Proverbs 1:1-33 - Wisdom for the New Year

Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence.

He resolved to seek God’s glory in everything he did or thought regardless of how much time was spent on these things.

This goes against our natural inclination.

Because of our sinfulness we tend to seek our own glory and profit by whichever way is the quickest and easiest.

As you consider a new years resolution for 2026, let God’s wisdom from his Word guide you to go against your natural inclination and seek his glory instead of your own.

In Proverbs chapter 1 God tells us that there are two voices calling out for us to follow them: the voice of folly, and the voice of wisdom.

We’re going to walk through this first chapter of proverbs to recognize these two voices, and to understand which one to heed and which one to ignore.

Proverbs 1:1–3 ESV

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;

Proverbs 1:4–6 ESV

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.

Proverbs 1:7–9 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 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.

In this first section we see that…

God Gives Us Wisdom (1-9)

In verse 1 we see that God has written down his wisdom through Solomon so that we could read it and heed it.

God gave Solomon a wise and discerning mind to understand the difference between good and evil.

Let’s look at the account of how God gave Solomon this wise and discerning mind.

1 Kings 3:5–14 “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.””

God told Solomon to ask him for anything… anything!

And Solomon asked for wisdom to be able to govern God’s people well.

And much of that wisdom he wrote down in this book of Proverbs.

So, as we continue looking through this chapter, remember that this is not the wisdom of the world.

This is God’s wisdom that he gave to Solomon and us.

This wisdom is written here in the book of Proverbs as a series of sayings and illustrations.

And in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 1 God told us what these wise sayings, the proverbs are for, what their purpose is.

God had Solomon write down His wisdom:

So that we could know wisdom and instruction

So that we could understand words of insight

So that we could receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity.

These are all really good things.

It seems kind of obvious, but without these things we are left in ignorance, confusion, and chaos, trapped in anxiety and fear.

And God also told us in verses 4-6 who benefits from this wisdom, who his intended audience is.

And it includes both the young and the old, both the simple and the wise.

God’s wisdom is for everyone.

For the young, it may be tempting to see God’s wisdom more as a hindrance to your fun rather than a help to it.

After all, God’s wisdom is’t exactly fun.

Please heed God’s wisdom because it’s very dangerous to only think about what’s fun.

For the simple, it may be tempting to see God’s wisdom as complicated and not worth the effort to understand.

It’s easier to just ignore it and hope the uncomfortable things in life just go away.

Please heed God’s wisdom because it’s very dangerous to just ignore your problems.

For the wise, it may be tempting to see God’s wisdom like medicine.

If you’re not sick, then you don’t need to take medicine.

I don’t feel like I’m suffering from acute unrighteousness or ignorance.

I feel fine, so I’ll keep doing life my way until there’s something that I need a dose of proverbs for.

Please heed God’s wisdom because the most dangerous place to be is comfortable in your own wisdom.

Well, after telling us who this wisdom is for, he gives us they key to understanding this wisdom in verse 7, the key to unlocking the mysteries of all of these proverbs.

That key is called the fear of the Lord.

Without the fear of the Lord, there is no motivation to heed the wisdom of God.

You have to be properly motivated to listen and obey, or else all of these proverbs are simply suggestions.

The fear of the Lord is not like a phobia or anything like that.

Its a reverence that puts God’s priorities at the very top of your priorities.

That’s why Jonathan Edwards’ first resolution was to seek God’s glory in everything he thought and did.

This is God’s priority put at the top of Jonathan Edwards’ priorities.

His resolution reflects his fear of the Lord.

And that is they key to unlock the mysteries of God’s wisdom throughout this book, and the key to actually heed God’s wisdom.

But then in verses 8 and 9 we see how God intended for us to perpetuate his wisdom.

He gave this wisdom to us as stewards to share with our children.

Solomon wrote it down to give to his son, but God intends for all of his children to keep passing this wisdom down to our children as well.

He encourages his son to hold onto this wisdom and instruction from his parents.

And he tells him to do this because it’s a benefit to him, specifically it’s evidence of victory like a trophy or a medal.

And as we’re going to see at the end of this chapter, this is a victory that is won not by conquering in your own wisdom and effort.

No, this victory is won for you by God.

So, in verses 1-9 we saw how God has given all of us his wisdom.

Now let’s read verses 10-19 to see the first bit of wisdom he’s given us.

Proverbs 1:10–12 ESV

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;

Proverbs 1:13–16 ESV

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.

Proverbs 1:17–19 ESV

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.

Here, God’s wisdom tells us to…

Ignore the Call of Folly (10-19)

In verse 10 we see the source of the call of folly.

It’s those who are also caught up in the same folly, the same sin, that are calling us to join them.

If sinners call you to join in their sin, don’t do it.

I know that sounds obvious, but we all need to hear it.

