Proverbs 1:8-19

It's great to be with you this morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotion. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. So glad you're here with us this morning. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your Word, and we pray, Lord, that you might let us know your wisdom. We pray that your word would be pressed down upon our hearts. We pray that we would meditate on these words day and night, and you would teach us the way of life. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, here we go. We're gonna go to Proverbs 1, verses 8 through 19. My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol and whole like those who go down to the pit. We shall find all kinds of precious possessions. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast in your lot among us. Let us all have one purse, my son.
Do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot far from their path, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. But they lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy or gain. It takes away the life of its owners.
Wow, what a powerful passage we have for us to look at this morning. We need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to this? Real quick, you know I don't normally ask this very often, but would you put a thumbs up on this and let the algorithms know that this is helpful to you? Well, what is this about? It starts with a father instructing his son. We looked at that in the first couple verses before, but what does the father say to his son about the wisdom that he's imparting to him?
Hear the instruction of your father and do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck." It's going to be like a crown upon your head and you can think of a necklace of gold around your neck. This precious thing that you would wear, this valuable thing that you could look at and you would be known for this wisdom. So he's saying, don't go away from these things, but cherish these things. And then what's the first bit of wisdom he gives? He gives them wisdom against something that young men often find themselves wrapped up in. The Book of Colossians says, do not be deceived.
Bad company corrupts good morals. Many young people are deceived. because they rush into wanting gain. How many people are robbed, how many gangs are formed because people rush towards trying to get rich quick and are willing to steal and even murder for money. It's not something new in our day and age.
It was true then. I know of a man in prison who got wrapped up in the wrong crowd and he went along with this scheme of friends and and they went and they thought they were just going to do this this robbery and he had no intent in his heart to for anything to happen other than just to rob this place.
But one of his friends that he was wrapped up with brought a gun and killed the man. Now he was implicated in that murder. And for, well, since he was a teen, he's an old man now dying. He's sat in jail because he got wrapped up with his friends. He should have never been there. He should never have let his heart get sucked up with that greed. And he found himself there. That's what this is saying. This happens.
If they say, let us come with us. Let us lie in wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol and whole like those who go to the pit. We shall find all kind of precious possessions. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast your lot among us.
Let us all have one person. What does the dad say? My son, do not walk in their ways. Don't walk with them. Maybe we don't think about this, but especially in certain parts of the world, I mean, this is real. This is real, where people say, come on, I know a way to get you out of poverty. I know a way to get you out of this hard life and entice them into a lawless life. Centuries ago, this is what pirates used to do. We think of pirates for their cute little movies, Johnny Depp, stuff like that. But piracy back then was real. Come we're gonna steal all their boats.
We're gonna we're gonna kill them We're gonna take all their gold and we'll get rich and they'll die This is what the thieves along the routes would do and he's saying don't go that way. I don't go that way Why because they they set a snare for themselves. They set a trap for themselves that everyone can see there.
It's going to end wrong But you're gonna be enticed to go that way son, I'm telling you don't go that way What's the best verse to underline in this passage? Well, for me, let's see, I have verse 15 underlined. My son do not walk in the way with them. And I also have verse 19. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owner, right? Greed actually steals your life away rather than giving you life. Don't go that way.
What are we called to do? We seek calling. What are we called to do? Adorn yourself with this wisdom. Maybe you know someone who has been tempted with this, or maybe you yourself have been tempted with this. Do not go the way of greed. Work with your own hands. Labor with all your might, whatever work you do, and enjoy the good things that God has given you in this life.
Cry out to God to give you your daily bread and walk in righteousness. This is what Christ even did. I mean, Christ worked with his hands. Christ knew what it was like to be in want, to not have a place to lay his head, to not have enough food. Don't go the way. follow after his paths. Adorn this, be adorned with this wisdom.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you that every morsel of bread that enters into our mouth is a blessing from you. God, we pray that you would teach us the secret of contentment, both when we are in need as well as when we have plenty. Lord, we pray that we would rejoice in you and be satisfied in you. We pray indeed, God, that you would let us not follow after the way of greed, but follow after your paths. In Jesus' name, amen. May God bless you today. May you walk in the contentment that you can find in Jesus Christ. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.