Listening to the Right Voices in a World of Voices
Listening to the right voice in a world of voices.
Proverbs 11-15
Proverbs 13:15, “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wisde man is he who listens to counsel.”
We become who we listen to. In today’s multimedia-driven world, we struggle to discern what to believe. We live in a culture of conflicting values, politics, and worldviews, each vying to gain our allegiance to their cause and moral code. It is estimated that there are over 1.5 billion websites today, with about 4.3 billion pages, and some estimates suggest over 50 billion. The Information Age we live in could also be called the Misinformation Age, as the internet becomes the distributor of people’s opinions about life and morality rather than a conveyor of truth. It doesn’t matter what you believe; you can find confirmation for your beliefs online. If you want to believe that Bigfoot exists, there are websites that affirm it. As a result, the internet is a place we turn to for confirmation of our biases. It creates tunnel vision by streaming only the information that supports our preconceptions. It is no wonder that people today reject the belief in absolute truth. When the internet becomes our source of information it leads to a confusion of truth. Proverbs warns us of this very truth, “The naïve believes everything, But the sensible man considers his step”(14:15).
With all the conflicting voices claiming to be the truth, the book of Proverbs warns us about the importance of listening to the right voices. We need the counsel of the wise rather than the fool. No person is an island unto themselves so they do not need the counsel of others. But if we turn to the wrong source it will lead to our spiritual destruction. Therefore, Proverbs warns us against the counsel of the wicked. Throughout the book of Proverbs, we see these warnings. In 12:5, the sage admonishes us, “the thoughts of the righteous are just, but the counsel of the wicked are deceitful.” In verse 26, he further states, “The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” In both verses, the sage warns about the dangers of listening to the wicked. The wicked are not just those who do evil, but those who reject God's counsel and live without regard for God’s character or attitude. Likewise, the fool is not someone with no moral compass; rather, they are those whose moral compass is man rather than God. Eighty times in Proverbs, the wicked are contrasted with the righteous in antithetic parallelism. When we listen to the voices of those who reject God and His word, they will lead us to destruction. Proverbs 14:12 warns us, “there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
So where do we turn to discover truth? The sage points us to those who are righteous. The righteous are those who seek to ground their lives in the teachings of God's law. Their starting point for truth is not human wisdom, but the character of God as revealed in the scriptures. This serves as the foundation for life and fulfillment. Thus, Proverbs states, “The righteous will flourish like the green leaf” (11:18; see also 14:26). Those who listen to the righteous will find joy and fulfillment in life (15:2). To become wise, we need to ensure that those we listen to are wise, and wisdom can only come from God (15:16). Furthermore, Proverbs warns us to make sure that the counselors we heed are people of wisdom (12:15). When we were children, we learned a simple song: “Oh be careful little ears what you hear, for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little ears what you hear.” But as adults, we have often forgotten this important truth. Proverbs also reminds us to listen to the wise rather than to fools: “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death” (13:14, 20). Who are you listening to today?
Proverbs 11-15
Proverbs 13:15, “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wisde man is he who listens to counsel.”
We become who we listen to. In today’s multimedia-driven world, we struggle to discern what to believe. We live in a culture of conflicting values, politics, and worldviews, each vying to gain our allegiance to their cause and moral code. It is estimated that there are over 1.5 billion websites today, with about 4.3 billion pages, and some estimates suggest over 50 billion. The Information Age we live in could also be called the Misinformation Age, as the internet becomes the distributor of people’s opinions about life and morality rather than a conveyor of truth. It doesn’t matter what you believe; you can find confirmation for your beliefs online. If you want to believe that Bigfoot exists, there are websites that affirm it. As a result, the internet is a place we turn to for confirmation of our biases. It creates tunnel vision by streaming only the information that supports our preconceptions. It is no wonder that people today reject the belief in absolute truth. When the internet becomes our source of information it leads to a confusion of truth. Proverbs warns us of this very truth, “The naïve believes everything, But the sensible man considers his step”(14:15).
With all the conflicting voices claiming to be the truth, the book of Proverbs warns us about the importance of listening to the right voices. We need the counsel of the wise rather than the fool. No person is an island unto themselves so they do not need the counsel of others. But if we turn to the wrong source it will lead to our spiritual destruction. Therefore, Proverbs warns us against the counsel of the wicked. Throughout the book of Proverbs, we see these warnings. In 12:5, the sage admonishes us, “the thoughts of the righteous are just, but the counsel of the wicked are deceitful.” In verse 26, he further states, “The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” In both verses, the sage warns about the dangers of listening to the wicked. The wicked are not just those who do evil, but those who reject God's counsel and live without regard for God’s character or attitude. Likewise, the fool is not someone with no moral compass; rather, they are those whose moral compass is man rather than God. Eighty times in Proverbs, the wicked are contrasted with the righteous in antithetic parallelism. When we listen to the voices of those who reject God and His word, they will lead us to destruction. Proverbs 14:12 warns us, “there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
So where do we turn to discover truth? The sage points us to those who are righteous. The righteous are those who seek to ground their lives in the teachings of God's law. Their starting point for truth is not human wisdom, but the character of God as revealed in the scriptures. This serves as the foundation for life and fulfillment. Thus, Proverbs states, “The righteous will flourish like the green leaf” (11:18; see also 14:26). Those who listen to the righteous will find joy and fulfillment in life (15:2). To become wise, we need to ensure that those we listen to are wise, and wisdom can only come from God (15:16). Furthermore, Proverbs warns us to make sure that the counselors we heed are people of wisdom (12:15). When we were children, we learned a simple song: “Oh be careful little ears what you hear, for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little ears what you hear.” But as adults, we have often forgotten this important truth. Proverbs also reminds us to listen to the wise rather than to fools: “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death” (13:14, 20). Who are you listening to today?
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