Synopsis: As we continue our sermon series through Revelation, we enter into Solomon’s first major section on wisdom, which comes in the form of a poetic letter. We recall that chapters 1-9 largely are a series of poems functioning like a setup for the proverbs which appear in chapters 10-31. Here, Solomon lays out two paths for life, folly and wisdom. Folly, in this passage, is shown in the image of a violent gang who tempts a young man to follow them in their abominable deeds. While the instruction to avoid joining violent gangs might feel overly simplistic in terms of wisdom literature, in the counsel we learn something about the temptation to follow the creed into folly. This proves particularly important when we think about various social movements over the last decade that have led many well-meaning Christians into folly.
Text: Proverbs 1:8-19
Date: September 20, 2026
Introduction
Opening Illustration – Movie: A number of years ago I was with some friends, and they wanted to go see a movie. It was a new movie that was the big exciting new movie. It was rated R for violence and dark themes. And I remember thinking before we went, I shouldn’t go see this. I know what its about. Just the commercials for this movie, feel like they’re cross my lines. But I let them persuade me. Peer pressure is tough isn’t it. I’ll tell you. That was the worst. That movie was so dark and twisted, that I felt amost filthy walking out of the theatre.
Personal: I share that story to let you know that you are not the only one who has been persuaded, against their better judgment, to do something that you knew internally was likely not wise. How do you respond when you are confronted with peer pressure that challenges your sense of biblical right and wrong.
Context: Last week we kicked off a new series in the Book of Proverbs. We saw that Proverbs is a book that is designed to teach God’s people practical wisdom for life. We discussed that the primary conviction and motto underneath this book is that:
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
All wisdom is rooted surrender and submission to Christ. Put another, Christless wisdom is no wisdom at all, but is in fact folly. Today we continue through Proverbs chapter 1. To give you a sense of the structure of this book, chapters 1-9 are a series of poems in celebration of wisdom. In chapters 1-9 many of the themes and the underlying ideas that will found in Proverbial form in chapters 10-31, get brought to the surface. Today, one of the major themes of Proverbs gets discussed, and that there are two different paths with two different results. The Path of Wisdom which leads to abundance. And the Path of Folly which leads to death.
Main Idea: The invitation of the crowd may sound compelling but often leads to death.
Proverbs 1:8–19 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.”
Meaning & Application
There is one core instruction at the center of this passage. It is the primary glimmer of wisdom, of which the rest of the passage revolves. It is in verse 10.
Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
Gang: It is very interesting, that functionally, Solomon’s first great wise counsel is that we should not join a gang, a group of sinners. He describes a group of sinners who are plotting to kill somebody. And right out of the very beginning, we have critically important advice for all of life. Whatever you do, do not join a gang that wants to murder someone. I think that’s good counsel! As superficial as that counsel might feel for a room as intelligent as all of you, let’s see if there is actually some meat here for us to chew on, and some way that this is relateable to mosmt of us in this room.
Son: We see here the author using language of a father providing instruction to his maturing son. The language used both in verse 10 and then again in verse 15. The phrase “my son” will appear precisely 23 times throughout Proverbs. This gives us the tone of this entire book. It is as if the book is desribing a father handing down generational wisdom. It is not to say that all the instructions in Proverbs are simply helpful for young boys. But rather, we as readers function almost as if we are listening in to a private conversation between a loving father and his growing son, on wisdom for navigating life.
Two Paths: What is the center of the father’s instructions. It is the idea that there are two ways to go through life. The term “the way” appears down in verse 15 when we read about the gang,
Proverbs 1:15 “my son, do not walk in the way with them…”
This is the first time that term is used, and it will be used 80 more times throughout Proverbs. The father is laying out two paths for his son. On the one hand is the way of wisdom, and on the other is the way of folly.
Way of Wisdom: Verses 8-9 lay out the clear path of wisdom.
Proverbs 1:8 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,”
Torah: The word used for “teaching” is “torah.” Torah very directly means “law,” and specifically students of the Bible will recall that the laws of Moses are referred to as the Torah. Here we already see one theme that is going to emerge throughout Proverbs, and that is the interconnectedness of wisdom with God’s law. One cannot have wisdom apart from the law, and so the foundation of learning wisdom is a full and thorough understanding of God’s law, his justice.
