Proverbs (7)

Introduction: Have you ever inherited someone's collection? Maybe a thimble collection, baseball cards, coins, tools, rocks, or etc. A few months ago I had the joy and privileged of receiving a collection of books and study notes from my pastoral mentor. Pastor Bob Chroninger mentored me right out of college, and I served with him until 2009. He passed away last December and his daughter was kind enough to let me have two full filing cabinets of his ministry notes, and six boxes of books from his library. They are a jewel of a collection. As a matter of fact I pulled his file on Proverbs again this week just to see what notes he may have had regarding chapter four. It was a delight to see his handwriting and recall the wisdom he sought to pass on to me.

Transition: Today, we are focusing our attention on Proverbs 4:1-9, which instructs us concerning Wisdom’s Heritage. Get wisdom, and pass it on!

Read the Text.

Transition: There a three major observations that I want to direct our attention toward today. The Course of Wisdom’s Heritage, The Charterer of Wisdom’s Heritage, and the Consequence of Wisdom’s Heritage.

Course of Wisdom’s Heritage.

First of all, notice the course of Wisdom’s heritage in verse 1, 3, 4a

There are two major methods or pathways revealed here in order to pass on a heritage of wisdom.

Give wisdom… Pass it on.

Get wisdom… Receive it.

Notice the plural usage of son(s) in verse one. Up to this point Solomon has directed the conversation to a son. But now, it’s as if he lifts up his head and looks to the crowd and extends the conversation to a multitude of sons. He is telling all of us the importance of giving and receiving wisdom. He explains the purpose of listening and paying attention to wisdom, it is to gain or to know insight. Insight is where we get the notion of receiving a collection. Because insight is the whole assembly, the whole compilation of wisdom. To have insight is to have your store house of wisdom filled up. It s like having your grain bins full of wisdom.

Point: It is a son’s responsibility to listen and pay attention to their father’s counsel. It is a father’s responsibility to give that counsel.

This doesn't mean that mothers and daughters are left out of the conversation. No, we have already noticed from 1:8 the instruction to not forsake our mother’s teaching. However, there is an emphasis here that men should be aware of. God has ordered the family in such a way to give distinct responsibilities to the various persons who make up family. This is true in creation, and even after the fall of humanity into rebellion against God it remained as an emphasis for families belonging to God. It’s certainly true of those who belong to Christ where we find teaching in the New testament letters concerning the roles of husbands, wives, and children. These distinctions enhance the equality that we have in Christ, and God has seen fit to call upon men to be the spiritual leaders of our families. This point leads me to a question...

How can we take this course of wisdom’s heritage?

Normal times of conversation about wisdom. (dinner table, driving, walks, evenings at home, singing a song, reading a verse, having prayer with kid before they go to school or run off to practice.)

Example: Talking to kids at breakfast about how amazing God is.

Focused times of conversation about wisdom. ( Family worship, gathering with groups, gathering with church family.. mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters that we would have other wise.)

Example: I Chron 29:1 Stating the obvious about the condition of your children and being humble enough to receive that like Solomon did when he made the same statement and asked God for wisdom.

1 Chronicles 29:1 ESV

And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God.

Transition: The course, the method, the way in which wisdom is passed down as a heritage is for men to step up to the responsibilities given to us and throw the ball. A son will only catch the ball that is thrown to him. Our children will receive what we throw. We are always passing some kind of ball. Point being, what kind of ball , what kind of wisdom are we actually passing to our kids? Which takes us to our second observation...

Character of Wisdom’s Heritage

This observation comes to surface in 4:2 which says, (read)

The character of wisdom is good, because it is fixed in the fear of a good God. There is nothing better to give or receive than the good precepts of God.

Psalm 119:159

Psalm 119:159 ESV

Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.

4. The precepts of God are the content of His teachings. The doctrine of His instructions. Solomon's focus here is that the quality of teaching that he is offering to his sons is good. The best.

5. Once upon a time there was a daughter who inherited the wedding diamond form her mother. The story behind the diamond was that it was a precious jewel purchased for her mother when she was married to her father. It was big, and the daughter always remembers how much her mother cherished the ring. She remembered her dad repeatedly pointing out the ring and how sacrificial he had been in purchasing the ring. The daughter decided she had better have the ring insured so she took it to an expert for appraisal. She was told to insure the ring for 50 $ for the value of the gold, but the diamond was in fact a fake. The character of the ring revealed the quality of the ring.

6. So it is with the precepts of God. The character reveals the quality. Listen to Psalm 19:7-11 concerning the character of God’s precepts.

Psalm 19:7–11 ESV

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Transition: The course of Wisdom’s heritage is the giving and receiving of good precepts. What is the quality of wisdom that we are passing on? We must pass on the eternal, inerrant, authoritative, truth of God’s word. When that good wisdom is received and lived out.. as 19:11 stated, there is great reward. Which leads us to our final observation this morning.

Consequence of Wisdom’s Heritage

We discover this in 4:4-9

What happens when when we give and receive good wisdom? What are the results of teaching and adhering to the good precepts of God?

Life (vs 4)

The Hebrew word for live in verse 4 is HyYaw. Sort of sounds like your doing a karate chop! But its an interesting word because it means to live well, to be prosperous, to return to life, to be revived and stay alive!

Immediately we make the connection to Christ and His words in Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The gospel reveals to us that Christ alone has made it possible for us to be revived to new life. Outside of Christ, we are dead in our trespasses and sin. But when the Holy Spirit regenerates us we are then made right with God through faith. He sets us on a new pathway of eternal life.

Preservation (5-6)

To guard or keep watch over a person. The consequence of gaining and living out the precepts of God is that they will preserve you though all the varieties of life experiences.

Example: When I graduated college I had a decision to make between serving at two different churches. With the wisdom I knew and could receive I made a decision. That wisdom has proved to be a preservation and protection for the rest of my life.

Do we love wisdom? Cherishing the good precepts of God?

Honor (7-9)

There is a certain beauty that adorns those who have the wisdom of God residing in them. There is high honor that follows those who are full of the integrity of God’s good precepts. There is a recognizable quality in those who are characterized by Godly wisdom. We have those within our own church family. All of us can certainly continue growing in these qualities, but we joyfully thank God for those whom wisdom has passed down a garland of grace and bestowed a beautiful crown.

Are you receiving the rewards of wisdom? Am I experiencing life, preservation and honor from God’s good precepts?

Closing: Just as there are positive consequence for gaining wisdom, so too there are negative consequences for rejecting it. The opposite of life is death. The opposite of preservation is injury, destruction, and defeat. The opposite of honor is disaster, scorn and shame.

In Christ alone, this benefits can be fully realized. Are you turning from sin and trusting in Christ? I hope that would be the case for each of us today.