Blogging Through Proverbs Part III - 1:8-19

Studying: Romans 6-7, Proverbs 1

Memorizing: Romans 1:1-7

Reading: 900 Days, the Siege of Leningrad

Entertainment: 30 minutes

Thoughts: Good

The pilings have been driven into the ground so to speak.  The exhortation to "fear the LORD" has been given by Solomon, and now all else that is said can be built upon that foundation.  So what comes next?

"Hear, my son, your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse," 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors." - Proverbs 1:8-19 NASB

Solomon gives this general encouragement to his son in verses 8 & 9 to "hear" the teachings that he receives from his mother and father.  The first word used here in verse 8 is the Hebrew word shema, which is the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!"  The passage in Deuteronomy goes on to instruct Israel to teach the law of Yahweh "diligently" to their children.  They are to talk about it in every aspect of life.  They are to make it their passion and focus.  This exhortation to "hear" means not merely to receive the sounds, but to take them to heart.  Solomon is saying "Listen, take heed, make my instruction and your mother's instruction your own.  If you do they will bring you honor, grace, beauty."

So then comes the command in verse 10, "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent."  So to the foundation of "fear the LORD" we build "do not fall into the enticements of sinners."  There is a great contrast being laid out here by Solomon.  Verse 9 speaks of obedience to wise instruction as being a "graceful wreath" and an "ornament."  Obedience results in beauty, true beauty of life and godliness.  This is set in contrast with a life of sin.  At first sin looks enticing. It looks alluring, and may make claims of beauty and grace, yet it always fails to do so.

From verses 11-14 the words of the enticing "sinners" are quoted.  They are murderous, they have theft in their hearts along with delusions of wealth and prosperity.  Then they entice by saying "come with us" (vs 14).  "Join us in our quests and you will partake of this same bounty." But Solomon repeats his warning again in verse 15 "My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path."  It rings of Psalm 1:1 "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked."  Perhaps Solomon here is remembering the words that his own father David wrote, perhaps not, but it rings true nonetheless.  "Don't go with them" he warns.  Why?

As an aside, I find it interesting that so often God, in his mercy, answers our "whys."   God is under no obligation to tell us why we ought to do something, yet he does.  He so often gently and kindly explains to us "why" it is that what he commands us to do is best for us.  Perhaps we parents and adults can learn from this when a child asks why?  How many times have either we ourselves or someone we know told a child to do or not do something and the child asks "why?" and we answer "because I said so"?  But so often in Scripture God spells out the reasons.  He explains the reasons to us that we might understand.  

So what is the reason for avoiding the enticements of sinners?  The answer comes in verses 16-19.  While the wicked may seem to prosper for a time, they are ultimately setting a trap for themselves.  What they are doing and how they are living will come back upon their own heads.

We have many examples from Scripture to draw from.  Eve, enticed by the words of Satan, enticed by the pleasantness of the fruit of the tree, takes and eats and gives to her husband, thus all mankind falls.  Achan, enticed by the shiny gold and silver of Jericho that was to be devoted to destruction, takes it and hides it only to be discovered and stoned along with his whole family.  David, enticed by the beauty of Bathsheba, calls for her and sleeps with her, has her husband killed and thus brings judgment upon his own head.  Haman, in pride and self honor, builds gallows upon which he intends to hang Mordicai, yet he himself ends up hanging upon them.  

In each of these situations, the promise of pleasure seemed real, seemed assured.  To Eve it was the promise of wisdom and knowledge.  To Achan it was the promise of wealth and prosperity. To David it was the promise of pleasure.  And to Haman it was the promise of envy, pride and revenge satisfied.  Yet in every situation sin did not satisfy.  Sin will not place a "graceful wreath" on the head nor "ornaments" around the neck of the sinner.  Sin will dig a pit that the digger will fall into himself.  

Now, here is the struggle.  Our sinful natures think contrary to this.  Our thinking is warped, and our desires twisted.  What is right looks dull to our sight.  What is evil looks exciting and thrilling.  What is good looks unsatisfying.  What is bad looks rich and full.  What makes all the difference here is that the wise man who fears the LORD realizes that his vision is bad, that his choices are tainted and that his desires are warped, and therefore does not trust in his own intellect to guide him.  Rather he heeds these words, "do not consent...do not walk...keep your feet."  This was stated back in verse 7, where "fools despise wisdom and instruction."  

In summary, the picture of what wisdom is begins to unfold here.  Being wise is not so much one having the self-sufficient ability to know the right thing to do and the right way to do it. Truth be told a wise man is one who is convinced that he does NOT know the right thing to do and the right way to do it and needs someone to show him.