If you see someone in sin, and they call you to join them in their sin, don’t.

It’s like the phrase, just say no to drugs.

Just say no to sin, any sin, whatever it may look like.

And we need this reminder to say no because sin is enticing.

In verses 11 and 12 we see that this call is enticing because it’s the call to feel powerful.

We all want to feel powerful.

Nobody wants to feel helpless or weak.

And it’s super easy to feel powerful by making other people feel weak, by putting other people down.

That’s why bullies exist, and not just on the playground at school.

Bullies exist in the workplace, in the government, in the home, everywhere.

Any time one person feels more powerful by making another feel weaker is bullying.

This desire to feel powerful can be fueled by our past where we’ve been on the receiving end of bullying, but that’s not always the case.

Sometimes this desire to feel powerful can come from discontentment.

If you aren’t content with the influence, the position, the power that the Lord has given you, then you may feel tempted to grasp for more.

And in grasping for more it’s very easy to step on others and put them down to get it.

You see, this is the easy way to feel powerful, but the power you feel this way is fleeting.

It might be here for a moment, but very soon it disappears, and leaves you wanting more.

We’ll talk about the right way to feel powerful a bit later, but for now, simply say no to joining others in their folly of bullying others to feel powerful the wrong way.

In verses 13 and 14 we also see that this call is enticing because it’s the call to feel prosperous.

Those people that they were bullying had money and valuable things to take.

Just like the easy and fleeting way to feel powerful is bullying, the easy and fleeting way to feel prosperous is theft.

Now, stealing stuff is a very obvious sin.

But what about hoarding?

And what about cheating a bit on your taxes?

The heart behind these things is not trusting God’s provision.

We don’t have to blatantly take other people’s money and stuff to be guilty here.

The anxiety, the worry that we will not have what we want, and the actions that follow that line of thinking are all it takes.

We want to feel prosperous, but the seeming prosperity that comes from not trusting God’s provision is fleeting.

You may feel prosperous for a moment, but ultimately it’ll all be gone.

You may feel prosperous for a little while, but very soon it will not be enough, and you will be left wanting more.

Both power and prosperity are insufficient to satisfy.

And as we can see in verses 15-19, the result of this call of folly is actually the opposite of power and prosperity… the result is impotence and poverty.

Again, we are admonished as God’s children to avoid following the same path as those who are calling us to the folly of sin.

And we are told exactly why we should avoid it.

Their call to fleeting power and prosperity is actually a call to evil and bloodshed.

This seems kind of obvious to me… the call to shed innocent blood and take all their stuff is clearly the call to evil and bloodshed.

But if we’re thinking about simply feeling powerful by making others feel weak and feeling prosperous by not trusting God’s provision, then it might not seem so obvious that their call is to evil and bloodshed.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:21–22 ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

He also said in Matthew 6:19–21 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

These people who are calling us to join them in their sin… Solomon likens them to birds setting a trap for themselves.

This is to show us how utterly foolish it is to heed this call.

The obvious result of heeding this call is doing evil and being judged for that evil.

They lie in wait for their own blood.

They are stealing from their own stuff.

The power they seek actually results in impotence, powerlessness.

They are powerless to stop the judgment of God.

And the prosperity they seek actually results in poverty.

Seeking to provide for themselves, they are left with nothing.

So, in the wisdom that God has given all of us, we are to ignore the call of folly.

Next, in verses 20-33 we will see the second bit of wisdom God has given us.

Proverbs 1:20–22 ESV

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Proverbs 1:23–25 ESV

If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,

Proverbs 1:26–28 ESV

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Proverbs 1:29–31 ESV

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Proverbs 1:32–33 ESV

For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Here, God tells us to…

Heed the Call of Wisdom (20-33)

In verses 20 and 21 we can see the source of the call of wisdom.

The voice of wisdom can be heard in the streets, in the markets, at the city gates…

It’s everywhere, all around us as we go about our daily lives because it’s God calling us to his wisdom.

And we can find his wisdom most clearly in his Word.

But it’s difficult to read God’s Word as we’re going about our daily lives, isn’t it…

The call of God’s Wisdom in his Word easily gets drowned out with the cares of life.

That’s why it’s so important to hide God’s Word in your heart.

Memorize it, or read it enough to recall what God says when you don’t have his Word right in front of you.

But what is God’s wisdom calling us to do?

In verses 22 and 23 God’s wisdom offers us the opportunity to repent of our foolishness.

All of us have been simple or foolish, and all of us have stayed in our ignorance and folly for longer than we should have.

How long will you stay there?

God gives us the opportunity to repent, to turn away from our foolishness and back to him and his righteousness.

He says that if you turn, if you repent at his reproof, he will pour out his spirit on you and make his words known to you.

It’s not too late to repent!

