Daily Wisdom, Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4

"The he taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live; acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. do not forsake her, and she will guard you; love her and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will resent you with a crown of beauty'" (verses 4-9).

The father tells his son to acquire wisdom above all else. He does not tell him to spend his life in pursuit of wealth or land, but to acquire wisdom and understanding. He tells his son to prize wisdom about all else, because wisdom will exalt him and bring him honor.

It is crucial to keep in mind that wisdom is only found in God. Wisdom comes from fearing the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9.10). By pursuing wisdom we pursue the things of God. The pursuit of wisdom brings us a deeper understanding of, and intimacy with, God. And this pursuit leads to great blessings.

"Hear, my son, and accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; and if you run, you will not stumble. Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard he, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble" (verses 10-19).

Wisdom leads to life and peace. Wisdom is not gained through dishonesty or trickery. Wisdom is not acquired at the expense of someone else. It cannot be found on the path of wickedness, but only in trusting God. And when we trust in God He makes our paths straight. We can walk with out being impeded, and run without stumbling.

There is no corruption or dishonesty with the righteous, and we can walk clearly seeing what is in front of us. There is nothing we are trying to hide, because there is nothing we need to hide. But wickedness brings chaos and paranoia. It does not rest because it cannot rest. It has gained its position by serving itself, and it must do whatever is necessary to try and protect what it has. It hides things away, but can't keep them hidden, and is constantly tripping over the past. The only way to live is to flee from wickedness. The only way to have peace is to abandon evil.

And then the father gives his son instruction on how to do this. "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil" (verses 23-27).

It isn't enough to be told to do something, a father must show his son how. The heart is essential, it is what pumps the source of life through our bodies. Think of the instances where we are told to love God in the Bible, the first thing listed is "with all your heart." We must guard our hearts above all else and not let them be corrupted, because the heart is where we find our strength.

We put away deceitfulness from our speech and only share what is true and honorable. We stay focused on the destination, on the goal of becoming like Christ, and we continuously strive towards that goal, letting nothing distract us or pull us away. We are determined to become like Christ, and nothing will stand in the way of that.

This is the way of life. This is the path of wisdom. This is what a father is to teach his children. This is Proverbs 4.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you