The Instructions of a Father

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Proverbs 4:1–9 NKJV
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

It means something to be a father

Fatherhood in Israel was
++The key to family life
++The only way to perpetuate the family name
In the patriarchal worldview of biblical Israel, the father (Heb. ʾāḇ) was the linchpin of family life, and his house (bêṯ ʾāḇ) was the basic unit of biblical society. Fatherhood was the only way a man could perpetuate his name and memory after death.
Kathleen S. Nash, “Father,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 456.

The role of a father is based upon three assumptions

Assumption 1: A Father Love and Care for their Children

Psalm 103:13 NKJV
13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
The word pities means
++To love or treat with love
++To be concerned

Assumption 2: A Father discipline their children

Proverbs 13:24 NKJV
24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
Deuteronomy 8:5 NKJV
5 You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
The word discipline means to hold accountable,to chastise, exhort or to warn.
Proverbs 15:10 NKJV
10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.

Assumption 3: A Father Instructs their children

Psalm 78:2–4 NKJV
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NKJV
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

A question was ask in the movie “Courageous” “When did you know you were a man?”

Answers included
++When I got my first car
++When I got my first Job

One man answered “When My father told me”

When Fathers don’t pass on what they have somebody will

Don’t leave it to chance

We must pass it on
++When we sit in the house
++When we walk by the way
++When we lie down
++When we rise up
David left an impression on his Son
1 Kings 3:6 NKJV
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
1 Kings 8:17–18 NKJV
17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
1 Kings 9:4–5 NKJV
4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

What do we pass on?

We can pass on
++Our work ethic
++Our customs and traditions
++Our biases and prejudice

What we will pass on is what is in our heart

What is in your heart?
That which is in your heart
++Will be your legacy
++Will be what is remembered
Solomon remembered His father’s
++Upright Heart
++Generous Heart
++Integrity of heart
That which was in his heart
++Reflected his love for God
++Commitment to God
Psalm 119:11 NKJV
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
Solomon’s wisdom
++A gift from God
++Was unmatched by any man
++Did not overshadow the impact of His Father
He gave him

More than just words

Proverbs 2:1–5 NKJV
1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.
His words and commands
++Attuned his ear to wisdom
++Brought deeper understanding
++Motivated him for discernment
++Helps them to fear and to know God

Our children “Natural and Spiritual” need fathers

Proverbs 4:1–2 NKJV
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

This passage is directed to all children

They are directed
++To hear
++To know understanding
++To recognize the value of his words
Proverbs 4:3–4 NKJV
3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.
Solomon
++Recalls the care of his mother
++See a time of his immaturity
Solomon says
++He taught me
++His words were valuable to me
++In his words he found life

The Position of the Father is as important today as it has ever been.

National Center For Fathering and The Fatherless Generation:
++85% of youths in prison come from fatherless homes
++71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes
++90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes
++Nearly 25 million children live without their biological father
++60% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
Let us be fathers that
++Care more
++Discipline effectively
++Provide instruction and Guidance
Galatians 4:1–6 NKJV
1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Because of Christ
++We are not fatherless
++We are children of God
++We have a new Spirit
++We are now connected to God
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