THIRTY SAYINGS OF THE WISE
SAYING NUMBER SIXTEEN
“Buy the
truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father
of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in
him. May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!”
(Proverbs 23:23–25,
NIV)
The subject of honoring parents seems to continue. One
honors their parents by honoring their teaching. The child is wise who “buys the truth and
does not sell it.” You cannot buy
truth, but you can view it as a commodity that is worth acquiring and investing
in. In other words you are prepared to
give up something(s) to procure this valuable asset. By using the word “buy” the author implies
that a child that gets wisdom, etc. will find that it costs him or her.
This investment of wisdom, instruction and insight is also a
commodity that should be preserved. “There are some things that ought not to be sold at any price.”[1]
I wonder what some of us are selling wisdom for these days. The Truth is what matters here. “Wisdom,
self-discipline, and understanding are all children of the truth.”[2]
The gaining and retention of Truth is the life that pleases God and
brings great joy to godly parents.
There is
also an implicit parental responsibility in this passage. “A man who fathers a wise son rejoices in
him.” This Hebrew verb, “to father” is
from the word יָלַד, לֵדָה [yaw·lad/][3].
It means to bear, to be born, to deliver, to labor. It’s a word that actually relates to
childbirth. Fathers are to “father”
their children. Paradoxically the verb
used here might rightly refer to a mother laboring, bringing forth a child,
birthing. The father is to exert the
same. Such a father will rejoice at the
outcome.
Listen to
Paul as he agonizes over the spiritual condition of the Galatian
believers. “My dear children, for whom I am again in the
pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,” (Galatians 4:19, NIV). The Greek word that Paul employs is ὠδίνω [o·dee·no/][4].
Again it is a verb that refers to feeling the pain of childbirth. In this case the labor of Paul was to see
Truth personified, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ “formed in them”. “This word (Gr morphoō) means to give outward expression to one’s inward nature.
Paul wants Christ to be seen in the lives of the Galatians. A living Christ on
the inside will manifest Himself on the outside (Gal 2:20; Rom 8:29).”[5]
What joy it
is to mothers and fathers who each and together labor earnestly to see their
children embrace the Truth and allow the personage of the Lord Jesus Christ visibly
reveal Himself in and through them. This
is a righteous child! To all who have godly parents:
May your
father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!
[1]
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible
Commentary (p. 1241). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Ibid,
[4] Ibid,
[5]
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible
Commentary (p. 2393). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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