Solomon was taught by his father, David, and now he was passing the same truths on to his sons.
“When I was a son with my father, tender and previous 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 of my mouth” (vv. 3-5).
Somehow in this technical and digital generation I fear we have drifted away from the generations teaching one another. Instead of a mother and daughter doing dishes and laundry together and having time to speak while doing their tasks, the dishwasher does everything and so does the laundry machine while both watch tv or internet.
While kids are playing on their bikes in the street, no longer is the kid saying “look at me” and the parent saying, “good job,” the parent is focused in on their phone. Thousands of connections with the eyes and smiles and thousands of words of encouragement are lost.
And how much time are fathers getting with their sons? Fishing and talking. Or living life doing things together. Sons don’t even ask their fathers anymore how to tie their ties, they learn from YouTube. There’s a whole YouTube channel called, “Dad, How Do I” and if you read the comments, millions of young people need to know basic info but there’s a loss of fatherhood in the home. And motherhood as well.
So what does Solomon teach his son?
To avoid evil.
“Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked; don’t proceed in the way of evil ones. Avoid it. don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by” (v. 14-15).
He admonishes his son to keep the words which he is passing on.
“For they are lift to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body” (v. 22).
And then I love this one. One I would give my younger self if I could.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (v. 23). What we do differently in our lives if we guarded our heart? Would we change a job to one that blessed our hearts? Would we be more diligent to guard our hearts from bitterness, anger, and slander? What does it look like?
I don’t know if Solomon’s next few words were what it looked like for him, but they could be
– “Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly” (v. 24)
– “Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet” (v. 25-26).
– “Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil” (v. 27)
Good words to make a good son.
