Do Not Forget Your Father's Teaching
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· 290 viewsSolomon instructs his sons to not forget his teaching. The greatest gift fathers can give to their children is wisdom to live rightly before God and others.
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Introduction:
Today is Father’s Day. And in God’s providence, is about a wise father’s instruction to his son. The tile of Today’s message is “Do Not Forget Your Father’s Teaching.”
We all know the powerful influence a father can have in his family.
The great preachers I look up to always mentioned how their own fathers shaped their lives and ministry. I think of John MacArthur who speaks of highly of his father Jack MacArthur who was also a pastor and preacher. I can think of John Piper who speaks of the influence of his own father who was a traveling evangelist. We can think of Pastor Ed and the influence his Tatay Ormeo had in his own life.
We also know how the influences of bad fathers and absent fathers and how that can affect their families. We can think of many people in jail or those who went down the wrong path because they didn’t have a good father to instruct them concerning the right path. It is really true:
“Family cycles are well known to sociologists: abused children often become abusing parents; offspring of alcoholics have a high incidence of alcoholism, delinquents may rear delinquents. Breaking the bad cycles and continuing the good ones are what wise parenting entails.”
Think about the increasing rates of single-parent moms in which the majority of single parents are mothers.
Whether you believe it or not, the influence of a father can either help a family or break a family. The influence a father can either make a family flourish or a cripple a family.
As a father of three young children myself, I want to be a good father. I want my children to grow up to love the Lord and live successful lives.
And that is what we find in this morning. It is one father addressing his sons to embrace wisdom so that they may live long and fruitful lives.
If we want to be good fathers, we need to give our children important lessons they can take for life and prepare them to live well.
Main Proposition: And in , Solomon charges his sons with three lessons on life, so that they too would live long and rightly before the Lord. His lessons are:
Get Wisdom (vv. 1-13)
Reject the Path of the Wicked (vv. 14-19)
Watch Your Life (vv. 20-27)
Keep your way Straight
Fathers, if we are going to be good fathers, we too need to pass this instruction down to our own children and the next generation.
Note: Given that it is Father’s Day, Father’s Day like other holidays can be a time of sadness if you don’t have a good father or an absent father or someone who has passed away.
I just want to encourage you that even though you don’t have a good father, or your father may not be here today, if you are a Christian, you have a heavenly Father who is perfect and knows what is good for you. In fact, God can use your circumstances to help you appreciate the beauty of our perfect Heavenly Father.
Fathers, even good ones, will fail you. But God will never fail you or never let you down. He will never leave you, nor never forsake you.
If you had a good father, it would be only a small glimpse of what our God is like.
And God the Father can teach you through spiritual fathers. He can teach you through His Word. God is a Father to the fatherless. Don’t be discouraged, let God encourage your heart this morning as he instructs you through His Word.
Scripture Reading:
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
The first lesson he gives his sons is to get wisdom. We have been in Proverbs for a little over a month now and you see that the theme is repeated over and over again? I think repetition is actually used to reinforce a point. Whereas the first chapters personifies wisdom, here a father is exhorting his sons to get wisdom.
I. Get Wisdom (vv. 1-13)
I. Get Wisdom (vv. 1-13)
A. Do Not Forget Your Father’s Teaching (vv. 1-3)
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
Hear/Listen/Obey. Solomon is addressing his sons to not forsake his instruction/torah. Why? Because they are good instructions. They are instructions for life.
As Fathers, one of the best things we can do for our children is to pass down wisdom.
You can pass on wealth, but if your children are foolish, they can waste that wealth.
You can pass on material things, but if your children are foolish, they can waste material things.
You can pass on knowledge, but if your children have knowledge without wisdom to apply that knowledge, they will live foolishly.
I like the ancient view of education. It was not the passing on of information, but it was the formation of character. The Greeks believed that the true goal of education was the formation of the soul through virtue. And before the Greeks were the Hebrews that taught that wisdom was skill in living.
Modern education simply focuses on gaining knowledge so that you can make a living. Biblical education focuses on gaining knowledge so that you would have skill in living.
I read a fascinating book this week entitled “The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming of Age Crisis and How to Rebuild a Structure of Self-Reliance” Ben Sasse, an American Senator, says we have a major problem in America.