Illustration – Justice: A few years ago I was having an interesting conversation with a young man, that was still learning the way of wisdom. This young man had been caugth up in many of the secular calls for “social justice.” He was passionate, and one day in our conversation he made a comment that struck me as the root of why this man lacked wisdom. He was critiquing modern seminaries and books on theology. And the point he made was “Seminaries that train pastor and theology books don’t train on justice. There is no chapter in any of your Systematic Theology books on justice.” What he meant by that was that the Systematic Theology books didn’t have chapters on his vision of social justice. But this is folly. He had disconnected justice from law. Of course, any book on Systematic Theology worth its salt has deep sections on God’s law, and the proper use of the law as New Testament Christians. He wanted to join the crowds, and find new wisdom in secular visions of social justice detached from God’s law. That is the way of folly; not the way of wisdom.
Difficult: There is something else hidden in this language that is important. That is the reality that the law is often difficult. Sons don’t always desire to follow the law. There is an inward sinful desire of the heart that often rebels against the law, or if not outward rebellion, seeks to find a shortcut; some middle ground that fudges the law just enough to be able to get around it. Obedience to the law is often less exciting and a more challenging path.
Why: And yet it has the far bigger payout in the end. Why obey the torah of his parents?
Proverbs 1:9 “for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”
The image here is of a wreath up one’s head and beautiful jewlery upon their neck. As a general principle for life wisdom will, in the long run, adorn one with beauty. It may be more difficult. It may be less exciting. It may not be what the crowds are calling for. But if you stick with it, you will find your life will be full, stable, and abundant.
Way of Folly: Against this way of wisdom is another path, the way of folly. Here in this passage, the way of folly is represented by a violent gang who wants to lie in wait, and murder someone in order to plunder their wealth. Now, once again, we might not immediately feel that we have any connection with a murderours violent gang (perhaps in some parts of our city there is), and yet this gang is far more relatable than we might imagine. We’re all well familiar with this gang. Consider the qualities of the gang.
Group – Peer Pressure (10): First, and perhaps most obviously, they are a group. Verse 10, “if sinners entice you…” This group is enticing particularly because it is a group. There is a sense of peer pressure involved in their enticing strategies. But its not just peer pressure, there is also the tendency of group think. Group Think is the sociological dilemma that very often in a group setting, everyone tends to think alike. And the reason is that nobody wants to be the one who sticks out as different, and so very often in groups bad ideas become normalized, and everyone goes along with it because the group said so.
Against God’s Justice: Second, the gang has no regard for God’s justice. In verse 10 they “lie in wait for blood” and desire to “ambush the innocent.” The gang wants what they want, and what God’s law has to say on the issue is neither here nor there. It doesn’t even come into their mind. This is the kind of group that if you were to say “You know I don’t know if the Bible permits that,” they would scoff at you as if you were a fool.
They Offer Wealth (13): Third, this group is offering wealth. The allure is that together they can strike it rich. They will find “all precious goods” and “fill our houses with plunder.” Throughout Proverbs, wealth can be both a good thing and a negative thing. It depends on whose hands its in. But here, the gang offers wealth, only they want to get it the wrong way. They want the shortcut. They dont’ want to accumulate wealth the way God has designed, they want the quick way that takes very little thought, very little effort, and very little work.
Own Sense of Justice (14): Fourth, this gang has their own sense of justice. In verse 14 they say, “we will all have one purse.” Not only have they redefined justice, but they part of the allure of the gang is that they’re not anarchists, they abide by some regulations that seem fair and equitable. When looked through a foolish lens, they almost seem like good moral decent people..
A Path (15): Fifth, it is not just the singular immoral deed they do that is folly. They have a path they are walking on. The father instructs the son “hold back your foot from their paths.” This gang is walking in a general direction. They have a foolish way about their entire trajectory. The son cannot just say to himself “Well I won’t commit murder, but I’ll just keep walking on the path with them.” No. The father instructs “avoid their path altogether.” This is another theme that we will come back to time and time again. You associate and walk with fools, you are a fool.
