You’ve Got a Problem with Jesus

Proverbs 4:1-19

Main Idea: If you walk in foolishness, you are walking away from Jesus.

1. Have a Relationship with Wisdom (4:1-9).
2. Grow Progressively in Wisdom (4:10-19).

I love Proverbs because it corrects our misunderstandings about spirituality. We tend to compartmentalize spirituality and push it to the margins of our lives. We divide our lives into our spiritual activities (Sundays and maybe Wednesdays) and secular activities (the rest of the week). We think of most of life as morally neutral. We think God is more concerned with the “spiritual” things we do than he is with the rest of our lives. We think that God really cares about us having a good devotional time; but he’s not necessarily concerned with our jobs or our schools, outside of us trying to be a good witness in those places. We think God is really concerned that I be a witness but he is not as concerned that I show up on time or that I complete my assignments by their due date.

Solomon blows this paradigm apart in Proverbs. The nitty-gritty details of your daily life are not morally neutral. That’s the whole point of Proverbs. Wisdom isn’t first and foremost tips for daily living that you follow; Wisdom is a person that you know and a path that you then walk. If you lack wisdom in a practical area of your life, it’s not just that you are a fool in that area, although you are; you are demonstrating that you have a problem with Jesus.^[8]If you walk in foolishness, you are walking away from Jesus. If you have a temper problem, you love to argue with people, you go too far with your girlfriend, or you can’t see a task your boss assigns you through to completion, those are not just minor character flaws. They reveal that you have a problem with Jesus. If you find yourself walking down the wrong path, it reveals you are following the wrong person, and that’s deadly! That’s exactly what Solomon teaches us here through the Spirit in Proverbs 4:1-19.

Have a Relationship with Wisdom

Proverbs 4:1-9

The father again appeals to his son to listen to his instruction in order to gain understanding (wisdom). Wisdom is dispensed from a parent to a child. He says, “Listen to me because I have good instruction. Don’t abandon it.” Not only is the wisdom parental, but it is multigenerational. This was passed down from his father and mother (i.e., David and Bathsheba). In effect, Solomon says, “My dad taught me the law as the means to life and establishing the kingdom (see 1 Kgs 2), and now I’m teaching this to you!”

Instruction in wisdom should be a multigenerational thing. Parents have been entrusted with the responsibility of passing this down to their children. We can pass down patterns of foolishness like laziness, addiction, abuse, or passivity. Or we can pass down patterns of wisdom like humility, a good work ethic, and responsibility. Proverbs 3:33 teaches us that we can bring blessing or cursing on our house. The good news is that the chain of wickedness can be broken with one generation that pursues the Lord, but the bad news is that a chain of faithfulness can be broken in one generation as well. The goal of Christian parenting is to pass down godly wisdom so that the chain will not be broken by your children or grandchildren. As my friend Jimmy Scroggins has said, “The goal of Christian parenting is not just Christian children; it is Christian grandchildren.”

Solomon says that David told him to let his heart keep his commands and live. Again, wisdom is tied to the law, and it must be obeyed from the inside out. It must be written on the heart ( Jer 31:33). Practically, wisdom prolongs life because it avoids the risky behaviors that bring premature death like addictions, disregarding governmental laws, or disregarding parents by running into traffic. The life that will not heed authoritative counsel will often end early. Eternal and abundant life is found in obedience to the law (Lev 18; Jesus is the fulfillment).

So David told Solomon to get wisdom and not to forsake her (4:6). Again, Wisdom is personified as a woman (i.e., Lady Justice) to get his son to make a decision for wisdom. Ultimately, we New Testament Christians know that this is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the wisdom of Solomon—the Wisdom of God or the law of God—in human flesh. He fulfilled the Proverbs. David exhorts Solomon to begin a relationship with wisdom (i.e., marry her) and never abandon her (i.e., don’t be unfaithful to her). He says that she will keep him safe and preserve his life, so he should love her. Again, wisdom is first and foremost a person to be in relationship with, not a set of ideas to live out.

