Fools and Enticement

May 14, 2023 - Proverbs 1:7-19 - Fools and Enticement

As I think you may already know, when the books of the Bible were originally written, they didn't include the numerical chapters and verses that we see indicated in our modern day Bible. Those notations were developed in the 13th century by Stephen Langton, a man who served as the archbishop of Canterbury. His intention was to develop a reference system so Christians can more easily identify and distinguish specific portions of the Bible... and that's exactly what his system of chapters and verses does. Thanks to Archbishop Langton, you can now ask somebody to read John 3:16 and they can easily reference the exact portion of Scripture that you’re directing them to. So that's a good thing.

But there's an unintended side-effect to dividing the Bible into chapters and verses. It can cause us to miss the internal continuity that flows through each of the books of the Bible. Because the chapter and verse divisions divide the book into smaller segments, we have a tendency to lift chapters or verses from their original context, which means, we try to understand these chapters and verses in isolation from the rest of the book. That's not a good way to study the Bible.

And to add to this propensity, many of the Bible publishers place headings within the text. If you look at how Proverbs 1 is printed in your Bible, you’ll probably see a heading that separates verse 7 from verse 8. In the NKJV, the heading reads, “Shun Evil Counsel.” In the ESV and the NASB, the heading reads, "The Enticement of Sinners."

Understand that these headings are not the inspired word of God. They’ve been added by the publishers. Once again, these headings can be very helpful. When you’re scanning over the pages of your Bible, the heading help you quicky zero in on the passage you’re looking for. But the unintended side-effect is that they might suggest a division in the text where there is no division. So in the case of Proverbs 1, you might be inclined to disassociate verse 8 from verse 7. But the reality is, Solomon intended for verse 8 to be read in the context of verse 7. When Solomon wrote that "fools despise wisdom and instruction" at the end of verse 7, he's introducing a universal principle: every person who despises wisdom and instruction is a fool. But then Solomon immediately applies this universal principle to the context of children being given wisdom and instruction from their parents. Solomon writes:

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother;

So what is Solomon saying to his son here in verse 8? He’s saying, "Don't be a fool. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Your mother and I are giving you wisdom and instruction. Don't despise what we’re giving to you. Instead, listen to what we’re saying to you. Pay attention to what we’re saying to you. Follow to what we’re saying to you."

So by reading verse 8 in connection with verse 7, we can easily conclude that the child who refuses to follow his parents’ instruction is either: (1) a fool, or is (2) acting like a fool. What's the difference? The fool is the child who has a history and pattern of despising his parents' instruction. The fool is the child who rolls his eyes at his parents’ instruction. It goes in one ear and out the other. He wants to make his own decisions in life, but he knows that his parents will disapprove of those decisions so he tries to conceal what he’s doing from his parents. This leads to him telling lies to his parents. This leads to a break down in his relationship with his parents. And this leads to strife and contention with his parents. That's a fool! That's the person Solomon says "despises wisdom and instruction."

Contrast that person with the person who is acting like a fool. The person who’s acting like a fool is the child who truly wants to honor his parents, and really does think highly of his parents, and he has a recognizable history of obeying his parents’ wisdom and instruction, but sometimes he ignores their wisdom and instruction so he can do his own thing. This is also a wrong. The fact that I’m contrasting the person who acts like a fool with the person who is a fool is not to suggest that the person who only acts like a fool is not sinning. No, sin is always sin, no matter how often it's committed. So the child who acts like a fool is still guilty of despising his parents' wisdom and instruction, he just doesn’t do this as often and consistently as the child who really is a fool.

But there’s another difference between the fool and the one who acts like a fool. In fact, this is the chief difference. The chief difference is that the one who acts like a fool will recognize his sin and repent of it. The fool will not. The one who acts like a fool will humble himself and bring his life back into submission to his parents, whereas the fool will remain hardened in his sin. The fool will continually make excuses for why his disobedience should not be laid at his feet. For the fool, it's always somebody else's fault. “It’s my parents’ fault; they’re so overbearing.” “It’s the pastor’s fault. He’s always filling my parents’ heads with weird ideas.” “It’s the church we go to. All the other families go along with these weird ideas, so that encourages my parents to try to enforce these ideas in our home. But I’m not like that. I’m not going to give in to them. I demand my freedom!”

Children, what God is saying to you through Solomon's pen is that you have a responsibility to follow the wisdom and instruction you receive from your parents. Understand that God didn’t make a mistake when He placed you in the family you’re in right now. He gave you the specific parents you have because He knows what’s best for you. God has a unique calling for you. He has given you spiritual gifts to be used in your unique calling. He has given you talents and endowments to be used in your unique calling. And He has given you the specific parents you have to develop you in your unique calling. So God says that you need to listen to their wisdom and instruction. And He promises that when you do listen to their wisdom and instruction, you’ll enjoy His blessings and benefits. Your parents’ instruction, according to verse 9, will be...

