We Must Listen to the Words of the Wise
[Proverbs 22:17-29]
A little while ago, after I had taken my father-in-law and mother-in-law home, the next Monday, I went to Tucson Airport after worshiping with them. When I left, not wanting to inconvenience the people there, I asked my wife to book a shuttle bus for me, which I took to leave. Though it was called a "shuttle bus," it was actually a small car driven by a man in his 70s with a long beard, who took me to the airport. We drove for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and as we were talking, this man, who claimed he had been baptized as an infant, began talking strangely about the Bible. After listening for a while, I realized that his conclusion was that we are all God, and everything in the world is God. He repeatedly claimed that what he believed was “I AM,” and even said that, in a trance-like state similar to hypnosis, he could travel to Mars in a few seconds, though he said it would be very dangerous.
Though I was speechless, I kept listening and asked him various questions based on the Bible. Ultimately, I shared the words of John 14:6: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life…’”
When I told my wife about this experience, she mentioned that legally, federal judges can no longer be affiliated with the Boy Scouts. She thinks this is probably related to issues of homosexuality. Perhaps, as my wife said, there may come a time when judges can no longer be associated with churches either. It truly is a frightening world. This world is rapidly and strangely deteriorating. In the midst of all this, I was reminded of the words from Luke 16:8: “The master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” The modern version of the Bible puts it this way: “… because the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own affairs than the sons of light.”
Everyone, aren’t we witnessing the reality of Jesus’ words as we live in this world? In these times, we must be even wiser. We must long for God’s wisdom even more. And we must ask God for wisdom with hearts that truly desire it. But when we ask, we must do so with faith, as James 1:5-6 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”
Furthermore, we must listen to the words of God.
In today’s passage, Proverbs 22:17 says: “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge.”
With this verse as the focus, under the title “We Must Listen to the Words of the Wise,” I want to meditate on three points and receive the lessons that God wants to give us.
First, what are the words of the wise that we must listen to?
These words are the teachings of a wise person, and they are "beautiful sayings of counsel and knowledge," and also "true and reliable words."
Let us look at today's passage, Proverbs 22:20-21: "I have written for you in the words of counsel and knowledge, to make you know the certain sayings of truth, to answer with words of truth to those who send you." The Bible teaches us that the words of the wise person we must listen to are trustworthy words of truth that give us wisdom and knowledge through counsel and advice (Swanson).
So why should we listen to the truthful counsel of the wise? The reason is that it is to respond with words of truth to the one who sends us (v.21).
When someone asks us about our faith, we must know how to respond with words of truth. For example, when a non-believer comes to us and asks about the hope we have in the kingdom of heaven within us, we should respond with the words of the Bible.
Look at 1 Peter 3:15-16: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed."
If, as in this passage from 1 Peter, those who insult us or speak ill of us ask about the reason for the hope that is within us, how would you answer? Are we truly ready to answer those questions?
We must read, listen to, and learn the words of the Bible so that whenever anyone asks us about our faith, we will be prepared to give an answer. We must be prepared, and as today’s passage from Proverbs 2:20-21 teaches, we must listen carefully to the trustworthy words of truth, which are words of counsel that give us wisdom and knowledge.
Now, what are the trustworthy and certain words of truth we should listen to? Proverbs 22:22-29 teaches us five things:
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Do not rob or oppress the weak and the poor.
Look at Proverbs 22:22: "Do not rob the poor because they are poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate."
We have already learned that the wise rich man shows concern for the poor, has compassion on them (19:17), and helps them (28:27).
However, the foolish rich person shows his pride in ruling over the poor (22:7), boasts about himself (2 Chronicles 25:19), speaks harshly to them (Psalm 31:18), mocks them (119:51), and even oppresses (10:2).
The wise person teaches us here in Proverbs 22:22 not to rob the poor or oppress the afflicted.
Why does he say, "Do not oppress at the gate"?
The reason is that poor people who beg for food often sit at the gate, a busy place where people walk by. The gate was also a place for legal matters (see 31:23), where the poor sought justice and mercy (MacArthur).
But wicked people, such as the wicked rich, would oppress the poor and take their possessions at the gate.
Therefore, the wise person warns us not to do so in today’s passage.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, we are told: "Encourage the fainthearted, support the weak."
Not only did the Apostle Paul say this, but he also practiced it: "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak" (Acts 20:35).
We must help the weak and the powerless. We must never oppress them or take what belongs to them. -
Do not associate with those who harbor anger.
Look at Proverbs 22:24: "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go."
We have already meditated on anger and received counsel on it. Some of the lessons we have learned include: "A fool shows his annoyance at once" (12:16), "He who is quick to anger does foolish things" (14:17), "A man of quick temper causes strife" (15:18), "He who is slow to anger has great understanding" (14:29), and "The one who is violent in his anger will suffer punishment" (19:19).
