Proverbs 10:1 Commentary and Bible Study

This verse sets the scene by taking us back to the illustrations given in the first section of the book. Father and mother are here used interchangeably and are assumed to be good parents who have conscientiously brought up their son and taught him wise principles for life, but with no suggestion that all parents do this. The family picture provides only the setting for the proverb, the vehicle for the intended lesson, and what we need to discover is the real lesson of the proverb. While we may draw peripheral lessons from the verse associated with parenting and childhood, we miss the point if we do not find the primary intended subject. What is in mind – for the word of God is not concerned with anything less – is the spiritual wisdom which God alone gives. It is that wisdom which comes through Jesus Christ ‘in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:3), which protects us from the foolishness of sin and ultimately brings us to heaven. Just as a wise father wishes to pass his wisdom to his child, so the Lord wishes to see spiritual wisdom in the hearts of all his children for their eternal good. And just as a father rejoices to know that his training is bearing fruit so that his child is alert to danger, so our Father in heaven rejoices in the evidence of discernment in the hearts of his people which enables them to stick closely to the paths of righteousness. We are therefore under obligation to profit from Scripture and to gain wisdom in order to please our heavenly Father.On the other hand, what pain it causes to a wise and gentle mother who sees her son ignoring all her counsel and becoming entangled in the very snares that she has tried so hard to guard him against. Folly makes the heart of the son impenetrable and unteachable so that nothing can get through to him.