A Month of Wisdom From Proverbs-Chapter 4

Did you ever hear your parents or someone you considered wise, tell you to “keep moving, don’t look around you?”Perhaps you were in a dangerous place that parents didn’t want you in and you needed to get through and get out quickly. Today, in a month of wisdom from Proverbs-Chapter 4, you will read that wise parents tell their children to stay away from people or circumstances that will damage their lives. They tell them these points of wisdom whether they are young, whether in their teens or, as is the case in my family, as adults.

Yesterday, in Chapter 3, we looked at how our heavenly Father is a “Good Father,” for He does all He can to protect us. Subsequently, Because He Loves Us, He guides us, protects and even corrects us.

Afterwards, in verse 3 , he states ” For I too was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.” When we have our kids, we will often tell them stories of when we were young. This is exactly what King Solomon was doing.

Also, yesterday, we went through some instructions, then some consequences. This 4th chapter concentrates very much on these again!

Do’s and Don’t’s

• DO listen when father corrects you
• DO pay attention, learn good judgment (for I am giving you good guidance)
• DO take my words to heart
• DO follow my commands
• DO get wisdom, develop good judgment
• DO love, prize and embrace wisdom
• DO listen to me, do as I say
• DO guard my instructions
• DO pay attention to what I say
• DO listen carefully to my words
• DO let my instructions penetrate deep into your heart
• DO guard your heart ABOVE ALL ELSE!
• DO avoid perverse talk
• DO stay away from corrupt speech
• DO look straight ahead
• DO FIX YOUR EYES ON WHAT LIES BEFORE YOU
• DO mark out a straight path for your feet
• DO stay on the safe path
• DO turn away and Keep moving!!!!
• DO take hold of my instructions and DON’T let them go
• DON’T turn away from my instructions( for I also was once my father’s son)
• DON’T forget my words or turn away from them
• DON’T turn your back on wisdom
• DON’T do as the wicked do
• DON’T follow the path of evildoers
• DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, DON’T GO THAT WAY!!!!!
• DON’T lose sight of them
• DON’T GET SIDETRACKED; KEEP YOUR FEET FROM FOLLOWING EVIL.

Consequences

• You will live
• Protection
• You will be guarded
• Wisdom will make you great and honor you
• Wisdom will place a lovely wreath on your head
• Wisdom will present you with a beautiful crown
• You will have a good, long life
• You won’t be held back
• You won’t stumble
• Father’s words bring life to those that find them
• Healing to your whole body
• GUARDING YOUR HEART DETERMINES THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE

Let Me Say It Again

Solomon REINFORCED his passion to have his child listen to wisdom by using many terms and many examples. I don’t think he could be more clear that he did NOT want to see his child end up in a bad place, with terrible consequences. I understand and relate to this passion of his! It is exactly how I feel about my own children (adults now). The two biggest statements I concentrated on today are: DON’T GET SIDETRACKED, KEEP YOUR FEET FROM FOLLOWING EVIL and GUARDING YOUR HEART DETERMINES THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE.

These two statements relate to each other and reinforce what the other is saying. People who don’t guard their hearts become easily side-tracked, but if we don’t get side-tracked, we can guard our hearts and stay focused on doing what is right. We will use the wisdom that we are taught to guard our heart. This includes not seeing wrong, hearing wrong, saying wrong and doing wrong. The world, those who thrive on doing evil are not satisfied(they don’t sleep) until they have caused someone to stumble each day. (verses 14-16)

Guard Your Heart

This song by Steve Green states Guarding Your Heart very well! The line I love the most in it is “YOU MUST CHOOSE IN ADVANCE.” This is what happens when we apply wisdom to our life! We choose in advance!

Guard your heart, guard your heart

Don’t trade it for treasure, don’t give it away

Guard your heart, guard your heart

As a payment for pleasure, it’s a high price to pay

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear

Guard your heart

The human heart is easily swayed

And often betrayed at the hand of emotion

You dare not leave the outcome to chance

You must choose in advance

Or live with the agony

Such needless tragedy

Guard your heart, guard your heart

Guard Your Heart by Steve Green

An Example of Sin, Slowly Fading

Thus, an example to consider is the sin of adultery. First, it often begins often very slowly, as a result of not guarding our hearts. Soon though, two people make one compromise after another and they are now sinning. The song named “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns explains this well. Of course, these compromises don’t all happen at once. First, there are little glances, small notes or texts or hanging out somewhere together. Next, two people are in “a relationship.” “Slow Fade ” states it well, that “black and white are turned to grey.”

As a result of these baby steps of compromising, they sin. Again, they are the little choices, one by one. The things that side-track us and choices to not guard our hearts. It is not what God, our Father, wants for us. I know many who are hurt because of these “grey” areas. Solomon went out of his way to really instill wisdom!

Questions

• How do you get easily side-tracked?
• Do you find that it is easy to guard your heart?
• What can you do to use wisdom to guard your heart?
• What piece of wisdom has someone given you that helps you best to do what is right, to make wise decisions?

Some Other Posts to Check Out

• A Month of Wisdom from Proverbs-Chapter 3
• A Month of Wisdom from Proverbs – Chapter 2
• Slow Fade Full Lyrics