These passages say, “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother. Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
A wise son is one who will make good decisions in his life. These decisions will help him become independent and provide well for himself and his family. Therefore, the father of such a son will not have to continue to support the son into adulthood. Indeed, this will make a father glad.
A foolish son is one who will make wrong decisions and remain dependent on his parents. A foolish son will also be disrespectful of his parents and not honor them as the Bible commands. Therefore, this will cause grief to the mother of such a son.
Ill-gotten gains are those that are acquired by violating God’s Word. Therefore, these gains will not produce blessings in a person’s life. Rather, they will result in God’s judgment. A person will not enjoy ill-gotten gains, and they will likely become a burden.
Benefits and blessings are the result of living rightly before God. When one lives rightly before God, God sees them as being righteous. The Bible says that God will bless the righteous during their lifetime. He will also grant them spiritual life after they die. Indeed God will deliver them from death.
