Proverbs 17:6,  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

This proverb talks about crowns and it talks about glory.

It talks about old men and their grandchildren, and it talks about children and fathers.

The two parts of this proverb are related and the actions of one part affects the other part.

Fathers play an important role in the lives of their children and the success of that role will affect the quality of their grandchildren.

This proverb tells us that children see their fathers in a special way.

Their fathers are their glory.

They see there fathers through rose colored glasses.

They see their fathers through eyes of hope.

Father's actions seem right to the child.

If father said it, it must be true!

Father's actions are actions to pattern their life by.

Their fathers are larger than life.

Father's are children's boasts.

They see their fathers somewhat as God.

Fathers have much authority over their lives and are the providers of all of their needs.

If a child has a need who do they know who will satisfy that need?

Note that this proverb does not say that the glory of children is God Almighty.

Children do not see God. Children see their father.

That is how God intends things to be.

That is how God has arranged things.

That, fathers, is the reason why your responsibility to be the right kind of father is so important.

God will not rear your child for you, fathers! God gives you that delight and that privilege.

You are the beginning of the child's journey to the Father in heaven.

The scripture says in Proverbs 22:6,  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Your responsibility is to provide a hand to the child with the goal of the child willingly transferring that hand to God.

You are the child's glory that will reveal the Father in heaven to him.

What you do will show the child what the Father in heaven is like.

A man named Cleaver said, "A good root makes the branches to flourish, by virtue of the lively sap that it sendeth up. And flourishing branches win praise to the root, for the pleasant fruit which they bring forth."

(How many times to you praise the root for the fruit you eat?)

Psalm 78:1-7,  Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

But if the father carries out his responsibility and his children carry out their responsibility then his children's children will be a crown to him.

As a crown is a sign of completion, godly grandchildren are a symbol of completion of a successful life lived for God.

The old man's grandchildren will be as a special headdress worn by royalty and people of high merit and honor.

The old man shall be as David when he wore his golden crown as a prize of battle when leading his forces in combat.

The old man's crown of grandchildren shall be as Paul's crown of righteousness that will not decay and as James' crown of life.

We do not consider the importance of our actions relative to future generations in spite of the scripture's admonitions to us.

When called upon to build a building or any structure we ask the question, What is the building for?

What is its intended purpose?

How long is it expected to last?

Ask the same questions concerning the building of children and their children.

The answer should be that you are building for eternity and in building for eternity we need to plant the foundations deep and make them mighty and place the best material in the structure taking much care in how we build.

Considering our future grandchildren as we rear our children will exhort us to lay deep foundations in their lives in order for them to continue to build their children on those strong foundations that their fathers laid.

As this proverb indicates, the quality of a man's children is revealed in his grandchildren.

That is when the crown comes. That is when he has finished his course.