Proverbs 1:5 (Mini Sermon)

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5. Pro 1:5 - "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:" A. A wise man will hear. i. There is hearing and then there is hearing. a. Hear v. - 1. a. intr. To perceive, or have the sensation of, sound; to possess or exercise the faculty of audition, of which the specific organ is the ear. (i) This type of hearing is done by wise and foolish alike. (ii) The Pharisees heard Christ's words in the physical sense which was evidenced by the fact that they wanted to kill Him for what he said (Joh 8:37-38). b. Hear v. - 4. To exercise the auditory function intentionally; to give ear, hearken, listen. (i) This type of hearing is unique to the wise. (ii) The Pharisees could not hear Christ's words with understanding because 1) they were not of God, and 2) they were fools and didn't want to (Joh 8:43-47). ii. The result of the second type of hearing is that the wise man will increase learning. a. In order to increase learning, we must listen intentionally. b. We must bow down our ears to hear the words of the wise (Pro 22:17). c. In order to hear and increase learning, a man has to listen more than he talks (Jam 1:19; Ecc 5:1). B. A man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. i. A wise man has enough sense to know that he doesn't know everything. ii. There are two ways to be wise: either know information personally, or know where to find it when needed. a. A man of understanding realizes that he doesn't need to be an expert in every discipline, but need only know someone who is. b. When he needs to increase his learning, rather than proudly and foolishly staying at home trying to figure it out himself, he instead attains unto wise counsel. c. Attain v. - III. 10. To come so far as, succeed in coming to, get (to). to attain to = reach, arrive at. iii. A wise man doesn't wait for wise counsel to come to him, rather, he goes to it. a. I will gladly take unsolicited advice from wise men, but I usually seek it out from them first when making any important decision. (i) Before I would make any major, life-changing decision, I would seek wise counsel. (ii) Such decisions would include going to college, choosing a career, changing careers, changing jobs, retirement planning, retiring, buying a house, buying a car or other large expenditures, engagement and marriage, raising children, education plans for children, investing large amounts of money, starting a business, major health decisions, etc. (iii) In all these areas, counsel should be sought before already having one's mind made up. b. The only man that will learn is he who wants to learn, and voluntarily seeks instruction. c. There is an old adage which says, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." d. This is why it's a fool's errand to send most young people to college with a check in their hand, expecting them to get an education (Pro 17:16).