In Proverbs 22:24-25, the wise person tells us not to associate with or walk with those who are angry or enraged. Why?
Look at verse 25: "Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul."
If we associate with an angry person, we may imitate their actions and fall into a trap ourselves.
As we learned in Proverbs 22:5 and 14, the ways of the rebellious and the adulterous person are full of traps and snares.
So we should avoid the angry and bitter person, because walking with them will lead us into conflicts and sin (29:22). -
Do not become a guarantor for someone else's debt.
Look at Proverbs 22:26: "Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who are surety for debts."
We have already learned in Proverbs 6:1-5 about the dangers of guaranteeing someone else's debt. The lesson was that if we become a guarantor and the person defaults, we must deliver ourselves by paying the debt (v. 5).
Solomon warns us against the foolishness of pledging for someone else’s debt when we know they cannot repay it.
The Bible says that a fool will become a guarantor for another (17:18).
Dr. Park Yun-sun said, "...becoming a guarantor for someone else’s debt without economic power only gives the debtor false comfort, and it easily brings bankruptcy to oneself."
Therefore, as the wise person teaches in Proverbs 22:26, we should not become a guarantor for someone else's debt. -
Do not move the ancient boundary stones set by your ancestors.
Look at Proverbs 22:28: "Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set."
A similar teaching appears in Deuteronomy 19:14: "You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess."
This means not to encroach on another person’s property.
Why? Look at Deuteronomy 27:17: "Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor's boundary stone."
The reason is that those who encroach on others’ property will be cursed by God.
Dr. Park Yun-sun also interpreted Proverbs 22:28 as advising against the invasion of another nation's territory.
We should respect others' property and not covet what belongs to others. -
Be skilled and diligent in your work.
Look at Proverbs 22:29: "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men."
A "skilled man" refers to someone diligent and skilled.
This person excels in his work and will be noticed by kings, not by ordinary men.
The wise person teaches that we should be diligent and skilled, especially in serving the Lord’s work.
May the Lord raise us up to be diligent and skilled workers who serve Him well.
Second, how should we listen to the words of the wise?
We should listen to the words of the wise with attention. Look at the first part of Proverbs 22:17 in today’s passage: “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise…” When I first started serving as the pastor of Victory Presbyterian Church, not long after, I led a Sunday afternoon Bible study based on the book “This is How You Should Listen to a Sermon” by Professor J. Adams. The reason I chose to focus on that book for the Bible study was because I believed that just as pastors prepare to preach, church members should also prepare to listen to sermons. One of the ways to prepare for listening to a sermon is to train the ears of the congregation. That’s why I created fellowship materials based on that book to guide our Bible study.
The reason I thought we needed to train our ears especially stems from 2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” Personally, I believe that this “time” has already arrived. What time is this? It is the time when people no longer receive sound doctrine. I think the time has already come when people listen to lies, like empty stories that scratch their itching ears. That’s why, at that time, I first read the book by Professor Adams and created a Bible study material based on it to study with the members of our church.
Looking back on the challenges I received from that book, I want to share with you a post I wrote on my personal homepage: “It is a passionate expectation. It means that an attitude of preparation is necessary. The Bible says, ‘They received the word with all readiness of mind’ (Acts 17:11). We need to have expectations in order to hear well. When listening to a sermon in church, focus on one thing: ‘What word is God going to give me today?’ We need to have a childlike attitude. A pure heart and an open mind are necessary to hear well. When studying the Bible, we must examine it with a sincere desire to discover the truth. If we go with prejudices, we will gain nothing. Listening to find faults is a sick ear. Hebrews 5:11 says, ‘Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.’ This means there are ears that are dull of hearing. Listening to a sermon is not for ‘finding faults’ but for ‘seeking the truth.’”
Could it be that both you and I have sick ears? Are we listening to the pastor’s sermon to find faults, wondering if there are any? Do you think there are ears that are dull of hearing?
Not long ago, I had a meal and prayer time with brothers I used to room with in college and their families. During the conversation, one brother mentioned something about his elementary school son. It seems that the teacher called for a parent-teacher meeting, and during this meeting, the teacher pointed out that the brother’s son was not listening to the teacher and was reading a book instead. The brother then shared the reason why his son wasn’t listening to the teacher and was reading. I found this reason interesting. He said that the child was not a good auditory learner. He also mentioned that he himself was not a good auditory learner either. So, I asked him, “Then how do you listen to the pastor’s sermons?” I think that even though this brother may not be a good auditory learner, he seems to be someone who learns well visually. After this conversation, I started thinking about the question: how should pastors preach to people who do not learn well by listening? Of course, this question also applies to Bible study, but at least during Bible study, one could try to give such people opportunities to speak or show them related materials, which could guide the study successfully. However, the question remains: how should pastors preach to such people? Perhaps that’s why many pastors show Bible verses on a screen, or summarize their sermons, or even show videos related to the sermon.
