“At every meal the whole family was present. There was a closing as well as an opening prayer, and a chapter of the Bible was read each time. The Bible was read through from Genesis to Revelation. At breakfast or at dinner, as the case might be, we would hear of the New Testament, or of ‘the children of Gad after their families, of Zephon and Haggi and Shuni and Ozni, of Eri and Areli.’ I do not claim that I always fully understood the meaning of it all. Yet of the total effect there can be no doubt. The Bible became for me, in all is parts, in every syllable, the very Word of God. I learned that I must believe the Scripture story, and that ‘faith’ was a gift of God. What had happened in the past, and particularly what had happened in the past in Palestine, was of the greatest moment to me. . . . I was ‘conditioned’ in the most thorough fashion. I could not help believing in God—in the God of Christianity—in the God of the whole Bible!1
Those words were written by Cornelius Van Til in a little pamphlet he wrote called, “Why I Believe in God.” As you heard that description of his upbringing, it was perhaps easy for you to picture that scene of a family sitting around the dinner table, and the father reading the Scriptures to his children, instructing them in it along the way. For some of you it might have been easy to picture because that was very similar to your own upbringing. If that’s the case, then you need to give thanks and praise to God continually for his kindness in putting you in such a home. For some of us, that picture may be convicting because we’re parents and have perhaps failed in instructing our children in the Scriptures as we should. If that’s us, we need the reminder of forgiveness through the gospel and the news that we can start at this point doing better.
But for some of you, that scene might be one you cannot picture at all because it is so unfamiliar to your experience. Or maybe if you can picture it, it’s because you’ve seen paintings or illustrations in books or in pictures on the wall that provide such a scene, but nothing from your personal experience corresponds with that. Maybe your parents were a couple that wanted to honor the Lord but simply didn’t understand the weight that fell on them to instruct you in the Scriptures. Maybe one of your parents was an unbeliever or both were, and it made this scene impossible. Perhaps some of grew up in a home where such a scene could never be played out as beautifully as that which Van Til describes because one of our parents was gone, through their own decision or death. And even others of you may have grown up in homes where you were abused (verbally, physically, and/or sexually), God and his Word were mocked, and your parents actually positioned themselves against nurturing you and nurturing you in the Christian faith.
My guess would be that though our experiences growing up may be diverse, a majority of us could group ourselves together in a camp that has no real lasting experience of anything that Van Til describes in his upbringing. This is not to say that our parents were wicked, though some of them perhaps were. It is simply to say that we were not as blessed as Van Til describes there. And if that’s the case, isn’t there something within you – if you are a believer – that wishes you could go back and experience that? Doesn’t it seem so appealing to think of sitting down at a table with ideal parents who love you and understand all that is right and good and instructing you so that you are continually growing and increasing in wisdom?
Well, the bad news is that we cannot go back and alter our pasts. We cannot undo what was or somehow re-create it and make it as if all were different. We can of course be thankful for all the good that was ours, forgive any evil done to us, and begin to do those very things we wish would have been done differently for us. But there is more we can do as well. We can stop, open the Bible to the book of Proverbs, and sit and take in everything it teaches us – growing and increasing in wisdom along the way. You see, the book of Proverbs is a book that is written from the perspective of a father addressing his son. And it’s not from the perspective of just any father but an ideal father who is wise, loves his son, and wants good for his child. This is better than Cornelius Van Til’s parents in the picture he describes, no matter how good they are, for the knowledge of the father addressing his son in the Proverbs is perfect knowledge, since the father’s wisdom in this book is the very wisdom of God. So, I want to encourage all of us over the next ten weeks to sit under the preaching through this book as if we’re sitting around the dinner table with an all-knowing, all-wise, perfectly-loving father instructing us in wisdom and knowledge. And even if we have had good instruction from godly parents to this point or if we have many more years behind us than lie ahead – it is still an opportunity for us to increase in wisdom as we walk through this book. After all, that’s what the book tells us it’s for. We read in Proverbs 1:1-6,
“The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” That is what this book is for – for us to grow in wisdom, whether we are immature and simpleminded or mature and wise. And what a blessing it is for us to be able to hear God’s wisdom in these words.
The book itself does offer us a challenge in terms of going through it systematically. As you know, our typical approach to preaching is to preach through a book consecutively. That is, we look at a section, and the next week we pick up in the following section (except with the Psalter, of course, which we do by looking at selected Psalms during certain stretches). But with the Proverbs, it is almost impossible to do that. The first nine chapters you can preach or teach in that manner. The first nine chapters are a series of discourses or speeches from a father to his son or from wisdom (personified as a woman), addressing the reader. Chapters 10-31, however, are a bit different. Instead of finding long, sustained discourses or speeches like we find in chapters 1-9, in these chapters, we find short, to the point observations, warnings, and admonitions that we commonly think of when we speak of “proverbs” today. It is from these short, to the point observations that fill chapters 10-31 that the book gets its name.
Therefore, our approach over the next few weeks will be to take the first six weeks and work our way through the first nine chapters, and then to take the next three weeks to look at some themes that seem to be addressed consistently in the proverbs that make up chapters 10-31. We could, of course, do more and more themes, but we’ve got to stop at some point in this series, so I picked what I thought were some of the most notable themes addressed in the proverbs. Then, we will end with a look at Proverbs 31:10-31, which is the closing section of the book that seems able to be preached in a similar manner to what we have found in the first nine chapters.
With that said, then, this morning we are going to look at the first two chapters of this book. And the reason I’ve chosen to look at the first two chapters together is because chapter two seems to function, in part, to emphasize those truths that the father makes clear to his son in chapter 1. These two chapters, I think, can fall under the heading of what it means to walk through life in wisdom or how to live wisely. So, each of my points through these two chapters will begin with the phrase “Walking in wisdom . . .” Thus, the first thing I think we learn in the these two chapters is that . . .
After the first six verses, we read the climactic verse that introduces us to the whole book in verse 7. Proverbs 1:7 reads, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” That is to say, you cannot reject the Lord’s authority and lordship over your life and truly have wisdom and knowledge. And since we know that the true God has revealed himself through his Son, then we can say that there is no knowledge or wisdom to be found unless you first bow your knee to Jesus Christ.
God is the one who created the world and all that is, and we live in his world and only have knowledge because he has made us in his image and allowed us to think and understand reality. Therefore, if you want knowledge but refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, then you are like a man saying he wants eat and be full but refuses to consume food.
The Proverbs call the man who refuses to bow the knee to Jesus Christ, and see himself as subservient to the God who created all things (including each of us) a fool. And the New Testament agrees with this assessment. In Romans 1:18-23, Paul writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
How, then, do we rightly fear God and not suppress the truth of God in righteousness, showing ourselves to be fools? How do we begin to gain wisdom and knowledge? The way that we show that we rightly fear the Lord is by recognizing the authority he and his Word have over us and not daring to think that we are fit to stand in judgment over it. That is to say, if we would be wise and gain knowledge, it requires us recognizing and saying in our hearts, “God is the Creator and I am the creature. Therefore he is my rightful authority, and I am subservient to him. Furthermore, he has spoken in his Word and declares that it is true, must be trusted, and must be obeyed. Fearing him, I will recognize the truthfulness, trustworthiness, and authority of his Word, and I will believe and obey it.” That stance is required if we are to know wisdom and knowledge. Otherwise, we will prize the wisdom of the world, which God deems as foolish, and we will continually darken our minds and hearts. Therefore, we may say that walking in wisdom begins with bowing the knee to Jesus Christ.
Second, we see that . . .
Living wisely and walking in righteousness means that we do not walk on the paths of the wicked. That is, live our lives with the wicked. We see this first in 1:8-19. This portion starts in a way that will become familiar throughout the book. We have an introduction and motivation for the reader to listen to these words in verses 8-9, as the text reads: “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” That is, listen, because there is great benefiting in hearing and obeying what follows.
And the first instruction is not to walk in the way of the wicked. The father declares, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, \"Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse\"—my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood” (1:10-16).
One way to avoiding ruining your life is to avoid those who are going about doing evil. You cannot walk with them and benefit yourself. The way this is pictured in the text seems to be almost a gang image. It’s as if a group of individuals are setting about doing evil and enticing others to join them, and the father warns, “Do not join them, for they are about doing evil.”
And I don’t think I have to tell you that this isn’t applicable only to those living in the ancient near east at the time in which this book was written. Just this week, I decided that I would attempt to demonstrate just how applicable this warning is to us, so I got on the Drudge Report, an online sight that gathers a number of news articles and gives a headline so that you can click on it and read the article. It provides about fifty links on average, and among those at the point I checked it at 1:26 PM on Wednesday, I read the following headlines: “Thieves strip copper from cell towers,” “Mob unrest in Sweden,” “London police charge 1,000th rioter,” “Cancer patient beaten for prescription drugs,” “Gang of men beat food delivery man unconscious,” and “Roaming pack of thugs attacks 64-year-old man, steals his Bible” (There was also a headline about dog thefts being up thirty percent, but I didn’t see how that was an applicable).
It’s becoming common for groups of kids all to meet together and raid a convenient store in such numbers that the cashier can do nothing about it. It seems if you check the headlines, every few days you can find another example of this – simply looking in our own country.
The Proverbs tell us that it is foolish to think you can associate yourselves with such individuals and it not destroy your life. The father warns the son in 1:17-19 that they might think it’s all working out well, but they’re plotting their own destruction. We read, “For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.”
You see? He’s saying that if you lay a net for a bird to catch him, but you do it where he can see it, he won’t walk into it. He’s smarter than that. But these individuals are not as bright as the bird. They do not see that they’re walking toward their own destruction. Simply put, you won’t get rich robbing convenient stores with a pack of thugs, but you can successfully destroy your future.
And this association with the evil isn’t simply a warning against those seeking violence. The warning is repeated in 2:9-15, but then it is expanded in 2:16-19 to include an adulteress woman. The father declares, “So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.”
You see, in each case – whether the gang committing violence or the adulterous woman – wisdom points out to us the folly of sin. Sin is deceptive in nature. First, it’s deceptive in the very act of what it is. That is to say, when we sin we typically do not think of sin in the gross terms that are reality. We do not think through the nature of what we’re doing, the harmful manner in which sin is carried out, etc. Rather, we color it up. We say, “I’m just getting what I deserve” or the like. And, second, sin is deceptive in its consequences. We lie to ourselves about sin’s payoff. Rarely does a man move forward in committing adultery, considering the pain and heartache this will cause for his wife and children. But sin is destructive, and ultimately we all know it. So, we’re not as smart as the bird who will avoid the visible net set to trap him. Instead, we convince ourselves that it is okay to run headlong into sin.
The father in our text, however, unmasks sin, shows us what it is, highlights its consequences, and forbids it. Specifically, we are forbidden against walking on the path with the wicked.
But now, there’s a question here, isn’t there? Isn’t this warning a bit contrary to what Jesus did? I mean, if we’re encouraging doing the opposite of Jesus, it should cause us to pause for a second, shouldn’t it? I mean, didn’t Jesus spend time around sinners? Indeed he did. And he was attacked by the religious folks who didn’t love the Lord. So, how does this warning against associating with evil men square with Jesus’ actions?
I think the answer is found in recognizing that Jesus wasn’t associating with wicked men because he was looking to have an enjoyable time out but because he wanted to bring the gospel to them. When he ate with Zacchaeus, it wasn’t because he wanted to shoot the breeze about the joy of collecting taxes. He was declaring the gospel to him. When he spoke with the woman at the well who didn’t hold the marriage covenant in high regard, it was because he wanted to confront her with her sin and point her to the gospel. So, Proverbs 1-2 isn’t warning us against taking the gospel to wicked men. That is commanded. In fact, as we take the gospel to evil men, Jesus tells us in Luke 7:35 that our wisdom will be shown as the gospel produces children of God. Wisdom is justified by her children. It is warning us against walking on their paths with them. There is wisdom in avoiding evil associations and in taking the gospel to evil men.
Third, . . .
Beginning in 1:20 and running through 2:8, we find that wisdom is personified as a woman calling out to be heard. She is crying aloud in the street, asking how long those who are ignorant want to remain so. She addresses those who refused to listen to her, are now in trouble, and want to hear her. She will ignore them and laugh at them because they ignored her when she called to them. Now they will reap the destructive consequences of their foolish actions.
The father, therefore, tells his son in 2:1-8, “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.”
Three things are apparent in these verses. The first is that wisdom is easily found. If wisdom is personified as a woman crying out in the street to be heard, it doesn’t paint the image of being hard to find, does it? And though the father says that it is to be sought for as one would for treasure, he adds that the Lord gives wisdom to his children. In fact, in James 1, we are told that the Lord gives wisdom generously to the one who asks without reproach.
That is to say, God is not annoyed that we ask for wisdom. He is not bothered that we cry out for greater wisdom so that we might know how to walk in life. So, right now, if you need wisdom, cry out to God and ask for it. He delights in it.
Second, it’s apparent that wisdom is found in God’s Word. The father says that wisdom comes from God and from his mouth comes understanding. Well, God has indeed spoken wisdom to us, and his Word is the Scripture. Therefore, we must be students of the Word. We must read it, hear the preaching of it, memorize it, and hide it in our hearts. I fear that sometimes the reason we lack wisdom in situations is simply because we’re ignorant of God’s Word.
Finally, wisdom must be obeyed. We refuse to obey God’s Word to our own destruction. It is always more painful and destructive to disobey God’s Word than to obey it. It may feel like that’s not the case. It might seem like if you just left your unbelieving husband, life would be better, even though God’s Word prohibits it in 1 Corinthians 7. It might seem like things would be better if you just gossiped about another person. After all, people need to know what they’re doing, right? There are a number of thoughts that come to us that tell us that there is greater wisdom in disobeying God’s Word, but that path leads to destruction. So, wisdom is found in seeking insight from God and his Word, loving his instruction and correction, and obeying him.
Finally, I want to end by noting that . . .
It might seem like Proverbs 1-2 is simply about how to have the best life we can while we’re on earth, but that it’s nothing more than that. That is seriously mistaken, however. Listen how chapter 2 ends. In verses 20-22, we read, “So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.”
What is this talk about inhabiting the land or being cut off from it? Well, under the old covenant, the Israelites were promised some land. And as they obeyed the Lord, they were given the land, and when they disobeyed the Lord, they were driven out of the land. The physical land of Palestine, however, was just a type or shadow of entering into eternity with the Lord. We might say that the land represented heaven, paradise, or eternity with Christ in the new creation. And, accordingly, being driven from the land or cast out of the land represents being thrown into the lake of fire or cast into hell.
What this means is, if you will not bow the knee to Jesus Christ, which is where wisdom begins according to Proverbs 1:7, then the consequence is not just that you’ll live foolishly now, it means you will be thrown into hell. It means to those of us professing Christ, that if you decide that you will reject the Word of God, refuse his wisdom and commands, and seek after the foolishness of the world, you are perhaps giving evidence that you are under the condemnation of God and on your way to hell.
I’ve made mention several times to a conversation that I once had with a woman who was choosing to leave her husband. I had known of her seemingly walking so closely with the Lord, and we were meeting, sitting across a table from each other, with her about to leave her husband and join herself to another man. And I said, “You know this is wrong. You know that you’re disobeying the Lord’s commands.” But she answered, “I just refuse to believe that God doesn’t want me to be happy, and this is what would make me happy.” She had refused to fear God and obey his commandments. She had exalted the foolishness of her own thoughts over the clear Word of God. She had become a fool. And unless her heart repents, then there will be no evidence that she is a child of God.
So, I plead with all of us this morning, let us repent of our foolishness, confess Christ as Lord, bowing the knee to him, and let us walk in wisdom, knowing that we can because Jesus Christ lived, died, and was raised for us. In fact, let our coming to the table this morning be a visible declaration that we have heard God’s Word this morning from Proverbs 1-2, and we are declaring that we submit to it in the fear of the Lord. Amen.