We have a rising generation of boys, not men. It’s called the Peter Pan Syndrome where boys do not want to grow up to become men.
In some cultures, we have coming of age ceremonies. Jewish Culture Bar Mitzvah. Spanish Culture has quinceanara. Spartans trained young soldiers at age 12 to survive in the wilderness.
What happens in American culture? Sasses says we are living in a post-industrial age which is basically another way of saying living in the age after the industrial revolution.
Think about what has happened just in a hundred years. Automobiles. Steam engines. Airplanes. Factories. People moving into the cities. Computers. To smart phones.
The industrial revolution was turning point in history because it generated more wealth and increased lifespan with new advances in technology and medicine.
And with rising generations born into wealth and prosperity, instead of gratitude there are new generations rising that have forgotten the hardships our parents and our grandparents went through to generate all this prosperity.
What problems come when generations forget what has been handed down to them?
Increasing obesity rates. Increasing medication to treat illnesses like ADHD and Depression.Increased passivity and distraction with the invention of the smartphone. An increasing porn crisis since it is so easily accessed. More adults living at home:
Pew Research data shows that “for the first time in more than 130 years, 18- to 34-year olds in the U.S. were more likely to be living in their parents’ home than with a spouse or partner.
Less Marriage.
The Washington Post reported in 2016 that the percentage of young men who are unmarried and living at home is now higher than any point since the 1800s
Less commitment to church.
Now you have crisis of young people addicted to porn, addicted to screens, can’t keep a job, can’t be responsible enough to get married, have low commitments to school and to church.
“The more affluent the society, the more likely young people will experience an extended drift toward adulthood. Wealthy societies, for reasons largely well-intentioned but now producing unintended consequences, are making it easier for their teens to avoid the rigors and responsibilities of becoming a grown-up.”
Sasse, Ben. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance (Kindle Locations 972-974). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.
Why bring this up? I think a lot of it has to do with a failure of fathers to pass down wisdom to the next generation. If you have grown men who are boys inside, the next generation simply follows their examples.
Sasse, Ben. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance (Kindle Locations 770-771). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.
Sasse, Ben. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance (Kindle Locations 761-762). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.
Passing on wisdom will help our children grow up. Wisdom will mature you. Wisdom will help you live life in God’s World. And this father repeats himself over and over again to get the point across saying that wisdom is better than wealth or material things, because it will teach you how to live well in this life. And Solomon wants his son to live light rightly.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
The New American Commentary: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (5) The Fourth Exhortation: A Father’s Plea (4:1–27)
Wisdom is the greatest possession anyone can have, and the young man should make winning her the primary goal of his life.
Application: Wisdom must be taught and passed down in the home. Father’s, it is our job to make sure we are not raising a generation of lazy indifferent people. But people who are willing to make sacrifices and those who will be able to serve the community. We need to pass on wisdom on how to live life well.
And is God primary in your instruction?
Wisdom for living, like life itself, should start at home. It is there that character and habits are formed, and attitudes and values acquired, that make the man or woman—for better or worse.
When God appeared to Solomon and asked him for whatever request to be granted, I believe Solomon may have asked for wisdom because his father kept reminding him of the need for it. Wisdom was passed down over the generations.
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 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.”
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ” And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
1 kings 3
B. The Father Did Not Forget His Own Father’s Teaching (vv. 4-9)
And now Solomon reminds his son that his own father taught him these things. He is passing down wisdom from three generations.
he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Proverbs 4:5-
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Solomon is saying that his own father taught him. He was the son of Bathsheba and David and David may have known that Solomon would eventually succeed to the throne. And David kept telling his son Solomon to hold fast to his words and to keep/obey his commandments and live. The instructions of his own father were to always be with him.
Do whatever it takes to get wisdom. It is more precious than wealth. It is more precious than a college degree or a prestigious job.
Old Testament Survey Series: The Wisdom Literature and Psalms B. The Grandfather’s Appeal (4:4b–9)
The grandfather appealed to his son to “acquire” (qanah), lit. purchase, wisdom and understanding. The verb is repeated for emphasis, i.e., “purchase at any price.”
