What is godliness? Who even uses this term “godly” today to describe fellow Christians in the church? Is this something that we personally aspire to? Yet this is what we read throughout the book of Proverbs as how we should live - to know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction; to discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight, to receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity. Do these godly attributes describe you and me?
Godly wisdom is not merely about knowing or understanding right principles, or staying on the right path but wisdom is also about walking with the right people, to acquire it takes a process, and brings us to a desired place or outcome. Ultimately, wisdom and the path to life is about walking with Jesus Christ, trusting Him in every circumstance, putting Him above all else.
We are now in Proverbs ch 4 in our Wisdom that Works series and Solomon is reiterating the principles found in Prov 1 through 3 to reinforce wisdom’s ways in the mind and, more importantly, in the heart of the listener.
How is this relevant to us today? Well, all of us, no matter how intelligent or laser-focused we might be, we need to hear something over and over again before we comprehend things and before they become a part of us. That is why Moses told the nation of Israel to commit themselves wholeheartedly to God’s commands, to repeat them again and again to their children. To talk about them at home, when on the road, when going to bed and when getting up. He told them to tie the commands to their hands and on their forehead as reminders, and to write them on the doorposts of their houses and on their gates (Deut 6:6-9). In the NT, Paul told the Philippian church, “I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith” (Phil 3:1 NLT). And as we look at Proverbs ch 4, we see Solomon iterating the earlier instructions to his kids in the same teaching style as the other biblical writers. We will be looking at Prov 4:1-4, 10-12, 18-19, 23-27.
Proverbs 4
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3 For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 4 Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. 11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4 focuses on the:
People of Wisdom ,Path of Wisdom ,Process of Wisdom ,Place of Wisdom
The People of Wisdom
Solomon had time to reflect on the principles of wisdom his father had instilled in him during his formative years and now he is passing these valuable lessons onto his sons. These lessons in wisdom were handed down to him by his father David who had received it from his father, Jesse, who had received it from his father, Obed, and from the former generations who had ultimately received it from God. These patriarchs understood how vital it was to train up their children. Why? Psalm 78:7-8 tells us:
So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. Then they will not be like their ancestors, stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God (NLT).
These people were people of wisdom, training the next generation in the ways of wisdom in the hope that one day they too would give their hearts to God, and follow Him all their days with others who loved and reverenced the Lord. They taught them so...
Prov 2:20 says:
So you will walk in the way of good men [that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character], And keep to the paths of the righteous (AMP).
Solomon is teaching his son to walk in the ways of wise people, those who walk in the paths of righteousness. Think about the seasoned men and women who have gone before us, people with personal integrity, moral courage and honor, who considered how the testimony of their lives would affect the generations to come. They are people of wisdom. The book of Hebrews says:
Remember your leaders [for it was they] who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives], and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. (Heb 13:7 AMP)
Whether you realize it or not, everyone here today is a leader - you may be leading children, youth, leading by example at your university, in your workplace, in your home, in the church ,leading by the way you think, by the way you conduct yourself, and the way you live. The question is - What example are you setting for the next generations to follow? What is your life teaching them, modeling for them and how will it add to their learning - will it lead them to trusting in the Lord all their days?
David Egner, a professor and the former editor of the Daily Bread publication gave this analogy...
The Native Americans of Michigan were the state’s first highway... engineers. With few exceptions, Michigan’s major highways follow the trails they (the Indians) cut through the wilderness hundreds of years before the white man came. A trail was 12-18 inches wide, and for safety the people followed single file. Then pack horses followed these trails, widening them. Later came wagons, and the trails became dirt roads and then highways.
Just like the Native Americans carved a path for future generations to follow…
Our physical and spiritual children watch the path we’re taking. As God’s men and women, let’s make certain we cut a righteous, wise, and clear trail. Then if ongoing generations choose to follow, the trail can become a highway—an ongoing legacy to God’s glory.
Solomon hoped that one day these life lessons would land on fertile soil. That one day his kids would understand that what he was passing down to them was a “good gift” (as translated in the Septuagint) and that they in turn would pass these positive principles and ways down to their children.
But sadly, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, who became king after him never grasped these truths, ignored the wisdom and council of older men and instead chose to follow the foolish advice of his own, young, inexperienced friends. In doing so he split the kingdom of Israel and brought judgment on God’s people. His reign was dubbed “The Reign of Foolishness” in one of the headings in 2 Chron 10. History records that eventually he and all Israel abandoned the Law of the Lord (2 Chron 12:1). What do you think happened next? The Lord raised up enemies from the south to humble him. God wants us to consider who we hang out with, who we listen to and learn from. Proverbs 13:20 says,
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm (AMP).
In vv. 4 - 9, Solomon is saying this is what my dad taught me, “take hold of my words with all your heart” which means to “grasp” the truth with your whole being. The heart is the center of both our personal consciousness and our most fundamental faith commitments. When someone grasps the Word of God in their heart, it’s more than just agreeing with the truths in the Bible. In vv. 8-9 he is telling his son to love wisdom like he would love his future bride and be willing to pay whatever dowry price was required to obtain her.
