INFLUENCES

Proverbs 1:10 (ESV)
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Here is the FIRST Proverbial description. So the importance of understanding it is great. Remember what Jesus said about the FIRST parable (of the sower)? He asked the Apostles, if they couldn’t understand that parable, how could they understand all the rest He would tell them? So the principles of understanding are often found in “first mention”. So also in the book of Genesis.

So, this warning in chapter one is the first practical piece of advice in the book. Here is a basic, fundamental principle of the whole book, laid down at the beginning:

There are TWO FUNDAMENTAL PHILOSOPHIES IN LIFE, and we are told in very dramatic terms to choose the right one.

They are the two views of the value you place on another human being.

Are people valuable to you because of what you can get from them, or are they valuable because they are human beings created in the image of God, and died for by Jesus Christ?

This underlying principle of the intrinsic value of a human being is found all through the Book of Proverbs. In fact, it is a cornerstone principle of all Christianity. The First Commandment is to love God with everything you’ve got, and the second is like it, that you love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, you place great value on your fellowman simply because he or she is a human being.

These two contrary philosophies are represented by two people: “Son”, and “sinner”.

Which are you? What is your chosen Identity? Are you a child of God, heir of God and joint-heir with Christ? Are you the temple of the Holy Spirit? Then choose to live according to your true nature– the eternal one, not the mortal one.

Decide now, at the “first” of the rest of your life, that you will not only DO what is right and follow the worldview, the philosophy of God’s Wisdom, but you will do it because that is who you ARE, that is your Identity. Decide to strive to live true to your real, genuine, true, eternal nature as a Child of God.

Also, the first proverb here is a warning to avoid bad influences. When you are young, or weak, or gullible, or naive… you need to be especially careful who you hang around with; you become like those you are around all the time. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure!

Later, when you have matured some, you can seek to be the influencer in a group. But here in the first part of the book, like a young person, your job is to build a foundation and defenses against the onslaught of the world’s philosophy.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He came to be the Influencer. He was impervious to temptation, yet as He waded daily through a sinful world, He still needed ample time alone with His Heavenly Father. That’s good advice for us as well.

So choose your friends carefully; you will become like them.

~Johnny