Old Testament Survey Series: The Wisdom Literature and Psalms B. The Grandfather’s Appeal (4:4b–9)
“Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom” (KJV). Paraphrased, the father is saying that wisdom is the highest good, and therefore ought to be obtained. Wisdom should be acquired with all one’s “acquiring,” i.e., with all one has acquired or gotten.
Beginning of wisdom means it is the first priority or the first principle or the the basics of life. You need wisdom to live rightly in this world. That is why Solomon repeats over and over again.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) The Grandfather’s Lecture: Get Wisdom (4:5–9)
Kidner says that it is a blunt way of saying, “ ‘What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but a decision. Do you want it? Come and get it.’ ”
Christian—You actually have to desire it. You actually have to see the value of wisdom. You have to see the beauty of it. Pray for it. Seek it. Be diligent in the pursuit of it. One practical way is to read proverbs one chapter a day. There are so many proverbs that are helpful to life.
If you don’t you will be content to live a mediocre life and drift through life aimlessly and without any purpose.
And I fear that we have many people who just drift and just try to escape like through entertainment only to find out that the years have gone by and they have wasted their lives.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Proverbs
Prize, Embrace, Exalt Wisdom.
Sasse, Ben. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance (Kindle Locations
Prize, Exalt, Honor, and Embrace Wisdom.
Love her and embrace her. She will exalt you and honor you and make you a victor in life. The imagery is committing to her like committing to a spouse. If you get her, you will get honor and the crown symbolizing victory in life. You will live well.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) The Grandfather’s Lecture: Get Wisdom (4:5–9)
Kidner says that it is a blunt way of saying, “ ‘What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but a decision. Do you want it? Come and get it.’ ”
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) The Grandfather’s Lecture: Get Wisdom (4:5–9)
Kidner says that it is a blunt way of saying, “ ‘What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but a decision. Do you want it? Come and get it.’ ”
What happens if you get wisdom?
Love her and she will exalt you and honor you and make you a victor in life.
Christian—You actually have to desire it. You actually have to see the value of wisdom. You have to see the beauty of it.
If you don’t you will be content to live a mediocre life and drift through life aimless and without any purpose.
And I fear that we have many people who just drift and just try to escape like through entertainment only to find out that the years have gone by and they have wasted their lives.
C. The Blessings of Wisdom
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Proverbs 4:
Solomon repeats his point to reinforce his teaching.
A. Long Life
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
The quality and duration of life will be extended. Again, this is not an absolute promise, but a general principle of life. If you listen to wisdom, it will protect you from doing stupid and foolish things that can either bring harm upon your life or worse death.
B. Righteous Living
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
You will know what it looks like to live righteously. You will not stumble in life, but will have success.
Keep her. Do not let her go. Guard her.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Jesus Christ—I do the will of my Father. Wisdom exalted Christ to the highest place in heaven.
Fathers—The best thing we can do for our children is to pass on wisdom. But we cannot pass it down if we don’t have it ourselves. Let us make sure we are fearing God and seeking Him. Let us make sure we are diligent to pursue wisdom. They will learn by our examples.
To teach them how to live life. To teach them to fear God. To teach them to treat others rightly. And to teach them discernment regarding the right decisions. We have to be intentional about this, not passive about it. We have to spend time with our children if we are going to pass on wisdom to them. They are looking to our example. Teach them with what is going on in school, in the culture. Be present with them.
If we are not going to teach our children, the world and the devil will. If we are not going to teach our children, the world will. If we are not going to teach our children self-control, their flesh will. If we will not spend time with our children, they will be consumed with endless distraction and grow up to be foolish.
Church Member—We learn through reinforcement, repetition and practice as we study the word of God.
Older Members-Pass down the truth to the next generation. By instruction, but also by example (). The apostle Paul in his old age could say this:
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Youth-Obey the fifth commandment. Do not think you know better than your parents. They have lived longer than you and experienced more than you. They have gone through more hardships and I’m sure can give you wisdom.
You get wisdom by listening to your parent’s instruction. If you have godly parents, don’t forget what they have taught you. Do not despise them or be arrogant thinking you know better than them.
If you don’t have Christian parents, they still have life experience you can learn from.
If you don’t have a good Father, you must remember you have a Heavenly Father who teaches you wisdom through His Word.