But we see in verses 24-28 that there will come a time where everyone who refuses to repent will feel the sting of wisdom’s rebuke in hindsight.

There will come a time when it will be too late to repent.

If you keep refusing to listen to God’s wisdom…

If you keep refusing to heed his outstretched hand to pull you out of your folly…

If you keep ignoring his counsel and reproof…

If you keep ignoring his call to repent…

Then time will run out and you won’t be able to repent.

What happens when it’s too late to repent?

Calamity, terror, distress, and anguish.

That is what’s coming for those who refuse to repent, for those who refuse to listen to God’s wisdom.

But why do people refuse to listen to God’s wisdom?

He tells us why in verses 29-31.

They hate knowledge, don’t fear the Lord, refuse his counsel, and despise his reproof.

They hate knowledge by thinking they already know.

I already know what I’m supposed to do, I don’t need to ask God.

They don’t fear the Lord by prioritizing themselves over God.

They refuse his counsel by taking their own counsel.

God doesn’t want what’s best for me, only I know what’s best for me.

And they despise God’s reproof by thinking there’s nothing to be reproved of.

I haven’t murdered anyone… I’m not that bad… I’ll be fine if I just balance the scales of my sin with good deeds.

People refuse to listen to God’s wisdom by being self-righteous, thinking that they can do it on their own.

But when time runs out and the opportunity to repent has passed, they will eat and be filled up with their folly.

They will get what they wanted.

They will be judged based on their own merit, and their own merit earns them eternal punishment in hell because they have sinned against almighty eternal God.

But there is still hope right now to repent because if you are alive right now, then you still have time to repent and heed God’s wisdom.

Well finally, in verses 32 and 33 we get the result of heeding the call of wisdom.

At this point, God has given us the push of heeding his wisdom to avoid eternal punishment.

And now he gives us the pull of heeding his wisdom to gain eternal security in him.

The foolish and ignorant will be destroyed, but for those who heed the call of God’s wisdom it says that you will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Now, Solomon may have simply wanted to convey to his son the immediate consequences of ignoring and heeding God’s wisdom.

Immediately, ignoring wisdom will result in destruction in this life.

And immediately, heeding wisdom will result in security in this life.

But I think God intended for us to take these principles and apply them to our eternal state.

We already talked about the eternal state of those who refuse to heed God’s call of wisdom.

When it is too late to repent.

But here, God’s Word says that those who heed his wisdom will dwell secure, and they will be at ease, and without dread of disaster.

And I think God is referring not only to security in this life, but also eternal security.

If we heed God’s wisdom we will live for eternity in his security and ease.

This is the right way to feel powerful and prosperous because it’s God’s power and prosperity given to us.

With God giving us his power and prosperity we aren’t making others feel weaker or taking their stuff to feel it.

And it isn’t fleeting… it’s satisfying and everlasting.

Conclusion

Now, the thing that we have to supply from the rest of God’s Word is the specifics of God’s wisdom that when heeded results in eternal security.

And that is the gospel.

The good news that you don’t have to rely on your own merit to earn eternal life, because as we saw earlier, your own merit only earns you eternal punishment in hell.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is the good news that Jesus, God’s Son took your punishment for you, and gave you his perfect righteousness which DOES earn you eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

God’s wisdom says let go of your self-righteousness and cling to Jesus and his righteousness.

Turn away from your selfishness and heeding your own counsel and run to Jesus and his sufficiency to save you.

Confess your sins, and confess Jesus as Lord who died in your place and rose from the dead.

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you do that, then you can live in security, knowing that you will live forever in God’s security and love.

So, as you look out at the prospect of another year, consider which voice you are heeding.

Every moment of this next year you will have both the call of folly and the call of wisdom.

Folly from those who are in the midst of that folly, and wisdom from God.

It’s easy and enticing to listen to the voice of folly, but it will always leave you wanting more.

And it’s not difficult to hear the voice of God’s wisdom, but it can be difficult to heed his call in our self-reliance, our self-righteousness.

Please, as you go throughout this next year, resolve like Jonathan Edwards to seek God’s glory, to fear the Lord, to prioritize him above everything else.

Because this is the key to ignoring the call of folly and heeding the call of God’s wisdom.

Resolve to fear the Lord, and it will become much easier to ignore folly and heed wisdom.

Fear the Lord, and trust in Jesus.

That is where true wisdom is.

Pray

Father, I pray that you would help us to hear and heed your wisdom in every moment, every decision.

Help us to seek your glory above anything and everything else, to seek your glory in everything we think and do.

And help us to trust in your goodness and your provision.

Lord you are more satisfying than anything sin could offer.

Help us to remember your love for us and your promise of security in heaven.

And Father, I pray that if there are any here who are still relying on their own righteousness…

I pray that they would believe in your Son, Jesus, that they would trust in his righteousness and his work on the cross for us.

I pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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