...a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.

This is obviously an analogy. The ornament and chains spoken of here are things that adorn the person whose wearing them. Solomon's analogy is comparing your parents’ instruction with jewelry that adds beauty to who you are. But understand that jewelry doesn't do any good unless you wear it. If you receive jewelry and you leave it in a drawer, then it does nothing to add beauty to your person. In order for the ornament and chains to have the effect that God is promising, you need to be wearing them!

Realize, it's one thing for your parents to speak instruction into your life. But if you're not receiving their instruction and obediently applying it to your life, then you're not going to experience the benefits that Solomon is writing about.

Now somebody might be thinking to themself, "You say that children have a responsibility to obey their parents, but what if the parents are not Christians? Or what if the parents are Christians, but they’re instructing their child to do something sinful? Does the child still have the obligation to obey their parents under either of those conditions?"

The first thing I’d like to point out is that Solomon, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does not address this point in our sermon text. He’s writing to his own son, so he knows the dynamics in the home; he knows the parents aren’t mistreating their child. But even beyond this point, we recognize that our sermon text is not merely the instruction Solomon is giving to his son. This is God’s holy and inspired word written for every family. God has included this in the Bible because it’s His instruction to every child.

The assumption in our sermon text, therefore, is that these are godly parents who are speaking God’s righteous wisdom and instruction to their children. It’s not that God or Solomon were ignorant about dysfunctional families; it’s just that this is not the place in Scripture where God addresses dysfunctional families. The assumption in our sermon text is that the parents being referenced are righteous parents.

Second, I need to point out that nowhere in the Bible are children told that it's okay to disobey or dishonor their parents simply because their parents are not believers. God expects every child to honor, respect, and submit to their parents, even if their parents do not obey the word of God.

There's a parallel between the way a child must submit to his parents and the way a wife must submit to her husband. Several passages int eh Bible say that a wife must submit to her husband. But then the question is asked, “What if the husband is not a believer? What if the husband doesn’t respect and obey the word of God?” 1 Peter 3:1-2 addresses this question. It says...

...wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives— 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

So Peter is telling wives to submit to their own husbands even if the husband is not obeying the word of God. If this is true for wives, then it's true for children, as well. Even if parents are not obeying the word of God, children still need to honor and submit to them.

But notice what Peter also says. He says that wives still need to live respectful lives of pure conduct. The point Peter is making is that when the husband sees his wife’s respectful and pure conduct, then he might be won over by her. But the point I’m drawing your attention to is that even though the wife is living in submission to her husband who doesn’t obey the word of God, she still does. She still lives a respectful live of pure conduct. Which means, she prioritizes her obedience to God above her obedience to her husband. So as long submission to her husband does not in conflict with submission to God, she submits to both. But when the husband demands that she do something sinful, then she has a higher obligation to submit to God. So that's when she says to her husband, "I want to submit to you and I’m willing to submit to you, but I cannot submit to you if that requires me to sin against God. I must obey God above all others."

And this same principle applies to children. So long as their parents are not requiring them to sin, then they have an obligation to submit to their parents’ instruction. But if a parent tells the child to do something that God says not to do, or to not do something that God says must be done, then the child needs to explain to his parents that he wants to submit and is willing to submit, but only when submitting doesn’t require him to sin against God.

Solomon is assuming that this is understood. When Solomon says that parents’ wisdom and instruction are like an ornament and chains, he's presupposing that the wisdom and instruction are righteous. He’s presupposing that it’s not requiring the child to sin. So if a child thinks he cannot submit to his parents on the grounds that doing so would be a sin, then he should go to his parents and explain this to them. He shouldn't just ignore their instruction, as if he didn’t hear them. He needs to explain to them why he feels compelled to reject their instruction. And when the child does this respectfully, he’s still honoring his parents, even though he’s challenging the integrity of the instruction they’re giving to him.

And if the parents are Christian parents, then he should have every confidence that this conversation will resolve itself in a God glorifying way. Why do I say that? Because Christian parents are committed to the word of God. And Christian parents are in submission to the word of God. So to the young people who are here this morning, if there's ever a time when you believe obedience to your parents will require you to sin, then bring that to the attention of your parents and discuss it. They will respect that. They will be open to discussing it with you. You might be able to show them something that they overlooked and they’ll make the necessary corrections to their instruction so that you don’t have to sin. Or, maybe after discussing it, they’ll show you something that you overlooked in the situation. And if this happens, then your submission to their wisdom and instruction will add beauty and blessings to your life and character.

