Proverbs 4:20-27

Rachel Workman: My son, pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.
²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.

These are some powerful verses. I love verse 23. Above all else guard your heart. More and more in today's time we need to guard our hearts. All around us the world beacons. In a way that makes our hearts yearn for it. Guard your heart. This world is not for us. It's for Satan. I could write pages on just these few verses. They speak for themselves. They are as relevant today as the day they were written.

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John Burnett:  4 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;    pay attention and gain understanding.² I give you sound learning,    so do not forsake my teaching.³ For I too was a son to my father,    still tender, and cherished by my mother.⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;    keep my commands, and you will live.⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;  In this day and age, the world is teaching our kids to “Get Money.”  Wisdom and understanding is way down the list of things kids want to get.
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;    love her, and she will watch over you.  Comparing wisdom to a protective mother gives us an understanding of just how precious and important wisdom really is.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^[a] wisdom.    Though it cost all you have,^[b] get understanding.⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;    embrace her, and she will honor you.⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head    and present you with a glorious crown.”

¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,    and the years of your life will be many.  ¹¹ I instruct you in the way of wisdom    and lead you along straight paths.  ¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;    when you run, you will not stumble.  Straight paths and unhampered steps make life sound really good.  The reason why we have bumps in the road and trials and tribulations is because we very seldom seek after the wisdom described in this Proverb.
¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;    guard it well, for it is your life.¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked    or walk in the way of evildoers.¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;    turn from it and go on your way.  Repentance and faith.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness    and drink the wine of violence.  God will punish the wicked one day so we really should focus on gaining wisdom and not focus on the wicked that men do.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;    they do not know what makes them stumble.  Those who do not know Christ as their Savior are blind like they are in deep darkness.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;    turn your ear to my words.²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,    keep them within your heart;²² for they are life to those who find them    and health to one’s whole body.²³ Above all else, guard your heart,    for everything you do flows from it.²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.  This is not easy with my sinful nature rearing its ugly head to often.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead;    fix your gaze directly before you.²⁶ Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet    and be steadfast in all your ways.²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;    keep your foot from evil.  We are to focus on our path that leads to wisdom and knowledge.  Straight is the way and narrow is the gate that leads to righteousness. 

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Krista Cook:  - These are some of my favorite verses! They are loaded with such nuggets of truth and instruction.

Reminds me of the song "Oh Be Careful Little 

ears what you hear, eyes what you see, mouth what you say and feet where you go" - and all of this can be controlled by guarding our hearts!

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Mike Grimm:

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart; The “heart” really represents our center... that which drives us as a person; and takes in the emotions, the will, our deepest desires, passions and motivations ... the whole inner being.
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.
²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it. If we need to be so reminded about ‘guarding our heart’, then it is possible that our hearts are actually unguarded at any moment in time; and that this situation would logically bring us problems. This would mean that our heart is open to attack from various opponents of our welfare, especially our spiritual welfare.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips. It is our ‘thought life’, our thinking that lies behind how our tongue operates; in some cases this derives from egocentric desires such as selfish ambition. So you could say that the problem is often really OUR LACK OF GOOD THINKING ... our thoughtlessness toward others! This lack of thinking about the needs of others often happens as we are faced by people who are very different to us. We can unthinkingly put mental labels on people and then our mouths open with unfortunate outcomes.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.

Our heart—our feelings of love and desire—dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. We must make sure that our affections push us in the right direction. It’s very important that we put boundaries on our desires: don’t go after everything we see. Look straight ahead, keep our eyes fixed on our goal, and don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead us to sin.

 

 

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Tomorrow's reading for Proverbs 5:1-6

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
    listen carefully to my wise counsel.
² Then you will show discernment,
    and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
³ For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
    and her mouth is smoother than oil.
⁴ But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
    as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
⁵ Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.^[a]
6 For she cares nothing about the path to life.
    She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

Proverbs 4:10-19

Rachel Workman: Listen, my son, accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I instruct you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.
¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.
¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. Isn't that the truth.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble. Is there was ever a verse to commit to memory verse 18 is one. The path of the righteous is like the morning son.

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Krista Cook:  - We must be sure we are on the right path at all times and that we are guiding our children along that right path.  Choose the narrow road!

