“My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother” (v. 8). In these tender words, wisdom takes the voice of a parent calling to a child not with the cold commands of duty but with the warmth of covenant love. Obeying your parents is not merely a household rule; it is divine wisdom clothed in familiar skin. Here, Solomon is not just giving advice; he’s echoing the voice of God, who places children in families that they might learn to listen, trust, and walk in the fear of the Lord. The home is the first pulpit, the first and primary classroom for catechesis, and the dinner table the first altar. To despise the voice of faithful parents is to close one’s ears to the very whisper of Heaven.
God, in His mercy, appoints mothers and fathers not only to feed and shelter the body but to shape the soul. The word “instruction” here is מוּסָר (musar)—discipline, correction, training. It carries the weight of both challenge and love. The “law” (תּוֹרָה, torah) of your mother is her teaching—her passed-down wisdom—rooted in the Word. To forsake these things is not merely to grow independent but to grow foolish. As Americans, we love independence—we have a whole holiday that celebrates it. But independence, ultimately, is unsustainable. If America were truly independent, we wouldn’t need to depend on other countries for food and natural resources. If we as human beings were truly independent, we wouldn’t need to depend on others for food, money, etc. The father’s voice and the mother’s teaching are echoes of God’s own call: “Come, My child, walk in the way of life.”
“For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck” (v. 9). In a world where adornment is often shallow—like rings of gold and fashions of vanity—Solomon offers something more enduring: character, formed by faithful instruction in the Word of God. Wisdom, learned in childhood and carried into adulthood, does not weigh you down like shackles but graces you like a garland. The imagery is striking: the Law of God, passed down through your parents, becomes a crown. Instruction is not a burden to be cast off but beauty to be worn—to be shown off. It does not age with time like youthful skin does; it grows more radiant with obedience.
Therefore, cherish the words of your father if he speaks the Word of God. Treasure the law of your mother if she has taught you Christ. And if you lacked such voices in childhood, hear now the voice of your heavenly Father, whose Word still speaks. Hear, and do not forsake it; for in the fear of the Lord and the instruction of the wise, your soul is adorned with something far lasting than jewels and smooth skin—a wisdom that does not tarnish, and a beauty that reflects the face of Christ.
The Lutheran Column 