In verse 10, Solomon transitions to a specific form of instruction to his son. Here he warns:

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Then from verse 11 through verse 16, Solomon gives several examples of how sinners might entice his son. He tells how it might be enticing to his son to mug somebody on the street or in some back alley. He tells how it might be enticing to steal from others in order to enrich oneself. And he tells how it might be enticing to inflict violence upon those who get in his way. After giving these examples, Solomon explains in verses 17 and 18 that the harm foolish sinners inflict on others will be returned upon them by God. And then Solomon concludes in verse 19...

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.

So here we see a model for Christian parents to follow. I’ve been addressing the children during most of this sermon, but here I’m addressing parents. Solomon, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, doesn’t hide the wicked things of life from his children. Rather, he explains these things to his child. He explains how the wicked sneak around in the darkness to take advantage of the righteous. He explains how the wicked use thievery to enrich themselves. And Solomon explains how the wicked use violence to get what they want.

Solomon is being a wise parent here. He's being wise by informing his child about wicked schemes so that the child can recognize the wicked schemes as the evil they are. As parents, we need to equip our children to recognize wicked schemes, as well. And we need to help them generate righteous responses to these wicked schemes. We should be saying to our children, "Do you see that guy over there? Do you see how he's lurking in the shadows? Do you see how he keeps looking over his shoulder? He’s up to no good. Watch out for guys like that. Stay away from them. They’re bad news."

But Solomon doesn’t just leave it at that. He’s a realist. He knows the power of temptation, so he doesn't ignore the fact that his child is going to be enticed to participate in wicked schemes. In the New Testament, the apostle James writes about being enticed. In James 1:14, he says that...

... each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire, when it has conceived gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

This is a very helpful description of what’s happening when we’re tempted to sin. James is explaining that all temptations target our desires. And this includes righteous desires. Some temptations target unrighteous desires in our hearts, and those unrighteous desires needs to be put off and replaced with righteous desires, but quite often, temptation will focus on a righteous desire. The temptation comes in the form of a shortcut to try to fulfill your righteous desire in an unrighteous way. The temptation says to you, "I can give you a quick and easy way to fulfill your desire. You don’t have to do it God's way. His way is too difficult and takes too long. Here, let me show you a shortcut to getting what you want."

That's what Solomon is describing as an enticement in our sermon text, and he knows his children are susceptible to such enticements, so he’s training them to recognize and reject these enticements before they experience them.

For example, if we continue reading the wisdom and instruction Solomon is giving to his son, he spends a lot of time describing the enticements of sexual immorality. In chapters 5, 6, and 7, he’s very descriptive about the enticements of the immoral woman. What he basically says is, “Son, there are immoral women in this world and you’re going to be enticed by them. The immoral woman will flatter you with her tongue. She’ll try to lure you with her eyelids. Her lips drip honey and her words are smoother than oil. You’re going to notice her beauty and she’s going to offer you her intimate affections. So here’s what you need to understand: there's nothing shameful about your desire intimacy. God created you to desire intimacy. That’s a righteous desire that God gave to you, but He gave it with stipulations. God says your desire for intimacy needs to be fulfilled within the context of a marriage covenant. The immoral woman will tell you there’s an easier way to fulfill your desire. She’ll tell you that God’s way is too difficult. It’s too restrictive. She’ll say , ‘Come on, let’s take our fill of love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with love.’ But don’t listen to her! And don’t lust in your heart of her! The quick and easy intimacy she’s offering will pierce you like an arrow. Her feet go down to death. Her steps lay hold of hell. So keep yourself far away from her. Don’t go near the door of her house. Don’t even walk down her street because she’ll come running out of her house, calling you, telling you that her husband is gone on a multi-day business trip. Stay away from her because she will drag you down to the death chambers of hell. Don’t give your intimate affections to her. Rather, save them for the wife of your youth. Let your wife’s beauty and your wife’s beauty alone satisfy your desires for intimacy. Be enraptured with her love and the Lord will bless you tremendously.”

Do you see how Solomon is preparing his son for dealing with temptation?

He doesn’t try to pretend that temptation will not find its way into his son’s heart.

So he identifies the desire that temptation will use to entice his son.

Then he helps his son understand that this is a righteous desire which needs to be fulfilled in a righteous way.

Solomon explains the tragic consequences of trying to fulfill the desire unrighteously.

And he explains the tremendous blessings of fulfilling the desire the way God says it should be fulfilled.

That’s the structure of temptation given to us in the Scriptures, and parents adorn their children’s lives with godly wisdom and instruction when they help them apply this structure to the various enticements they’re going to experience in this fallen world. In its simplest form, it’s what James 1:14 says…

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

So parents adorn their children with wisdom and instruction when they teach their children that:

The desire for intimacy will entice them to sexual immorality.