Greedy for Unjust Gain (19): Sixth and finally, verse 19 tells us about their core motivation, they are “greedy for unjust gain.” They want to get ahead in their own way and on their own terms. The means of how they make progress are inconsequential. In other words, the road they walk doesn’t matter to them, so long as they get the thing they desire. Whatever means necessary for their sense of progress.
The Trap: In verses 17-18 this wonderful picture is given to us about those who walk in the Path of Folly. The picture is that of a net with a simple bird. He says “Birds are not the smartest of creatures. But even they know and can see that if you put an obvious net out for them, to avoid it. They can see the net, they can steer clear and not get caught.” But these men are simpler than the birds. They can’t see the trap they’re laying for themselves. It’s right there in front of their own eyes, and they’re walking right into it. The Path of Folly is a trap.
The End Result Compared: And what is the end result? Verse 19 “it takes away the life of its possessors.” Compare this to the Way of Wisdom. In verses 8-9 the way of wisdom in the end is crowned with a wreath and decorated in beautiful jewelry. The Way of Folly, takes the very life of those who walk down its path.
Summarize: Let me summarize before we apply this to ourselves. This is the instruction of Solomon to his son, and its the instructions of God to us. The way of wisdom is often more difficult. It often walks alone. It chooses obedience to God’s law. And as a general principle, those who do the hard work of walking in this way, will find life, abundance, blessing. Their life will be “cutting along the grain.” But those who walk the Path of Folly will find all their shortcuts got them nowhere. Their path looked easier. It looked like a sure plan. Less work and more wealth. Just fudge the lines a bit. But it robbed them of life. Everything becomes more difficult. Their life is constantly cutting against the grain. It’s as if they’re always swimming against the current, or always running uphill. If it doesn’t kill you or get you locked up, its just an exhausting and difficult way to go through life.
APPLICATION
There are some very clear and obvious applications for us. And I have hinted at this already.
The Masses: Living in our modern world, we are well aquainted with the siren calls of the masses inviting us into their folly. I told you the story of my friend already who was disapointed with our books that they did not have sections on Social Justice. Let’s stay on that theme for a little bit, because I think that theme has quite a lot of parallels to what we see described in these verses. For most of the people in this room, how do the masses often co-opt us to join them in their folly?
Calls for Justice: One of the chief ways that the “gangs” try to get us to join them in their folly, and their “running to shed blood” is through the invitation to join them on their calls for social justice reform. We have literally watched this play out in real time before our eyes many times over. The masses put together some new call for social justice and action, and they begin to put the pressure on you and me to join them in their cause, to wave their flags, and post their hashtags. Just in the last few years, think of all the causes that many were shamed for not getting swept up in: MeToo, BLM, Abolish the Police, Abolish Ice, My Body My Choice, Get the Vaccine, No Kings, Love is Love, Free Gaza. In the not too distant future we’ll have ‘AI Rights are Human Rights’ (you think I’m joking but I’m not).
Tempered: Is everything about all of these things absolutely and utterly wrong. No, you may have heard a cause in there that you feel passionately about. But remember, the Devil in the Garden mixed his lie with a lot of truth. So, I want to take the counsel in Proverbs, and apply it into the space where we have all been tempted to experience something similar. And I think, this is it. And that is how these movements operate. But consider these movements for a moment.
Peer Pressure: First, the gang in Proverbs 1 operated as a group, and exerted Peer Pressure to try to get the son to do something he wouldn’t have done all on his own. Have you all not felt the peer pressure to voice your support of these, or even to join in on these. Unless you’re living in a cave (and I’m not aware of any caves in Chicago) I think you have. That peer pressure is hard. Do you know how many people we have lost from this Church because our Elders refused to bow the knee to many of these siren calls over the years. That weighs heavily on my heart. The pressure from the masses weighing down on us with each new social justice cause is immense.
Their Own Sense of Justice: Second, all of these have causes are designed around their own sense of justice. In fact, that is the basis of the term “social justice.” Do you recall how we noted that the gang in Proverbs 1 had their own sense of justice. They weren’t anarchists. They adhered to a guiding set of principles that if you crossed your eyes and looked sideways, could maybe pass the muster. This is what makes the gang appealing. Doesn’t “love is love” sound loving? You have to be a real meanie to stand up and say “love is not love.” All you have to do is not run the idea through God’s law. “Keep that pesky bible closed and join the triumph of humanity. We’ll achieve progress greater than any movement in human history.” These movements operate on a deficient vision of justice, a modified vision of justice, not based on torah (God’s law) but based on a humanistic vision of justice.
