Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4

New King James Version (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.

5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!

Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;

Love her, and she will keep you.

7 Wisdom is the principal thing;

Therefore get wisdom.

And in all your getting, get understanding.

8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;

She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace;

A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

And the years of your life will be many.

11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in right paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,

And when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

Keep her, for she is your life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

26 Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

My Thoughts:

1. So let’s start with (v. 16) we read “For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall”
   1. David’s understood the ways of the evil men his past brought him into contact with many sorts of evil men, and he was well aware of the sinister compulsion of sinners and how they would induce someone else to join them in their favorite sin (Isa. 65:2).
   2. A sense of duty is what keeps them awake because their duty is doing evil.
2. In (v. 19) we read “The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble”
   1.  The darkness that blinds those who insist on following their own ways is so deceptive that such men think they are the ones who have the real light. They stumble and fall without knowing it. For them, the revelations of the judgment will come as a fearful surprise (Matt. 25:44).
3. And we will finish today with (v.26) “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.”
   1. Perhaps to weigh mentally. Such a course would lead to the removing of every obstacle that might cause the foot to stumble.
   2. You see purity of heart, truthfulness of speech, and singleness of purpose make possible the advancement of our ways in peace. These qualities bring their own reward, and to this God adds His own blessing.

Thought of the Day

“Little sins can add up to big trouble.”

My kids enjoy rollerblading. My 13-year-old son likes jumps, rails, and anything else he can do tricks on. But my daughters like long excursions on smooth paths.

Straight-line blading has its hazards too, my daughter Julie explained to me. She said that when she blades, she stays alert for big obstacles ahead like a large rock or a limb on the path. But she said that most problems are caused by small pebbles she doesn’t see while watching for the big objects.

Then she made this observation: “It’s like that in life. You keep watching for the big problems, but then a little one surprises you and causes trouble.”

She’s right. Most of us are on the lookout for life’s big difficulties—the big sins. But we allow what might be considered a less serious problem to trip us up. An angry word, a dirty thought, a hateful feeling toward someone—we see these as small indiscretions. But to a holy God, all our sins are serious. Look at Uzza. He may have thought that touching the ark of God was a small infraction. But it wasn’t, and he died instantly (1Chr 13:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

“Little sins” can cause us to fall down in our forward movement toward maturity. Sure, watch out for the big problems, but don’t forget the pebbles. —Dave Branon Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

It’s “little” sins that trip us up

And cause an unexpected fall;

That’s why we need to stay alert

To every sin, both large and small. —Sper

Personal Reflection and Discussion

1. What do you think (v. 23) are saying?
2. What other things do you see in the text?

Prayer Activities

1. Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
2. Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
3. Pray with them and ask for the following;
   1. For God to give us the wisdom that we need to travel through life.
   2. For God to give us the understanding to see the fools that we many meet.
   3. For the individuals on your pray list.
4. Let’s use (mtt. 26:26-28) for today’s prayer verse.