Topical Encyclopedia
The Bible provides numerous insights into the relationship between parents and children, emphasizing the importance of obedience, respect, and righteousness. Wicked children, those who stray from these principles, are often depicted as a source of great distress and calamity to their parents. This theme is woven throughout Scripture, highlighting the moral and spiritual implications of familial relationships.
Proverbs and Wisdom LiteratureThe Book of Proverbs, a key source of wisdom literature in the Bible, frequently addresses the impact of a child's behavior on their parents.
Proverbs 17:25 states, "A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him." This verse underscores the emotional turmoil and sorrow that parents experience due to the folly of their children. Similarly,
Proverbs 19:13 declares, "A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping." Here, the ruinous effect of a wayward child is likened to a destructive force within the family unit.
The Commandment to Honor ParentsThe commandment to honor one's father and mother is foundational in the Judeo-Christian ethic, as seen in
Exodus 20:12 : "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you." Disobedience to this commandment is not only a personal failing but also a societal one, as it disrupts the God-ordained order of family life. Wicked children, by failing to honor their parents, bring calamity not only upon themselves but also upon their family, as they violate a divine principle meant to ensure harmony and blessing.
Historical and Narrative AccountsBiblical narratives provide concrete examples of the calamity brought upon parents by wicked children. In
1 Samuel 2, the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, are described as "wicked men" who "had no regard for the LORD" (
1 Samuel 2:12). Their sinful actions brought judgment upon their family, leading to Eli's downfall and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. This account illustrates the severe consequences of a child's wickedness, not only for themselves but also for their parents and the broader community.
New Testament TeachingsThe New Testament continues to affirm the importance of familial relationships and the consequences of disobedience. In
Ephesians 6:1-3 , Paul exhorts, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (which is the first commandment with a promise), 'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'" The apostle reiterates the promise of well-being and longevity for those who honor their parents, implying that the opposite—calamity and hardship—awaits those who do not.
Moral and Spiritual ImplicationsThe Bible's portrayal of wicked children as a calamity to their parents serves as a moral and spiritual warning. It emphasizes the responsibility of children to adhere to God's commandments and the profound impact their actions have on their family. The distress caused by wicked children is not merely emotional but also spiritual, as it reflects a departure from God's will and design for family life. This theme calls for a return to righteousness and obedience, ensuring that the family remains a source of blessing rather than calamity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Proverbs 19:13A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.
... For he who knows how to regard them in his heart will ... the other hand, it is written
of the wicked, Ps.109 ... famine, or experience no good in his children, and be ...
/.../luther/the large catechism/thou shalt honor thy father.htm
Concerning Balaam the Prophet and what Kind of Man He Was.
... will their return be agreeable to their children and wives ... all those young men that
had a regard to virtue ... instead of hindering them from such wicked actions, as ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning balaam the.htm
The Calamities and Slaughters that came Upon the Jews.
... them he did the like to his wife and children, every one ... lover of money, that he
chose to be so wicked to his ... dare to put him to death, out of regard to Sohemus ...
/.../chapter 18 the calamities and.htm
Fourth Sunday after Trinity Consolation in Suffering, and Patience ...
... Were our faith triumphant, we would regard it but as a small inconvenience ... our Lord
God; not for the most part his children, for they ... To the wicked"to vanity ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/fourth sunday after trinity consolation.htm
Moral Depravity.
... on the parents, from the birth of their children. ... advocates of the theory cannot
but regard the case ... This selfish choice is the wicked heart"the propensity ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxiv moral depravity.htm
How David Fled to Ahimelech and Afterwards to the Kings of the ...
... there, without sparing either women or children, or any ... hereafter, they have not
the least regard to it ... of their lives also, and that on wicked accusations, and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 how david fled.htm
The Relation Between Sin and Physical Evil. --Jewish Idea of ...
... THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST CONSIDERED IN REGARD TO SUPERNATURAL ... iniquities of the fathers
upon the children to the ... as it does to Satan, the wicked have possession ...
/.../section 100 the relation between.htm
False Comforts for Sinners.
... it all upon himself, needlessly, by his wicked resistance to ... had begun a good work
in their children, he would ... tell him he should be thankful in regard to the ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture xvii false comforts for.htm
How, after the Death of Joshua their Commander, the Israelites ...
... enough for them, and that they might have children by them ... a Benjamite, some advised
them to have no regard to what ... but when it is done with a wicked intention. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how after the.htm
A Letter of Mara, Son of Serapion.
... my son, thus wisely behave thyself in regard to these ... Moreover, the wicked rejoice,
and the righteous are disquieted. ... it is only on account of children that we ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/ancient syriac documents a letter.htm
Resources
Why did Jesus say, “Let the little children come to me”? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are indigo children? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about raising children? | GotQuestions.orgChildren: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
