The Public Defense of a Godly Son Text: Proverbs 27:11
Introduction: The Family as Apologetic
We live in an age that has declared war on the family, and by extension, on fatherhood. The world sneers at the very notion of patriarchal authority and biblical wisdom. The reproacher is not a hypothetical figure hiding in the shadows; he has a microphone, a television network, a university lectern, and a seat in Congress. He reproaches the Christian father for his faith, for his standards, for his refusal to bow the knee to the spirit of the age. He calls our way of life oppressive, our beliefs bigoted, and our God a tyrant. He looks at the Christian family and says, "See? It doesn't work. It's a relic of a bygone era, a source of trauma and repression."
Into this cacophony of reproach, the book of Proverbs speaks with a sharp, practical, and deeply personal word. It does not tell the father to go write a ten-volume systematic theology to answer his critics, though sound doctrine is essential. It does not tell him to win a debate on formal logic, though clear thinking is a gift from God. No, the instruction here is far more foundational, far more potent. The answer to the one who reproaches is not found primarily in the father's clever arguments, but in the son's demonstrated wisdom. The ultimate apologetic is a well-ordered, godly life. The family is the proving ground of the faith.
This verse is a compact treatise on covenant succession, parental joy, and spiritual warfare. It reveals that how a son lives his life has profound public implications. His wisdom, or his folly, is a testimony. It either vindicates his father's instruction and the God his father serves, or it hands ammunition to the enemy. This is not about putting an unbearable pressure on our children to be perfect. It is about recognizing the glorious, weighty reality that our private lives are never truly private. We are always living before the face of God, and as a consequence, we are always living before a watching world, a world that includes both saints and scoffers.
So, this proverb is a charge to the son, but it is also an encouragement to the father. It ties their hearts together in a common cause. The father's gladness is not a selfish, sentimental thing. It is a warrior's joy. It is the satisfaction of seeing his legacy, his faith, and his God publicly vindicated in the character of his heir. It is the joy of having a ready answer for the mocker, an answer that is not merely spoken, but lived.
The Text
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may respond with a word to him who reproaches me.
(Proverbs 27:11 LSB)
The Foundation of Joy (v. 11a)
The first clause lays the foundation. It is a simple, direct command from a father to a son.
"Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad..." (Proverbs 27:11a)
The call is to "be wise." In Proverbs, wisdom is never an abstract, intellectual pursuit. It is not about accumulating degrees or acing trivia night. Biblical wisdom, the Hebrew chokmah, is skill in the art of godly living. It is the practical application of God's truth to every corner of life, from managing finances to controlling your tongue, from choosing friends to honoring your parents. It is knowing the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, and then walking out that fear in the marketplace, the home, and the public square. It is knowing how the world works because you know the God who made it work.
This father is pleading with his son to acquire this skill. He is not saying, "Be successful," or "Be popular," or "Be happy" in the world's cheap sense of the term. He is saying, "Be wise." All those other things are downstream from wisdom. A wise son will know true success, true fellowship, and true joy. A foolish son will chase after the counterfeits and find only ruin.
The direct result of the son's wisdom is the father's gladness. "Make my heart glad." This is not the superficial happiness of a father whose son just hit a home run. This is a deep, covenantal joy. Why does a wise son make a father's heart glad? Because the father sees his instruction taking root. He sees the truths he has poured into his son bearing fruit. He sees the family line, the covenant line, continuing in faithfulness. He sees his son navigating the world with skill and honor, avoiding the snares of the fool and the adulteress. This is the joy of a master craftsman seeing his apprentice build something true and lasting.
This gladness is a righteous affection. A father ought to be glad when his children walk in the truth (3 John 4). This is a reflection of the very heart of God the Father, who takes pleasure in the obedience of His Son. When Jesus was baptized, the Father's voice thundered from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). That is the ultimate expression of this principle. The perfect wisdom of the Son brings ultimate gladness to the heart of the Father.
The Purpose of Joy (v. 11b)
The second clause gives the reason, the purpose, for this fatherly joy. It is not an end in itself. It has a polemical, apologetic edge.
"...That I may respond with a word to him who reproaches me." (Proverbs 27:11b LSB)
Here we see the public dimension of private faithfulness. The father lives in a world of mockers. The "reproacher" is the one who taunts, who scoffs, who criticizes. What is he reproaching the father for? For his faith. For his trust in a God the reproacher cannot see. For his commitment to a moral law the reproacher despises. The reproacher says, "Your religion is a crutch. Your morality is outdated. Your parenting is foolish. Look at the world. Your way is failing."
And what is the father's best answer? It is not a syllogism. It is his son. The father can turn to the reproacher and say, "You claim my God is false and my way is folly? Look at my son. Look at his integrity. Look at his work ethic. Look at his marriage. Look at his children. He is wise. He is flourishing. My instruction, rooted in the fear of the Lord, has produced this. Now, what has your philosophy produced? What is the fruit of your rebellion? You are answered."
A wise and godly son becomes a living, breathing argument for the truth of the Christian faith. He is the embodiment of the father's worldview. This is why the rebellion of a pastor's son, for example, is such a potent weapon in the hands of the enemy. The world points and says, "See? He can't even manage his own household. Why should we listen to him about anything?" This is not always fair, as every child has his own will, but it is the logic of the reproacher, and this proverb acknowledges that reality.
The father's ability to "respond with a word" is his vindication. The word he speaks is backed by the reality of his son's life. It is not an empty boast. This is presuppositional apologetics in the living room. We are not arguing for the faith in a vacuum. We are demonstrating its truthfulness by the kind of people it produces. Our families are exhibits, for better or for worse, in the great courtroom of the world. A wise son silences the mocker. He puts the lie to the claim that God's way is a way of misery and failure.
Conclusion: The Ultimate Son and the Final Answer
This proverb finds its ultimate fulfillment in the relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The world has reproached God from the beginning. In the garden, the serpent reproached God, questioning His goodness and His word. Throughout history, men have shaken their fists at heaven, reproaching God for His law, His justice, and His sovereignty.
And what is God the Father's ultimate answer to every reproacher? It is His Son. Jesus Christ is the perfectly wise Son who made the Father's heart glad. He walked in perfect wisdom, perfect obedience, perfect skill for living. He is the embodiment of all that Proverbs calls us to be.
When the world reproaches God and says He is distant, unloving, and harsh, the Father points to the Son on the cross and says, "That is my answer. That is how much I love you." When the world reproaches God and says His law is impossible and His standard is too high, the Father points to the Son's perfect life and says, "That is my answer. My law has been fulfilled on your behalf." When the world reproaches God and says that death has the final word, the Father points to the empty tomb and says, "That is my answer. My Son has conquered death, and in Him, you may also have life."
Jesus Christ is the Father's final, unanswerable word to a world of reproachers. And by faith in Him, we are adopted into God's family. We become sons of God. And as His sons, we are now called to live wisely, not to earn our salvation, but to demonstrate it. We are called to live in such a way that we make our Father's heart glad. Our wise living, our integrity, our faithfulness, becomes part of His great answer to the scoffing world.
So, the charge to us is the same as the one in this proverb. Be wise. Walk in the fear of the Lord. Put your skill for living on display. Do it for the gladness of your Father in heaven. And do it so that when the world reproaches your God, your very life is a compelling, irrefutable, and glorious answer.