Listen to the words of the wise.
[Proverbs 22:17-29]
Not long ago, after taking my father-in-law and mother-in-law home, I went to the Tucson, Arizona airport after having a service on the Monday with them. When I got out of their house, I asked my wife who was at home to book a shuttle bus for me to get to Tucson Airport. So the so called shuttle bus came but it was a small car. An old bearded man over 70 came and took me to the airport. So we headed toward the airport which normally took 1 hour 15 minutes. That was how long we talked to each other. He told me that he got baptized as an infant and kept saying strange things about the Bible. As I listened to him all the way, I thought his conclusion was that we are all God and that everything in the world is God. He repeatedly asserted that what he believed is “I AM.” And he even said that he could go to and from Mars in seconds, even in a hypnotic trance, but it is very dangerous. It was definitely absurd saying. But I kept listening to him and asking questions like this and that based on the Bible. Conclusively, I said John 14:6 to him: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’” When I told my wife about this experience, my wife said that legally now federal judges could no longer be affiliated with Boy Scouts. Perhaps the reason had to do with homosexuality. Perhaps, as my wife said, there may be a day when judges will not be able to connect to the church in the future. It is a very scary world. The world is radically changing strangely. In the meantime, the word that comes to mind is Luke 16:8 – “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” Aren’t we seeing the reality of Jesus' words in this world? In these times, we must be more and wiser. We must seek the wisdom of God more and more. And we must ask God for wisdom with a longing heart. We must seek wisdom from “God, who gives to all generously and without reproach” (Jam. 1:5), in faith (v. 6). Also, we must listen to His word.
If we look at Proverbs 22:17, the Bible says “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach.” Focusing on this verse, I would like to receive the lessons God gives us while meditating on Proverbs 22:17-29 in three ways under the heading “Listen to the words of the wise.”
First, what are the words of the wise that we should listen to?
The words are taught by the wise and are “sayings of counsel and knowledge” and also “true and reliable words”. Look at Proverbs 22:20-21: “Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?” The Bible is the words of the wise that we must hear. The Bible is the word of trustworthy truth, which is the words of advice (counsel) that give us wisdom and knowledge (Swanson). Why, then, should we take the advice of this wise man's truth? The reason is to give sound answers to him who sent us (v. 21). When someone asks us a question about our faith, we must know how to answer with the word of truth. For example, when someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus comes to us and asks about the hope for heaven in us, we must know how to answer with the words of the Bible. Look at 1 Peter 3:15-16: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” How would we answer if, as in this 1 Peter's words, those who speak maliciously against our good works or those who slander us ask the reason for the hope in us? Are we really ready to answer that question? We must read, hear and learn the words of the Bible. So we must be ready to answer any question about our faith. We must listen to the words of trustworthy truth and advice that give us wisdom and knowledge, as Proverbs 2:20-21 says.
What, then, are the sure words of trustworthy truth that we should listen to? Five things are taught in Proverbs 22:22-29:
(1) Don’t exploit and crush the poor.
Look at Proverbs 22:22 – “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court.” We learned that the wise rich man cares for the needy, be merciful to them (19:17) and rescues them (28:27). But the foolish rich man shows his pride in taking control of the poor (22:7), boasting of himself (2 Chron. 25:19), acts disrespectfully with stubborn words to them (Ps. 31:18), ridicule them (119:51) and hotly pursues them (10:2). In Proverbs 22:22, the lesson that the wise man is teaching us is that we must not exploit the poor and do not crush the afflicted at the gate. Why did he say not to crush the afflicted at gate? The reason is because the poor sat at the gate of the crowded city and begged. And at that time, the gate was a place dealing with civil or legal matters (Ref.: 31:23), because the inhabitants earnestly seek justice and compassion there (MacArthur). But in front of the gate, the wicked people (for example, the wicked rich people) oppressed the poor and needy people and took their possessions. That is why the wise man is instructed not to do so in Proverbs 22:22. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, the apostle Paul says, “… encourage the timid, help the weak ….” Not only did the apostle Paul say this, but in fact he helped the weak (Acts 20:35). We must help those who are weak. We should never oppress them and exploit the poor.
(2) Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man.
Look at Proverbs 22:24 – “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered.” We have learned lessons from meditating on the Proverbs about our anger. Here are some of the lessons we received: “A fool's anger is known at once, …” (12:16), “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly …” (14:17), “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, …” (15:18), “A man's discretion makes him slow to anger …” (19:11) and “has great understanding” (14:29), “A man of great anger will bear the penalty …” (19:19), etc.. Even in Proverbs 22:24, the wise man tells us not to make friends with the hot-tempered man and associate with one easily angered. What is the reason? Look at Proverbs 22:25 – “or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.” The reason is because if we associate and walk with the hot-tempered man and one easily angered, we too can imitate his behavior and eventually fall into a snare. As we learned in Proverbs 22:5 and 14, there are thorns and snares, or deep pit, in the path of the wicked or the path of the adulteress. Therefore, we have been taught to stay away from that path. It means that we should not get close to the hot-tempered man and one with easily angered who aren’t an example to us. The reason is because if we walk with him, then we can also quarrel and sin against God (29:22).
