“My son” (February ’09)
The
twentieth and twenty-first occurrence of ‘My son’ are found in Proverb 24. Solomon
returns to a familiar theme with an enticing twist:
“My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the
honey comb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall knowledge of wisdom be unto
thy soul: when thou has found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy
expectation shall not be cut off.” (Proverb 24:13, 14)
By
appealing to the sense of taste Solomon compares the benefits of “the knowledge of wisdom” to the
sweet satisfaction to the taste buds of honey and the honeycomb. The foundation
for this comparison may have come from Solomon’s father David:
“Sweeter also than the honey and the honey comb,
moreover by them thy servant is warned and in keeping of them there is great
reward.” (Psalm 19:10)
David is referring to the true and
righteous judgments of God which is the only place to find Solomon’s “ knowledge of wisdom”. Notice, Solomon and David both speak of the
reward of finding and rightly utilizing the wisdom of God.
And just as honey to the taste-bud, so the
knowledge and life application of the wisdom of God to the soul brings
spiritual sweetness and satisfaction. Solomon adds another faith-based benefit
when he states: “thy
expectation shall not be cut off”. Expecting God to do what He said
He would do will result in strengthened faith and great glory to God!
The second occurrence of ‘My son’
underlines the key to a steady faithful walk with the Lord:
“My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle
not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
and who knows the ruin of them both? (Proverb 24:21)
Fearing the Lord will guarantee a right
relationship between God and the believer. Solomon shows the parallel that the
king, i.e. civil government has a God’s ordained representative. The fear of
the Lord supplies the foundation for all true wisdom:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
(Proverb 9:10)
Unless there is that faith-based
reverential awe of God the Creator of all that exists, Who is also the
Crucified Redeemer of mankind there can be no Biblical fear of God. He as our
Creator owns us physically. Then, He purchased mankind from the slave-market of
sin with His own Blood. It is for man to receive Him by faith:
“But as many as received Him to them gave He power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)
Solomon gives his son the practical advice
of staying away from those who do not have a consistent steady manner of life
but instead flip-flop about changing with every wind of doctrine. He knows by
experience that there is disaster in the making which will lead to the eventual
‘ruin of them
both’.
So, in essence, both of these personal “My son”
instructions revolve on the fear of the Lord. The first proverb gives a
physical illustration paralleling “the knowledge of wisdom” which can
only be obtained by fearing the Lord according to Proverb 9:10.
Then, Solomon bluntly commands his son to “fear thou the Lord” which is
source for the wisdom of God which supplies all other spiritual and physical
blessings to the believer for this right relationship with God will bring in
the manifold and bountiful supply of all the necessary needs of life.
[For additional outline on “The
fear of the Lord” see attachment]
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