Proverbs 4: Lessons For Walking in Jesus’ Wisdom (Part IV)
Introduction: Here, Solomon continued to instruct his children on walking in Yahweh’s wisdom. Yahweh is again the great “I AM”. Jesus later revealed that He is the great “I AM” (Jo. 8:58; Ex. 3:14).1 From Solomon’s instruction, Jesus reveals that His wisdom should include (1) family instruction, (2) guarding your heart, (3) separation from evil, (4) being His light, (5) seeking His salvation and healing, (6) seeking His abundant life, and (7) staying on His narrow path for you.
First, just as David did with his children, Solomon taught his children to diligently seek Yahweh’s wisdom out of love. To fully walk in Jesus’ wisdom, He desires families to study and follow His wisdom together out of love, not obligation. Second, Solomon urged a son (possibly Rehoboam) to guard Yahweh’s wisdom in his heart for his protection. To fully walk in Jesus’ wisdom, He also desires that you guard His wisdom in your heart to protect yourself from evil. Third, Solomon urged his son to avoid the company of wicked persons who might corrupt Yahweh’s wisdom. To fully walk in Jesus’ wisdom, He also desires that you separate yourself from wicked people who might pull you off your walk. Fourth, Solomon urged his son to follow Yahweh’s wisdom to become a light to draw the people to Yahweh. Jesus also desires that you walk in His wisdom so that His light might shine through you to guide the lost to Him. Fifth, Solomon urged his son to pay attention to his instruction on Yahweh’s wisdom. If followed, Yahweh offered life and good health. Those who seek to walk in Jesus’ wisdom will enjoy both salvation and good health from good choices. Sixth, Solomon promised his son that if he diligently walked in Yahweh’s wisdom, he would enjoy springs of abundant life. For those who walk in Jesus’ wisdom, He also offers springs of abundant life in Him. Finally, Solomon urged his son to stay on Yahweh’s narrow path to enjoy the blessings of His wisdom. To walk in Jesus’ wisdom and enjoy His full blessings, He also wants you to stay on His narrow path.
1. Family Instruction: To Fully Walk in Jesus’ Wisdom, He Desires Families to Study and Follow His Wisdom Together Out of Love, Not Obligation. Prov. 4:1-9.
Solomon taught his children based upon his father David’s example. Solomon gathered all his children together and taught them the value of Yahweh’s wisdom. Solomon followed the example of his father, King David, who made time in his busy schedule to teach all his children God’s Word. “1 Listen, my sons, to the instruction of a father, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2 for I give you good teaching; do not abandon my instruction. 3 When I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart take hold of my words; keep my commandments and live; 5 acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not abandon her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding. 8 Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.’” (Prov. 4:1-9). David and Solomon were both kings with great excuses to let others teach their children. But, as an example to all busy parents, they did not abandon their duties. “Note, Magistrates and ministers, who are entrusted with the direction of larger societies, are concerned to take a more than ordinary care for the good instruction of their own families; from this duty their public work will by no means excuse them. This charity must begin at home, though it must not end there; for he that has not his children in subjection with all gravity, and does not take pains in their good education, how shall he do his duty as he ought to the church of God? 1 Tim 3 4, 5.” (Matthew Henry on Prov. 4:1) (italics in original).2
Solomon shared his God-given wisdom with his children (Govert Flinck painting (1658))3
Teach your children the value of Jesus’ wisdom. Solomon began his initial address with a similar call for his son to obey his teachings (Prov. 1:8). And he would later repeat it for emphasis. (Prov. 6:20). Moses also taught that every believer has a duty to teach their children and grandchildren to love Yahweh. “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” (Dt. 6:5-7). “. . . but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” (Dt. 4:9). “ . . . that they may teach their children.” (Dt. 4:10). “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Dt. 11:19). As one example, the Passover celebration was meant to be interactive, with the parents teaching their children (Ex. 12:26-2; 13:8). David also proclaimed that generation after generation would praise Yahweh. “One generation will praise Your works to another, and will declare Your mighty acts.” (Ps. 145:4). Asaph also called for Yahweh’s wonders to be declared from generation to generation. “We will not conceal them from their children, but we will tell the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His power and His wondrous works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they were to teach them to their children, so that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born, that they would arise and tell them to their children, so that they would put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but comply with His commandments,” (Ps. 78:4-7). “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he grows older he will not abandon it.” (Prov. 22:6). The Apostle Paul later reaffirmed this family duty. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:20).
Obedience should stem from your love for Jesus. David taught Solomon that obedience was a life or death decision. “He taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart take hold of my words; keep my commandments and live;”’ (Prov. 4:4). David committed sins of adultery, murder, and deceit that could have led to his death under God’s Law. It was only after he repented to Samuel that God spared his life (2 Sam. 12:13). Jesus came to fulfill the Law and take our debts under the Law (Matt. 5:17; Ro. 10:14; Col. 2:14). Today, believers are justified by their faith and not their obedience (Ro. 5:1; Gal. 3:24). But Jesus still calls upon believers to keep His Commandments out of love (Jo. 15:10).
