Welcome to Week 5 of our Family Bible Study in the book of Proverbs! Today, our focus will be on the importance of listening to advice from parents and other wise individuals that God has placed in your life. Let’s spend today talking about it and learning to live it out!
Why Proverbs? Proverbs is a book of wisdom for real life–helping us make good decisions, work hard, and choose wise friends. But it’s not merely good advice. Biblical wisdom is knowledge applied to everyday life for the glory of God. The goal of this Bible study series is to lead our kids in developing practical skills to live by God’s rules in God’s world. Let’s inspire our children to embrace these timeless truths and deepen their understanding of God’s purpose for their lives!
This post is divided into two parts. The first section is aimed at parents to help you gain a better understanding of the Bible passage before teaching it to your children. The second section is the Family Bible Study, including a prayer, discussion questions, and a family activity.
Let’s Study the Bible Together: For Parents
Read Bible Passage: Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.“
Big Idea: Wisdom is the prize for the teachable person who looks for and accepts advice from a wise person.
We all want our children to be wise, confident, competent, and loving. However, wisdom isn’t something that comes from within — it begins with listening. Proverbs 19:20 tells us, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” In a world that praises independence and self-reliance, this verse teaches us that a teachable spirit is at the heart of a godly life.
The Importance of Listening to Advice
The proverb begins by instructing the reader to listen to advice. The assumption in this verse is that we’re listening to wise and godly advice, because you don’t have to travel too far into Instagram or TikTok to learn that most of it is not helpful or wise. As we prepare to teach these verses to our children during family devotions, please take a moment to explain the importance of learning from wise people. This includes more than just actual people, but also the source of the information we and our children consume — what we watch, listen to, and discuss.
The Importance of Accepting Instruction
The next part of this verse is to accept the instruction that the wise person gives. In many ways, it sounds similar to “listening to advice”, but the difference is substantial in real life. I can think of numerous times when I was given good advice from my parents, coaches, and even my wife, but I still ended up doing what I wanted to do in the first place. I wasn’t looking for advice; I was looking for someone to agree with what I really wanted to do. Good old-fashioned confirmation bias. Can you relate to that?
It takes curiosity to listen to advice, but it takes humility to accept instruction and heed wise counsel.
Listening to advice and accepting those instructions as the best option are not the same. It takes curiosity to listen to advice, but it takes humility to accept instruction and heed wise counsel. Both listening and accepting instruction, presumably from a wise source, will put you on a path leading to wisdom.
The Goal: Wisdom in the Future
The result of listening to and accepting wise advice is that you will gain wisdom in the future. Wisdom is a long-term investment. Fellow parents, just like we invest our money for retirement with 401(k)’s and Roth IRAs, wisdom is also an investment that will pay dividends in the future. Learning to listen and accept advice is an investment in our own lives and the lives of our children. The compound interest of wisdom will be more impressive than any monetary interest you earn with your financial investments in the future.
Conclusion
Children who learn to value and listen to wise counsel now will be better equipped to navigate life’s complexities later. Any child can benefit from learning these skills. But I would be remiss without mentioning that a proper understanding of this portion of God’s Word cannot be accomplished apart from the Gospel. We are sinners separated from a holy God. Only the redemptive work of Jesus through His sinless life, death, and resurrection brings the forgiveness that is needed for us to truly obey.
Understanding this Proverb from a Gospel-perspective will help you lead your kids toward that kind of wisdom by helping them recognize the value of listening, learning from godly voices, and trusting that God speaks through those He places in our lives.
Additional Reading:
Understanding the Gospel: A Parent’s Guide
Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.“
Proverbs 15:22– “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Family Bible Study: The Importance of Listening to Advice
Opening Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for our family and the time we can spend together studying the Bible. Please open our eyes to learn wisdom from the book of Proverbs and give us the strength to live out what we learn. We need you, Lord. Amen.
Read Bible Passage: Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.“
Discussion Questions
Here are two sets of questions: one for younger children (7 and under) and another for older children (8 and up). If you have kids in both age groups, I encourage you to mix it up to reach the whole family!
Younger Kid Questions
What does it mean to listen to advice?
Can you think of a time someone gave you helpful advice? Could you tell us about it?
Have you ever asked your parents for advice and then did something different anyway?
Why do you think God wants us to listen instead of always doing things our own way?
Older Kid Questions
Why is it sometimes hard to accept advice, even when it’s good?
How can you tell the difference between wise advice and foolish advice?
What kind of people should we go to for advice? Why?
How will listening to good advice and instructions now help us to be come wise people in the future?
Note for Parents: You know your kids better than anyone else, so feel free to adjust the questions to work for your family. Enjoy!
Memory Verse: Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.“
Family Life Application
Game – Wise or Foolish?
Instructions: Go through a list of scenarios with your kids and have them decide whether the action was wise or foolish. Ask why after each “wise” or “foolish” answer. Have fun with these and feel free to add some of your own scenarios!
- You ask your hamster for advice on what to wear to school.
- You take notes while your pastor preaches so that you’ll remember what you learned.
- Your friend asks you to help him trick your teacher to stay out of trouble.
- Your grandpop teaches you how to treat others with kindness.
- Your brother tells you to stay awake with him the whole night before you leave for vacation.
- Your parents tell you to get to bed early so you have plenty of energy before you leave for vacation.
Closing Prayer: Ask a different family member to end your time in prayer each session.
Note for Parents: Please share a comment to let me know how the Bible study went!
Additional Resources:
Week Four of our Proverbs study – The Heart Matters
Understanding the Gospel: Are Parent’s Guide
Family Discipleship: A Biblical Guide for Parents
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