Who Do You Listen To?
30 Days in Proverbs ~ day two
Reading through Proverbs, one might get the impression that it is a young man’s book—written for sons who need to listen to parents rather than friends who are only out for a good time. There is some truth to that. Proverbs does speak directly to young men and women, and for that reason it would be worth every young person’s time to learn its wisdom.
But it would be a mistake to think we age out of the need for Proverbs.
What Proverbs 1:8–19 is really pressing on us—young or old—is this simple truth: it matters who you listen to.
Fools come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Gray hair is no guarantee of wisdom. If we don’t want to become old fools, we need a steady diet of wisdom. So what are we to do with all this emphasis on listening to parents? If you are young, you should. Even as a young adult, while no longer bound by strict obedience, it would still serve you well to listen to their counsel.
Yes, some people have foolish parents, and discernment is required. But for most, parental love at least makes advice worth hearing.
At the heart of this passage is the reality that the voices we give our ear to shape the path we walk. Some voices lead to blessing; others to destruction.
Never has this been more obvious than in our time. What began as a trickle with television has become a flood through social media. We even call them influencers—and that is exactly what they are. Many are paid to shape desires, beliefs, and behaviors of the general public. The motivations are often no different from the sinners in Proverbs 1: people driven by gain, promising much and delivering harm.
Not everyone is false, of course. Some speak truth. The challenge is discerning who is who.
Proverbs gives us a better way: seek wisdom from those close to you—flesh and blood people you actually know. Better still, listen to family first. And Christians are not limited to biological family. We are part of a larger household, with fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters in Christ—some of whom have walked faithfully with God and learned what it means to be skilled in godliness.
Above all, in Christ, God Himself is our Father. Jesus modeled this perfectly, saying and doing only what He heard and saw from the Father. This is the ultimate fountain of wisdom.
God’s voice may come through godly family, mature believers, or directly through Scripture as the Spirit presses the Father’s word into our hearts. These are the voices that lead to wise living.
There will always be others calling to us, beckoning us with promises that end in loss.
Choose carefully whom you listen to—because wisdom itself begins with listening.