Why is it important to love wisdom to this degree? Because when you grasp God’s wisdom, it will love you. It will change you from within, it will guard you and keep you from hurting yourself and others. It will keep you from wasting your time and your life. When you grasp God’s word, it will permanently change the way you live and behave in the world. This is the truth that Solomon wanted to impart to his son.
But how does this work practically for parents who are attempting to do the same with their own kids?
One OT scholar put it this way:
The task for parents is to introduce our children to Jesus first, then introduce our grandchildren to Jesus. This is most important. Read the Bible to your children, pray with them, bring them to church, have family devotional time, share your testimony with them, let them see you worship Jesus in gatherings, let them see you participate in the ordinances, let them see your transformed life and share Jesus with them so they can know Him intimately. Then, based on that relationship with Jesus and in that framework, teach them practical wisdom like how to be honest, how to fight anxiety, how to handle money,
It is vital that we teach children and young people, to be good stewards of the things they have been given, to take responsibility, to have a strong work ethic, teach them how to handle personal failure, let them learn from the mistakes we have made and how to get up and go on with God, and teach them to love the Lord, to love and serve others, like the Lord taught us by his example, and to become vital members of the body of Christ. We need to show them that wisdom begins by having a personal relationship with and walk with Jesus.
Wisdom is far more than knowing the right principles to follow, wisdom begins by knowing and following the right person, Jesus Christ, and walking with those who follow Him. You and I set the example when we are walking with the Lord, spending time in the Word, engaging in corporate worship, and walking with wise people. So we have the people of wisdom who point us to the Person of wisdom as we walk on the path of wisdom.
The Path of Wisdom
Vv. 10 - 12 says,
Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
Wisdom is a path or a course of life, a way we live that saves us from dangerous consequences. The picture in verses 10 through 12 is one of an intimate relationship between a son and his dad, where the dad is taking time to invest in his son by leading him along an ancient, well-worn path - a path that is safe and secure.
As they are walking, the father is teaching his son about the different paths. Son, when you walk on this path it will always lead to life. Even when you do not have all the answers, even when circumstances are obscure, walk with God on this path and His wisdom will guide you. When you walk with God on this path you can confidently say: “The LORD will work out his plans for my life” (Ps. 138:8 NLT). And when you run - speaking of growth you will not stumble - there is nothing to fear on this path and as long as you walk with God, as long as you continue to grow in the Word nothing in this path will cause you to injure yourself. But without His Spirit empowering you and His wisdom guiding you, even the littlest things in the path have the potential to take you out.
I remember reading a story about a man who had walked from New York City to San Francisco. He was asked about the biggest hurdles he had to overcome during his long trek across the US. Interestingly, he said that the toughest part of his trip wasn't walking up the mountains or crossing hot, dry, barren stretches of desert. "The thing that came the closest to defeating me," he admitted, "was the sand in my shoes."
When Sir Francis Drake, 16th C English explorer, was crossing the Thames River a violent storm threatened to capsize his boat and he cried out, “Shall I who have endured the storms of oceans be drowned in a ditch?”
It seems we can rise to the occasion in times of great distress or calamities yet be suddenly and unexpectedly defeated by the littlest things - an unkind word, a setback, a misunderstanding, a personal weakness, little things that have the potential to become enormous in our minds and take us off the path of life.
We would be wise to ask ourselves the same question: “Should we, who have come so far in our walk of faith, be defeated by a grain of sand in our shoes?” Our answer must be a resolute no! The path of life may not be an easy one - there will always be little things that irritate and discourage us but that irritating sand can either become an insurmountable obstacle in our path or turn into a precious pearl of wisdom and understanding.
With regards to the other paths, Solomon was preparing his son for his journey. “Son, when you come to a road that seems right but will take you off the path that God has revealed, then move on and do not take it.” There will be ways that look good and even sound like the right path but ultimately they are not (Prov 14:12 AMP)
There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him. But its end is the way of death.
Some are looking for the comfortable path, where there is no need for faith, no cross (or death to self), no commitment, no change. But the question is, how do we know if and when we are on the right path for our lives? Which brings us to the next point:
The Process of Wisdom
Vv. 18-19 says:
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
The path of the righteous is a process of growth and maturity, it is a path of faith that leads us into a progressively deeper dependence upon God. Just like the sun gets brighter and brighter until it reaches its zenith, so those who walk on the path of wisdom will see more and more of the path and walk in greater degrees of wisdom, freedom and joy until they one day walk directly into God’s presence.
Can we say that we are on this path? How do I know I am walking on the right path? When I come to a crossroads, how do I know which path to take? God does not always make it so obvious, but a few positive indications are that I am developing a closer walk with God and growing with other believers on this path. Is my faith in and dependence on the Lord growing deeper on this path or is it taking me further away from God and people of wisdom?
