Proverbs 4:1-4

Today we start our study on Chapter 4 of Proverbs. We will cover the first four verses of this new chapter. Here they are:

Proverbs 4 (NKJV)

Security in Wisdom

1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,

And give attention to know understanding;

2 For I give you good doctrine:

Do not forsake my law.

3 When I was my father’s son,

Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

4 He also taught me, and said to me: “

Let your heart retain my words;

Keep my commands, and live.

Verse 1 of this chapter starts out with Solomon speaking to his sons, and trying to pass on some of his wisdom. Remember that God had promised this man that he would be the wisest man to ever live, so it would have been a good idea for his sons to have listened to him. Unfortunately, if you read his life story, you will find out that mostly, they didn’t listen to him. It is also interesting to note that King Solomon didn’t always do what he preached either, and he ended up having a lot of problems in his own life because of this.

He tells his sons to give their attention to his instruction if they want to come to a point of understanding. When we hear/read something from God’s word, we need to pay attention and “digest” it. We need to “take it into ourselves” and make it a part of our life.

James 1:23-25 says:
23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Solomon goes on in the second verse to say that he is passing on “good doctrine” and that they shouldn’t forsake, or turn away from, the law. “Doctrine” is defined as: 1. A principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief, as by a religious, political, scientific, or philosophic group; 2. A rule or principle of law, especially when established by precedent. 3. Archaic: Something taught; a teaching.

By writing down these proverbs, Solomon was trying to pass on teachings that were based on a body of principles handed down from God. These were based on precedents that he had learned through the gift of wisdom that he had received from God.

Verses 3 and 4 tell us that Solomon had listened to his father, King David, and learned from him and from his mother, Bathsheba, as well. He had “honored his father and his mother…” which is a commandment that comes with a promise. Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Solomon goes on to say that David had told him that if HE put the words that he was taught into his heart and life, then they would bring life. Solomon was blessed to have been very close to his father, a very Godly man, and he gained a lot of his wisdom from that relationship. There are many stories of people in the Bible that had Godly parents. They followed in their parents footsteps, staying close to God, and He was able to use them in marvelous ways.

We must always remember that we are models to children and to other people that are watching us, and that we can either pass on good principles, or evil ones. We can’t say “Do as I say, and not as I do,” for it doesn’t work!

If you had Godly parents or a Godly parent, Praise God for your blessings, and if you didn’t have an “EARTHLY” Godly parent/s, then Praise God that HE promises to be your father and to love you and teach you in HIS way that ultimately brings peace, love and joy into your life.

Proverbs 3: 1 & 2 – Add to Your Life…

Today, we are starting to study Chapter 3 of Proverbs. Many of the verses in this chapter are very well known and I am sure you will probably recognize them as we read along. There are many principles that, if followed will allow God to bless a person’s life mightily!


Proverbs 3 (NKJV)

1 My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.


Verse one starts out as Chapter 2 did with the allegory of a parent (Wisdom) admonishing their child not to forget their “law,” in this case, God’s laws. It goes on to say “let your heart keep my commands.” We are not to just “know” the commands or commandments with our minds, but to “take them to heart” or make them a part of our very beings.

Verse 2 tells us that if we DO put His law or commandments into the depths of our being, then they will add days to our lives, and peace as well. These are such rich and mighty promises, for we don’t know how many days we are “allotted” as one verse says, but those days can be “added to” by planting God’s laws deep into our lives.

One king, Hezekiah, had 15 years “added” to his life it tells us in 2 Kings 20: 1 – 6 which is a direct example of this principle. This king says that he had walked with God in truth, with a loyal heart, and had followed God’s laws… he had made them a part of him, and because of this, God “added to” his life.

2 Kings 20: 1 – 6: Hezekiah’s Life Extended

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’”2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”

Is that awesome, or WHAT !!! (If you continue reading in the next verses of that story, you will also find another of the wonders of God where He “turned back time…” We have a MIGHTY, all powerful God, and EVERYTHING is in HIS hands!

Proverbs 2:16- 22 (NKJV)

Last time, we looked at verses 10 – 15 of this second chapter of Proverbs, and today, we will finish this chapter by studying verses 16 through 22. I am putting verses 10 & 11 here as a reminder of what the Lord says will help keep us from the things spoken of in the verses we are going to study today.

Proverbs 2: 10 & 11 (NKJV)

10 When wisdom enters your heart,

And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;

Understanding will keep you,…

Proverbs 2:16- 19 (NKJV)

16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,

From the seductress who flatters with her words,

17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house leads down to death,

And her paths to the dead;

19 None who go to her return,

Nor do they regain the paths of life—

The beginning of the chapter shows that the whole chapter is an allegory (story with a moral) and it started out with a parent speaking to a son. To continue the allegory, the figure of an “immoral woman” that is trying to seduce the young man is used and the parent is warning against this.

Throughout the Bible, an “immoral woman,” “adulterous woman.” or “harlot” is used to portray other gods or things that would “seduce” us away from God in some form or another. Many of the prophets used this symbol and the book of Hosea shows this clearly. God’s plan for marriage was for “two to become one,” heart, soul and mind. Marriage is the form He chose to use as an example or symbol of what He wants us to become with Him… His word speaks of “the Bride of Christ” being the church (those that follow Him).

He wants us to become “one with him”… A PART of Him… to know Him intimately, as He knows us. Living in the world today often makes it hard for people to understand the “perfect-ness” that a truly good marriage can be after years of intimacy… sharing the good times AND the hard times, and learning from them… learning to TRUST a partner that will never leave you nor forsake you.