Acquiring Jesus’ wisdom requires time and effort. Solomon told his children to “Acquire understanding!” (Prov. 4:5) (NASB). In the KJB, the NKJV, and the NIV, this is instead translated as “Get wisdom.” The NASB uses the word “acquire” to better reflect the meaning behind the Hebrew word “qə·nêh” (קְנֵ֣ה). “The key word get, or ‘buy’ (qə·nêh) is repeated four times, twice in both v. 5a and v. 7. ‘Get’ means to purchase goods deliberately through financial transactions and often includes the price (Gen. 33:19; 47:20; Lev. 25:14; Neh. 5:8). According to Meinhold, wisdom… a synonym with insight, is here imagined as a bride for who, a dowry must be paid, namely, ‘all your acquisitions’ (v.7) -everything he owns.” (Bruce Waltke and Ivan De Silva on Proverbs 4:5, 7).4 Being naturally smart is not enough. You must invest your valuable time with sustained effort to acquire Jesus’ wisdom. “What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but a decision. Do you want it? Come and get it.” (Derek Kidner on Prov. 4:7).5 This includes both the study of the Word and prayer. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (Jam. 1:5).
Acquiring Jesus’ wisdom also requires love. There are many scholars who have spent time dissecting God’s Word without accepting it as true or allowing it to be sovereign over their lives. For them, Jesus’ true wisdom is lost. Thus, using the feminine word “chokhmah” (חָכְמָה)6 for wisdom, Solomon urged his children to “love her, and she will watch over you.” (Prov. 4:6). It was therefore just as important for Solomon’s children to ask themselves why they were studying the Word. “Do they love wisdom? In other words, do they love the Word of God. It was [Blaise] Pascal [1623-1662] who said that human knowledge must be understood to be loved. But divine knowledge must be loved to be understood … Then the Spirit of God can open up the great truths to you… The interesting thing here is that wisdom is to be loved like a woman is loved. When we get to the New Testament, this is changed – Christ has been made unto us wisdom, and we are to love Him…When love is present in the heart, this Book will begin to open up, because the Spirit of God will become the Teacher.” (J. Vernon McGee on Prov. 4:5-9).7
Acquiring Jesus’ wisdom for the right reasons comes with great reward in heaven. If the pursuit of wisdom is for Jesus’ glory, He will reward those who spend the time and effort seeking to acquire it. “She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.’” (Prov. 4:9). This includes the crown of salvation for those who persevere in the wisdom of faith in Jesus leading to eternal life. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (Jam. 1:2). Your reward can also include stored up treasures stored in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21). If you follow in His wisdom, He will also bless your relationship with Him and others.
2. Guard Your Heart: To Fully Walk in Jesus’ Wisdom, He Desires That You Guard His Wisdom in Your Heart to Protect Yourself From Evil. Prov. 4:10-13.
Guard wisdom in your heart, and it will guard you from destruction. After addressing all his children, Solomon urged one son (possibly Rehoboam) to guard Yahweh’s wisdom in his heart. If followed, Yahweh’s wisdom would prolong his life and guard his path as Israel’s next King. “10 Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. 11 I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.” (Prov. 4:10-13). “[Guard her, for she is your life.] The short but urgent admonitions in this verse may be explained by the knowledge which the father has of the temptations to which youth is exposed and the liability of youth to fall into them, as well as by the fact that Instruction, or Wisdom, is the bestower of life. This latter conviction is the reason why he urges ‘taking fast hold’ of Wisdom. The tenacious grasp with which the shipwrecked sinking sailor lays hold on any spar or plank floating near will illustrate the kind of grasp with which Wisdom is to be held.” (Pulpit Commentary on Prov. 4:13).8
The blessings of Jesus’ wisdom can prolong your life. Solomon promised that obedience could prolong his son’s life. “10 Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.” (Prov. 4:10). For emphasis, this repeated his promise in his prior address (Prov. 3:2). Yahweh promised Solomon that He would “prolong” his days if Solomon kept His Ten Commandments (1 Kgs. 3:13). Those who keep God’s Ten Commandments out of love (and not obligation) will also be blessed with a prolonged life (Dt. 5:33; 6:2; 11:9; Ps. 91:16; 21:4; Ex. 20:12; Dt. 5:16; Eph. 6:2-3). These promises again do not mean that you will live until you are old. But Jesus promises to “prolong” your life when your faith leads to obedience. Only when you get to heaven will you learn of the amount of time that Jesus has added to your life out of loving grace.
