Proverbs 4:1-27

PRAYER

Our Father in heaven let the instruction of your word be implanted deep in our hearts. Let us seek your glory in the words of your servant Solomon and the wisdom handed down to him by his father, your servant King David. Thank you for the mercy which is the chance to learn from the wisdom of your Word. In your son’s name, who reigns on high. -Amen

About the fourth Proverb, Matthew Henry’s Commentary says:

“When the things of God are to be taught precept must be upon precept, and line upon line, not only because the things themselves are of great worth and weight, but because men’s minds, at the best, are unapt to admit them and commonly prejudiced against them; and therefore Solomon, in this chapter, with a great variety of expression and a pleasant powerful flood of divine eloquence, inculcates the same things that he had pressed upon us in the foregoing chapters.”

I. The fourth Proverb is first, an earnest exhortation to the study of wisdom, that is, of true religion and godliness, borrowed from the good instructions which his father gave him, and enforced with many considerable arguments (ver. 1-13).

II. A necessary caution against bad company and all fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (ver. 14-19).

III. Particular directions for the attaining and preserving of wisdom, and bringing forth the fruits of it, ver. 20-27. So plainly, so pressingly, is the case laid before us, that we shall be for ever inexcusable if we perish in our folly.”

1-2. Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

Solomon (as in the other Proverbs) commands his children to heed his instruction; And as with the other Proverbs the term instruction has a note of “command” to it that involves chastening. There is also a call to “know” understanding with “know” being a term meaning “gaining”. He goes onto assure us that His doctrine is sound. God commands His children NOT to forsake His law, another term for the law is His Word and who is called the Word, Jesus Christ.

3-6. When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.

We learn something of Solomon’s childhood to his father David. It would seem that David (a man after God’s own heart) was the first source of God’s wisdom to Solomon. Even David knew wisdom to be a beautiful woman. A Godly thing to “lust” after.

7. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

David told his son that “wisdom” was the “principle” or more importantly the preeminent thing and that in that case it was the thing to “get”. He goes on to say “And in all your getting, get understanding.” What’s being said here?

1. Find wisdom through study of the scriptures and obedience to the “commands” of Christ and the will of God Almighty.
2. Meanwhile during that journey or search for wisdom a level of “understanding” for all things Godly will come.

8-9. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

Wisdom (in personified form) will promote you both in good word to and before God and also will bring you honor, but ONLY when she is embraced. We must take in wisdom not just academically but also in a formal emotional way. Once we make that connection to wisdom through our spirit and more than just our mind, she rewards us with a crown of glory. The crown signifies our place as children of God, co-heirs to the throne in Christ.

10. Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.

Again we come a re-iteration of the same thought. Listen, take heed, obey, the instruction, command, or reproach of your parent. In this case the Father who speaks through Solomon. The reward ofr such obediance ( of course) is long life. This idea is mirrored in Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”

11-12. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.

Solomon is telling us that God has been all of these things to us: in I Samual 12:23 it says “…far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.” God has given us the instruction of His Word. So that we might both go a good and right way, but also that we might in obedience pray unceasingly for our own and instruct them in the ways of our LORD.

13. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

Sound doctrine, good teaching, and wise counsel are of the Lord. John 6:63 says “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

14-17. Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary has this to say about v. 14-17;

Some make David’s instructions to Solomon, which began v. 4, to continue to the end of the chapter; nay, some continue them to the end of the ninth chapter; but it is more probable that Solomon begins here again, if not sooner. In these verses, having exhorted us to walk in the paths of wisdom, he cautions us against the path of the wicked. 1. We must take heed of the ways of sin and avoid them, every thing that looks like sin and leads to it. 2. In order to this we must keep out of the ways of sinners, and have no fellowship with them. For fear of falling into wicked courses, we must shun wicked company.

18. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Our place as children of God is in the light of Christ. Our way is the narrow path which He lights for us. When we follow that path eventually it will lead to the perfect day of Christ’s return and the new heaven and new earth.

19. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

Counterpoint to that is the fact that the wicked walk in perpetual darkness. They try to make their way through that darkness but in fact are constantly stumbling by their own devices. So much so in fact that they do not know why it is that they’re having such a difficult time. Hence the universal question of: “Why is this happening to me?”

20. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

The idea that our Father’s Word is life is re-stated along with the concept that the Word is lifeblood coursing through out spiritual veins giving our flesh life.

23. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

In the foolishness of my youth (when we all ignore the teaching of our childhood) I was always being asked by my youth pastor “Are you guarding your heart?” I never knew what that meant till now. The word “diligence” comes from the word -mishmar from the root word -shamar which means “to keep watch, preserve, or bodyguard”. This is an active term that denotes work on our part.

24. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.

Our walk demands a level of self control and the ability to do what is demanded of us. We must be honest therefore we should not walk with or associate with liars, gossips, or course jokers.

25. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

As stated before we walk in light. The only thing on either side of us is darkness and therefore we should not focus on that darkness but straight ahead on the blessed and glorious coming of our Lord Christ Jesus.

26. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

Actively each step we take should be thought out and precise. Hebrews 12:13 “…and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

27. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

The final instruction for Prov. 4 is that we should walk free of sin and those who commit sin, as it says in Isaiah 1:16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,”