The fool says in his heart “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1), lives as if there’s no God and ends up eternally separated from God. The wise acknowledges there’s a God, lives to please God and ends up eternally enjoying communion with God. Those who are wise acknowledge that God is there and He is not silent. How has He spoken?
“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. ” - Hebrews 1:1-2 (CSB)
A. God made Himself known through His creative work.
God is the creator of the universe; and wise is the person who accepts the evidence that leads to this conclusion.
“Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.” - Sir Isaac Newton
“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” - Milton Berle
The only reasonable explanation for the universe is God.
B. God made himself known through His written Word: the Bible.
Before the coming of the Messiah, we’re told God spoke through His Word in three ways (Jeremiah 18:18): 1)
Priests taught the law of God; 2) Prophets spoke the declarations of God; and 3) Sages shared the wisdom of God. Because even if we seek the holiness of the Law or are inspired by the visions of the prophets, we can still make a mess of our everyday lives, our families, our work places, our communities and our world. So God’s inspired Word includes wisdom literature, like the book of Proverbs.
C. God made Himself known through the living Word: Jesus.
Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation of Himself to mankind.
“And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).” - John 1:14 (Amplified)
The Old Testament says the Messiah would be anointed with wisdom (Isaiah 11:2-3); and the New Testament says Jesus is wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Do you remember how Jesus finished His Sermon on the Mount? He said how a person responded to Him is actually choosing between being wise or being a fool.
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.” - Matthew 7:24; 26 (NLT)
Jesus is the best counselor for all people in all seasons of life. Through accepting His provision for our forgiveness through His sacrifice on the cross, we can have a personal relationship with Him, and receive the gift of eternal life. And now, through our relationship with Him, we can receive guidance to live wisely. As we look at the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, in books like Proverbs, we can consider and learn from the wisdom revealed by the preincarnate Christ.
Proverbs is good news for bad people. It’s about grace for sinners, hope for failures, and wisdom for idiots. It’s Jesus Himself coming to us as our life coach through the inspiration of Scripture. Jesus is our priest and prophet, but He’s also our mentor. He’s the greatest expert on you and me; and He alone is qualified to have that kind of say in our lives. So let’s see what He has to say in Proverbs.
1. The introduction to this book - v. 1
A. How the material of this book is presented - “proverbs”
A proverb is a little verbal representation of a truth about our daily lives. It tells us something about our lives we can meditate on and learn from before we experience it. The world says, “Live and learn.” Through these biblical proverbs, God is saying, “Learn and live.”
B. Who the person is sharing the proverbs - “Solomon”
Solomon, son of David, king of Israel is the primary human author. He was granted wisdom by God (2 Chronicles 1:7-12) and became famous for his wisdom, writing over 3,000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:29-34). Additionally, in chapter 30, we have proverbs from Agur the son of Jakeh to Ithiel and Ucal and in chapter 31, the words of King Lemuel.
2. The benefits of this book - vs. 2-3 This book will help us . . .
A. Develop right thinking - v. 2 Which comes from learning:
1) Wisdom - What’s wisdom? Wisdom is understanding how life works, and how to use that understanding to achieve good results.
“We see a picture of wisdom in Exodus 35:31, where the word translated ‘wisdom’ in Proverbs 1:2 is used for the skill of an artist adorning the tabernacle. We see wisdom in Jeremiah 10:9 where the expertise of goldsmiths is called ‘the work of skilled men,’ or wise men. We see wisdom in Psalm 107:27 for the know-how of sailors, who use the winds and tides to make their way through the sea to their destination. Whether craftsmanship working with the materials of life or seamanship steering through the currents of life, so to speak, wisdom understands how real life can work well. Wisdom knows better than to walk onto the football field and hope the game will go well somehow; wisdom draws up a game plan that will score more touchdowns than the opponents because that plan takes into account not only the rules of the game but also psychology and timing and strategy and everything it takes to win. That is wisdom.” - Ray Ortlund
2) Discipline - This refers to refusing the bad and choosing the good. Sometimes we develop discipline as a result of the mistakes we make and sometimes we develop discipline as a result of the mistakes we avoid. It’s nice to know we can develop discipline by applying the wisdom of Proverbs, instead of learning everything the hard way. In this book, God allows us to see the bad choices others have made, so we can learn to refuse the bad and choose the good!
3) Insight - While discipline relates to refusing the bad and choosing the good, insight refers to the ability to recognize what is best. Often, our biggest problem in life is not discerning between the good and the bad, but the better and the best.
B. Do right things - v. 3
The result of developing right thinking is we’ll live a life characterized by discipline, refusing the bad and choosing the good, and prudence, which is the same as insight, which means we’ll choose the best over the good. So we’ll do what is right and just and fair.
3. The audience for this book - vs. 4-6
A. The simple - v. 4 - The unlearned person.
B. The young - v. 4 - The inexperienced person.
C. The wise - v. 5a - A wise person realizes they don’t know it all!
D. The discerning - v. 5b-6 This last person can be any of the previous three, if they are seeking to gain discernment and get guidance from what is contained in this book. Everyone can take a new step in their walk with God - the simple, the youthful, the wise, whether they be unlearned, or inexperienced, or filled with wisdom, discipline and insight; all have room to grow, and all can grow together!
4. The theme of this book - v. 7
If the wisdom God gives is so desirable, why aren’t more folks running toward God and seeking His wisdom? Three words in this verse give us the answer.
A. Fool - denotes one who is morally deficient. The reason people do not welcome the wisdom God offers is because they don’t want to submit to God or surrender control of their lives to Him. They prefer their sin over the Savior.
B. Despise - is the arrogance of being above instruction, being too smart for it, or too good for it, or too busy for it. Despise is a word of contempt. The fool despises wisdom and discipline, because they prefer sin over the Savior. They want to choose the bad and refuse the good.
C. Fear - means being in awe of God. The wise honor Him, surrender to Him, look to Him, and receive from Him. They realize what C. S. Lewis once stated to be true and have adjusted their lives accordingly:
“In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” - C. S. Lewis
Conclusion:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
Are you traveling on the broad road or the narrow road? Are you going the way of the fool or the wise? You may have entered the narrow gate, but are you daily traveling along the narrow road of wisdom?
