Posted on 05/04/2017 7:07:49 AM PDT by OneVike
Proverb 4 (NKJV)
Security in Wisdom
01 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
00 And give attention to know understanding;
02 For I give you good doctrine:
00 Do not forsake my law.
03 When I was my father's son,
00 Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
04 He also taught me, and said to me:
00 "Let your heart retain my words;
00 Keep my commands, and live.
05 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
00 Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
06 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
00 Love her, and she will keep you.
07 Wisdom is the principal thing;
00 Therefore get wisdom.
00 And in all your getting, get understanding.
08 Exalt her, and she will promote you;
00 She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
09 She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
00 A crown of glory she will deliver to you."
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
00 And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
00 I have led you in right paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,
00 And when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
00 Keep her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
00 And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
00 Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
00 And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
00 And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
00 That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
00 They do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, give attention to my words;
00 Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
00 Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
00 And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
00 For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
00 And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
00 And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet,
00 And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
00 Remove your foot from evil.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. King Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel wrote Proverb 321. Now many believe Lemuel was in fact King Solomon and Lemuel was just a nick name his Mother, Bathsheba gave him. We are told that Solomon write over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one two proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Now that’s a super example of a Father-Son talk for ya!
Yes, it would be wise for all fathers to use Proverb 4 as an example for that Father to Son talk when he reaches his teens.
thanks, Chuck, be blessed today
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
00 That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
00 They do not know what makes them stumble.
Thanks for posting these. So much is in today’s headlines!
"If you want to be respected by a chaste, godly woman . . .
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25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
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Here's the way righteous Job put it:
'I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?' (Job 31:1 AV).
Always keep your eyes where they belong, son."
Then the good father goes on:
"And regarding 'recreational' use of beverage alcohol,
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'Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright' (Pro 23:31 AV).
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Freshly pressed blood of the cluster turns from purple to red when it ferments, son. Don't look at it longingly when it becomes fermented. It is then full of unhappiness. Leave it alone."
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