The Heavenly Father and His Children

PROVERBS 1:8, 9; 6:20-23; 17:16; 19:18; 22:6; 23:22, 26

GOLDEN TEXT: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”—Proverbs 22:6

THE scriptures cited for this lesson could very well be taken as instructions to godly parents for the proper training of their children, and as admonitions to children concerning the importance of obeying their parents. Viewed from this standpoint these various passages are of vital importance to both parents and children. However, we think most of them have a deeper significance, that they are intended as instructions and admonitions to the people of God of this Gospel age, those who are designated in the New Testament as being “his children.”

The apostle tells us that the things written aforetime were for our admonition, hence when Solomon writes, “My son, hear the instructions of thy father,” we are not to suppose that the important application of this is to a child of Solomon. We think, rather, that the “Father” here mentioned is the Heavenly Father, and that the admonition is for his children of this Gospel age to hearken diligently to his instructions.

Solomon adds that it is also important not to forsake the law of our “mother.” The Apostle Paul refers to the original Abrahamic Covenant, which he explains is pictured by Sarah, Abraham’s wife, as “the mother of us all.” (Gal. 4:22-28) This Sarah feature of the Abrahamic Covenant, in the womb of which the church is begotten, nourished, and brought to birth, has a law. It is the law of the new creation, the law of love. A part of this law was mentioned by Jesus when he said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) Jesus loved us to the extent of laying down his life for us, and we are to do the same for our brethren.

The law of the Abrahamic Covenant calls for sacrifice, hence the Lord speaks of those who are being developed by this arrangement as having entered into a covenant with him “by sacrifice.” (Psalm 50:5) To forsake the law of our mother, then, would mean to repudiate the terms of our covenant of sacrifice. This would be breaking faith with our Lord, our Heavenly Father, failing to obey his instruction.

Solomon speaks of the laws of the Lord as ornaments which we bind upon ourselves by faithfulness in observing them. The commandment of the Lord giveth light, he explains. Thus it is that those who are walking in obedience to the Lord are said not to be in darkness. They walk in the light because they walk with God, and they walk with him by faithfulness in keeping his commandments.

Proverbs 17:16 alludes to the folly of those who imagine that wisdom and the favor of God can be bought at a price, a price other than obedience to divine law. While the Lord is pleased to have his people use their money in his service, we are not to get the thought that we should neglect other opportunities, that is, fail to give time to study and to fellowship with his people, and then attempt to compensate for this neglect by the free use of mammon to promote the Lord’s cause. The Lord wants all that we have; but in addition to this he wants all that we are.

Proverbs 19:18 and 22:6 have a more direct application to the children of natural parents, but even in these passages we find principles set forth which govern God’s dealings with his own children, “Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,” writes Paul to Christians, “nor faint when thou are rebuked of him.” (Heb. 12:5) The Heavenly Father chastens his children because he loves them and because he thus trains them to walk in the way he wants them to go. The same should be true of earthly parents.

It is a recognized principle that the early training of children has a marked bearing on their after life. One of the reasons the present world order is falling apart is the lack of wise training of children by their parents. Children today—at least the vast majority of them—grow up without proper training. They are allowed to do as they please, to run wild. This means that as these children reach maturity they will still be irresponsible, and the world will be the more unstable as a result.

“Buy the truth and sell it not,” another part of our lesson states. (Prov. 23:22-26) The Lord views the truth as a most priceless possession. Only those who are willing to sacrifice all for it are worthy of the truth. If we compromise the truth for any reason, whatsoever, we are sure to lose it in the end. We can buy the truth by accepting the Heavenly Father’s invitation, “My son, give me thine heart.” When we give our hearts to the Lord, we give him everything.

QUESTIONS:

For whose special benefit was the Old Testament written?

Who in type or allegory is the “mother” of the church?

How can we “buy the truth and sell it not”?

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