Proverbs 17:6, “Children’s children are the crown of old men.”
In Eastern countries, having many children is considered a great blessing. This would guarantee that the family name would continue for generations. The older we get, the more we like the thought of our family name being carried on and the traditions we share with our families. In Proverbs 17:6, we are told that grandchildren are the crown of our old age.
A crown is something to be worn on top of our head. It has a prominent place for all to see. Crowns are usually made of gold and adorned with a variety of beautiful jewels. The writer of Proverbs must have known a few grandmas and grandpas to describe grandchildren in this fashion.
The only way to enjoy grandchildren is to live long. Ephesians tells us that if we honor our parents, our days will be extended. This is the first commandment with promise. So, younger readers, listen up. It is right, and good promises come with the honoring of your parents.
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
Proverbs 10:27 also gives us a reason for a longer life: the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. “
In Genesis 48:11, Jacob is blessed when he is brought to Joseph, and he sees his grandchildren for the first time. Over and over in scripture, we see the blessings of living for God, but these blessings come from living a godly life yourself and training your own children to live godly lives.
It’s not enough to just have “good kids,” we need to raise godly kids. A sign that you have done it right is found in your grandchildren.
If you have raised your own children to be godly, they, in turn, will pass that down. You raise godly children not by just telling them what to do. It’s not just by living it in front of them either. It takes training them to know what is right according to God’s word. To teach them that they are accountable to God wherever they go. One day, they will no longer be under your care and supervision; they will be making their own decisions. Will they make many mistakes? Yes, and so did you, but if they have truly been marked with who God is, and what his word teaches, and that they will ultimately answer to him, it will make an impact that will last a lifetime. It will make an impact that they will pass on to their own children. Then you may say your children’s children are a crown to you.
We are not only to raise up godly sons and daughters, but we are to raise them, to raise the same kind of children. Then there will be hope for the future!
We are very blessed to have four grandchildren. They are all saved and love to live their lives to please God. Three are in college now, and another has graduated from a Christian college with a degree in ministry and now serves as a youth minister in a missions church. Each one is serving and seeking God’s will for their life. We are very thankful that our children have continued on the path they were taught. What a joy it is to know that all of your immediate family loves the Lord and seeks to live their lives to please Him. It is only by God’s grace that we can experience this, but His grace is big enough to include you and anyone who seeks to follow.
Let us all be faithful to keep passing on a seed of godly children, not just good kids.
III John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
