A Father's Instructions
Book of Proverbs Chapter 4
We know that if we hear what the Lord has to say and listen to it just once, then this is enough, and we should abide by it.
In last week's lesson, we saw that we must submit to all the Word of God, not just comply with it.
As we read the Book of Proverbs, we will see that the Holy Spirit teaches us by repetition.
Once is enough, but when we see a matter repeated over and over, then it must be important to the Lord that we have a clear understanding of that Scripture.
We must agree with the Word of God to have a clear understanding of it!
We are to read, to listen, and to pay attention to what is being taught.
We must understand the Word of God as God’s commands and not God’s suggestions.
We must know that the Word of God is wisdom.
We must recognize that there are numerous benefits to possessing the knowledge and wisdom of God.
We must know that there is great danger in rejecting the wisdom of God, our Heavenly Father.
There are some things that our Heavenly Father hates, and we must stay away from them!
Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
These are things we must avoid as we follow in the path of Jesus, and we should treat this chapter as words from our Heavenly Father and not King Solomon.
*****Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
I find that I am better prepared on Sunday if I read the Scriptures out loud so that I can hear them at the same time.
We must, as the children of our Heavenly Father, read these instructions as they came from Him because they did come from Him.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The word "hear" in this Scripture means far more than to hear the Word of God; it also means to observe and to obey what our Father is saying to us.
Solomon may have received these words from his father David, and David may have received these words from his father Jesse, but Heaven was the source of these words and was delivered by the Holy Spirit.
We know that all the Law of Moses also had their beginning in Heaven.
These words we have now are intended for all generations that exist and those in the future that remain.
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
The word "good" in verse two means "in the wisest sense".
It is good doctrine because it came from Heaven.
Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
*****Pro 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
This verse speaks of the historical record of King Solomon and being the child of promise, but it also speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
Bathsheba knew her son was to be King of Israel.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew her child was in some sense the child of the Living God.
She had been told by the Angel Gabriel that her son would be the Savior of the world.
She may not have grasped the complete meaning of these things, but she pondered them in her heart.
Luk_2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Luk_2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
We know the remainder of the family of Jesus did not believe what they heard about Jesus, only His mother.
Mrk_6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
The more we know of the Lord Jesus Christ and live in faith, the more we will enjoy a long and happy life.
The key to our lives is our faith in the wisdom of our Heavenly Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the actual image of God’s wisdom.
*****Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Without the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, we will never have the right understanding of life as we live in this wicked world.
Without obedience to the Word of God, we will perish.
That word get means to buy wisdom and understanding if we have to. Money is not nearly as important as the wisdom of God.
Pro 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
Getting wisdom is not a once-and-for-all decision; it is a lifelong process!
Getting wisdom requires an ongoing commitment.
Wisdom must be used, but it must also be sustained.
We may lose a lot of things we have had in our lives, but we must hold onto the wisdom of our Heavenly Father and apply it to our lives every day and not allow it to slip away.
We know what happened to King Solomon; he turned away from his father's advice and turned away from our Heavenly Father's commandments.
We cannot allow the wisdom we have strived to get from our Heavenly Father to just slip away!
God's wisdom will protect and watch over us if we abide by it!
Wisdom is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what gender is referred to in this passage.
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Wisdom is also personified by the Church, which is the Bride of Christ, if we hold onto the wisdom of God
Wisdom is the principal thing because wisdom begins with the "fear of the Lord".
Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
How can this be explained? Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
The wisdom of God will bring favor to those who get it.
The wisdom of our Heavenly Father is an ornament of His "Grace".
The wisdom of our Heavenly Father will bring a "crown of glory to the victor".
These principles are intended to be taught to children by their Christian parents.
The home is the right place to teach the wisdom of God to our children, and then make sure they go with us to a Bible believing church.
They will not learn it in schools, which will only teach them the ways and wisdom of this world, which will come to nothing.
Spiritual training needs to begin in the early years of a child's life.
The father has a special role in the Spiritual leadership within the family!
*****Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
For years, many a person has wasted time and money seeking the truth for a long life.
The Word of God explains the truth in a few simple words. Receive the truth of the Word of God and hold to it.
We simply must choose the right path of life and stay on the path.
Mat 7:13 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:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
We must travel the way of wisdom rather than the world's path to destruction.
Will we live a life of submission to the Lord, or will we be slaves to the Devil and to sin?
We will all get an opportunity to choose one way or the other, and it helps a great deal to know the truth of our Heavenly Father.
We must understand that our flesh will lead us to join the foolishness of this world.
