PROVERBS 1
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors. – Proverbs 1:8-19
PROVERBS 1 ON OBEYING YOUR PARENTS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The Lord God assigned parents to give you life
He chose your father and mother according to his plan
Obey your father’s instruction and neglect not your mother’s teaching
If you follow their guidance and honor them, you will live a long life.
The only command with a promise is the fifth commandment stated in Exodus 20:12. Why do you think God commands us to obey and honor our parents? What if they are neglectful and abusive or unhealthy? When God assigned parents to us, he already knew what to become of us. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘”-Jeremiah 29:11. You may wonder why God allows bad things to happen to a child when parents are not responsible and not bringing up their children in love. God knows all this and he can change the hearts of anyone or use the bad things for good. Verse 9 says they are graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
REFLECTION
· Why do you think God wants us to obey and honor our parents?