Then, according to many English versions, David makes a statement in verse 7 that seems odd. He says, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom” (ESV). OK? So you are saying that the first step to getting wisdom is getting wisdom? That’s strange. That does not seem all that wise, to be honest. But again, what this means is that the first step to being wise is making a faith decision to commit to Wisdom—Jesus. Other English versions say something like, “Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom” (CSB). The point is the same: Wisdom—Jesus—is the most important matter in all of life, so commit to him.

So the multigenerational task is to introduce our children to Jesus first, then introduce our grandchildren to Jesus. This is most important. Read the Bible to your children, pray with them, bring them to church, have family devotional time, share your testimony with them, let them see you worship Jesus in gatherings, let them see you participate in the ordinances, and share Jesus with them so they can know him intimately. Then, based on that relationship with Jesus and in that framework, teach them practical wisdom like how to be honest, how to fight anxiety, how to handle money, how to avoid get-rich-quick scams, how to receive a rebuke, how to lovingly give a rebuke, how to complete tasks like chores, and a thousand other things.

Wisdom begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because wisdom is not principles to learn. Wisdom is a person to know and follow—infinitely superior to Dear Abby tips. Jesus is the pearl of great price. He’s the one worth forsaking all else to get. David says to prize Wisdom highly, and she will exalt you, just like the Lord in due time exalts the humble (v. 8). David uses the metaphor of the crown (v. 9) to say that she will honor you (cf. Rev 4:4). She will give you a good public reputation. Wisdom is Jesus Christ, and you have to relate to him above all else! Prize him and he will honor you.

Grow Progressively in Wisdom

Proverbs 4:10-19

In verses 10-19 Solomon again exhorts his son to listen to his wise teaching in order to prolong his life (v. 10). We have seen this throughout Proverbs. Solomon says, “I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths” (v. 11). This refers to the wise course of life. It’s the ethical course to take because it is the “straight” path. Wisdom is a person to know and a path to walk. Solomon says that since his son has embraced Wisdom, now he must stay on the path of wisdom, that is, the path of morality and the safest course (v. 12). Keep hold of Wisdom, and she will be your life (v. 13). Do not walk on the wicked path (v. 14). Again, wisdom is not intelligence, and foolishness is not morally neutral. The idiot friend on every sitcom is not the biblical picture of folly. Solomon lays out the “doctrine of two paths” (Fox, Proverbs 1–9, 128–31). There are two roads or ways: (1) the wise, righteous path that leads to life and (2) the foolish, wicked path that leads to death.

Wisdom is a path or course of life. Wisdom is a progressive thing; it is not something you arrive at. This is very similar to the New Testament idea of sanctification, where we “walk” in the Spirit (Gal 5:16,25). You are being conformed into the image of Christ, and this will take your whole life. You start down the path through Jesus; after all, he is “the way” ( John 14:6). You must know the person of Wisdom to walk in the way of wisdom (Prov 4:13-14).

However, the path that you progressively walk reveals whom you are embracing. Your daily life decisions reveal whether you are following Jesus or walking away from him. The fact that you cannot control your temper with your children, constantly want to argue with your coworkers, go in and out of dumb dating relationships, spout off at your parents, or cannot follow through on school work has everything to do with Jesus. It reveals that you’ve gotten off the path of wisdom and are walking down the foolish path (vv. 11-14). It reveals that you aren’t holding onto Wisdom—Jesus (v. 13).

Walking the path of wisdom is a lifestyle that avoids the things that lead to an early death. We see this repeatedly. Solomon says when you walk this path you will not stumble (v. 12). There is safety and security on this smooth path. You avoid the obstacles of foolishness. Fools don’t see the connection between their foolishness and the consequences. They do not see that their laziness has led to them not having a job. They think their employer mistreated them. The fool does not see the connection between his porn problem and the train wreck of his marriage. He thinks his wife wasn’t as responsive as she should have been. The fool doesn’t see how his actions led him to stumble.

