Who Will You Listen to?

Having completed the preamble to the book of Proverbs we now move on to the first of a series of poems given in Proverbs 1:8-9 motivating us to pursue the course of wisdom. This morning we are looking at Proverbs 1:8-19, where two voices, two paths, two ways are given in the words of a father to his son encouraging and motivating him to embrace the worldview and values of wisdom. The implied question given to us is who will you listen to? And which community will you belong to? And this is done by showing us two things. First, wisdom’s beauty. This is drawn out for us in vv.8-9, where we will explore these powerful metaphors along with their implications for our lives and ministries. Then, secondly, vv.10-19 show us wisdom’s warning. And here we note that the brutal realities of life are not shied away from. This wise, loving father does not sugarcoat anything for his son, but presents him with the harsh realities of life along with their consequences. Again we are being asked who will you listen to?