Young People Who Fear God
[Proverbs 1:8-19]
Last Saturday (January 8, 2011), you may have seen the news about the shooting incident that took place at a shopping center in Tucson, Arizona. While watching the news, I became particularly interested in the story of 9-year-old Christina Green, who was referred to as the "9/11 Girl." One day, while watching TV, I saw an interview with Christina’s parents. I watched with interest as her father tearfully spoke about his beloved daughter, who was born on September 11, 2001, the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now had tragically died from a gunshot wound. However, just a couple of days ago, I came across a shocking piece of news online. It was about the funeral of Christina, where a Baptist church in Kansas was planning a protest, causing a commotion. This church had previously caused an uproar at the funeral of a soldier who died in war, carrying placards with messages like "God has cursed him." Now, they were planning to cause trouble at the funeral of the 9-year-old Christina as well. As a result, the Arizona legislature passed a law banning protestors from coming within 300 feet of her funeral, according to CNN's online news. This was truly shocking.
As I reflected on this news, I realized that the world we live in today is full of people, both believers and non-believers, being manipulated by the temptations of the enemy. There are many temptations from the enemy, but if I were to summarize them, I would say they are “confusion” and “illusion.” The enemy deceives people with sweet illusions, causing them to fall into confusion—spiritually, mentally, and emotionally—leading them to sin against God.
In such a time, how should we live our lives in a way that resists the temptations of the enemy and lives in a manner pleasing to God? As we learned in last Wednesday's prayer meeting from Proverbs 1:1-7, we must fear God (v.7), learn the skills of a godly life (v.2a, vv. 3-4), and develop spiritual discernment (v.2b, vv. 5-6) so that we can live wisely in this evil time. We must receive wisdom from God (James 1:5-6) and, by fearing God, redeem the time and discern what the will of the Lord is, living according to His will (Ephesians 5:15-17).
What does it mean to fear God? It means that our attitude, will, feelings, actions, and purposes are completely aligned with God’s attitude, will, feelings, actions, and purposes (MacArthur). Therefore, the person who fears God is Christ-centered, not self-centered. The person who fears God never seeks their own will but only seeks God’s will. They live with God’s heart, imitate His thoughts, feelings, attitude, will, and actions, and dedicate their life to fulfilling His will.
Shouldn’t this be the life that both you and I strive to live?
Today, I would like to share three lessons about how young Christians who fear God live, based on Proverbs 1:8-19. My hope is that, as we reflect on the teachings that King Solomon gives to young people through the book of Proverbs, we may obey God's word and give glory to God, so that He may raise us up and use us for His purposes.
First, young people who fear God obey their parents' words.
Let’s look at Proverbs 1:8: "My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother." In the education of Jewish children, parents have the duty to teach their children the law of God (the Torah). This is a fundamental requirement for becoming a member of the Israelite community. According to one pastor, Jewish children, by the time they turn 4 years old, are required to memorize the Torah (the first five books of Moses) for three hours a day (Internet source). Where does this foundational God-centered educational philosophy of the Jews begin? It starts with the 'Shema.'
Let’s look at Deuteronomy 6:4-7: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." The word ‘Shema’ (which means "hear") is the first spiritual education Jewish children receive when they are born. Even before they can pronounce it correctly, Jewish children are taught the word "Shema" from their mothers' laps. It is said that even when Jewish parents are on their deathbed, they will recite the "Shema" as their final words, a kind of last will to pass on to their loved ones. Furthermore, Jewish mothers make their children recite the "Shema" before bed, so that if they were to die in their sleep, their last words would be the "Shema" (Internet source).
Our parents must diligently teach their children the word of God. To do this, parents must first listen to God's word and engrave it deeply in their own hearts. Then, they should teach their children God's word diligently, so that it may also be engraved on their children's hearts. How deeply should we engrave God’s word on our children's hearts? We should instill it in such a way that our children will not depart from it. But what is the problem? One of the issues is that the word of God is not deeply engraved on the hearts of many parents. In other words, parents may hear and learn God’s word diligently, but they are not obeying it. As a result, God’s word does not become their possession (Psalm 119:56). The root cause of this problem is disobedience. Even if parents listen to and learn God's word, they do not follow through and keep it, so it does not become truly their possession. Instead, it seems that many parents seek material wealth rather than keeping God's word.
In this spiritual state, when we try to teach our children God's word, it is difficult for the truth of God's word to be planted in their hearts. We might even worry that, instead of God's word being planted in their hearts, it is only being planted in their minds. The best way for us, as parents, to deeply plant God's word in our children's hearts is by being a good example. When we, as parents, live lives that obey God's word and set an example of faithful living, our children will follow our example and live lives that honor God's word. In doing so, God’s word will not only become our possession but will also become our children’s possession (v. 56).
We, as young people, should obey the word of God that we hear and learn through our believing parents, all while fearing God (Proverbs 1:7). Why should we do this? Look at Proverbs 1:9: "For they are a graceful wreath to your head and chains about your neck." The reason why young people should listen to and obey the word of God through their parents is because obedience to God's word is like a "graceful wreath" and "chains of gold" for young people. In other words, obedience to the word of God is their glory and elevation. God honors those who obey His word (Park Yun-seon). Daniel, who obeyed God’s word, was exalted by God, and Joseph, who followed God's guidance, became the prime minister of Egypt. God lifts up young people who obey His word and uses them as precious instruments for His purpose. Therefore, young people should learn the word of God through their parents and obey it, never straying from it.
Second, young people who fear God do not follow the deceit of the wicked.
In Proverbs 1:10, it says: "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent." How do the wicked (sinners) deceive young people? They entice them with promises of false happiness. What is this false happiness? Proverbs 1:13 says, "We shall find all kinds of precious possessions; we shall fill our houses with spoil." The false happiness that the wicked promise young people is the lie that they will possess material wealth or something of value. With this lie, they entice young people into sin, pressuring them to harm the innocent for no reason (Proverbs 1:11-12). They even encourage them to do so in a cruel manner (Proverbs 1:12). Then, they propose to seize the possessions of the innocent and make them common property (Proverbs 1:14) (Park Yun-seon).
As I meditate on this passage, two Bible stories come to mind.
(1) The first story is from 1 Kings 21, the story of Naboth.
Naboth was an Israelite who lived in Samaria, and his beautiful vineyard was located next to King Ahab’s palace. Ahab, greedy for the vineyard, wanted to take it for himself, but Naboth refused to sell it, stating that it was the land passed down from his ancestors. This caused Ahab to be distressed, and his wife Jezebel came up with a plot. She falsely accused Naboth of cursing God and the king, and after having him killed, she took possession of his vineyard. What a cruel act!
(2) The second story is the story of Joseph in Genesis 37, which I read during our morning prayer yesterday.
Joseph’s brothers, who hated him, were shepherding their flocks in Dothan when they saw Joseph coming from afar. They conspired to kill him (Genesis 37:18). They decided to throw him into a pit and then say, "A wild beast has devoured him" (Genesis 37:20). Later, they secretly sold him to Ishmaelite merchants (Genesis 37:28), took his coat, killed a goat, dipped it in blood (Genesis 37:31), and showed it to their father Jacob (Genesis 37:32). Jacob, in his grief, refused comfort from his other children and said, "I will go down to the grave to my son in mourning" (Genesis 37:35). How could they be so cruel as to lie like this to their own father?
The evil one, Satan, is currently deceiving young people with promises of false happiness. Just like how Eve was deceived by the fruit in the Garden of Eden, Satan is now deceiving our young people with promises of things that look good, are desirable to eat, and are pleasing to the eye—things that promise wisdom and fulfillment (Genesis 3:5-6). These false promises are designed to lure young people into temptation.
The sinful world we live in is making young people who believe in Jesus Christ love money and themselves, turning them into slaves of materialism and selfish greed. Right now, Satan and his followers, the wicked sinners, are blinding young Christians, making them focus on temporary happiness on this earth rather than eternal happiness, causing them to neglect eternal things and continually pursue fleeting pleasures. Therefore, Christian youth must listen to the truth of God’s word through their parents and obey it. They must stand firm in their faith and remain vigilant, praying so as not to be deceived by the schemes of Satan and the wicked. And, following the example of Jesus, when faced with the deceptions of Satan and the wicked, we must use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, to defeat those schemes. We must never yield our hearts to these temptations.
Thirdly, young people who fear God do not walk with the wicked.
Let us look at Proverbs 1:15: "My son, do not walk in the way with them; keep your foot from their path." When I meditated on this verse, I was reminded of Psalm 1:1-2: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." When I think about this passage in connection with today’s text from Proverbs 1:8-19, I receive a clear lesson on how Christian youth should live:
(1) We should not follow the counsel of the wicked.
Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked..." As we already reflected on Proverbs 1:10, we must not follow the enticements of the wicked, even when they try to lead us astray. Both Psalm 1:1 and Proverbs 1:10 teach the same lesson: do not follow the counsel of the wicked.
(2) When we do so, we will not stand in the way of sinners.
Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners..." If we begin to follow the counsel of the wicked, eventually we will find ourselves walking down the path of sin with them. In other words, if we give in to the enticements of the wicked, we will end up participating in their sinful actions (Park Yun-seon). Therefore, we should not stand in the way of sinners, nor should we associate with them at all.
(3) When we avoid this, we will not sit in the seat of the scoffers.
Psalm 1:1 continues, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers." Ultimately, Satan leads us to follow the counsel of the wicked, which causes us to stand in the way of sinners, and then we find ourselves sitting in the seat of scoffers. As a result, we become proud and disobey God’s word, sinning against Him. This is exactly what Satan desires. Therefore, young people should not walk with the wicked at all, nor should they have fellowship with them.
When we are young, there is often an impulse to hang out with many people and make many friends. However, this is a time when we need great discernment. The choices we make now can have a significant impact on our spiritual lives.
Why should we not walk with the wicked?
So, why should we not walk with the wicked? The reason is that the feet of the wicked run to evil (Proverbs 1:16). In other words, the reason we should not walk with the wicked is because they run quickly toward evil. They do not sin out of necessity, but they delight in evil and act without restraint. These individuals have become so hardened in their sin that they are nearly indistinguishable from the evil itself. Therefore, those who associate with them cannot stop their sinful actions and, instead, are dragged into their wickedness (Park Yun-seon). This is why we should not have fellowship with the wicked, nor should we walk with them, but rather, we should avoid them. Just as birds fly away when they see a net being set (Proverbs 1:17), we should also flee when the wicked set the net of temptation before us. We must never fall into their trap like foolish birds.
To conclude today’s meditation, we have learned three lessons about how young Christians who fear God should live: (1) Young people who fear God obey their parents’ words (Proverbs 1:8), (2) Young people who fear God do not follow the temptations of the wicked (Proverbs 1:10), and (3) Young people who fear God do not walk with the wicked (Proverbs 1:15). I hope that both you and I, as well as our children, become Christians who fear God, and by obeying His Word, we will experience the blessing of God lifting us up and glorifying us.