God’s wisdom is like the light of the sun that shows you how things really are, it reveals your heart, your attitudes, your motivation, your relationship to God. We will find that the more we walk in His light, the more we will be challenged, convicted, cleansed, humbled, and troubled, calmed and comforted, encouraged, excited and filled with uncontainable joy. In short, when we walk with Christ on this path we will be changed - becoming more like Him, and fulfilling the good purpose and works He has for me.
Wisdom shows you how to avoid the traps and the snares of the devil. It shows you where and how to make proper course adjustments, where you need to die to yourself and what you need to surrender to God. We know that this path is not a popular path, in fact, Jesus said few will find it because most are not looking for it (Matt 7:14-15). It is not the most convenient or comfortable path but the point is that is the right path because of what it is accomplishing in my life and where it is taking me.
Prov 12: 28 says, In the path of the righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death [but immortality - eternal life]. No one will ever regret taking the path of life and righteousness. In contrast, the other path is the wide, popular one, where most will walk. But is a path of deep darkness; it is a deceptive path, a foolish path and the farther you walk from God, the darker the path gets. It will never reveal how things really are, your true spiritual state, where you are in your relationship to God, where you need to mature. It will never show you the way to life or where it is actually leading you. You may think you are doing okay when compared to everyone else, that you are taking the right steps but you have no idea how spiritually dead you are to God. The Hebrew translation of this text says that this darkness actually envelopes you, it smothers you, this road blinds the mind to its ultimate goal which is to separate you from the life of God and His redeemed ones. And if you do not put your trust in Christ as your Savior that separation from God will be for eternity.
Solomon knew that growing in wisdom is a process of receiving the right words and listening to the right voice. It’s a process of storing up God’s word in your heart every day and putting them into practice. That is why it is so vital to have the right people in your life because you will listen to the counsel of the ones you trust. The question is whose voice and what messages do you listen to? Who are you following and whose words and counsel do you embrace in your heart? Wisdom is more than just giving mental assent or agreeing with something or someone. Jesus also compares the wise person to the foolish telling us that wisdom is listening to and then acting on His Word (Matt 7:24-27).
Bruce Waltke said:
As the...Ten Commandments were housed in the ark in the center of the holy of holies, so the father’s teaching should be housed right in the middle of the son’s heart.
Which brings us to our last point…
The Place of Wisdom - Let’s look at vv. 23 - 27…
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
There were so many competing messages for Solomon’s son. There are messages coming from his father - words of wisdom from the heart of God vs. competing messages from counselors, peers, the seductive foolish woman, and people who have no fear of God. These voices are competing for the son’s attention. They all wanted his heart because whatever has your heart determines the direction and outcome of your life. God said through His prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things and it is extremely sick; Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives (Jer 17:9)? Who can understand it, who can change it - only God can. This is why Prov 23:26 says “my son give me your heart.”
Time and time again the writer of Proverbs encourages his son to embrace his teaching, to give it the primary place in his heart, because his words give life. In vv. 24-27, Solomon is telling him to guard his heart and to carefully consider every step that he takes because of the many influences around him.
This is what God is saying to us through His Word - to carefully consider each step we take and to guard our hearts because whatever fills your heart affects you as a person - morally, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and it manifested physically (Prov 22:7, 25:20: Psalm 4:7, Job 27:6, Gen 18:5). There are so many voices competing for our hearts and the one who has our heart has us.
If you follow your own heart like the Disney movies tell us to, your heart will lead you astray. Only God’s words provide us with a healing remedy which has the power of restoring back to us the life that has been lost (Prov 3:18). When God’s Spirit fills you and His wisdom resides in the heart, He keeps you on the path of life, He fills your heart and mind with wisdom and provides the source of words for our mouths (v. 24). Wisdom will keep you from saying things that are hurtful, insensitive, contentious, things that twist the truth, or cast a negative light on others, things you would later regret. When God and his Word have a primary place in your heart, then He gives discernment or sight for the eyes (v. 25), He guides your steps (v. 26).
The key to staying on the path of life is giving your heart to God and having His teachings housed right in the middle of your heart. It is not a one time thing, it’s a decision I make every day. The things that are in your heart - your desires, your hurts, your fears, your temptations, doubts, past, failures, regrets, burdens, your bitterness, must be given to the Lord because He is the only One who can change your heart. He alone can give you a clean heart, can strengthen and direct it. When you give your hearts to God, you will find peace, true happiness, forgiveness, grace, mercy, love.
Do you really want to find life and fulfillment? Be around people of wisdom who lead you to the path of wisdom and point you to the person of Wisdom - Jesus. As you walk with Jesus on the path of Wisdom you will grow more and more. Lastly continue to give God your heart and he will change it, cleanse and strengthen it. Let His word, his wisdom dwell there.