Church Member—We learn through reinforcement, repetition and practice as we study the word of God. Wisdom is learned through God’s word and reinforcement of God’s Word.
Remember Godly examples who have experience with walking with God and imitate their faith.
The best place to learn wisdom is in the Bible.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Jesus Christ—I do the will of my Father. Wisdom exalted Christ to the highest place in heaven.
Idle Christian—Do you desire wisdom? You have to want it and commit to it if you are going to grow. If you are lazy and idle, you will suffer for it through your own foolish actions.
Non-Christian—If you want to be wise, you have to come to an end of yourself and submit to God’s wisdom. You have to reject the world’s wisdom and embrace God’s wisdom. If you want to be wise, you need to acknowledge you have sinned against God and deserved his judgment. But because God is so gracious and merciful, he sent His Son to die in your place taking on your punishment. And he rose again three days later. That if you repent of your thinking, your ways that dishonor him, you can have be forgiven and granted the gift of eternal life.
More than that, God gives you his Holy Spirit to make you wise so that you can live a life that glorifies him.
Christian—Go to a funeral.
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Transition: A wise father will instruct his sons to get wisdom, for it will add long life and help you be a victor in life, but the second lesson is to reject the path of the wicked.
II. Reject the Path of the Wicked (vv. 14-19)
II. Reject the Path of the Wicked (vv. 14-19)
This was already mentioned in chapter one, so I will not spend too much time here.
Who are the wicked? Simply stated, the wicked are those who do not fear God.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
And there are those people who not only despise God, but they delight in doing evil.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
Do not follow those who do not fear God and dishonor God. Lessons on Temptation. Verse 15 give us a four fold strategy for rejecting the path of evil.
Do not follow that path. Do not adopt their lifestyle.
1. Avoid it. Don’t even give thought to what the wicked do.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Admonitions to Avoid the Way of the Wicked (4:14–17)
In the Greek myth of Medusa, the heart of anyone who looked fully at its hideous face turned to stone; so also the son runs the risk of having his heart turned into stone by becoming at all involved with the wicked.
Do not even think about coming near her doors. Get away from it.
2. Do Not Go On it. Do not go on their path.
3. Turn Away. Turn the opposite direction. Keep walking on the path God has set before you.
4. Pass On. Keep your eyes fixed on wisdom and the fear of the Lord.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Proverbs
The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Christian—How many people fall and stumble because instead of walking away from temptation, they walk near the door of it? How many people have engaged in immorality because they try to get close to temptation as possible and then realize their flesh is too weak to overcome sexual sin? How many people think they are stronger than they are only to fall.
One pastor wrote an excellent article on Desiring God entitled, “If they Fell, So Can You, How Sin Seduced the Strongest, Wisest, and Godliest”
Sin was able overpower the strongest man who ever lived: Samson, outsmart the smartest man who ever lived, Solomon, and deceive the godliest man who ever lived.
Why did these men fell, they were up close to temptation and thought they had the strength and smarts to overpower sin and temptation. Instead of running away from it, they walked closed to it and they sinned and experienced terrible consequences as a result of their sin.
Samson’s eyes were gouged out and died, Solomon would be oppressed by foreign invaders and prepare the way of the exile of God’s people, and David lost his child with Bathsheba with whom he committed adultery.
We are not to play with sin. We are not to linger around it. We are too weak and too foolish to play with sin.
Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
These men delight in doing evil.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
Instead of being satisfied with doing good, they find satisfaction in doing evil. The fool will follow foolish and wicked friends.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
Think about Judas. He forsook Jesus and the disciples and joined the company of murderers and those who sought to betray and kill the Christ. He did it for money. The pharisees did it for their own power and reputation.
What was the end result of following these people? He put a rope around his neck and hung himself.
You need to make a complete separation from wicked people who draw you away from God and the fellowship of God’s people.
I do not mean we do not have relationships with unbelievers. What I mean is that we do not have relationship with unbelievers who cause us to drift and even sin against God.
Instead, we should be like Jesus who always did the will of his father.
And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Admonitions to Avoid the Way of the Wicked (4:14–17)
In the Greek myth of Medusa, the heart of anyone who looked fully at its hideous face turned to stone; so also the son runs the risk of having his heart turned into stone by becoming at all involved with the wicked.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
(18) Now that it is summer, the Sun dawns very early in the morning and shines brighter and brighter as the day goes by.
This is how it should be with the Christian life. Begin in righteousness, but grow in righteousness and ever increasing conformity to Christ.
My bedroom is next to our window. I have been waking up at 6 am. Because at 6am, that is when the Sun rises. And now that it is summer, the Sun gets brighter and brighter as the day unfolds. By noon, the Sun is super hot.
So it is in the Christian life. You begin with a little light, but than that light increases as you grow in holiness and sanctification.
This is how it should be with the Christian life. Begin in righteousness, but grow in righteousness and ever increasing conformity to Christ.
You are growing from one degree of glory to the next as the apostle Paul would say.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
(19) While wicked people grow brighter, the godless and unbelieving grow darker. You are either being hardened in your sin, or you are growing more in humility. There is no third way. You are either growing closer to God or drifting father away from God. You are either increasing in holiness or drawing closer to sin and temptation. Pray God allows you to seek and pursue Him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Fathers—Teach you children to get wisdom. But also teach them wisdom to choose their friends wisely. Just as parents can have enormous influence over their children, sometimes friends can have a greater influence. And if they follow the wrong crowd, they can end up rejecting the teaching you passed down and the tradition passed down to them and cause great pain if they choose the wrong friends.
The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
Youth—It needs to be repeated again. Choose your friends wisely. Do you have friends that draw you closer to the Lord or do you have friends that lead you away from the Lord. I pray that you would have wisdom to make sure your closest friends are those who help you love the Lord more.
Church—Church is the company of the righteous. We are pilgrims who exhort one another to not follow the wrong path. Church should be a place of friendship for the godly and the righteous.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Church Attender—Join a church. If you have been attending here awhile but have not committed to membership, I would encourage you to commit to a local body, whether it is this church or not. You cannot be victorious in the Christian life in isolation. You need community. And you need the church to exhort you to continue on the right path. Don’t be on the fence with God’s people. Make a decision to serve the Lord and join a local body.
My bedroom is next to our window. I have been waking up at 6 am. Because at 6am, that is when the Sun rises. And now that it is summer, the Sun gets brighter and brighter as the day unfolds. By noon, the Sun is super hot.
Transition: The first lesson he gives his son is to get wisdom. The second lesson is to reject the path of the wicked. The third lesson Solomon gives to son is to watch his life.
So it is in the Christian life. You begin with a little light, but than that light increases as you grow in holiness and sanctification.
You are growing from one degree of glory to the next as the apostle Paul would say.
III. Watch Your Life (vv. 20-27)
III. Watch Your Life (vv. 20-27)
A. Watch Your Heart
My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
B. Watch Your Mouth
My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
3x Solomon addresses his son in intimacy. I am pleading with you not to forget what I am saying to you. Do let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart.
C. Watch Your Priorities
(20) 3x Solomon addresses his son in intimacy. I am pleading with you not to forget what I am saying to you.
You don’t want to be that person who says, “I wish I would have listened to my Father! He was right!”
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
(23) Keep/Guard your heart. Remember, the heart was the spiritual control center of a person. The heart is the “inner you.” The heart includes the mind, the affections, the will. It is the spiritual life of the man. This is where we live.
You remember the Disney Movie Inside Out? The story of a little girl from Minnesota who grows up and has to move to San Francisco because of her father’s new job. She is sad with the new transition and you see her acting out.
And the story is about five of her emotions try to maintain her from the inside. Joy, disgust, anger, sadness, and fear influence her life from the inside and you see how she acts on the outside from a child to a emotional teenager.
This was a cool movie because it showed what goes on the inside affects our outside.
I think is some ways it relates to the heart because our actions flow out from the inside.
Because if you don’t win the battle on the inside, you won’t win the battle on the outside.
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.
This verse is often used in dating. But the main context is to do everything to protect the inside. Do everything to protect what comes inside your heart.
How do you discern your heart?
Ask, what stirs your affections? What gets you really excited? What are your ultimate hopes and ultimate fears? What is it you love most? What makes you really sad if it is taken away?