This is the path of destruction.
The wisdom of our Heavenly Father will lead us down that path which leads to life, "eternal life" in that Heavenly Home of our Heavenly Father.
*****Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
We should understand that the "wisdom" of our Heavenly Father does not just give us a good life.
The "wisdom" of our Heavenly Father is life!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
It is not the quality of life, but life, eternal life.
Taking hold of the "wisdom" of our Heavenly Father is a matter of life and death!
If we do not choose the "wisdom" of our Heavenly Father, we are certain to face eternal death!
1) We must heed this warning from our Heavenly Father.
2) We must never let go once we know the wisdom of God.
3) We must keep and guard the Word of God,
4) We must never start down that path to destruction.
5) We must not veer to the left or the right nor follow the ways of evil men.
6) We must avoid that wicked path altogether.
7) We must not even go near that wicked path.
8) We must go in the opposite direction from all evil.
9) We must move past that wicked path and continue on the path of righteousness.
*****Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
We sometimes just do not think much about the wickedness of this world.
If we believe the Word of God, then we need to believe what God says!
1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Only those who are committed to the truth of the Word of God are not wicked, though none of us are perfect.
Why do we fail so often? Because all the rest of the world is lying in wickedness!
We belong to our Heavenly Father, and the rest of the world belongs to the Devil.
2Ti_2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
We may try to see some goodness in those who are lost, but we must know that at any time the Devil will use them for one of his wickedly sick purposes and they will be unable to resist him.
Mrk_10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Those who are lost, their lives revolve around sin.
We know this because we were once just like them until we met our Savior.
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
They eat a steady diet of sin!
They drink the wine of violence!
The color of their wine is the same color as blood.
We see these things increase in our world today.
There is no comparison between the life of a true Christian and that of the lost.
There is a perfect day in our future, but for the lost and wicked, there is only the life turmoil now and a future of eternal torment.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The way of the lost is in darkness!
Even the Bible says there is pleasure in sin for a season, and many of the lost hunt for that pleasure all their lives and never find it again because they remain in the darkness of the Devil.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
All of these take great pleasure in sin that, in truth, has made them captives of the Devil.
*****Pro 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pro 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Here we see our Heavenly Father almost begging us to hear what He has to say.
This is the loving concern for us that He always shows us.
We must listen closely to what God has to say to us. He always has our best interests in mind.
Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
We must pay attention to what God is saying to us.
Jesus Christ said: Jhn_14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We cannot just listen to what the Lord is saying, we must act upon it. We can do that only if we keep the Word of God in the midst of our hearts.
God's wisdom is like life-giving blood; it flows through our bodies, giving us new life that we never knew before.
2Ti_1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
What is our heart like before we meet Jesus?
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man:
A fact of life is that out of our hearts come the issues of life, our moral conduct.
The wisdom of God will purify our hearts, and if our hearts are pure, our lives will be pure.
Ezk_36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
This is why we are to guard our new heart above all else.
A wise person will recognize the importance of keeping wisdom in the heart!
These wise people are the Body of Christ!
When our hearts become the fountain of moral life, then our moral life will be the fountain of our conduct, which everyone sees.
When we hear corrupt talk around us, we need to get as far away from it as we can.
*****Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Pro 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Pro 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
A person with a dark heart will spew ungodly words and evil speaking, and we should not trouble our ears to hear such filth.
The Lord Jesus makes this very simple for us to understand.
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
If there is no evil in our hearts, no filth will spew out of our mouths!
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
We need to take the words in the Word of God about the New Heaven and try to visually see what it looks like, and then focus our path on the entrance gate, and as we complete our walk in this life, the vision of that place will become brighter as we walk in that direction, not veering to the left or the right.
If we keep our focus upon Jesus, we will find the entrance to heaven because He is that entrance.
If we spend our time looking around trying to see some evil, we will surely see it.
Remember David on the roof of his mansion, just looking out to see what he could see, and there it was right in front of him. A beautiful woman with no clothes on probably innocent to his stare.
There is no profit in our looking to see how evil our world is; we must know that it is because the Word of God says it is, and keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, who will lead us to His Father's mansion.
We need to remove all the stumbling blocks out of our pathway and walk on the glory road that ends in New Heaven.
If we stay focused on these things, we will not see things on the left or the right that might deceive us!
These are the same things we must teach our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.
God has sent us an invitation to join Him around His glorious throne, and we would be foolish not to want to be there with Him!
This is the prize we seek.
It is the glory of God that will blind us from the path of evil if we just listen to Him and obey Him!
Amen
