings meant for the education of the next generation.  Solomon wants them to benefit from the wisdom he has gained through years of living.

            If Solomon was addressing his biological son, 1 Kings 2 paints a picture that tells us the wisdom was not received.  Upon Solomon’s death Rehoboam was anointed king in his father’s place.  He was not up to the task.  The alliance between Israel and Judah, which David had worked so hard to achieve, and which Solomon had been able to hold together, disintegrated under the reign of Rehoboam.  His failure is an instructive example of the words of Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696), who said, “Eminent posts make great men greater, and little men less.”  Unfortunately, greatness and wisdom don’t always run in families.

            To make sure Solomon’s intent is not missed, the next five chapters of Proverbs begin either with the words “My son,” or “Hear, O sons.”  There can be no mistaking the direction this wisdom collection is taking.  We would do well to use these sayings to educate our children today, with the difference that we should include daughters with sons.  Some proverbs might not apply today because of the cultural change, but not many, I’m sure.

            One of the problems with our culture is that we fail to develop wisdom in our children.  We send them to school, expose them to (in many cases) good teaching, fill them with facts, and systems, and knowledge, but fail to teach them how to use that knowledge wisely.  It is a huge failing, and one we must correct if the human race is going to progress towards the goals God has set for us.

            Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German poet, addressed this problem.  He said, “Too many parents make life hard for their children by trying too zealously to make it easy for them.”  And we thought helicopter parents were a 20^th century development.

            Wisdom is difficult.  Using knowledge wisely is difficult.  Living in a world where decisions must be made in ways that help people rather than hurt them takes more effort than simply memorizing a set of rules and applying them unthinkingly.  That’s an easy way to live, but not a very helpful or effective one.  No area of knowledge I can think of works well by using binding rules applied the same way every time.  There are principles that cannot be ignored; “what goes up must come down” comes to mind—although with the possibility of space travel looming large in the future, even that might be in question.

            We owe our children an education steeped in wisdom.  As Solomon tried to pass his wisdom on to the next generation, so we must help our children understand that life isn’t always easy.  Difficult decisions must be made.  Rules indicate a world that is black and white, but our world has too many gray areas to live life only by those two shades.

            Like Solomon with his sons, God wants to give humanity wisdom to use the knowledge we have been given in ways that will be beneficial to people.  Like Solomon, we have to commit ourselves to educating our children to be self-sufficient and wise.  Not an easy task.