Proverbs 5:13 (Mini Sermon)

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1.      Pro 5:13 – “And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!”

1. And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
   1. God has given us teachers to keep us on the narrow way.
      1. Teacher n. – 1. That which shows or points out; an indicator; the index-finger. Obs. rare. (used in 1290) a. One who or that which teaches or instructs; an instructor; also fig.; spec. one whose function is to give instruction, esp. in a school.
      2. Our teachers include:
         • God (Psa 32:8)
         • The prophets and apostles through the scriptures (Psa 119:24)
         • Pastors (Eph 4:11)
         • Parents (Pro 22:6; Eph 6:4)
         • School teachers (Gal 4:1-2)
      3. All of these teachers either do or should teach young men to avoid strange women and fornication (Pro 5:8).
      4. Those that ignore them do so at their own peril.
   2. The voice of teachers is to be obeyed, not just heard (Jam 1:22).
      1. Obey – 1. trans. To comply with, or perform, the bidding of; to do what one is commanded by (a person); to submit to the rule or authority of, to be obedient to.
      2. Those that are not forgetful hearers but doers of the word will be blessed in their deeds (Jam 1:25).

• Those who don’t obey the voice of their teachers when they hear them the first time will be judged by them when they continually hear them in their mind as they are suffering the consequences of rejecting their counsel.
  1. So it is with the man who fornicates or commits adultery with strange women.
  2. As he suffers the consequences of his sin, he will continually lament, I “have not obeyed the voice of my teachers.”

1. nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
   1. The young, foolish man’s lament continues.
      1. His father had exhorted him to incline his ear to his instruction (Pro 2:2; Pro 4:20).
      2. Incline – 1. Bend or bow (the head, the body, oneself) towards a person or thing, and hence forward or downward; b. To bend or turn one’s ear(s) towards a speaker, to give ear, listen favourably, attend (to).
      3. Those who won’t incline their ear unto wisdom will later incline their heart in sorrow (Pro 12:25).
      4. Stoop v. – 1. a. intr. Of a person: To lower the body by inclining the trunk or the head and shoulders forward, sometimes bending the knee at the same time. Often with down.
   2. This is the first verse in the book of Proverbs that ends with an exclamation point (!).
      1. Exclamation – 1. The action of exclaiming or crying out; the loud articulate expression of pain, anger, surprise, etc.; clamour, vociferation. Also, an instance of this, an outcry; an emphatic or vehement speech or sentence.
      2. Exclamation points convey emotion and are (or should be) used sparingly.
         • “The exclamation point indicates the end of an emotional expression. The function of the exclamation point is to show emphasis, usually emphasis of feeling rather than of idea.  Careful writers use the exclamation point sparingly: they are aware that the writer who tries to stress everything, like the speaker who gushes, really emphasizes nothing.” (Charles H. Vivian & Bernetta M. Jackson, English Composition, 1961, p. 358)
         • The book of Proverbs contains only four exclamation points (Pro 5:13; Pro 15:23; Pro 16:16; Pro 30:13).
         • By contrast it contains hundreds of periods (.) and 49 question marks (?).

This young man did not hearken when Wisdom cried (Pro 1:22-25); now he is the one crying, but it’s too late (Pro 1:28-32).