Who Are You Going to Listen To?
Proverbs 1:7–10
Make sure the wisdom you heed is the wisdom you need.
Everyone has someone telling them what to do
Dr. Roy Zuck’s definition: “Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one’s relationships and responsibilities … observing and following the Creator’s principles of order in the moral universe.”
1. Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord.
2. The wise person believes that there is a God, that He is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and that He has put within His creation a divine order that, if obeyed, leads ultimately to success.
3. Wise people also assert that there is a moral law operating in this world, a principle of divine justice which makes sure that eventually the wicked are judged and the righteous are rewarded.
4. Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person’s IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God’s truth.
It gives order and purpose to life; it gives discernment in making decisions; and it provides a sense of fulfillment in life to the glory of God.
If we truly “fear the Lord,”
we acknowledge from our hearts that He’s the Creator, we’re the creatures;
He’s the Father, we’re His children;
He’s the Master, we’re the servants.
It means to respect God for who He is,
to listen carefully to what He says,
and to obey His Word,
knowing that our disobedience displeases Him,
breaks our fellowship with Him,
and invites His chastening.
Children fear not only because their parents can hurt them, but also because they can hurt their parents.
Proverbs 13:13 admonishes us to fear God’s commandments, which suggests that the way we treat our Bible is the way we treat God.
How is Wisdom Speaking?
The voice of instruction (vv. 8–10, 15–19)
The voice of temptation (vv. 11–14).
The voice of salvation (vv. 20–33)