Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily
devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
The Wisdom
of God
Verses for the Day:
22 Hearken unto
thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and
understanding.
Proverbs 23:22-23 (AMP):
22 Hearken to your father,
who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth and sell it not; not only that, but; also get discernment and
judgment, instruction and understanding.
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses in Proverbs
instruct us to honor our parents and seek truth, wisdom, instruction and
understanding. One of the 10 Commandments in the Bible, instructs us with
these words in:
Exodus 20:12:
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the LORD thy God giveth thee.
One might think that this commandment is self-explanatory and needs
no further teaching or elaboration. However, I believe as we look at
this carefully, we will see something that perhaps we have not seen
before.
The word for "honor" in Hebrew, is "kabed." This word is very
closely related to the word that is translated as "glory" with respect
to God. The literal meaning of this word is "to make weighty" or "to be
heavy." Other definitions include, "to glorify or to make glorious,
to honor, and to promote." To a certain extent, God wants us to
treat our parents the way that we treat Him. We are to bring honor to
their name, with our actions and words. The interesting thing about this
commandment, is that it is the first one with a promise attached to it.
"Children, obey your parents in the
Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the
first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou
mayest live long on the earth."
We will have a long life if we will
respect our parents. This promise may sound vague and general, but there
is an immediate application to it, especially in the lives of children.
If children obey their parents, it can literally save their lives. For
instance, a little child who runs across the street without looking both
ways, as his parents instructed him to do, may get killed. His life can
be cut short because of a simple act of disobedience. It really is true
that disobedient children have a greater chance of not living long. The
quality of their life may also be diminished because of rebellion. The
Lord says that we must train our children to continually honor and
esteem the Lord; and in doing that, they will learn to honor us as their
parents.
If a child does not have a sense of respect for their parents, he or
she will often have a harder time respecting other authority figures as
well. I believe that this verse refers to more that just our biological
parents, although it certainly is the first application we will want to
make with this commandment. However, we see in Ephesians that God
is saying that we must obey our "parents in the Lord." Therefore,
this verse also refers to the elders within the church.
All of the Ten Commandments deal with rebellion in one way or
another. Ultimately, it is rebellion that keeps us from obeying them. We
will not love God with all of our heart when there is rebellion in it.
No matter what the commandment is, the Lord is dealing with our
attitude. He wants us to be submissive to Him, and that is why it is so
important that we learn submission to our parents and elders.
In verse 23 of today's study we are told to "buy" truth.
How does one "buy" truth? It will cost us something to get it.
Truth is found by seeking God and studying His Word. Since our time is
valuable, when we dedicate it to the study of God's Word, it is, in a
sense, "buying" the truth. We are also told to seek discernment,
judgment, instruction, and understanding, as well. Many of these things
can be learned at the feet of our parents and elders. That is why
the Lord tells us to honor them, and we are especially not to despise
them in their old age. We will be old ourselves in time and we
will reap what we sow. If we honor, respect and take care of our
parents in their old age, we will be honored in ours. Honoring them
begins with seeking God and His truth. We can "buy" the truth without
money. We are invited to just come to the Lord and He will feed us
with His spiritual bread, milk and wine.
Isaiah 55:1-2:
1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your
labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for our families and may we especially be mindful to honor our parents
and elders. Lord, give me a teachable spirit so that I might learn from those
who are older and wiser than I am. Set me free from a prideful attitude
and help me to listen to the voice of my elders. Lord, in my quest for
truth, may I keep an open heart to receive those things that are of You, and
give me discernment to recognize those things that are not of You. Open my
understanding and instruct me in Your ways in all of the affairs of my life.
I ask this in the name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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