Embracing the Wisdom of Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4 opens with a father's instructions to his son. He tells how his father taught him and that his son should learn and remember and gain wisdom from what his father is teaching him.

One of my mentors has spoken of the father/child relationship being one that teaches children about their relationship with God, the Father. Just as a father is supposed to do many things, like teach, discipline, show compassion and patience; so is our relationship with God.

Maybe having an absent father has made it more difficult for me to really grasp the full scope and breadth of what it means for God to be our father and our teacher.

The verses of Proverbs 4 that are really speaking to me today are verses 23 through 27.

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." Proverbs 4: 23-27

From this I gather that we are to guard our hearts; watch our speech, our sights and our actions. What we put in, we get back out. If our hearts are heavy, everything in our lives seem to be under the burden.

These verses seem to me to be about avoiding temptation and denying evil. We are to put devious talk from us and put away crooked speech. This is clearly about telling lies and being deceitful.

We are to ponder or path and turn away from evil. We must really think about the road we are going down and take the path of integrity. We have to be consciously thinking about what we are doing and where we are going.

In keeping with the entire theme of Proverbs, we are to seek wisdom, obtain it, remember it and live it; and wisdom will embrace us and guard us.

Resources

Day 30 - Learning From Proverbs 3

English Standard Version Bible Online - Proverbs 4

Easy English Bible - Proverbs 4