Humans can never live up to ALL of these standards. There are some, that WITH GOD’s HELP, may attain a place near to that goal, but having CHRIST as our partner, through life, CAN be that way. Trust requires a person to give of themselves, and if they receive back a trustworthy response, that trust will grow to the next point of giving.

THIS is why adultery is so horrendous in God’s sight. The breaking of a “trust” of this nature, is a cut to the very soul and heart of a person. It is like thrusting a sword into the heart to cut it and separate it back out from one, into two! God understands, because He keeps putting Himself out there for His people (both Old and New Testament followers and believers) and they have so often turned away from Him. Many times, they turn, based on what other people have said and done, believing the lies of this world instead of the truth of God… believing those that speak “perverse” words and follow “devious” paths (see the last study).

He showed just what love and forgiveness (because humans mess up so much) can do to help reestablish trust in a relationship through the example of giving His son.

In old Jewish tradition, a child was “betrothed” (engaged… promised) at a very young age. A pact, legal promise, or “covenant” was made. The couple would grow to know each other as they grew up, and while the “groom” was building their house. When the father of the groom proclaimed the house ready, the young man would go and call to his bride (often at a time she didn’t know) and then they would have the marriage ceremony. (This also reminds us of Jesus promise and his return for his bride…)

Verses 17 through 19 speaks of this “adulterous” young woman who decides to go her own way instead of continuing on the path to marriage. She “forsakes the companion of her youth” that she was betrothed to, and “forgets the covenant of her God.” Not only does she do that, but she lures others in to her immoralities, and following an immoral path leads a path of no return and, eventually, to death. “Lust of the flesh” will take control of us if we don’t take control of it! God is there to HELP us fight these “lusts of the flesh,” IF we follow Him and His paths.

The last three verses of this chapter simply summarize the rest of the chapter.

Proverbs 2:20- 22 (NKJV)

20 So, you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keep to the paths of righteousness.

21 For the upright will dwell in the land,

And the blameless will remain in it;

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Proverbs 1:22

LB Notes: 1. How does the proverbs help in our daily life? The book of Proverbs is a sort of Manual for Life. It gives us principles that apply to everything a man says and thinks… to reactions, attitudes, decisions, justice, work, home life and relationships. We can be totally obedient to God’s laws, and still not be wise in our lives. If we do make wise decisions, then our lives will be more abundant because, in being wise in GOD’S ways, we are “seeking first HIS kingdom and righteousness” which results in His providing all we need.

Note 2: Proverbs weren’t meant to be counted as “promises,” like some of the other scriptures are. They are general “guidelines or principles” and not iron-clad laws. In other words, the proverb that says “the righteous will be healthy and wealthy and the wicked will die young” is not a “promise,” but a probability. Proverbs are good principles to live by, but God is always wiser than we could ever be and sometimes, He makes exceptions when He has a good reason or lesson to teach (which we don’t always see until later.)

Proverbs 1:22 (NKJV):
22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

Remember in the verses we’ve studied before, that “Wisdom” was portrayed as a woman that was calling out for the young and/or immature to come to her. God IS “Loving Wisdom,” and His longing is that we would seek or aspire to grow and not “love simplicity.” He WANTS to bless us, and He WANTS us to learn to seek Him first because THAT scripture IS a promise.

You can see the principles of Hebrew poetry in this verse very clearly. The first line asks a question that starts the idea. It is, again, talking of those who are just young and/or immature.

The second line is stronger and talks of people who are like so many we see in gangs or cliques (which are often just high class gangs.) They sit around in a group and scorn (cut down others) and sort of “egg each other on…”

The third line uses even stronger language, stating that “fools” (those that actively hate and avoid wisdom) also hate to get knowledge. Remember, knowledge is the acquiring of facts while wisdom is using those facts in practical ways to live a Godly life. Remember Matt. 7:24 - 27 talks of those who build on God's foundation (rock) and those who don't:

Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV)
Build on the Rock 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Proverbs: Chapter 1: 8 & 9 (NIV)

Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. 9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

As parents speak to their children, God would speak to us about His wisdom. He created a situation that, in a perfect world, a child would have both a father and a mother as the scripture from Matthew 19:4-6 says. “Two people joined as one” because, in general, there are two types of personalities involved: men see things from “one angle” and women see them from another. When put together properly, they form a team that will work together to teach children what they should know.

Things in this world are very seldom the way God meant for them to be, BUT God is the ultimate PERFECT parent for us when we allow Him to be. Verse 8 speaks of parents both instructing (teaching) and “laying down the law.” This is what the children we love and/or make contact with, need… both laws (limits) and teaching. As they take in the proper teaching, and grow in wisdom, they will need less and less of the “laws” because it will become a part of them. This is the way God teaches us.

Galatians 3:24 & 25 (New King James Version) Purpose of the Law
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Psalm 19:7-11 (New King James Version)
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
Hebrews 8:10 (New King James Version)
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Those verses talk about how important the law is… how it was a “TUTOR” to guide us into the “full” life that God wants us to have. I add the following scriptures because Hebrews 8:10 (above) talks about the “house of Israel,” but these verses talk about how gentile Christians (wild olive branches) have been “grafted into” the family of God (the root and fatness of the olive tree), and gives us a warning not to “pick on” God’s chosen people, for they will be brought back into His family (grafted back into their own olive tree), and it was to give US the chance to get to know God’s chosen one, that they went their own way (also, thereby, taking themselves out from under God’s protection until they come back to Him…)

Romans 11:17-25 (New King James Version)
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Verse 9 simply says that taking in these teachings/laws, and making them a part of your heart, will be like beautiful things that make you look/act/feel better and others will look and want to know more about what you have. At least, that is what I get out of this verse.