Question
I have a question about the Father’s exhortation given in the first 9 chapters of Proverbs. It seems to me that in many places, He is exhorting the son to “receive words” but those words are not the actual instruction or wisdom, rather they are merely exhortations. This especially seems true in Proverbs 2:1-8. The father is actively admonishing the son to get that wisdom, yet, the Father seems to only take the role of exhorter and not educator. Do you understand the Father to be taking that position here?
Response
You are right in recognizing that the father’s exhortations are primarily exhortations pertaining to the education that the son is receiving, either in the form of what I call a ‘pre-doctrinal exhortation’ or a ‘post-doctrinal exhortation.’ And so when the father’s exhortation pertains to things that the son needs to understand, appreciate, and respond to before he actually gets taught a particular aspect of his sonship education, (and therefore is what I call a ‘pre-doctrinal exhortation’), then this means that when the father appeals to his son to ‘receive his words’ he generally is referring to the very words of his exhortation, or else he is referring to the upcoming words for his education that he is going to give him. However, when the father’s exhortation pertains to certain things that the son needs to understand and appreciate after he has been taught a particular aspect of his sonship education, (and therefore is what I call a ‘post-doctrinal exhortation’), then this means that when the father refers to ‘/his/ [my] words,’ or to ‘/his/ [my] law or commandments,’ or when he uses /a/ [some other] similar type expression, he is generally referring to the particular aspect of the sonship education that he has just given to the son.
Keep in mind that the various fatherly exhortations, admonitions, and the like, that are set forth in Proverbs 1 through 9 contain the full basic scope of all the exhortations, etc., that a father gives to his son as his son progresses through his sonship education from its beginning to its end. This is why some of the exhortations are of the ‘pre-doctrinal’ type, and others are of the ‘post-doctrinal’ type. And this is also why the nature and contents of the exhortations [change] /that are set forth/[.] [F]or example, [this is why those] in Proverbs 1-2 are somewhat different from those that are in chapters 3-4; and why those that are set forth in chapters 5-7, and then in chapters 8-9, have some noticeable differences from those back in chapters 3 and 4. For the various exhortations, admonitions, etc., purposely correspond to specific contents of the education that the father is giving to his son, and that his son is receiving. And their progressive and developing nature is commensurate with, and directly tied to, the progress that the son is making in his education and edification/;/ [while] /with/ the sonship education itself [is] /being/ contained in the appropriate and accompanying body of doctrine that the Lord has given for that education.
Now even though the father’s exhortations, admonitions, and the like, that are set forth in Proverbs 1-9 are generally of the ‘pre-doctrinal’ and ‘post-doctrinal’ variety, (with the [doctrines] /words/ for the sonship education itself being contained in the accompanying body of doctrine that the Lord has given for the education), this does not mean that the father ‘only exhorts and does not teach’; or in other words, only exhorts his son about his education, but does not actually engage in the education of his son. For the father does both/;/ [] /with/ the exhortations, etc… of Proverbs 1-9 [are] /relating/ all of the various progressive exhortations, admonitions, and the like that he gives his son as takes his son through the curriculum for his sonship education and [as] he teaches him its contents.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
20070609 A36 S