Teaching Responsibilities

Prov 4-7 Parenting and teaching, just as in Solomon’s time, is fraught with the world’s dangers and Satan’s deceptive ways. Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, or a teacher, all must be attentive to giving the reasons and consequences of what happens when one does not follow correctly. Solomon said this is the wise counsel I leave to you: “The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates reproof is stupid.” [Prov 12:1]

These chapters encourage us to help children to know the way they should go, and Prov 22:6 will repeat that idea. Here’s the reason why: the world is full of wolves, just as Jesus told the disciples. Therefore children must be wise as serpents but also innocent as doves. [Matt 10:16] We must be wise (avoiding the snares set for us), and we must be innocent (serving the Lord blamelessly). [https://www.gotquestions.org/wise-serpents-harmless-doves.html]

Children are daily facing the master deceiver, Satan, who is shrewd and a liar. He is always planning to thwart their pathway from godliness to ungodliness and for them to reject a parent/teacher’s counsel. Therefore, in Prov 4:20-27, he tells the child to pay attention and know that the deceiver knows his way to enter is through the eye gate, [that is what you see], the ear gate, [that is what you listen to], and the heart gate [what you love]. We must teach them that they must be on guard, discerning, and make wise choices if they desire God’s blessing.

Today, whether you are a parent, grandparent, or teacher, pray for wisdom to help children to discern both good and evil. [Heb 5:14]Pray that when befuddled or need help, we seek wisdom and wise counsel from those who are wiser than they about this business because the master deceiver is busier today than ever. And most importantly, teach the book of Proverbs daily through reading and modeling.