(3) Don’t put up security for debts.
Look at Proverbs 22:26 – “Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts.” We have already been taught in Proverbs 6:1-5 about putting up security for debts or becoming surety for our neighbor. The point of that lesson is that if we have become surety for our neighbor (v. 1) and then have been snared with the words of our mouth and come into the hand of our neighbor (vv. 2-3), that is, when we were to assume responsibility for fulfilling that neighbor's debts, then we must deliver ourselves (v. 5). What King Solomon warns us here is a foolish act, and that foolish act is that we take the responsibility of paying debts, that is putting up security for debts for the person who defaults, knowing that he owe it and cannot repay it. That is why the Bible says that the unwise pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor (17:18). This is what Dr. Yoon-sun Park said: ‘… Being a guarantor for someone else's debt without financial strength is only giving vain comfort to the debtor's heart, and it is also easy to bring bankruptcy to oneself as well’ (Park). Therefore, we must not put up security for debts (22:26).
(4) Don’t move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.
Look at Proverbs 22:28 – “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.” If we look at Deuteronomy 19:14, a similar statement is found: “You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.” Here, the word that we should not move an ancient boundary stone set up by our forefathers (ancestors) means not to infringe on others' possessions (Park). What is the reason? Look at Deuteronomy 27:17 – “Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'” The reason is because those who infringe on others' possessions will be cursed by God. Dr. Yoon-sun Park said that it meant not to invade the territory of another country by interpreting Proverbs 22:28 more broadly (Park). In other words, since God has allotted the territory of the nations (Deut. 17:26, 32:8), the reason why one nation should not invade the territory of another nation is that the principle of respecting the possessions of others should be taken as a principle (Park). The lesson that the wise is giving us when we think about this principle is that we must clarify the boundaries of our hearts, as well as be wary of coveting others.
(5) Be a man skilled in his work.
Look at Proverbs 22:29 – “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” Here, “a man skilled in his work” refers to a person who is diligent and skilled. The wise man says that such a man does things quickly and even serves before the king, never serving the lowly. We must be the people skilled in our works. In particular, we must become skilled people in serving the church that is the body of the Lord. May the Lord establish us as skilled people who will do the Lord’s work quickly and well.
Second, how are we to listen to the wise?
We must listen to the words of the wise. Look at Proverbs 22:17a – “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; ….” Shortly after I started serving Victory Presbyterian Church as a senior pastor, I had a Bible study centered on Professor Jay Adams’ book, “A Consumer’s Guide to Preaching” in the Bible study class on Sunday afternoon. The reason I studied that book at that time was because I thought that the church members should prepare to listen to the sermons just as I prepare the sermons. And one of the preparations to listen to those sermons was that I thought that I had to train their ears. So I made a Bible study material based on that book and led the Bible study. In particular, the reason I thought I should train their ears was because what the Bible 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” Personally, I think this “time” has already arrived. What time is it? T hat’s when people don’t endure sound doctrine. I think the time has come for people to listen to lies like empty stories that scratch their itching ears. So, I read Professor Adams’ book first, and made it into the Bible study material and studied the Bible with my church members. When I look back at the challenge from that book, there is a post on my personal homepage that I want to share with you: ‘It is eager anticipation. It means that attitude preparation is necessary. The Bible says 'to receive the word with an earnest heart' (Acts 17:11). You can hear it well when you have anticipation. When listening to a sermon in church, pay attention to only one thing. ‘What is the word that God will give me today?’ There must be childlikeness. It can be heard only when there is a pure mind and an open mind. Even when you search the Bible, you must search the Bible because of your eagerness to find the truth. If you take prejudice, you get nothing. Listening in order to find fault is a sick ear. The Bible Hebrews 5:11 says, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.” It means that there are ears that are dull to hear. Listening to a sermon is not ‘finding faults’ but ‘finding the truth’. Maybe don't we have sick ears? Aren’t we listening to the pastor's sermon to find faults or flaws? Do you think that there are dull ears in listening to His words?
