“Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.”
Solomon switches from sharing his fathers words and is now owning this wisdom from God as his own. He sees all young men, as their king, as his responsibility as though they were his own family. He takes that parental role very seriously. I must admit that I often wished my children took the counsel of my wife and I more to heart as they have grown. All parents do, even though we are not the wisest men who ever lived (other than Jesus) we often think our counsel is brilliant. Now as I look back I can see where my input could, at times, cloud the truth from God’s wisdom and counsel. That is tragic, though as fallen people it is somewhat unavoidable. The best counsel we will ever offer our children or others in our life is scripture. Truth from God is never wrong. How it is packaged and delivered by us can often be. You see Solomon giving God’s wise counsel can encourage the young men of his day to cling to his advice and to not deviate from it because it was directly from the heart of God. Our challenge is to do the same. We are not to shade it, soften it or try and make it more palatable. There are frightening cautions in scripture about doing that. Today take God’s truth and offer it in love and clarity. #BeTheEdge
“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalms 33:11 NIV
