A wise son listens to his father.

“A wise son.”
There is great hope for this son.  There is an enormous difference between the wise son and the foolish son.  Where parents are blessed by the wise son, there is a heaviness to their responsibility with a foolish child.

“…but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother,” (Proverbs 10:1b).

“…but a foolish man despiseth his mother,” (Proverbs 15:20b).

“A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him,” (Proverbs 17:25).

“A foolish son is the calamity of his father,” (Proverbs 19:13a).

“Heareth his father’s instruction:”
This makes sense.  He is wise who will listen to those who are more experienced with life, who have already walked the way the young man must go.  The ones who have the most invested in the young are their parents.  They are far more caring and concerned than anyone in the world.  Logically, they are the best ones to teach wisdom to their children.  Indeed, this is the message consistently given to dad and mom in the scriptures, parents are to teach their children.  Wise are the parents that realize each of their children are different, and while there are similarities of needs, there are also different ways to reach each child’s heart.  Parenting is not “one size fits all…”

What is it that the “wise son” hears?  It is the “instruction” of his father.  In the context of this verse, the word “instruction” has the idea of “correction” or “discipline.”  It is the hard lessons in life that the wise son is listening to when his parents speak.  The wise son wants to hear what his father says to him for he knows that it will help him become even wiser.

“But a scorner.”
There is little hope for this son.  The scornful child has issues with his God-given authorities.  This word “scorner” is translated from the Hebrew word that means, “to scorn, make mouths at, talk arrogantly.”1  This phrase “make mouths at” means this person described is mocking those who are doing right.  He is “scorning” them.  He will scoff at the wise son for hearing and doing what his father tells him to do.  To the scorner, it is foolish to listen and obey.

“Heareth not rebuke.”
When his parents correct him, he will not listen.  This is a sure sign of a fool.  He is arrogant and thinks he does no wrong, no matter the pleading words from his parents to the contrary.  He ignores them to his own hurt.

“He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth,” (Proverbs 10:17).

Parents, pray for your children that they will have soft hearts to hear what the LORD has to say to them, as you faithfully teach them what the LORD has taught you.

1.  Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.