Topical Bible: Children: Counsel of Parents To

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The Bible places significant emphasis on the relationship between parents and children, particularly highlighting the importance of parental guidance and instruction. This counsel is rooted in the belief that parents are entrusted by God with the responsibility to nurture, instruct, and guide their children in the ways of righteousness.

Biblical Foundation

The counsel of parents to their children is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, underscoring the importance of wisdom, discipline, and obedience. One of the foundational verses is found in the book of Proverbs, which serves as a collection of wise sayings and instructions. Proverbs 1:8-9 states, "Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck." This passage highlights the value of parental guidance as a source of honor and beauty in a child's life.

Role of Parents

Parents are seen as the primary educators and spiritual guides for their children. Ephesians 6:4 instructs, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." This verse emphasizes the balance between discipline and nurturing, encouraging parents to raise their children in a manner that reflects God's love and truth.

Wisdom and Instruction

The book of Proverbs is replete with exhortations for children to heed the wisdom of their parents. Proverbs 4:1-4 says, "Listen, my sons, to the instruction of a father; pay attention and gain understanding. For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive. When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother, he taught me and said, 'Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.'"

This passage not only underscores the importance of listening to parental instruction but also illustrates the generational transmission of wisdom, as the speaker recalls the teachings of his own father.

Discipline and Correction

Discipline is an integral part of parental counsel, intended to guide children towards a righteous path. Proverbs 13:24 states, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently." This verse reflects the belief that loving discipline is necessary for the moral and spiritual development of a child.

Similarly, Hebrews 12:7-11 draws a parallel between divine discipline and parental correction: "Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it."

Obedience and Honor

The Bible also emphasizes the importance of children obeying and honoring their parents. Exodus 20:12 , one of the Ten Commandments, instructs, "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you." This commandment is reiterated in the New Testament in Ephesians 6:1-3 : "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (which is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.'"

Conclusion

The counsel of parents to their children, as outlined in the Bible, is a vital component of a child's upbringing. It encompasses instruction, discipline, wisdom, and love, all aimed at guiding children towards a life that honors God and reflects His righteousness. Through obedience and respect for parental guidance, children are encouraged to grow in wisdom and understanding, fulfilling their God-given potential.

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1 Kings 2:1-4
Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
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1 Chronicles 22:6-13
Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.
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1 Chronicles 28:9,10,20
And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever.
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Library

An Appeal to Children of Godly Parents
... we have here is not only the counsel of a ... and who never learnt anything that was
good from their parents. ... be entered in your diary that your children shall not ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/an appeal to children of.htm

Obedience to Parents.
... bring them to receive some useful and charitable counsel. ... tenderness on the part
of parents, has sadly ... from corruption; that respect which children, who truly ...
/.../sainte-foi/serious hours of a young lady/chapter xix obedience to parents.htm

The Christian Training of Children.
... selected, but that he had hit on a counsel which included ... of the Divine Spirit may
begin in the children without God making use of the parents and others ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/ix the christian training of.htm

St. Ambrose Meets the Objection of those who Make the Desire of ...
... wounded has a remedy, she that is upright a counsel. ... you are afraid to love your
children and blush ... mutual love to increase the tender affections of parents. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xv st ambrose meets.htm

Prov. 22:06 the Duties of Parents
... and doeth all things according to the counsel of His ... that you do not always see godly
parents having a ... of such means as I have mentioned, your children are not ...
/.../the upper room being a few truths for the times/chapter xvi prov 22 6 the.htm

Of Liberality. ...
... of slender means may show it by giving their service and counsel. ... and, most of all,
women from shame, to restore children to their parents, parents to their ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xv of liberality .htm

Useful Hints.
... Parents can not be too careful in this respect ... Thy children, as the world they greet,
Are bearing tales of ... note the mother as she pleads For counsel from God's ...
/.../byrum/the value of a praying mother/chapter xxvii useful hints.htm

The Fifth Commandment
... And as children must hearken to the counsel of their parents in spiritual matters,
so in affairs which relate to this life as in the choice of a calling, and ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 5 the fifth commandment.htm

Concerning [The Donatists and ] the Children Baptized by the ...
... the Donatists and [447] ] the children baptized by ... it seemed good that we should
hold counsel with our ... determination, the error of their parents might prevent ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon xlvii greek li concerning.htm

Parental Duties Considered and Urged.
... to prejudice children in favor of parents, and to ... Children generally follow it, where
it is set before them ... their natural bias, precept and counsel are commonly ...
/.../sermon xxii parental duties considered.htm