Listen! (Proverbs 19:20)
Listen Here:
Proverbs 19:20
Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Ah! What a perfect verse to follow yesterday. We posed that question yesterday, ‘Will you listen?’ and today our encouragement from Proverbs 19:20 is to do just that: Listen!
Now this may feel like a lot of repetition within the Proverbs, as we are continuing to see the same theme over and over again, but I’m personally all for it for two reasons – actually, make it three:
We need to know the immense value of listening, and particularly listening to advice and correction, because the prize is wisdom!
And let me actually stop there for a second because, man, if you followed along in our Pursuing Wisdom in Proverbs series on the X+1 Podcast, you would know that Jesus Christ Himself is wisdom! He’s the prize! It’s as if this verse is telling you and me to listen to what the Word of God has to say, and to receive it, so that we may gain Jesus!
That’s so important and worth repeating. Choosing to listen to and heed correction and advice, I mean, that leads to Jesus! So that’s one.
We need this repeated because we are forgetful people, and we forget the value of everything I just mentioned, most of all the value of knowing Jesus! The one who is worthy of counting all other things as loss for the sake of knowing Him – that guy.
And thirdly, we need these principles of listening to correction and advice and the like drilled into our brains because if we cease to listen, if we stop heeding the Word of God, the correction of God, whether from His Word or His people – you name it – we will stray. And we’ll look at this more tomorrow.
There’s really no middle ground here or sitting on the fence.
Every day you are either moving closer toward Jesus or farther away. And those daily decisions add up.
God desires to speak to us every day through His Word. Will we listen? Maybe better asked today: Are you listening?
This Proverb motivates us as an audience to listen and internalize Solomon’s teaching with the certain hope that we will enjoy all the benefits of being wise in a future that outlasts death itself. This points to eternity.
Of course, a person does not control his future, but with this hope he can face it without anxiety and apprehension. Why? Because his hope will be in Jesus. That said, verse 27 of this chapter will make clear that one must persevere in the teaching to guarantee this outcome. That’s the verse we’ll cover tomorrow.
But for today, I want to exhort and challenge you to make time to listen.
This verse shows us a mark of someone who is truly wise is that they are teachable. They are. The wise have a readiness to receive more wisdom. They always have a listening ear to whatever voice is giving godly counsel and insights into the holiness of God.
But do you?
Are you listening?
Let’s pray today that the Lord would stir in us a heart that is teachable, begetting ears that will listen to the voice of God and the Spirit of God in us, that we might ‘gain wisdom in the future’, wisdom from God’s Word that outlasts death itself.
Let’s pray.