And then ask yourself where does God play the picture? Does he stir your affections? Are your ultimate hopes in God? Are you fears answered by God’s promise?
Christian—It is good to reflect on your heart. And see where you may be idolizing something instead of finding peace and rest in God.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
John 7:36-38
:36-38
We guard our hearts by filling our minds with the things of God. By rejecting temptation and evil. We guard our hearts through daily prayer and communion. Fellowship with God’s people.
“A neglected Bible is the melancholy proof of a heart that is alienated from God. For how can we have a spark of love for him if that Book that is full of his revealed glory is despised? A superficial acquaintance with it is no good. If your ears were bored to the doors of the sanctuary, if the Word were never let out of your sight, your religion would still just be an idea and not principles, unless you keep them within your heart.” Charles Bridges
B. Watch Your Mouth
“Words are windows to the inner life.” Words reveal what is truly going on in the heart. Angry words come from an angry heart. Malicious words come from a malicious heart. Gracious words come from a gracious heart. Kind words come from a kind heart. Word reveal the inner man.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Your words will be a reflection of your heart. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Your words will reveal you either have a good heart or a wicked heart.
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
(24) Put away twisted and perverted speech. James reminds us that ungodly speech does not bring forth the righteousness of God. The tongue can bring great damage in relationships, in the church, in social media, in the world.
(24) Put away twisted and perverted speech. James reminds us that ungodly speech does not bring forth the righteousness of God.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Watch your words. What you say about others. Slander, gossip, half-truths, lies, false and failed promises, malicious speech, idle talk can damage others and be a reflection of a wicked heart.
C. Watch Your Priorities
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
If you think about track runners, they tell runners to keep their eyes on the finish line right? If you look to the person to the right or the person to the left, it is possible you may stumble and trip and lose focus.
Here Solomon says we need to keep our priorities always ahead of us and keep our eyes on Jesus.
.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Like Paul, we must press forward about the prize of Christ.
There are not many ways to live. There are only two ways to live. Living wisely or living foolishly.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life. If you follow Christ, you will walk on the narrow path that leads to life.
There are not many ways to be saved. There are only two ways to live. For God or for yourself.
Therefore we are to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
If we want to be wise people, we need to get wisdom, to reject the pathway of the wicked, and to watch our lives.
Which will you choose?
And we get wisdom by fixing our eyes on Jesus, laying aside the weight of foolish friendships and the sin that causes us to stumble, and fix our eyes directly on Him who came to suffer for us to give us wisdom and who lives again to perfect our faith when we trust and obey Him.
And because Jesus is alive sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, the position of all power and authority, he can turn the wicked, the foolish, the simple, the arrogant into wise and loving people who live to glorify Him and have blessed lives on earth into eternity because of what he has accomplished for us at Calvary.
The greatest gift we can give our children is to pass on wisdom. And wisdom is knowing Jesus Christ. And that wisdom is found in knowing Christ crucified. If we raise up our children to know Christ and live for him, we will have successfully done our jobs as fathers.
If they know Jesus Christ, they will be wise. They will know which friends to choose. The will be on the right path because He is the way, truth, and the life.
And if you want to be a wise person, you too must live for Jesus. Jesus is the only one who can give us new hearts that love and serve Him.
Summary: What lessons does Solomon give for his sons to live life rightly before God and others?
Get Wisdom
Reject the Pathway of the Wicked
Watch Your Heart.
Conclusion:
We praise God for the fathers who taught us about the heavenly Father. We praise God for the fathers who led us to Christ by teaching and by example. And we give glory to our perfect heavenly Father who sent His Son to die in our place so that we can live for Him.
We give our Father glory for being the perfect Father who sent His Son to die in our place and to be raised again from the dead so that we too can have wisdom, new hearts, and a new way to follow because he has given us the way to live life.
Fathers, give your children Jesus if you want to be a good father. This is the greatest gift you can give your children because God the Father gave his only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
“Words are windows to the inner life.” Words reveal what is truly going on in the heart. Angry words come from an angry heart. Malicious words come from a malicious heart. Gracious words come from a gracious heart. Kind words come from a kind heart. Word reveal the inner man.
Richard D. Phillips. The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men (p. 14). Kindle Edition.