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Mike Grimm:  ¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I instruct you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.
¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.

Solomon is saying to all who read this book of Proverbs, hear and understand. Pray for wisdom of God and walk in that wisdom and you shall not stumble and fall. You can run the race well and not stumble along the way as long as the wisdom of God directs you.

¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life. When we stop learning, we are dead.  There is always something else to learn.  We read in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 the type of instruction that is the most profitable to man. “¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers. Sin is best dealt with at its beginning by the application of necessary wisdom to suit the initial temptation.
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

Even friends can make you fall. It is difficult for people to accept the fact that friends and acquaintances might be luring them to do wrong. It’s very important to find good, trusted Christian friends who you know will not lead you astray. I am very fortunate in that area. Find someone to bounce questions, concerns, and issues off of. Never be afraid to speak concerns or accept criticism, when it is out of Christian love and concern. I find that today young people want to be accepted, so they will never confront or criticize a friend for wrong plans or actions. While God wants us to be accepting of others, we need a healthy skepticism about human behavior. When we feel ourselves being heavily influenced, we must proceed with caution. We can’t let our friends or acquaintances lure us into sin. This is when we need to turn to those trusted friends for prayer and/or advice. We may even want to avoid those “friends” that lead us into sinful situations. I personally want friends that I will see for eternity in heaven.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

This is in total contrast. Those who are justified because they have made a decision to walk in the path of righteousness are walking in the Light as He is in the Light. That perfect day is the day when all these struggles of this life are over, and we can be in the presence of the Light for that eternal day. The path of the believer is one of increasing light, just as a sunrise begins with the first faith glow of dawn and proceeds to the splendor of noonday.

¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble.

The wicked in darkness cannot and will not repent and come to the light. We see, as we read in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

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Tuesday’s reading for Proverbs 4:20-27

My son, pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.
²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4:1-9

Rachel Workman: Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
    pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

Solomon, as you can see here, thought that wisdom and understanding was the most important things to have. Worldly wisdom is not what Solomon had in mind, here either. 

Solomon, being taught of David and being gifted with the gift of wisdom which God had given him, realized that wisdom and knowledge of the things of God should bring a person even closer to God; and therefore, keep him from failure. My prayer is that God would grant me the gift of wisdom. I can’t say I’m a perfect parent and that everything I tell my children is right. But I do know we have a perfect God and his word and instruct is perfect. We need to have enough wisdom and understanding to realize that God’s way is better than our way any day of the week.

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Krista Cook:  Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
    pay attention and gain understanding.
² I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.

- We, too, should strive to give our children and any children we have the privilege of teaching, sound instruction.  Stick to what the scriptures say and scripture only.

³ For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.

- "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

We see these words repeated and reinforced so many times throughout scripture.  Why?  Because they are that important!

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^[a] wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have,^[b] get understanding.
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

- Wisdom and understanding are so important in our Christian walk.  Pray for wisdom and discernment daily.

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Allen Michaels:  4 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
    pay attention and gain understanding.
² I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
³ For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.

Verses 3 & 4 tell us that one of the greatest responsibilities of parents is to encourage their children to become wise. Here Solomon tells how his father, David, encouraged him to seek wisdom when he was young. Wisdom can be passed on from parents to children, from generation to generation. Ultimately, of course, all wisdom comes from God; parents can only urge their children to turn to him. If your parents never taught you in this way, God’s Word can function as a loving and compassionate mother or father to you. You can learn from the Scriptures and then create a legacy of wisdom as you teach your own children.

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

If you want wisdom, you must decide to go after it. It certainly isn’t going to seek you out. It takes resolve—a determination not to abandon the search once you begin no matter how difficult the road may become. This is not a once-in-a-lifetime step done at our convenience, but a DAILY process of choosing between two paths—the wicked and the righteous. Nothing else is more important or valuable. This must be our top priority. We can’t say, “Oh, I just read a book in the Bible; now I need a break.” This is an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. We don’t have to wait for God to appear to us. We can boldly ask Him for wisdom today through prayer. In fact, James 1:5 assures us that God will grant our request. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.”

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Tomorrow’s reading for Proverbs 4:10-19

Listen, my son, accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I instruct you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.
¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.
¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble.