a proverbs pilgrimage

David VanAcker, Pastor of Discipleship

Grace Church, Sunday Worship

Proverbs 1-22:16

July 12th, 2009

Introduction

Last week I told you that my aim for the two sermons on Proverbs was to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to help develop in you an appetite for the proverbs.  That is, my intention was (and still is) to entice you with the sweetness of God’s wisdom expressed through King Solomon and the other authors.  The book of Proverbs is full of divine insight and practical advice; and my desire is to introduce (or reintroduce) you to it. 

To do this we spent last week looking at Proverbs from up high.  My aim was to help you grasp some of the basic and foundational elements of Proverbs. That’s why my sermon was called “A Proverbs Primer”.  A primer is a book of elementary or basic principles. 

In this we noted that the book of Proverbs is a collection of proverbs written by different men over time, that a proverb is a wise saying or a helpful general principle, that Proverbs was written to make its readers wise, that Proverbial wisdom is something like “skill in the art of godly living” (Duane Garrett and Kenneth Harris), and, most importantly perhaps, that Proverbs is not ultimately a book about living a good and prosperous life, but a book about living out our redemption in everyday life (we must read Proverbs through the lens of the cross). 

To continue in my task of working to develop in you a taste for the wisdom of the Proverbs we’re going to spend today diving down in to the text. This is why my sermon is called “A Proverbs Pilgrimage”.  A pilgrimage is a journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.  We’re going on a search for the exalted purpose of finding the wisdom of God for our lives.

a brief overview of the book of proverbs

Before we get to a handful of themes and particular passages in Proverbs I’d like to offer you a brief and broad picture of the book as a whole.  There are eight sections to the book of Proverbs.

The first two sections, both found in Proverbs 1-9, are a kind of a set up for the rest of the book.  That is, chapters 1-9 are not proverbs in the usual sense.  1:1-7 (the first section of the book) serves as an introduction for the entire book.  And then 1:8 – chapter 9 (the second section of the book) serves as a fatherly invitation to love wisdom and seek it diligently.  King Solomon wrote this section (1:1).

Chapters 10-22:16 (along with 25-29) are the actual proverbs of King Solomon.  What a gift these sayings/principles are.  They cover, as we will see in a moment, a wide variety of topics.

Then, we find in 22:17 – chapter 24 what scholars have called “the thirty sayings of the wise” (we find this number explicitly mentioned in 22:20).  We do not know who wrote this section.

Next, in the fifth section of the book (25-29), we have another collection of Solomon’s proverbs.  The compilation of this section, we are told (25:1), was commissioned by King Hezekiah (which, as we said last week, means that there is at least a 300 year gap between the writing of the first proverbs and the final compilation of the book of Proverbs).

Proverbs 30, the sixth section of Proverbs, was written by a man named Agur (30:1).  Over the years tradition and scholarship have both offered a number of guesses as to the identity of Agur.  In the end however, we just don’t know much about the man.

In the seventh section of Proverbs (31:1-9), We find the “words of King Lemuel…an oracle that his mother taught him”.  Again, we don’t know much about King Lemuel or where or when he was king.  The point of his writing, however, we do know: to describe the life/nature of a good ruler.

Finally, in the eighth section of the book of Proverbs (31:10-31) we find the well known acrostic (each of the verses starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet—in order from beginning to end) about an “excellent wife”.  Again, while the author is not known, the content is clearly divine. 

With that said, let’s dive into the Proverbs.  (Because we can’t look at all 31 chapters, we’re going to focus on the first three sections—the original Proverbs of Solomon).  We’ll look at the 12 major themes of Solomon’s divine wisdom (form Proverbs 1-22:16).

Fool/Wise Man

The two main characters in Proverbs are the wise man and the foolish man.  They are both used to help describe the other.  It is in contrasting these two men that the force of many of the Proverbs comes out.  Beginning here will set us up well to best understand the rest of the themes in their proper context. 

The wise man is primarily distinguished from the fool in the Proverbs in that he fears God, walks straight, inherits honor, loves wisdom, and listens to advice. 

The foolish man, conversely, jokes about and delights in wrong, takes the company of other fools, is wise in his own eyes, and delights, not in understanding, but in hearing himself speak.

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction

.Proverbs 3:35  The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Proverbs 10:23  Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Proverbs 13:20  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 15:21  Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.

Proverbs 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 18:2  A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Please pay attention to the recurring role that these two characters play throughout the book.

Tongue

Proverbs pictures the tongue of a man as a great indicator of his wisdom or foolishness.  The wise man is slow to speak and speaks with healing, peaceful, sweet, and gracious words.  The fool speaks often, rashly, harmfully, in a way that stirs up anger, and early. 

Proverbs 10:19  When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Proverbs 12:18  There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 16:24  Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 18:13   If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

A major theme in proverbs and a primary distinguishing feature between the wise man and the fool is the use of the tongue.

Discipline/instruction/advice

Another helpful distinguishing feature of a wise man and a fool is how he handles discipline, instruction, and advice.  For the wise man Proverbs portrays discipline as a blessing and a tool for goodness and advancement.  A wise man learns to love the sting of discipline.  The fool however resists and ignores discipline.  Indeed, Proverbs uses the word for “stupid” twice; once is here for the man who rejects correction and discipline.  Proverbs says that the one who hates being corrected is stupid.    

Proverbs 3:11-12  My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,  12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 4:13   Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

Proverbs 8:33  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

Proverbs 9:9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Proverbs 10:17  Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

Proverbs 12:1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 13:18  Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.

Proverbs 15:10  There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.

Proverbs 15:32  Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

Proverbs 17:10  A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

Proverbs 19:20  Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

money, wealth, and poverty

When it comes to wisdom and wealth, Proverbs describes money as a blessing and a curse from God, both in its presence and absence.  That is, Proverbs speaks often about great wealth as being both good and bad for the soul. 

Wealth is good for the soul when it results from hard work, righteousness, and the blessing of God and when it is used for blessing God and man.  The Wisdom of Proverbs admonishes us to be generous, bless the less fortunate, give liberally each week in the offering and in the service of the body of Christ, and to work hard.  Live and provide for your family off the fruit of your honest labor.

Proverbs 3:9-10  Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;  ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Proverbs 10:4  A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 10:22  The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Proverbs 11:24  One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Proverbs 19:17  Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

So great wealth is a blessing when it is gained through just means and used for just purposes. 

However, great wealth is a curse in the hands of a fool.  That is, great wealth is a curse when it is trusted in for protection, provision, pleasure, and the other things which only God can truly bring. 

Proverbs instructs us to trust in God, not our jobs or savings accounts or retirement plans for provision and protection. 

Proverbs 11:28  Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Wealth is also a curse when it is not used properly. Indeed, Proverbs is plain about the fact that people with money who take advantage of the poor or mock the poor or fail to bless the poor are fools and will be cursed by God. 

Proverbs 21:13  Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

Proverbs 14:31  Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Conversely, a lack of money is a blessing when it leads one to trust in God rather than money and when it results from difficult, but right choices, rather than shady or greedy ones. 

Proverbs 16:19  It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 19:1  Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

And poverty is a curse when it is a punishment from God for laziness or injustice or a love of wrong pleasure. 

Proverbs 6:10-11  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,  11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 13:23  The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.

Proverbs 21:17  Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

Are you rich?  Proverbs says that this can be a great blessing or a great curse. 

Are you poor?  Proverbs says that this too can be a great blessing or curse.

It is not how much or little money that you have, but how you gain and use it, that determines whether it will be a blessing or a curse.

Justice/business

Another major theme in Proverbs (and another great distinguisher between the wise man and the fool) is that of justice, particularly when it comes to business dealings.  Proverbs speaks often about the value of justice and God’s hatred for unjust gain. 

In our culture it is almost expected that you’ll take shortcuts in business ventures or fudge your taxes or take advantage of loop holes in the laws or steal from unseen clients (particularly insurance companies or large anonymous corporations) or squeeze a little extra out of the vulnerable.  Proverbs describes these practices as an abomination to God; God hates them!

In business and all our dealings Proverbs calls to us to seek to bless as a means of being blessed (rather than looking at financial gains as our primary business blessing). 

Proverbs 20:10  Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Proverbs 15:27  Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.

Laziness/sluggard

Second only to the disobedient child, the sluggard or the lazy man is chief among fools in the Proverbs.  He who loves sleep and fails to work as a means of providing for his family and blessing those around him is to be despised. 

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Proverbs 19:24  The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Proverbs 20:4  The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

Proverbs 20:13  Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

Elderly

Proverbs, unlike our culture, esteems, perhaps above all else, the glory of old age.  Gray hairs in Proverbs are not to be dyed, but praised.  What a fool he is, says Solomon, who makes a practice of speaking before or instructing or rebuking an older man.  Be wise, sit and listen, for wisdom comes from him.  And what a fool he is, says Solomon, who mocks and does not honor the elderly, who feels superior to those older than him, and who does not seek the council from those with gray crowns.  Fool!

Proverbs 16:31  Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Proverbs 20:29  The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

It is a sin that we esteem youth above age.  It is a sin that we value the outward appearance of a man over the inward character and wisdom of one.  It is a sin that we have created a culture where gray hair is seen as a vice rather than a badge of glory and splendor.

(I saw a commercial recently where two young girls were encouraging their dad to get out and date again.  Their advice to him was to die his gray hair because he had so much to offer.  It is his gray hair, Proverbs says, that he has to offer.)

Anger

Proverbs portrays being in the presence of a patient and slow-tempered man as refreshing, glorious, and wise.  It will bring healing and help. 

But Proverbs portrays being in the presence of a fool in the form of an angry person or one quick to anger as the same as licking a leper.  It is certain ruin.  If you are an angry person: repent; and if you are in the presence of an angry person: run; for he will destroy you.

Proverbs 14:17  A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.

Proverbs 14:29  Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Proverbs 15:18  A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Proverbs 19:11  Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

men/Husbands/Fathers

Men/husbands/dads, Proverbs focuses on you in three main areas.  First, Proverbs has a lot to say about the fact that you are to be the primary instructor and discipliner of your children.  You hate your children if you do not instruct and discipline them.  Your children will die if you do not instruct and discipline them.  They cannot know God if they can’t obey you long enough to be instructed by you; and if they cannot obey you long enough to be instructed by you, you must discipline them in love (Proverbs says that it is the father who delights in his children that disciplines them).   

Proverbs 1:8-9  Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,  ⁹ for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

Proverbs 3:11-12  My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,  ¹² for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 4:1-2  Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,  ² for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.

Proverbs 5:22-23  The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.  ²³ He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Proverbs 13:1  A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Proverbs 13:24  Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Proverbs 15:5  A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

The second cry from the wisdom of Proverbs to men, husbands, and fathers is to seek out and truly love your wife.  Be satisfied by her, enjoy her, appreciate her, be blessed by her, delight in her, and get drunk on her.  Does Proverbs 5:18-19 describe your relationship with your wife?

Proverbs 5:18-19  Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,  ¹⁹ a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.

It should also be noted (thirdly) that almost three full chapters of Proverbs are dedicated to instructing men to avoid loose women and adulterous relationships (5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:4-27).  Wisdom cries out to us from the proverbs here: keep your eyes away from other women (in the form of real people or images) and keep your bodies away from the temptress (in the form of real people or images) or else it will cost you your life. 

Proverbs 5:8  Keep your way far from her [the whore], and do not go near the door of her house.

Proverbs 7:22-23  All at once he follows her [a loose woman], as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast  23 till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Proverbs advises us to discipline and instruct our children, to seek out and love our wives passionately, and to avoid loose women like death itself. 

women/Wives/Mothers

Women, you are pictured in Proverbs as either a great blessing or a great curse.  You are a great blessing when you are godly and good and prudent and respectful.  Indeed you are the greatest earthly gift from God when you serve as a loving Christ-like helpmate.

Proverbs 12:4  An excellent wife is the crown of her husband… (See Proverbs 31 for a description of a truly excellent wife).

Proverbs 18:22   He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 19:14  House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

(As a parenthetical note, in order for us, as husbands, to heed the wisdom of Proverbs in loving you rightly you must allow our fountains to be blessed by you, us to rejoice in you (as you did in our youth), your breasts to fill us, and your love to intoxicate us.  You honor Wisdom when you are this kind of wife.)

On the other hand, you are pictured as a curse when you lack discretion, act shamefully, and are quarrelsome.  Your beauty and industry are overshadowed and even canceled out, says God through Solomon in Proverbs, when you nag and complain and gossip and fight and act shamefully.  Proverbs describes living with you as worse than being stranded in a desert or living on the roof or listening to a constantly dripping faucet when you act this way. 

Proverbs 11:22  Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

Proverbs 12:4  …she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 19:13  … a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. 

Proverbs 21:9   It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 21:19  It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

children

Children, Proverbs describes you as foolish (this is not necessarily a sinful thing; it simply implies a lack of wisdom that comes from living).  You lack understanding.  If you want to be wise you must understand this.

Listen to your parents when they instruct and correct you; Proverbs says that you’re stupid if you don’t (1:8-9; 4:1-27; 5:1-2; 6:20-23; 7:1-3).  “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.”

Proverbs 12:1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 15:5  A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

Proverbs 17:25  A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 19:13  A foolish son is ruin to his father...

Proverbs 22:15  Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

God’s Wisdom/Man’s Wisdom

The last major theme in Solomon’s proverbs, the greatest distinguishing factor between a wise man and a fool, and perhaps the most consistent message in Proverbs, is that God’s way is always good and right and wise is the man who follows it; while deadly, evil, and naïve are the ways of man and foolish is he who follows them.  God’s Word makes God’s way clear to us.  We are utter fools, says Proverbs, if we ignore (by not searching or heeding) it. 

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

Proverbs 3:7  Do not be wise in your own eyes

Proverbs 4:25-27  Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.  ²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 10:29  The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.

Proverbs 14:12   There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 16:9  The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Proverbs 21:2  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.

Seek God’s wisdom if you want to be truly wise and truly live.  Recognize, like the child, that we need the wisdom of Another.  Our plans seem wise to us, but they are foolish and lead to ruin.  God’s Word reveals God’s wisdom, which is meant to be a light and a guide to His children.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to remind you that as helpful as Proverbs is, and as useful as it can be, we have no hope of delighting in or obeying its’ wisdom if we do not have a love for Jesus Christ.  He died on the cross to free us from our sin and grant us a delight for that which is truly right.  Apart from going to Jesus at the cross, from trusting in Him for the forgiveness of our sins, and surrendering ourselves to Him, Proverbs will be an unliftable burden to us.  Through the lens of the cross, however, it will be protection and guidance and pleasant to our souls. 

Proverbs 1:1-6  The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:  ² To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,  ³ to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;  ⁴ to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth-  ⁵ Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,  ⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying.