Forsake Foolishness and Walk the Path of Understanding!
[Proverbs 9:1-18]
This past Monday, I received a book as a gift from a friend. The author of the book was someone I had heard of before—“Park Wan-seo”—so I wasn’t entirely uninterested, but personally, I was more intrigued by the title of the book. The title was "The Road Not Taken Is More Beautiful." Perhaps because I have so many paths I haven’t walked, I was curious about what the author meant by saying that the road not taken is beautiful, so I began reading the book. "We make many choices in life. A choice is not just about selecting one option from many, but also about giving up other alternatives. Those who have regrets often carry those regrets about the things they didn’t choose." (Internet) Probably, anyone with regrets about the roads not taken would be drawn to the title of this book and would be curious enough to read it. So, I opened the book and began reading. The first chapter was titled "The Road Not Taken Is More Beautiful," and in this chapter, the author talks about her childhood and the Korean War. She reflects on how she could not walk the path she had dreamed of due to the war. Even though she has lived for almost 80 years by taking a different path, when she looks back, she concludes: "The silk I dreamed of might not be as good as the silk I actually gained, but just like the road not taken is more beautiful than the road taken, the success I actually obtained seems much smaller compared to the dreams I missed." (Park Wan-seo)
Personally, as I look back on my 44 years of life, I tried to reflect on the path I have walked and the path the Lord has led me to walk, separating the two in my mind. Of course, dividing my life into just two paths isn’t easy, but I thought it might be a good exercise to attempt this while preparing today’s sermon. When I looked back on the path I had walked, I couldn’t help but admit that it was a path of foolishness, regret, wandering, and sin. Why was it a path of wandering and sin? It was because I lived in the world, turning away from God. The reason that path was foolish and full of regret is that I had sought the meaning of life, joy, and happiness in the world, apart from the Lord. So, what can I call the path the Lord has led me to walk? When I reflect on it, I would say that the path the Lord has led me on is the path of grace, the path of love, and the path of the true purpose of my life. Why is it the purpose of my life? Because during my first year of college, through a church retreat, the Lord allowed me to realize the purpose of my existence and led me to live a life drawn by that purpose. And that path is the path of grace and love because everything is entirely God’s grace, and He has allowed me to experience and enjoy His great love. In that journey, around six years ago, God began leading me to meditate on the book of Psalms, one of the books of wisdom. He then led me to meditate on Ecclesiastes, and this year, 2011, I began meditating on the book of Proverbs. Through these books, I can see that the Lord is guiding me to walk the path of wisdom. Especially through these wisdom books, the Lord is showing me my own foolishness and continually teaching me what kind of wisdom path He wants me to walk. In the midst of this, through today’s passage in Proverbs 9, the Lord is telling me, "Forsake foolishness and walk the path of understanding." Let’s look at Proverbs 9:6: "Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding." Today, under the title "Forsake Foolishness and Walk the Path of Understanding!" let us seek wisdom through the lessons in this passage of Proverbs, learning what kind of foolishness we need to forsake and how we can walk the path of understanding.
First, let us consider: What is the foolishness we must forsake?
It is "arrogance" (mocking).
Let's look at Proverbs 9:7-8 in today's passage:
"He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you."
When we say of someone, "That person is arrogant," we generally mean, "That person acts like they are superior and looks down on others." However, in today’s passage, the "arrogant" person refers to someone who is a despiser or mocking person (according to Strong's). This arrogant person is, in fact, a scoffer who mocks the teachings of truth (according to Park Yun-seon). The characteristic of such an arrogant person is that they are so prideful and arrogant that they enjoy despising and rejecting correction.
What does the arrogant person despise and reject? They despise discipline and rebuke. In other words, the arrogant person rejects wisdom and does not like to be corrected (according to Whitaker). This is why King Solomon says in verse 8 of today's passage, "Do not rebuke a scoffer." Why? Because "he will hate you" (verse 8). In other words, if we rebuke an arrogant person, he will hate us for it.
Another reason we should not rebuke the arrogant is that, when we rebuke them, we will end up being dishonored and insulted (verse 7). The phrase "he will find fault with you" means that when we rebuke the arrogant person, we are likely to receive verbal abuse from them (according to Swanson). For example, if we show love by rebuking the arrogant person, they might respond by cursing us.
Personally, I resonate with King Solomon's advice not to rebuke the arrogant, and I find myself thinking about why the arrogant person so deeply dislikes being rebuked. What do you think the reason is? Dr. Park Yun-seon explains that there are two reasons why a proud person rejects correction and instead rebels. First, they are darkened by their pride and do not know the truth; they believe their actions are right. Second, they have a strong sense of "self-esteem" and view anyone who offers correction or advice as someone who is trying to lower them (according to Park Yun-seon). Dr. Park Yun-seon states that this type of pride is sinful because the Bible tells us to consider others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).
Do we have this kind of sinful pride in ourselves? You see, arrogance stems from believing in one’s own righteousness due to a sinful self-esteem, and no matter how lovingly a person rebukes them, the arrogant person will never listen. For such a person, a wise rebuke will never be beneficial (verse 12). Instead, they will listen to the voice of the "foolish woman" (verse 13).
Look at Proverbs 9:13-17:
"A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple, and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat by the high places of the city, to call those who pass by, who go straight on their way, saying, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here,’ and as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, ‘Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’"
The foolish woman, while on the right path, calls to the naive, misleading them by saying, "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." What does this phrase mean? According to one commentator, "stolen waters" could refer to illicit sexual relations, because in Proverbs 5:15 it says, "Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well," which refers to the marital relationship between husband and wife. Therefore, "stolen waters" may symbolize sex outside of marriage. Furthermore, the phrase "bread eaten in secret" refers to "secretive acts" or "clandestine activities" (according to Walvoord), which also carries a negative connotation.
Ultimately, the arrogant person falls into the trap of the foolish woman’s seduction (verses 16-17) and suffers harm, as the Bible says (verse 12).
What harm does the arrogant person face? The arrogant person is foolish (verse 16) and falls into the seduction of the foolish woman (verses 16-17), unaware that her home leads to death and her paths lead to the grave (verse 18). In the end, by responding to her invitation, they meet their death, as the Bible warns (see 2:18; 5:5; 7:27).
Therefore, Proverbs 9:6 says, "Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding." We must obey this command and abandon our arrogance. We must walk the path of wisdom.
How can we walk in the path of wisdom? This is the second and final question we will consider today. I believe the passage teaches us three important lessons:
First, we must respond to the invitation of wisdom.
Look at today's passage from Proverbs 9:1-5:
"Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars; she has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also furnished her table; she has sent out her maidens; she cries out from the highest places of the city, saying, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’ As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.’”
In this passage, King Solomon speaks about two different voices calling us from "the high places" of the city. One is the invitation of the foolish woman (verse 14), and the other is the invitation of wisdom (verse 3). The Bible tells us that the foolish (verse 16) respond to the call of the foolish woman, abandoning the right path they were walking (verses 14-15), choosing the path of folly and ultimately facing death (verse 18). However, the wise respond to the call of wisdom from the high places of the city, abandoning their foolishness, choosing the path of prudence, and ultimately gaining life (verse 6).
The foolish woman says, "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant" (verse 17), inviting those without wisdom. On the other hand, wisdom says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed" (verse 5), inviting them to partake of her feast. This invitation of wisdom calls to mind Isaiah 55:1-3:
"Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you— the sure mercies of David."
What does this mean? God is inviting all people through the prophet Isaiah to participate in His salvation. This is a gracious invitation for us to partake in salvation through the gospel in the New Testament (as Park Yun-seon notes). In contrast to the "stolen water" and "bread eaten in secret" (Proverbs 9:17) spoken of by the foolish woman, wisdom speaks of "my bread" and "my mixed wine" (verse 5), which symbolize the broken body and precious blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The Bible tells us that if we respond to the foolish woman's invitation, eating stolen water and bread in secret, we will ultimately face death. However, if we respond to the invitation of wisdom and partake of her bread and wine, we will gain life (verse 6), which refers to eternal life. Therefore, we must respond to the invitation of wisdom and walk the path of prudence.
Secondly, we must love the rebuke, instruction, and teaching of wisdom.
Look at Proverbs 9:8-9:
"Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning."
When we rebuke a mocker, he will hate us, and we will be insulted and criticized. But when we rebuke a wise person, he will love us, as the Bible says (verses 7-8). Why does a wise person love the one who rebukes him? Because, through our rebuke, the wise person learns the lesson, becomes wiser, and gains more knowledge (verse 9). In short, our rebuke will be beneficial to the wise (verse 12), and therefore, we must love the rebuke, instruction, and teaching of wisdom.
As I meditated on this passage, I wrote a short piece titled “We Must Be Willing to Be Corrected”:
"Anyone can point out faults, but doing so correctly is not easy. What is even harder is pointing out faults wisely and with God's love. We must be able to point out faults with humility and righteousness, out of love. At the same time, it is crucial that we are willing to humbly accept correction. Of course, receiving correction can be stressful and painful. Especially if we fail to feel God's love through the person who is correcting us and instead see their selfishness, we may find ourselves deeply hurt and troubled. Also, when we do not fully understand our hearts and receive correction with misunderstandings, our natural instinct may be to correct the person who has pointed out our faults. Nevertheless, we must learn to humbly accept correction, because perhaps God is using the person who corrects us—whether their correction is right or wrong—to teach us. We must see others' corrections as an opportunity to grow before God."
In Proverbs 12:15, the Bible says: "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." A proud person, who believes himself to be right, will not listen to rebuke. Instead, he will hate us and dislike us. However, the wise listen to advice, showing that they have a humble ear. They do not boast, believing themselves to be always right. Instead, they accept rebuke humbly and gain more knowledge (Proverbs 15:32, 21:11). We must become those who accept rebuke with humility. We must love the rebuke of wisdom. Therefore, we should become wiser and continue walking the path of prudence until the end.
Lastly, in third place, we must come to know the Holy God and revere Him.
Let’s look at Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." In order to abandon foolishness and walk in the path of wisdom, we must come to know God. What kind of God is our God? He is the Holy God. The more we come to know this Holy God, the more we cannot help but revere Him. The reason for this is that the more we come to know the Holy God, the more we realize how sinful, unclean, and worldly we are. In verse 10, King Solomon says that fearing God is the "beginning" of wisdom. The word "beginning" here is different from the one used in Proverbs 1:7, which also speaks of "the fear of the Lord." In Proverbs 1:7, "beginning" means "the start", whereas in Proverbs 9:10, "beginning" means "prerequisite", meaning "a condition that must be met first" (Walvoord). Therefore, what King Solomon is saying here is that the fear of God is a prerequisite for wisdom. Ultimately, the prerequisite for wisdom is that we come to know the Holy God and revere Him.
Dear friends, in order to abandon foolishness and walk the path of wisdom, we must know this Holy God and revere Him. My prayer is that both you and I will diligently come to know the Holy God, becoming wise saints who revere Him. Thus, I hope that we will walk with the Lord on the path of wisdom.
To conclude my reflection on the Word, as we look back on our lives and think about how we should live now and in the future, today’s scripture calls us to abandon foolishness and walk the path of wisdom. The life of faith is a journey of constant abandonment, especially of pride, which we must continually forsake. We must also respond to wisdom’s invitation to walk the path of wisdom. Furthermore, we must love the rebuke, instruction, and teachings of wisdom. And we must come to know the Holy God and live in reverence to Him, living according to His will. Victory!