10 Hear, O my son, and
receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have
taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When
thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou
shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep
her; for she is thy life. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go
not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and
pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and
their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat
the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path
of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at
what they stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto
my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst
of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health
to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it
are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and
perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let
thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet,
and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to
the left: remove thy foot from evil. (Prov 4:10-27)
In the previous devotion, we examined David's counsel to Solomon. Wisdom is a
treasure to be passed on from father (Father) to son or daughter, and so
Solomon passes the same Wisdom on to his son, Rehoboam that he received from
his own father. Wisdom is a useful and valuable resource, but only if it is
employed. Unfortunately, Rehoboam received the Wisdom taught him by his father,
Solomon, and immediately disregarded the same. We learned in the previous
lesson (v 1-9) three ways that we must handle Wisdom: 1) We must first ACQUIRE
Wisdom by search and seizure; 2) When Wisdom is near, we must EMBRACE
it as a beloved friend; and 3) We must love and CHERISH Wisdom as
the darling daughter of our heart. Today's devotion (Prov 4:10-27) informs how
Wisdom must be employed. 1) Let wisdom be the Light that guides and guards our
steps; 2) Let Wisdom be the secure door of your heart; 3) Let Wisdom be the
Ruler of your Tongue; and 4) Let Wisdom be the blinders that keep your eyes
from wondering.
How do
we make Wisdom to be the Light of our path and the Lamp of our feet? 10 Hear,
O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Wisdom is not a single issue treasure. It is multifaceted and all-encompassing
of the issues of life. A wise man is not a glutton but diets wisely; not a
spendthrift, but manages the resources God has placed under his purview. If we
hear the wisdom and counsel of our mothers and fathers, our lives shall be long
upon the earth – and our health will be benefitted as well. Only a wise father,
who lives by the law of Wisdom, can make the following claim: 11 I
have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
If one has not lived and taught Wisdom, it is not possible to lead in right
paths. "…if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch." (Matt 15:14) According
to Albert Einstein, the only absolute known in science is the speed of light –
it is always constant in every place and at every time. Light travels in a
straight line and does not venture from its appointed path. It is quite
economic in its travel for it always travels the shortest possible distance
between two points – a straight line. Perhaps we should learn from Wisdom to do
the same. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. There are no
obstacles to straight and honest dealings with others. We will not be cramped
in style if we abide in the house of Wisdom. 13 Take fast hold of
instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. What
Wisdom has a newborn baby except that provided in its care by a mother? Without
the mother's Wisdom, the baby would perish. The mother knows instinctively to
wash and feed the baby at the proper intervals – to make a sanitary environment
and good place for the baby to sleep. Wisdom, in its very essence, is the Way
of Life. It was, as well, the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden eastward
in Eden.
14 Enter
not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoidance of the first sin will preclude an avalanche of sin later. A woman
once saw a number of honey bees going and coming from the forward vent of her
roof. She paid no heed to this seeming innocent activity. After all, what
damage could a few honey bees do to a strong house. But the honey bees kept on
coming until one day, her entire roof collapsed from the weight of the
honeycombs. This teaches us a compelling lesson about sin. If the first is not
allowed, the profound abundance of them can never over power us. By the way,
when we go the WAY of evil men, we also come to the destination of their sins.
Psalms 1:1-3 tells us that sin is a DIRECTION. If we do not walk with the
sinner, we will not find ourselves pausing to discuss the delights of sin, or
finally find ourselves at home with them by sitting with the scornful as did
Lot in the gates of Sodom. It is the first step that leads to the remaining 999
steps. As Confucius has said, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the
first step. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass
away. Rather than believing the Voice of wisdom, Eve learned a hard
lesson by experience. She did not avoid the ill-famed Tree; she did not pass by
it but rather stopped there before it; once there, she did not turn from it;
and she even listened to the wicked voice therefrom. Since that moment, mankind
has had Hell to pay unless they accept that payment made for them by the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The text now turns to the nature
of the wicked mentioned in v 14. 16 For they sleep not, except
they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some
to fall. What days of the year are murders, rapes robberies,
adulteries proscribed by the Devil? If you answered NONE, you are very right.
The Devil does not take a holiday – EVER! He knows his term is time-limited, so
he must accomplish all the mischief he is able to do while the sun shines, or
rather while the long dark night continues. The wicked are precisely like their
father the devil. They cannot rest until they have lived out their perversions.
They behold the righteous to their dismay and seek to cause them to fall and
become sinners like unto themselves. What does your soul consume for its
sustenance? It must consume SOMETHING! There is the Bread of Heaven which is
the Word of God, or there is the bread of damnation served up in Satan's
fast-food restaurants. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
and drink the wine of violence. To listen to the dialogues
of the wicked is to eat their bread. Their wine leads to violence and
utter disorder. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining
light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Why
does it shine more and more to the perfect day? Because it is the straight path
that leads up to the Narrow Gate which is Heaven. The closer we draw in
sanctification to Heaven, the brighter the path. Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it. (Matt 7:13-14)
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what
they stumble. Which one among us can travel on a straight,
or even crooked trail, in pitch darkness without going off course? Darkness
yields no guidance or counsel as to the path of safety. Sin is abject darkness.
Darkness is the total absence of light. Darkness is the light of Hell.
Repetition aids retention – a profound principle in the science of learning. So
Solomon often repeats the cardinal points of Wisdom for the sake of emphasis! 20 My
son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them
not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
If we INCLINE our ears TOWARD Wisdom, we will disincline them towards
wickedness. Wisdom is expressed in words, but which? Every Word that comes from
the Mind of God in Scripture. Keep your eyes fixed upon God's Holy Word.
Consume them voraciously and let them be digested in the soul and hidden in the
heart that we may not sin against God. Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee. (Psalms 119:11) Do not hide them in
the outer chambers of the heart, but at the very CENTER (v21). 22 For
they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Life of the spirit and even health to the flesh are hidden in the treasure
chest of Wisdom. Why would any parent not desire above all else to impart
Wisdom of God to their children?
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the
issues of life. When I was growing up as a boy, my mother
had a large garden. It fell my part to hoe and weed that garden and to insure
that the surrounding fence was in good repair to prevent the animals of the
world from intruding. The heart is also a garden of delight and life that
requires guarding. If the first weed or rodent is allowed free place, there
will not be a garden of vegetables but of weeds. The heart is the same. If we
harbor one sin in our hearts, that one sin will invite all of its cousins to
come and live there. A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring
shut up, a fountain sealed. (Song 4:12) Remember: vegetables
(righteousness) need cultivation and care – weeds (sins) do not!
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far
from thee. Words have meaning and consequence. Do not utter
words of contempt or hate for those words will engender more of the same. The
return investment is not good. 25 Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. If you have
time, go out to the yard and drop a straight line on the ground. Try to walk
along that straight line with the eyes cast over either shoulder to the rear.
How does that work out for you? Those things that are past, are past. We must
stay fixed on the goal laid out by God that is ahead for us. We must plow a
straight furrow by concentrating on the future path and not that which is
behind. No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke
9:62) The wise man or woman comprehends every evidence, and reference point,
that marks the proper course for the future. 26 Ponder the path
of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from
evil. None can be perfect in righteousness, but we can claim that
perfect righteousness imputed us by Christ; however, if we are lackluster in
our walk with Christ, wandering here and there away from His path of
righteousness, we shall soon look up and find that the Master Shepherd is no
longer in sight – and we are LOST. If we place our steps in His nail-scarred
footprints, we are walking in righteousness which is not ours, but His.
