Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father’s commandment and forsake not your mother’s teaching
He has been a father figure to me at times. He told me that God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s provision. He told me that if my relationship with God depended on anything I did then I needed to re-evaluate my relationship with God. He taught me to keep going when I did not think I could. I learned to love the simple moments, the simple things, and the simple lifestyle.
It was never in my mind that I had to “try” to please him, but rather I felt his pleasure with my company.
We shared hardships that few in the developed world ever get to experience, we saw God in moments that sparkled like the river in the sun and then were gone.
We went without food together for days, we slept on hard floors, and harder beds, waking with hundreds of mosquito bites over the exposed areas of our feet and ankles in the morning.
We learned to love coffee together watching the mist clear from the jungle or the sunrise from the ocean.
We laughed as hard as it is possible to laugh as late at night as it is possible to stay up. We cried at the hurt and harm we saw on our travels. We prayed with all that was in us, for the situations unfolding around us.
We faced armed men together in the deepest jungle and lived to tell the tale. We have stories to tell our grandchildren better than any made-up ones.
We experienced the joy and love of God. He has been a father figure to me.
KNOWLEDGE
We hear an echo from previous passages in Proverbs, [1:8, 2:1, 3:1, 3:23, 4:10, 4:20, 5:1] that carry a similar message.
In Proverbs 1:8 we are told to “hear” our father’s teaching, whereas here in 6:20 we are counselled to “keep” our father’s commandment.
In the first, there is the sense of correcting errant behaviour, but now six chapters later the sense is that we are being commanded. We have been taught now for 158 verses on wisdom to this point.
If we are listening with a heart to obey, we should have moved forwards, leaving errant behaviour in our wake. Now we should be listening to the voice of wisdom and responding with obedience.
That’s my prayer for you at this point, right now, you (we) choose to leave behind something. That right now you, on your knees before God, hand over something to God that you have been holding on to for way too long. The musty smell will leave your life right now as you lay that burden down.
I pray healing and favour over us as we repent and reconcile with our heavenly father this morning. Fresh morning dew.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word for “father’s” in Hebrew is pronounced as ” ‘ab” and this word appears 1073 times in the Old Testament. In the ESV it is translated into English as the following word – “father”.
That’s unusual, first of all, the amount of times the word is used, from Genesis to Malachi, and then it only really has one English translation. Its meaning is really father/originator. It can be a title of respect to a person or to God as well.
WISDOM – how do you intentionally recognise the promptings of the Holy Spirit every day?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Input, collect and store every word God has spoken to you and others close to you. Remind others of these precious words just at the right moment. Be intentional.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [my darling child, guard like a watchtower your originator’s instructions, and never, ever, abandon your caregiver’s law.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to listen closely to the Holy Spirit today and follow his gentle prompting. Thank you!
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