Greedy: Third, these groups and causes are often driven by greed for unjust gain. While this is a certain uncomfortable talking point, it behooves us to speak openly and honestly. All of you have to do often, is follow the money to figure out what and who is driving the movement. It is not uncommon for these movements to get exposed that they are lining the pockets of their leaders extraordinarily. These movements are often means to an end.
Illustration – Floyd Protest: Years ago, it was right in the middle of a season of protests that were taking place all throughout our city and other cities. And I had a young woman from our Church call me from one of the protests, upset that I was not there with her. One of those situations where it is a tough moment to disciple a person. Wisdom will teach us eventually how to discern what kind of tone to use in different circumstances. But I remember I asked her to look at the closest sign that was in one of the protestors hands and to read it to me. She read the first one “Abolish the Police.” I said, “As a Christian do you agree with that?” She said, “No.” I said, is the protest having you chant something or recite something as you march. And I can’t recall what it was, but I asked her the same question, “Do you agree with that?” She said, “No.”
I said something like this, “There may be a legitimate righteous anger in you over circumstances (whatever circumstnaces are on your mind), and there may be a very good place to labor towards helping to create a more just society. There may even be a good place to protest. But let me ask you, based on what the people you are with are chanting, and based on the signs they’re holding, do you think it is wise for you to be there and putting your name to that.” You could hear her rather sheepishly wrestling with the idea.
What had happened? She had gotten caught up with gang, by the peer pressure, by the false calls for justice. And she hadn’t stopped to consider her ways, and to ask what the wise course was.
Wrap Up: Church, I’m picking on social justice, but that is only because it is our world, and it is the most often application of this text. And our job is to learn wisdom from Solomon. Wisdom teaches us to evaluate the words and the ideas of the crowds through the law of God. Not at a surface level. Not at the level of a child. But wisdom teaches us to do the work, to think thoughtfully before we engage. There are times for action, but when all of secularism is the one’s yelling the loudest, chances are that’s not the time.
CHRIST’S REDEMPTION
What are we to do instead. There is a wonderful and quite powerful irony regarding the gospel in this passage. Think of what the group of sinners in verses 11-12 say. They say:
Proverbs 1:11–12 “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;”
Blood: The sinful gang waits patiently to take someone else’s blood in order that they might benefit. But the way of wisdom is the way of Christ. Christ did not lie in wait for someone else’s blood. Christ marched towards the cross in order that he might sacrificially shed his own blood.
Ambush Innocent: The crowd looks to ambush the innocent. But Christ, the truly innocent, allowed himself to be ambushed (arrested in the middle of the night, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, scourged, and ultimately crucified. Not for his gain, but for ours.
Sheol: The sinners speak of attacking the innocent in such a way that it is like Sheol swallowing them alive. Christ permitted himself to be swalled whole into Sheol, the place of the dead. He went down to the pit. Death swallowed him.
Unjust Gain: The crowd in this passage is driven by a greed for unjust gain. But Christ was driven by humility and self-sacrifice. His entire existence as a human was an exercise in humility. The cross was the ultimate display of humility, where the incarnate God offered himself up for the sins of those who didn’t deserve it.
The Way of Wisdom follows the path of King Jesus. It is the way of actionable love, of self-sacrifice, of love for others, even of love for enemies. Solomon teaches us that those who live that way, will find in the end that the wisdom they have lived by has been like a graceful garland for their head, and pendants for our neck.
Conclusion
Church, it is important as we go through this Proverbs series that you evaluate yourselves. Do not be the fool who cannot be honest enough to reflect for a moment. As much as we might think that we are those who are so eagle-eyed that we can always discern rightly between the two, it is not always as easy as you think. It takes work, to store the word of God in our heart, so that we can look at the temptations around us, and discern right from wrong according to the standard of God’s Word. Let us not be so foolish or so proud, that we we think we already have attained such wisdom. Let us plead with God, that he would grant us eyes to see and a mind to know sound judgment on these issues.
The invitation of the crowd may sound compelling but often leads to death.
