What does Proverbs 15:20 mean?
Once again Solomon compares the relationship of wise children to their parents. The use of the father, in one phrase, and the mother, in the second, is part of the poetic structure of the verse. As a son is obedient to and respectful of his parents, he honors the Lord, who commands, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12; cf. Ephesians 6:1–3). The parents of a wise son experience gladness because of the child's obedience to them and to God.However, the parents of foolish children are often the object of their offspring's hatred. Even diligent parents can have lazy or immoral children who blame their parents for their own failures. They may resent rules and discipline (Proverbs 12:1), even when it's given in a loving way (Proverbs 15:5; Ephesians 6:4). All too often, we accuse others of causing the consequences brought on by our own actions (Genesis 3:11–13; Proverbs 5:11–14). This is especially painful when parents watch it happen to their own children.
Each child is an individual; very different children can be raised by the same parents. One child honors his parents by wisely fearing the Lord and obeying the parents; another child rebels against what his parents teach him, and he rejects the Lord. Every person is accountable to the Lord for his attitudes and actions, but parents must try to steer every child in the right direction.
Proverbs 15:13–30 continues Solomon's contrasting descriptions of the wise and the foolish. In this book, those ideas are associated with accepting or rejecting God's truth, respectively (Proverbs 1:7). He writes about the gladness of the upright, wise person and the depressing existence of the wicked, foolish person. He contrasts attitudes, thoughts, and actions of both kinds of individuals, and he states that the Lord is far from the wicked but close enough to the righteous to hear their prayers.
Solomon begins this chapter of Proverbs by addressing subjects such as anger and self-control and how those reactions produce different responses from others. That extends to how carefully a person guards their words, and their responses to questions. Wise people seek wisdom and humbly accept it. Foolish people are careless, lazy, or arrogant. Solomon also notes the importance of perspective, and once again commends those who sincerely seek godly wisdom.
