What You Desire

Introduction

Good morning Echo Church!

It’s pleasure to be up here continuing our series in the book of Proverbs. Last week, Pastor JD preached from Proverbs 1 and he talked about wisdom. What is wisdom? Today, I’ll be talking about desire in Proverbs.

Let me pray for us before getting started. Pray.

So, this is going to sound super random but I love watermelon. You can ask anyone who’s seen me eat watermelon. And my mom used to work at a grocery store. I remember one day when I was 7 years old or so and I told my dad, “I want watermelon. Can mom bring home watermelon?” And he told me that he would ask her. So he picks up the phone and calls her and she said she would.

And i can hear their phone conversation and I’m excited. I remember just waiting for her to get home. Not because my mom was coming home from work. It was watermelon! And she gets home and I look at her hands and she;s not carrying anything. I go up to her and go, “Where’s the watermelon?” And she goes, “Oh, I forgot it.”

Okay, this was like twenty something years ago but I remember clearly my emotional response to that. I was devastated right. I was like “but…but I want watermelon.”

Reflecting back on it, the only word that best comes to my mind as I think about that is desire. I desired watermelon.

It’s interesting that in the Hebrew understanding of desire, the whole person is involved in it.

I mean I wanted watermelon. My mind was on it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I could almost taste it in my mouth.

It reminds of my oldest daughter. She’s supposedly is full after eating a morsel of food for dinner, right. And then she sees desert and she goes “I’m hungry!” Her eyes are laser focused on it. Her body somehow makes room for an inordinate amount of sugar intake.

On a more serious note - even though word desire never actually appears in Proverb 2, I think it is heavily assumed in the text. Desire in the Bible is the orientation of our being - our heart and soul. And this is why what we desire is so important - it orients your entire person towards a specific thing, the desired object.

Our main point today is this:

MAIN POINT: What you desire determines where you will end up.

What you desire determines where you will end up.

Our task in this series, as JD pointed out last week, is to ask two questions: How is wisdom displayed here in Proverbs 2? Secondly, how does this point to the One who is Wisdom?

I hope to answer both of those questions today.

Point 1: First, Desire God’s Word

Look in your Bibles at Proverbs 2:1. To re-situate us for a second - the writer of this chapter is King Solomon - the son of King David. And he’s known specifically for his wisdom, which we are told was renowned throughout the world at that point in time. Solomon is writing in Proverbs to his son.

Keep in mind something that JD talked about last week. That is, the book of Proverbs is wisdom literature. And in wisdom literature, what sounds like promises are not promises but general truth. You can find examples that contradict it.

With that in mind that it is just a general truth, we still want to make sure we notice the structure of this chapter. Specifically, this chapter is structured as a condition and result.

In verse 1 Solomon says to his son, “if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you.” Solomon is not giving a command. He’s not saying “receive my words.” He’s giving a condition, “if you receive my words.” What follows an “if” is a “then.” If you do something then something will happen. It’s condition and result. So verse 1 is part of the condition.

But even though it’s not technically worded as a command, it’s interesting that Solomon says to “treasure up my commandments.” The word commandment is a specific form of speech - it is of a superior’s ordering of a subordinate.

In fact, Proverbs 7:1 is written with the same vocabulary but in the form of a command. Proverb 7:1 states, “My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments; keep my commandments and live.”

We see in Proverbs 7 a reversal of these two aspects. It’s a command “keep my words” and then an implied result “and live.”

Okay, so in Proverbs 2 we see that there’s an emphasis on that conditional aspect to this rather than the command - if we do something then something will happen.

Knowing that structure is important for our purposes today because Solomon isn’t just giving us a naked command here. He’s not just saying “DO THIS!” No, he’s actually arguing for why you should do this. Keep that in mind.

Next, I am also going to argue that the words and commands Solomon is telling his son to pay attention to in this chapter are not merely his words. It’s not just Solomon’s words. The way the proverb is structured logically follows that it is actually the Word of God Solomon is talking about. Solomon is saying to his son, “If you receive and treasure up the very words of God (the superior to the subordinate) then...” certain things will follow.