The desire for wealth will entice them to steal.

The desire for affirmation will entice them to boast.

The desire for information will entice them to gossip.

The desire for vengeance will entice them to wrath.

The desire for control will entice them to manipulate.

The desire for security will entice them to be anxious.

The desire for status will entice them to lie.

The desire for possessions will entice them to covet.

The desire for preeminence will entice them to unholy rivalries.

The desire for unholy rivalries will entice them to hate.

And so on, and so on.

This isn’t just the instruction and wisdom we give to our children; it’s also the wisdom and instruction we give to ourselves. If you’re struggling with a recurring sin, brothers and sisters—if you’re having trouble putting that sin to death—then it’s possible that you’re not addressing the sin at its root. You’ll discover the root of the sin by identifying which of your desires temptation is using to entice you to sin. Once the desire is identified, the next step is to determine whether it’s a righteous or unrighteous desire. If it’s an unrighteous desire, then you need to put off that unrighteous desire and replace it with its righteous counterpart. And if it’s a righteous desire, then you need to understand that having the desire is not the problem, but you’re trying to fulfill that desire in an unrighteous way. Look to God’s word to discover the righteous way to fulfill righteous desires.

As was noted earlier, the wisdom and instruction of godly parents is something that adorns a child's person and character. When parents train their children to (1) recognize enticements to sin and (2) how to respond to enticements to sin, that’s adorning them with precious ornaments and chains. And when the children receive this wisdom and instruction by applying it to their lives, that results in the blessings of God. God is pleased to pour out His blessings upon that child.

One of the notable blessings God pours out on the child is gratitude for the wisdom and instruction his parents have given him. It’s a circular thing. The child receives the wisdom and instruction of his parents. He applies that wisdom and instruction to his life. Then he experiences the blessings of God, which makes him grateful for his parents’ wisdom and instruction. When this happens, this cycle repeats itself. And as it continues to repeat itself, the child becomes more and more adorned with those beautiful ornaments and chains his parents are giving him.

But this doesn’t happen for the foolish child because the fool despises wisdom and instruction. The fool never gets to the blessings of God and gratitude for his parents because he never receives or applies the wisdom and instruction of his parents. So the fool is his own worst enemy. He dooms himself. He kicks against the goads of wisdom and instruction, and wonders why his feet hurt so much. He kicks against the goads, and wonders why his life is so difficult. He kicks against the goads, and wonders why he isn’t enjoying the blessings of God.

Earlier in this sermon I delineated between the fool and the person who sometimes acts like a fool. Well, the reality is, every one of us is either a fool or somebody who sometimes act like a fool. Which is to say, none of us a perfect in receiving the wisdom and instruction of the Lord and righteously applying it to our lives. Solomon is a great example of this. He possessed so much wisdom and understood so many incredible things, yet he didn’t practice what he preached. He made some incredibly unwise and unrighteous choices in his life.

So the question before you this morning is, which are you? Are you a fool who despises wisdom and instruction? Or are you a person who sometimes acts like the fool who despises wisdom and instruction? The way you’ll be able to answer this question is to look at your pattern of repentance. The fool is right in his own eyes, so he doesn’t see the need to repent. As I mentioned earlier, the foolish child who rejects his parents’ wisdom and instruction thinks that he’s right and everybody else is wrong. His parents are wrong, the pastor is wrong, the other families in the church are wrong. “Everybody else is wrong so why should I be the one to repent?”

But the person who sometimes acts like a fool recognizes that he has been acting like a fool, so he repents. He goes to his parents and says, “I need to talk with you about something. I’ve been acting like a fool. I haven’t been wearing the beautiful ornaments of wisdom and instruction you gave to me. I need to confess my sins to you, and I need to confess me sins to God.” The husband does the same thing with his wife when he’s been acting like a fool. And the wife does the same the same thing with her husband when she’s been acting like a fool. All of us, in all of our relationships, will bear the righteous fruit of repentance when we act like fools. But the fool will not do this. You will not see the righteous fruit of repentance in the fool’s life.

So let me pose the question to you again. Are you a fool or somebody who sometimes acts like a fool? If you’re somebody who sometimes acts like a fool, then you understand that your sins have been covered by the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, who never acted like a fool. But if your life is not bearing the righteous fruit of repentance, then you’re a fool. Which means, you’re under the condemnation of the Lord. You’re storing up wrath for the day of wrath. You have a desperate need to be forgiven of your sins and reconciled with God. I plead with you, therefore, to call upon God to have mercy upon you through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Don’t wait until tomorrow to do this. Today is the acceptable time. Today is the day of salvation.