Solomon warns his son not to enter the path of the wicked. He says to avoid it. Do not go on it. Turn away from it (v. 15).^[9]When you come to a road that seems right but that will take you off the path that God has revealed, then move on and do not take it. Solomon is setting his son up here in the introduction (Prov 1–9) for the sentence sayings that will come later (Prov 10–31). These sayings will contrast the way of wicked foolishness with the way of righteous wisdom. He says there will be things that seem like the right course in life but they are not. It will seem like withholding discipline from your child is loving, but it isn’t. It will seem like hoarding your possessions will give you financial security, but it won’t. It will seem like holding your tongue instead of rebuking a friend who is going down the wrong path is the easier and better thing to do at the time—after all, we aren’t supposed to judge—but that isn’t wise or loving.

Don’t follow the wicked way that seems right at the time because those on the way of evil eat, drink, and sleep foolishness and ­wickedness—and they want others to join them (vv. 16-17). They will tempt you to follow them into laziness, gossip, quick-temperedness, and other degeneracy. In contrast, the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day (v. 18). The righteous way is a path of progressing in holiness until the last day. Just like the sun is seen at dawn and then gets brighter and brighter until it reaches its zenith, so those who walk on the path of wisdom will see more and more of the path and walk in greater and greater wisdom until the day they are made truly wise in the presence of Jesus. The way of the wicked is a path of deep darkness where they do not know what they stumble over.

I ( Jon) often get dressed in the dark so as not to wake my sleeping family. It is quite possible for me to leave the house with the wrong socks or some other wardrobe mishap. Solomon says wisdom is the remedy for that. Foolishness is trying to live your life in the darkness. You can’t see the way things really are, so you keep ruining your life and falling into misery. But wisdom is like the light of the sun that shows you how things really are, so that you can follow progressively the right course in life. The wise path is lit so you can see where you are walking, and the foolish path is dark so you stumble. Wisdom is a lamp—Jesus is the light of the world ( John 8:12)—so you can see the right path to take. But if you do not have the light, you cannot see where to walk. You stumble. Eventually, you fall.

Foolishness keeps you from seeing rightly. You may think you are taking the right step. It may seem right to you, but you do not see that you will stumble. Wisdom is progressive like the soft light of dawn growing into full midday brightness. One day we will see completely clearly (resurrection day; see Dan 12). We get a taste of that now through wisdom. We will get the fullness later.

Conclusion

Jesus is wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification for us (1 Cor 1:30). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Wisdom is found in Jesus and in walking with him. If part of your life is moving into foolishness, that’s not just dangerous because of the temporal consequences that you may face. That’s dangerous because it reveals you are moving away from Jesus. You can have an amazing quiet time; but if you can’t control your tongue, you’ve got a problem with Jesus. You can raise your hands high during praise songs; but if you can’t clean your room when your mom tells you to, you’ve got a problem with Jesus. You can be in three different Bible studies throughout the week; but if you nag your husband constantly, you’ve got a problem with Jesus. You can teach a Bible study class every week; but if you can’t take the trash out for your wife, it reveals that you’ve got a problem with Jesus. Jesus is concerned with every area of your life. If you have areas of foolishness in your life, you are walking away from Jesus.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Are there things in your everyday life that you think are morally neutral that are off-kilter? What are they?
2. Does God’s care of the everyday details change your approach to your everyday life?
3. Since Wisdom is Christ, what does it mean to marry Wisdom?
4. Wisdom is not just a characteristic; it’s a person you can be in a relationship with. What does the “wise” life look like in light of this?
5. How is Solomon’s exhortation for his son to listen to him different from what we hear in today’s culture? How can you as a parent go against the flow?
6. How can you grow progressively in following Christ? Are there still areas in your life where you embrace something other than Christ? What are they?
7. There are two paths that are revealed here, the wise path and the foolish path. Are there foolish areas you need to redirect? What steps need to be taken to make this course correction?
8. What outside factors push us off the wise path or pull us toward the foolish path? How can we avoid these lures?
9. Sinful/foolish areas in life reveal a problem with Jesus. How does this challenge you when you take inventory of your life? What is the right response to them?
10. What is the difference in the wise life and the foolish one?