Topical Bible: Joy: Experienced by Parents of Good Children

◄ Joy: Experienced by Parents of Good Children ►

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In the biblical context, joy is a profound and abiding sense of happiness and contentment that arises from a deep relationship with God and the fulfillment of His promises. For parents, one of the most significant sources of joy is the blessing of having children who walk in righteousness and wisdom. The Scriptures provide numerous insights into the joy experienced by parents when their children live according to God's ways.

Biblical Foundations

The Bible frequently highlights the joy that parents experience when their children choose the path of wisdom and righteousness. Proverbs 23:24-25 states, "The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him. May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice." This passage underscores the deep satisfaction and happiness that parents feel when their children embody godly virtues.

Similarly, Proverbs 10:1 declares, "A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother." This proverb contrasts the joy of having a wise child with the sorrow that comes from foolishness, emphasizing the profound impact a child's choices have on their parents' emotional well-being.

The Role of Wisdom and Righteousness

The joy experienced by parents is closely tied to the wisdom and righteousness of their children. Wisdom, in the biblical sense, is not merely intellectual knowledge but a practical application of God's truth in daily life. Proverbs 15:20 states, "A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother." This highlights the importance of wisdom as a source of parental joy.

Righteousness, or living in accordance with God's commandments, is another key factor. In 3 John 1:4 , the apostle John expresses a sentiment that resonates with many parents: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." This verse captures the essence of parental joy derived from children who live faithfully according to God's Word.

Parental Responsibility and Influence

While the joy of having good children is a blessing, it is also closely linked to the responsibility of parents to nurture and guide their children in the ways of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This verse underscores the importance of parental instruction and the long-term impact it can have on a child's life.

Parents are called to be examples of godliness and to instill biblical values in 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." By doing so, parents lay the foundation for their children's future choices and, consequently, their own joy.

The Joy of Legacy

The joy experienced by parents of good children extends beyond the immediate family and into the realm of legacy. Psalm 127:3-5 describes children as a heritage from the Lord and a reward, likening them to arrows in the hands of a warrior. "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them," the psalmist declares, highlighting the long-term joy and blessing that come from raising children who honor God.

In conclusion, the joy experienced by parents of good children is a profound and multifaceted blessing rooted in the wisdom and righteousness of the children, the faithful guidance of the parents, and the enduring legacy of a godly family. The Scriptures affirm this joy as a reflection of God's goodness and faithfulness to those who diligently seek to raise their children in His ways.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begets a wise child shall have joy of him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Children Brought to Christ, and not to the Font
... Parents! ... Unless you have felt so much depression of spirit, or experienced a certain ...
these: this I have noticed about them, they have greater joy and rejoicing ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/children brought to christ and.htm

Sixth Lesson. How Much More?'
... He appeals to what every one has seen and experienced here on ... Lord asks us to look
up from earthly parents, of whom ... and love of the father are the joy of his ...
/.../murray/with christ in the school of prayer/sixth lesson how much more.htm

The Christian Training of Children.
... bears less heavily on the more pious and experienced and wise ... see in our faces nothing
but our joy in being ... Parents ought, by the nature of things, to be able ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/viii the christian training of.htm

The Domestic Relation.
... the Lord is the real secret of the joy experienced in the ... the spirit of man with
the "oil of joy" when he ... Parents by carelessness can in a very short time ruin ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter xiii the domestic relation.htm

Infancy.
... and sympathies, new-born and never before experienced; cords in ... It abdicates its
self-will with joy; silently do ... As they are to us, their parents, so should we ...
//christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter ix infancy.htm

2 Kings iv. 25, 26.
... She had experienced the Power of his Prayers, in answer to ... the Desire of our
Eyes[t], and the Joy of our ... or to shew how much Cause Christian Parents have to ...
/.../submission to divine providence in the death of children/2 kings iv 25 26.htm

Letter i. The Christian's Mark.
... be satisfied with what they have already experienced, and to ... while under conviction,
before they found "joy and peace ... that ask him, than earthly parents are to ...
/.../letter i the christians mark.htm

The First Games
... He experienced beforehand, as a rhetorician, the intoxication of a ... Monnica must have
seen this sign with joy. ... and came to complain to his parents, they laughed ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iv the first games.htm

Vocation of Therese
... earth, cried out in a transport of joy: "I bless ... Now and then I experienced what
were indeed raptures of ... it should have received from its parents, and hearing ...
/.../martin/the story of a soul/chapter v vocation of therese.htm

How, after the Death of Joshua their Commander, the Israelites ...
... The Laws Of Their Country, And Experienced Great Afflictions ... Benjamites returned
to the city with joy, and the ... nor forbid them; and when their parents take it ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how after the.htm