God's Heart

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GOD’S HEART

Prov 17:25

25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

NIV

Once again we could see this in the view of human parental suffering over a child who has left the household of faith to walk with the world, but we could also see this from God’s view. Even though the truth does exist in the human realm, that both a father and a mother experience grief and bitterness over a child who has become foolish, it is with the realm of God this truth finds the target. God is both our Father and the one who bore us in the sense he created us. When a person is foolish which is defined as ungodly, he is grieved. God has no pleasure in passing judgment on those who refuse his provision for salvation, but rather he is bitter over having to cast them into the lake of burning sulfur. Such a loving God does not want anyone to experience his wrath, he keeps it hidden, and hoping all will come to know his grace. But the day is coming when those foolish sons and daughter will see the grieving and embittered Father, where we shall see our loving and gracious redeemer. The human father certainly grieves over a wayward son and a mother has to feel a certain amount of bitterness about her child who has refused God, but the heart of God is far more touched by these feelings over his creation, his people, and the desire of his heart as we are that desire of God’s heart.