Proverbs 17:6

Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

If you read through the Scriptures, you will find a good many crowns. The woman is the crown of the man, fathers are the crown of children, and grandchildren are the crown of grandfathers. From 1 Corinthians 11:5ff we learn that the man is the glory of God, and the woman is the glory of the man. As a crown announces to all the honor due to the one who wears it, so the mere existence of a man announces to the world the honor and glory due to God Who created him.

Now we may better understand the verse at hand. When somebody snaps a picture of a grandfather surrounded by his five children and thirty-two grandchildren at a family reunion, it makes for quite an impressive picture! All of these grandchildren and children serve as a sort of crown, presenting the grandfather as a man who is worthy of great honor. None of them would be there had it not been for this man.

Yet the converse is true as well—“The glory of children are their fathers.” What renders honor and value to a child is the love of a father! The father/child relationship is fundamental to a child’s sense of well-being and dignity. A father’s love is one-thousand times more important than getting into a good college or inheriting ten million dollars from a distant relative. But more than this, a well-respected father gives the son and daughter a certain credibility as well. If a father is serving time in prison for drug trafficking, his reputation will not provide much credibility to his children.

This is a powerful verse indeed, as it speaks to the precious value of our relationships and our heritage.

Proverbs 17:7

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

In January of 2010, a Navy commander was stripped of her command of the U.S.S. Cowpens, because of her habitual use of foul language with her subordinates. Apparently, even the decadent, humanist systems of the day still maintain some regard for “excellent speech” and an honorable decorum. Princes, army generals, and political leaders may get away with lies and dishonoring language for a little while, but they are only undermining themselves and the organizations they pretend to lead when they give way to these things. When the Vice President of the United States used some of the most foul language imaginable at the signing of the socialist health care bill of 2010, it was only another indication that the empire was in its final death throes.

Fools are incapable of excellent speech. They may resort to reading from a teleprompter as many leaders do today, and if they are careful not to intersperse their own thoughts in their speech, they may come across as someone better than a fool. But should they vent their own thought in an honest moment, the truth will show their character. They are fools, and soon everyone will know it.

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean when the Bible speaks of grandchildren as the crown of a grandfather? What is meant by the term “crown”?

2. What can fathers do to honor their children?

3. How often do you hear princes and politicians tell lies? What does this do to the integrity of the political systems over us?