I recently met with the brothers in Christ and their family members who were roommates in college and had a meal and prayer time. At that time, in conversation, a brother in Christ said this about his elementary school son. Since his son’s school teacher asked him or his wife to meet at school, he went to see the teacher. So he went and the teacher told him that his son is reading only books without listening to the teacher. However, it was interesting to see why his son didn’t listen to the teacher and read books. The reason is because his son isn’t a good auditory learner. At the same time, he said that he himself isn’t a good auditor who learns well with his ears. So I asked him how he would listen to the pastor's sermons. From my perspective, I think that brother is a person who learns well by seeing even if he isn’t a good auditor who learns well by ear. But then, after talking with that brother, the question was, how should I preach to those who cannot learn well by ear? Of course, it is a question that also applies to Bible study. But at least during the Bible study, I can try how to get such people to speak. Also, I can lead the Bible study as I show the Bible study materials. But the question is how can I preach preach to them. So, I think many pastors show scriptures on the screen when they are preaching, or even a sermon summary, and some even show a video about the sermon.
The word “listen” in Proverbs 22:1, in the original Hebrew meaning, implies listen to obediently (Harris) in order to obey the words of the wise. For example, when God speaks to us through the Bible, it means that we must listen to God's words with an attitude to obey His word. But what if we don't listen to God's words in an obedient manner like the Israelites in the days of the prophet Jeremiah? Look at Jeremiah 17:23 – “"Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.” One thing we have to think about here is what happens if we don't listen to God's words in an obedient manner. If we listen to God's words but don’t have an attitude to obey in our hearts, we will surely become proud. We will be stiff-necked, will turn our backs on God's words, and live disobedience in the world. This is what Proverbs 4:20 says to us: “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.” And this is what Proverbs 5:1 says: “My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight.” We must listen to the words of the wise. Not only that, we must listen to the words of the Lord who is the true wisdom. And we must listen carefully to the words (wisdom) and obey them.
Third, what must we do after we have heard the words of the wise?
We must listen to the words of the wise and put them in our hearts. Look at Proverbs 22:17b – “… apply your heart to what I teach.” We must listen to the knowledge taught by the wise and put it in our hearts. In order to do that, we must devote our hearts to that words. To say that we should be devoted to the words of the wise here means that we should put our hearts on them, put our minds on them, and devote ourselves to them. How should we be immersed in God's words? How should we devote our whole mind to His words? I looked for the answer in Proverbs 24:32 – “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.” The word that we are immersed in God's words can be summarized in three ways: (1) We must see (read) the words of God. And we must observe that words. (2) We must ponder the words of God. That means we must reflect ourselves on His words. And we must learn from them. (3) We must apply the words of God. The most important thing for us to keep His words in our hearts is to obey the lessons we receive from them. It is only when we obey His words of the instruction we have received that the words are written in the tablet of our hearts. Then, like the psalmist, the words of God will be ours (Ps. 119:56).
Why, then, does the Bible say that we should be immersed in the wise words of God? There are two reasons:
(1) The reason is to keep His words in our hearts.
Look at Proverbs 22:18 – “for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.” The reason why we should be keen to keep all our minds on God's words is that then we can preserve (keep) the words of God in our hearts. And the reason we have to keep His words in our hearts is that when we do that we can quote them. The Bible says that it is good (beautiful) to frequently quote God's words (v. 18). In other words, we must keep God's words in our hearts and quote them often. We should cultivate the habit of frequently quoting what we hear, learn, memorize, and know. That should be our joy. So why should we keep God's words in our hearts? Why is it so good? Look at Ecclesiastes 7:12 – “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.” The reason why knowledge (wisdom) is more important than money is because wisdom will preserve our lives. That’s why we must preserve (keep) the words of God in our hearts.
(2) The reason is to trust the Lord in our hearts.
Look at Proverbs 22:19 – “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you.” The reason why we should be devoted to God's words with all our minds is because our faith can grow so that we can fully trust in God more and more. For example, when we didn’t know God's words well and didn’t put them in our hearts, we trusted people rather than God. Then, the more we listen, learn, meditate, and immerse ourselves in the words of God, the more we come to realize that the word of Psalm 118:8 is the truth: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.” Not only that, but the more we are immersed in God's words and put them in our hearts, the more we trust God rather than humans, so that we can be protected by God's unfailing love (32:10). Furthermore, by trusting in God, we are empowered and saved by God (Isa.30:15). We must listen to and immerse ourselves in His words. Therefore, we must put His words in our hearts. What is the reason? Look at Psalms 119:11 – “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” We must keep the words of God in our hearts in order not to sin against Him.
The words of the wise that we need to hear are the words of trustworthy truth, words of advice that give us wisdom and knowledge. The words of advice that give wisdom and knowledge are: (1) Don’t exploit and crush the poor. (2) Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man. (3) Don’t put up security for debts. (4) Don’t move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. (5) Be a man skilled in his work. The reason we should listen to this wise man's advice of truth is because we may respond to those who send us with the word of truth. We must listen to the words of the wise. We must listen carefully in an attitude to obey the words of the wise. And we must listen to the words of the wise and put them in our hearts. In order to do that, we must devote our hearts to His words. We must put our hearts on His words and devote ourselves to them. Then we can keep His words in our hearts. Then we can trust God.