A Father’s Joy

1 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.
2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.
4 A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.
5 To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.
6 Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.
7 The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.
8 Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger.
9 If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.
10 The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them.
11 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.

As a father of four sons who have brought us great joy, I appreciate today’s proverb about a young man who loves wisdom. The joy that parents feel as they observe their children making wise choices is a joy that God also knows. When Jesus was baptized, the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). What joy and delight the Father had!

As someone who embodied wisdom, Jesus provides us the best example for living the obedient life. His love for wisdom shines through his parables as he teaches his listeners, including the twelve disciples.

His love for wisdom shines in the parable about two sons recorded in Luke 15. In that parable, Jesus speaks often of the sons’ father, filled with compassion for the younger son, who had squandered his wealth with prostitutes. When the lost son returned, the father threw a party to share his joy, but he also went out to plead with the angry older brother, who refused to celebrate.

Jesus left the story open-ended, so we don’t know the older brother’s response to the father’s invitation. But we do see our heavenly Father’s joy and full forgiveness in the father’s embrace of the foolish son who was wise enough to come home repentant.

Are we wise enough to do the same?

Heavenly Father, thank you for welcoming us when we turn back from our foolish ways. We want to bring you joy, as Jesus did! In his name, Amen.