In today’s passage, Proverbs 22:17, the phrase “Incline your ear” in the original Hebrew carries the meaning of listening with the intention of obeying the words of the wise [listen obediently] (Harris). For example, when God speaks to us through the Bible, we should listen to His word with an attitude of obedience. But what happens if we don’t listen with an obedient attitude, like the Israelites during the time of the prophet Jeremiah? Look at Jeremiah 17:23: “But they did not obey, nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.” Here, we should reflect on what happens if we do not listen with the intention of obeying God’s word. If we listen to God’s word but have no intention to obey in our hearts, we will surely become arrogant. We will stiffen our necks, turn our backs on God’s word, and live in disobedience in the world. When that happens, even when the wise correct us in love, we will not listen.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:20: “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.” It also says in Proverbs 5:1: “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding.” Brothers and sisters, we must incline our ears to the words of the wise. More importantly, we must listen to the words of the Lord, who is the true wisdom. And we must pay attention to His words (wisdom), listen to them, and obey them.
Thirdly, what should we do after hearing the words of the wise?
We should listen to the words of the wise and keep them in our hearts. Look at the second part of Proverbs 22:17 from today’s passage: “…apply your heart to what I teach.” (apply your heart to what I teach). We must listen carefully to the wisdom taught by the wise and keep those words in our hearts. To do this, we must dedicate our hearts to those words.
The phrase “dedicate our hearts to the words of the wise” means that we must give our hearts to those words with a committed attitude and immerse ourselves in them. Brothers and sisters, how should we immerse ourselves in God’s word? How should we give our full attention to God’s word and be passionate about it? I found the answer in Proverbs 24:32: “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.”
The idea of immersing ourselves in God’s word can be summarized in three ways: (1) We must see God’s word. We need to observe it. (2) We need to think deeply about God’s word. This means we must reflect on ourselves in light of God’s word. And we must receive teaching through that word. (3) We must apply that word. The most important thing to do in order to keep God’s word in our hearts is to obey the lessons we receive from those words. Only when we obey the lessons we learn from those words, will they be inscribed in our hearts. When we do this, like the Psalmist, God’s word will become our possession (Psalm 119:56).
So, why does the Bible say we should immerse ourselves in the wise words of God? There are two reasons:
(1) The first reason is that when we immerse ourselves in God’s word, we can preserve that word in our hearts.
Look at Proverbs 22:18: “It is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.” [“It is good to keep them in your heart and quote them often” (Modern Bible translation)] (for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips). The reason we should give our full attention to God’s word is because by doing so, we are able to preserve (keep) God’s word in our hearts. And the reason we should keep God’s word in our hearts is that by doing so, we can quote those words. The Bible teaches that it is good (beautiful) to frequently quote God’s word (v. 18). In other words, we should keep God’s word in our hearts and quote it often.
We should develop the habit of quoting the words we hear, learn, memorize, and know. This should be our joy.
So, why should we preserve God’s word in our hearts? Why is it good? Look at Ecclesiastes 7:12: “Wisdom is a shelter, as money is a shelter, but the excellence of wisdom is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.” Knowledge (wisdom) is more important than money because wisdom will preserve our lives. Therefore, we must preserve (keep) God’s word in our hearts.
(2) The second reason is that when we do this, we can trust God with all our hearts.
Look at Proverbs 22:19: “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you.” (So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you) [“I teach you this today so that you may trust in the Lord” (Modern Bible translation)]. The reason we should give our full attention to God’s word is because by doing so, our faith will grow, and we will be able to trust God more fully.
For example, when we do not know God’s word well and do not keep it in our hearts, we tend to trust people more than God. But as we listen, learn, meditate, and immerse ourselves in God’s word, we begin to realize that the words of Psalm 118:8 are true: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Furthermore, the more we immerse ourselves in God’s word and keep it in our hearts, the more we will trust God over people, receiving His protection through His unchanging love (Psalm 32:10). Furthermore, we gain strength and salvation by trusting in God (Isaiah 30:15).
We must listen carefully to God’s word and immerse ourselves in it. Therefore, we must keep that word in our hearts. Why is this? Look at Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” We should keep God’s word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him.
I want to conclude this meditation on the word. Brothers and sisters, the wise words we should listen to are trustworthy words of truth that give us wisdom and knowledge. These words of wisdom and knowledge advise us not to oppress or rob the weak, not to associate with angry people, not to become surety for others’ debts, not to remove the ancient boundary stones set by our ancestors, and to become wise and skillful people.
The reason we should listen to the wise counsel of these truthful words is so that we can respond with truth to the one who sent us. We must listen carefully to the words of the wise. When we listen carefully, we must do so with the attitude of obedience to those words. And we must listen to the words of the wise and keep them in our hearts. To do so, we must dedicate ourselves entirely to those words. We must give our hearts to those words with a devoted attitude, immersing ourselves in them. When we do this, we will be able to preserve those words in our hearts. When we do this, we will be able to trust God.