Now, where do I get that? This going to take some staring at your Bibles for just a second to figure this out. Pastor JD always says we want to be Berean Christians. We want to be those who search the Bible and text what’s said in light of the Bible. I don’t want to just throw out there that Solomon is talking about God’s Word and not defend it. So please look at your Bibles.

Okay are we ready? Verse 1 says “my words” that is, the words of King Solomon. Verses 2-3 says that these words are wisdom and understanding. This is Hebrew poetry - he’s using different words to express the same or similar ideas. My words and my commandments from verse 1 are replaced in verse two with “wisdom” and “understanding” and then in verse three with “insight” and again “understanding.” You see that there?

Okay, verse 5 (which we’ll dig into later on this morning) is the logical result from the condition “if.” It says that you will understand the fear of the Lord and know God if you listen to the words of who? Of Solomon, right? Solomon says if you listen to my words, then you will find the knowledge of God.

Alright, now verse 6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Did you catch that? The word “for” is a weird word that’s not used often in normal spoken American English. It means “because,” you guys know this. I’m going to read verses 5 and 6 out loud again but I’m going to substitute “for” with “because.” Ready?

“Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Because the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Solomon is saying listen to my words and you will have knowledge and understanding. Because that knowledge and understanding comes from the mouth of God who gives it to us.

Solomon is speaking and his son gains wisdom and understanding - and that is from the very mouth of God! Solomon is saying that the words he is telling his son to be attentive to are the very words of God!

We also know from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all of Scripture is God-breathed. The Word there is God ex-pired. Out of the mouth of God. We know from 2 Peter 1:21 that God the Holy Spirit is the one who guides the writers of Scripture to write His very words.

So again, my argument here, is that what Solomon is saying is not simply to listen to Solomon’s words in Proverbs. That’s true enough. But for us who are Christian - it also applies to the entirety of the Bible. Contained in these pages are the words of God.

Let’s look back at our Bibles. Let’s read that first verse again. “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commands with you.” Solomon first says “receive” it. Then he says to “treasure up my commandments.” The word used there means to hide or conceal for specific purpose.

One example of how this is used is Ps. 119:11 which says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” You see there the specific purpose? The Psalmist says, I have hidden it deep into my heart - the center of my being where everything else flows - for the purpose of not sinning against God.

We see in verse 1 a posture of being given God’s Word - receiving it as a beggar receiving bread. And Solomon says, hide it. Conceal it. Treasure up my commandments in your heart.

But there’s more. We don’t simply have an inactive role to play. Solomon moves from the more passive of receiving to something more active. He says in verse 2, “making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.”

Solomon is saying to make sure we are in a specific condition - one that’s open to listening. One that’s attentive and alert. The heart of this is creating for yourself an environment where you are able to hear God’s Word and a heart that is ready to understand it.

He tells his son to be even more active in verses 3-4. He says, “Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures.”

This verse always reminds me of Pirate stories where they’re at sea and they have this map and they’re looking for that treasure island. They’re going fight through storms and trials and hardships and betrayals because their eyes are on that destination and the treasure it holds. Why do they do that? Because they desire it. Because to them it is precious - it is what they want and what they crave. It is where they set their hope in.

Do we desire God’s word like that? Is our excitement and desire for His Word so great that stories can fill pages about it?

Application: Take some time and think with me for a moment about some questions:

What are we doing that is hindering our ability to receive God’s Word? Both in our Bible reading and also in listening to sermons on Sunday mornings?

Are you creating an environment that ensures reading your Bible is a priority?

Are you getting enough rest to come to church on Sunday morning awake and alert and attentive to the preached Word of God?

Have you prepared your heart so that it is humble and eager to soak up the truths of Scripture?

Or instead, have we stayed up late watching TV or hanging out with friends or surfing the internet, only be exhausted on Sunday morning as we come to church? Or as we roll out of bed debating if we want to sit down and open up our Bibles?

Can you describe your reading of God’s Word to be like seeking and searching for hidden treasures?

Alright, so I’ve talked that’s what this text is telling us to do - but I haven’t given you the outcome of it yet. So let me start on that.

My second point is this:

Point 2: God’s Word will give you true knowledge of Him

God’s Word will give you true knowledge of Him.

Verses 1-4 above has given us the underlying process, the cognitive and emotional aspects of desiring and seeking God’s Word. Verse 5 begins to give us the result of that. Remember, this is structured as a condition. If you search after God’s Word - what will happen?

Look at verse 5, “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Let’s pause for a second. Remember we are seeking after wisdom and understanding and insight. But then Solomon tells us that the result of that is that we will understand the fear of the Lord. Last week, JD spoke about Proverbs 1:7. Solomon says in it, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Pastor JD said this last week. He said, “we fail to do what God says because we don’t hear with fear.” This fear, he said, is to understand the wrath of God and in knowing that to seek to avoid it at all costs.

Let me ask us, church. How do we come to know God’s wrath? How do we come to know the fear of the Lord?

It is through the knowledge of the Bible. God is saying desire my Word. In my Word you will understand that wrath awaits for those that sin!

Which, spoiler alert, it’s all of us!

Let me give us just one example of this in the Bible. This will be on the screen behind me:

Romans 7:7-8a;13b says this, “Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness...It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.”

Paul has a complicated argument here in Romans guys and I’m not here to explain Romans 7 today. That would be its fair share of sermons on its own.

But you see here something important. Paul says that the Law - the Words of God to Israel here - gave him knowledge of his sins. And that sin produced death from what is good. Why death? Because God is wrathful against sin. He will punish sin wherever he finds it. That should bring fear of God. Fear of the Lord.

But the very same Bible that shows us sin also shows us who God really is - a merciful and gracious God, abounding in lovingkindness! Proverbs 2:5 also says we will “find the knowledge of God.” And this knowledge of God includes His love and grace towards sinners.

Why do I say that?

Because here’s the amazing part, church. Solomon is writing before Jesus came. We have been given a greater revelation of God that Solomon ever had. We know God in a way that the Hebrew Scriptures only hinted at. We have been given, in the pages of the New Testament, a fuller display of God. A fuller understanding of who He is.

In John 14:8, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples asks of him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Philip, a true Christian, is saying “Jesus - show me God. I just want to know Him, Jesus.” And Jesus responds to him in verse 9 of John 14:

“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me...”

When we desire God’s Word we will come to understand the fear of the Lord and we will come to understand the love of the Father to us through His Son Jesus Christ.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. To even begin to have wisdom and knowledge - to begin to know the fear of the Lord - we need to first and foremost desire God’s Word. It is through desiring God’s Word that we will be brought to our knees to fear the wrath of God towards sinners. And in that we will begin to have knowledge and wisdom.

Why is that the case? Because Jesus is wisdom. When you fear God, you will run to Jesus who is wisdom!

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:24, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” And verse 30, “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God...”

Colossians 2:3, “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Remember in verse one where Solomon tells us to “treasure up” wisdom and understanding? Paul says, “In Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge reside.”

Isn’t that incredible? The fullness of the revelation of God is in Jesus Christ. And when we seek and pursue and bathe in the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures - we will know who God is in the fullest way possible on this side of eternity. And in that we find wisdom - Jesus Christ Himself.

Desiring God’s Word gives us true knowledge of God. That’s one result. But that result gives us something else.

My third point is this:

Point 3: True knowledge of God guards you in the way of the righteous

True knowledge of God guards you in the way of the righteous.

Let’s look at verse 7. It says, “he stores up sound wisdom for the upright, he is a shield to those who walk in integrity.”

Solomon explains this further in verse 8. He says, “guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.”

Okay so let’s step back a moment. What’s the connection here between knowing God, having understanding and wisdom, and God guarding us in the path of justice?

I believe Solomon is saying that God is guarding us through the knowledge and wisdom we gain from listening to His Word and knowing Him. Look at verse 7 again, “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity.” The most literal way to translate the second half of that verse is not “he is a shield.” A literal translation states, “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright, a shield to those who walk in integrity.”

It could be referencing God as the shield. But I believe that sound wisdom is the shield in this reference. I can be wrong on that but listen to why I believe that’s the case. Jump down with me to verse 11 for a minute. We read in verse 11 “discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.”

This verse is saying what I think verse 7 says. Sound judgment is a shield to those who walk in integrity, discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you. You see, God is watching over us through the means of understanding and knowledge and sound wisdom.

And this knowledge and truth isn’t just some head knowledge. This isn’t just some intellectual assent. We don’t read this book to say we know just it’s content. More important, we know God as he has chosen to revealed Himself to us. And we are changed by it.

This corresponds perfectly with what Pastor JD preached on last week. That we not only listen to and hear God’s word. Wisdom includes practicing the very things we hear because it’s changed our hearts.

Look in your Bibles at verse 9. “Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” This knowledge affects our lives. It is God’s guarding us on the path of justice to watch over us. It infiltrates our hearts and changes who we are at the very core of our being. Our hearts rejoice in the knowledge of truth!

Friends, don’t miss the point here. This then is a result of the if in verses 1-4. If you will desire after God’s Word then you will be changed by the truth contained within it to the very core of who you are.

When you understand who God is, when you see Jesus face to face, you will love him and be changed by Him. You will love what He loves - righteousness and justice and equity. You’ll practice it. You’ll make sure it’s practiced!!

Okay - so we understand that seeking after God’s Word will keep us on the right path. What’s the alternative? What happens when we are not diligent in seeking this Word and being attentive to it?

We see two examples here that Solomon provides. Evil men and a forbidden woman. These are metaphors - ways in which we are prone to being tempted.

Look with me starting in verse 12, “Delivering you from the way of the evil, from men of perverted speech.” Notice that these men they have perverted speech. There is God’s holy wisdom encapsulated here in His Word and then there is the wordly evil - speech that leads us astray.

Verses 16-19 is very similar in structure and content to 12-15. The same words are even used. The Word of God delivers us from the forbidden woman and her “smooth words.” Much like the evil men’s perverse speech, this forbidden woman has her own speech that competes with the Holy Word of God.

Where do these smooth words and perverted speech reside? Where do we find them?

A few avenues are lies in the media, on Youtube, on TV, in the mouth of unbelievers. They’re lies whispered - and even sometimes boldly proclaimed - that aims at luring us to question true righteousness.

Application

In what ways have allowed the competing words of evil men to seep into your mind and your thoughts. And even worse - into your heart? In what ways do we allow the world to twist God’s good words into something it was never meant to mean?

Are we desiring after the perverted speech of evil men over desiring God’s Word?

Let me ask this another way. How many hours do you and I spend listening to and consuming worldly music, movies, TV, radio, videos, posts - even supposedly conservative ones - as opposed to you and I spending time listening and consuming God’s Words to us directly, or through sermons, through godly music, through biblical books?

When we’re listening to the world’s bombardment of ideologies - again even “conservative ones” - are we actively discerning it and testing it against Scripture? Are we running to the Bible after we’ve listened them? Are we being Berean Christians about it?

Just as God’s words grants true knowledge and wisdom that keeps us on the path of righteousness and justice, so too the twisted speech of the world leads us astray.

Look at verse 13. These are men “who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.” They’re like coach roaches, moving about in the dark, hiding - being afraid of getting caught in the light. It gets even worse, these are men who “rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil.” There’s a build up here - a movement from speech to actions to and inward delight and revelry in that evilness.

Earlier we saw how desiring God’s Word changes us - it causes us to rejoice in righteousness. Here, the alluring speech of evil men makes us change as well. It you rejoice in doing evil and take delight in it.

God says - I’ll guard you from that. I’ll deliver you from it. I’ll make sure you stick to the path of righteousness and justice and equity. If you would desire me by pursuing my Word.

And I believe all of this have eternal ramifications. Look with me at the verse 21: “The upright will inherit the land and those with integrity will remain in it.”

This is then my last sub-point from our text today:

Point 4: The way of The Righteous leads to salvation

The way of The Righteous leads to salvation. Salvation - that’s the destination. That is our treasure island. The way of The Righteous will lead us to the destination of salvation.

Okay, you may be wondering how I got salvation from “land” there in verse 21.

There’s a lot here to say but let me just say this and if you have questions feel free to meet up with me after the service or we can go out for coffee and talk about it. But “land” and “inheritance” in the Old Testament often is equated with “salvation” in the New Testament.

Land and inheritance in the Old Testament is often equated with salvation in the New.

So when in the Old Testament land and inheritance are promised the ultimate fulfillment of that is eternal salvation.

Keep your finger on our current text and turn with me over to Proverbs 8:16-21. Wisdom is personified here in this portion of the chapter, which means Wisdom is acting as a person and is speaking. And although Wisdom is personified as a woman in this chapter, Jesus is the ultimately fulfillment of this personified wisdom. Jesus is the Wisdom of God.

And the personified Wisdom tells us, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even find gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.”

Wisdom is the one who walks in the way of the righteous and grants and inheritance to those who love her.

Wisdom in the Old Testament is equated with Jesus who is the Wisdom of God. The inheritance talked about here is equated with salvation in the New Testament.

I’m going to beat this dead horse but wisdom isn’t a thing guys. Wisdom is a person. That Person is Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, “Desire me! Seek Me. And I will give you salvation!”

You see the beautiful logic there? Desire God’s Word and you will know God. Specifically, you will know the fullest revelation of God - Jesus Christ. And when you know him, when you love him who is the Wisdom of God, when you put your faith in Him as your righteousness - you walk in the way of the Righteous One. You will understand that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. And then? You’ll receive an inheritance! Salvation!

Again, the wisdom Solomon is talking about, the wisdom that God speaks of, the wisdom that we preach from this pulpit Sunday after Sunday is not a bunch of platitudes. It is person! It is Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:20-25 says:

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

We preach Christ crucified! He who is the power of God and the wisdom of God!

So we come back to the two questions we started with.

How is wisdom displayed here in Proverbs 2? It is displayed by needing to first desire wisdom. How? By desiring God’s Word. That wisdom is a guarding wisdom - it keeps you on the path of God rather than the evils of the world. It changes who you are so that we live out true wisdom.

How does this point to the One who is Wisdom? Once you obtain wisdom, it will give you knowledge of the One who is Wisdom - Jesus. It leads us to know Him, to love Him, and to walk in His path. It leads to faith and repentance.

There’s a story read recently of a real account. And in it the author describes a woman he had been trying to help. She was a prostitute and a drug addict. She had been from a well-to-do family and at a young age got addicted to heroin and that led down a horrific path. And through tears she begged this man to help her.

So he offered he way out. He paid for a rehab program for her. To make it even easier, he hired a car to pick her up. All she needed to do was open door of the car and sit down. All she needed to do was accept his help, get into the car, and her whole life was ahead of her. Isn’t that amazing?

She chose instead to stay in her drug house.

Friends: there are only two paths. You can’t go down both roads. They’re opposite paths. You have to go down one or the other. There is no in between.

One path is to desire after this world - like a drug it entices and drags us down. It brings destruction and death. Verse 18 of this chapter tells us that, “her [the forbidden woman] her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed. None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.”

The second path is Jesus Christ. He stands ready and willing with open arms waiting for you to turn away from your sins and desire Him. He is the way, the truth and the life. All you need to do is come trust in Him.

Where you place your desire - what you seek - will lead down one of these two paths.

If you desire after the world - it’s pleasures, its alluring promises of happiness, its whispers and seduction - it will lead to death and destruction.

On the other hand, if you desire after God, if you turn to His Word for wisdom and instruction - if you seek after Jesus Himself by forsaking the path of evil and submitting yourself to Him as the Lord of your life and the Savior of your soul - you will receive forgiveness.

Let me get really practical here at the end of our time.

What does that look like for me today, you might ask me.

If you’re not a believer - if you are not one who has turned away from your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ as your savior then confess your sins to Jesus. Come to one of us here at Echo Church and ask us to walk alongside you. Ask us how to help you renounce your sins, to turn away from it, and learn to desire after God. Any one of us here at Echo Church would be extremely blessed to walk along side you as you begin to seek God.

If you are a follower of Jesus - know that God calls you to desire His Word. Seek after it, diligently. Prepare yourself to be in a position to be awake and attentive when you read the Bible and when you come together with God’s people to hear it preached. Seek it, search it, understand it. Within these pages contains wealth beyond treasure and silver. Wrestle with the difficult texts. Bathe in the lovely promises. Store it up in your hearts. And then seek to practice it. Seek to follow God’s commandments

What you desire determines where you will end up. Death or destruction lies down one path. Eternal life on the other. You choose.

Let’s pray.