Proverbs 27:11 “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him who reproaches me.”
The Father spoke often to the son earlier in the book about the significance of wisdom and the son’s responsibility to her. Here, the Father instructs the son to be wise.
The Son gaining wisdom and employing wisdom in his decisions would be the source of a glad heart for the father. The word glad means to brighten up, to be gleesome: – cheer up, be (make) glad, (have make) joy (-ful), be (make) merry, (cause to make to) rejoice. A wise son makes his father glad because he is making wise decisions and wise choices yield a good outcome.
For a parent, there is no greater day of rejoicing than when a child decides to follow Jesus. We sometimes say, “when they obey the Gospel,” and by that, we mean they have made the decision to follow Jesus based on their understanding of the Gospel. This should be the most joyful occasion in our lives regarding our children because we understand they have made a wise decision to allow Jesus to pay their debt for sin, meaning they will not have to pay it when they stand before Him. That joyful feeling continues when we observe that they are continuing in faith.
As a spiritual father the Apostle John writes, “I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3rd John 2-3
How satisfying is it to see the fruit of wisdom in the lives of our children?
Our Father in Heaven has these same feelings about us, to an even greater degree. The instructions that God provides us with are for our good. We grieve Him when we make foolish decisions, and we make Him glad when we make wise decisions. Why? For the same reasons that we as parents are grieved and glad, He loves us; He wants what is best for us; therefore, He instructs us in the way that we should go, and we can trust that His instruction is always for our good.
The 2nd part of our Proverb says, “That I may answer him who reproaches me.”
If the son failed to display wisdom and morality in his conduct the father may be charged, blamed or ridiculed for the son’s failure. This isn’t to say that the father failed, however, the charge most likely would still be imposed on the father. The son being wise leaves no foundation for the accuser.
We should consider this regarding our heavenly Father, while He has no requirement to answer anyone and has NEVER failed us, our actions often shape others’ view of our Father in Heaven. Foolish actions may result in GOD being spoken evil of, while wise decisions eliminate the footing of those reproaches against our GOD.
Peter writes, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” 1st Peter 2:11-12
Let us be wise and make our Father’s heart glad.
Prospering Pathway 
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