Father

In the past, I have touched on many subjects of manhood, from being a husband to being a father. With that in mind, what I want to touch on today is it part of fatherhood that, while not overlooked, is often not discussed as much as others. But first, let us look back over some of the many roles fathers must play. A father is a provider, a protector, a teacher, and a source of masculine love and energy.

The one that I want to discuss is the role of the teacher. There are not many things more important than teaching your children the knowledge and wisdom you have acquired over your many years of life. While looking through the Bible, we see this as an overall theme, and the Bible itself is an example of our heavenly father imparting his holy knowledge upon us.

The first biblical thing that comes to my mind when you talk about knowledge is the book of proverbs. It is a book written by a father to a son. When you go to the book of proverbs chapter one, verse 5, it says, “my son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of my mother.” Verse 10 says my son, verse 15, my son, chapter 2, verse one my son, chapter 3, verse one my son: and over and over and over again throughout all of proverbs. For a grand total of 43 times in the book of proverbs.

Book of Wisdom

I understand that the book of proverbs is a book of wisdom and that wisdom and knowledge are different, but you also cannot have wisdom without first having knowledge. So, just as King Solomon wrote Proverbs to his son, it is just as important in modern times for us men to layout our fatherly wisdom and knowledge to our sons. While this is also equally important to do with our daughters, some things pertain to manhood that only a father can teach his son, just as only a mother can teach a daughter about womanhood.

I can think back to many moments in my life where I have absolutely made the wrong decision. And as everyone should, I gained wisdom from those experiences. I have been beaten into the hospital, and I have had bullets flying by my head, which I do not mean in military service. I have had my bank account drained and my house emptied. I have had my soul ripped out, and my heart crushed.

I have seen some of the vilest things that a man can see and have heard secrets that no man should know. On the flip side of this coin, I have learned things that have propelled my life in ways that I could have never fathomed.

2 Sides

There’s yin and yang, there is good and evil, and there is dark and light in everything in this world. I have experienced more at 37 years old than most people do by 67 years. I by no means am the wisest man ever to walk the earth, but I generally have a different outlook than most men my age.

And it is on me to impart this wisdom to my son. There is no reason that any good father should force their son to experience situations that can be avoided or miss opportunities seized.

And again, I understand that there is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom only comes from experience. So, when a father sets down his son and begins to impart his wisdom on him, what is wisdom to the father becomes knowledge to the son. It could be rephrased as imparting knowledge onto your son.

Wisdom

Maybe something happened in your life 20 years ago, and you see your son heading down the same path; it is a father’s duty to pull his son aside and tell him a story. It is a father’s duty to dig into his banks of wisdom and share the knowledge of possible consequences with his son.

At which point, it falls to the maturity and wisdom of the son to carry this knowledge with him. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. And so, we can teach a son the consequences of his actions, but we cannot make him feel the pain.

Proverbs Chapter 2:
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Padre

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