Jesus offers to instruct you in the ways of wisdom. Solomon instructed his son in the way of Yahweh’s wisdom to lead him to the upright path. “I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.” (Prov. 4:11). “The LORD is good and upright; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.” (Ps. 25:8-9). Jesus is the wisdom who sets your path straight. “But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Jesus is the source of true wisdom who will set your path straight9
Memorize God’s Word to guard your heart. In reference to Yahweh’s wisdom, Solomon urged his son “Guard her, for she is your life.” (Prov. 4:13). In Solomon’s prayer of dedication, he also warned his descendants to be careful to guard their ways (1 Kgs. 8:25; 2 Chr. 6:16). David also vowed to guard his heart to serve God. “A Psalm of David. I said, ‘I will keep watch over my ways so that I do not sin with my tongue; I will keep watch over my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.”’ (Ps. 39:1). He knew that this required memorization of God’s Law. “The Law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.” (Ps. 37:31). Another psalmist also vowed, “ I have treasured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.” (Ps. 119:11).
Wisdom can keep you on the right path. Solomon offered protection if his son walked in Yahweh’s wisdom. “12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble.” (Prov. 4:12). This was similar to his prior promise. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:6). When you memorize Jesus’ Word, the Holy Spirit can use it to guide your path and convict you when you sin by deviating from His path. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (Jo. 14:26). “The LORD is good and upright; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.” (Ps. 25:8-9). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105).
Guard your heart by guarding your eyes. Solomon knew the Law. But his lust for women, especially for pagan ones, later turned his heart from God (1 Kgs. 11:1-13). David also knew God’s Law. But he lusted after Bathsheba as he watched her bathing from his roof (2 Sam. 11:1-2). Likewise, Eve ate the forbidden fruit only after staring at its beauty: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Gen. 3:6). Satan uses the lusts of the eyes to entice people to engage in terrible self-destructive sins: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 Jo. 2:16). His goal is to destroy anyone who submits to him. “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (Jam. 1:14-15). “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” (Matt. 15:19). Thus, guarding your heart also requires that you guard what you look at or listen to. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I look at a virgin?” (Job 31:1).
3. Separation: To Fully Walk in Jesus’ Wisdom, He Desires That You Separate Yourself from Wicked People Who Might Pull You Off Your Walk. Prov. 4:14-17.
Separate yourself from the wicked to stay on wisdom’s path. Solomon further warned his son that bad company could eventually pull him off from the path of Yahweh’s wisdom. “14 Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil people. 15 Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.” (Prov. 4:14-17). “Enter not into the path of the wicked,.... Which leads to eternal death; join not with them in their wicked ways and practices; have no fellowship, keep no company, with them; do not set one foot in the path they tread, lest thou shouldest be tempted to proceed to more ungodliness; you do not know where and when there will be a stop, when once you begin, therefore enter not.” (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Prov. 4:14).10
Bad company can pull you off your walk. Solomon repeated here his prior warning against keeping evil company (Prov. 1:10-15). He would later repeat this warning for emphasis. “One who walks with wise people will be wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Prov. 13:20). “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.”’ (1 Cor. 15:33). “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (Ps. 1:1). If you spend your free time with people who reject God’s Word, they may corrupt your walk.
Be holy because Jesus is holy. Yahweh repeatedly called for His people to “consecrate” themselves by being holy: ‘“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”’ (Lev. 11:44). ‘“Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”’ (Lev. 19:2). “You are to be my holy people.” (Ex. 22:31). These instructions also apply to Christians: “for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Pet. 1:16). “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1).
4. Evangelism: Jesus Desires that You Walk in His Wisdom, So That His Light Might Shine Through You to Guide the Lost to Him. Prov. 4:18-19.
When followed, Jesus’ wisdom will allow His light in you to be a beacon to the lost. Solomon urged his son to follow Yahweh’s wisdom to draw the people of Israel to walk in faith. “18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” (Prov. 4:18-19). “The world calls men of genius and intellectual force its lights. The divine estimate, which is the true one, confers the name on righteousness … It must be enough, for our present purpose, to say that the light of the Christian life, like its type in the heavens, may be analyzed into three beams-purity, knowledge, blessedness. And these three, blended together, make the pure whiteness of a Christian soul.” (Alexander McLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Prov. 4:18).11
Walk in Jesus’ wisdom, and His light will shine bright in you. Daniel prophesied that the “wise” will shine as a light to others. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12:3) (NKJB). Jesus later repeated this prophecy to reveal that His righteous believers will be a light to others. “Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:43). Jesus is the light of the world (Jo. 8:12). When you walk in His wisdom, His light will shine within you to guide the lost to Him. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;” (Matt. 5:14). “[S]o that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,” (Phil. 2:15). “The ‘just’ man is one that is made righteous through the righteousness of Christ imputed to him, and who is created a new person in Christ, in righteousness, true holiness, and, under the influence of divine grace. That man walking in the wisdom of God is called a righteous man. That man is a shining light to those that are about him, and his light will help others to find the way. That light will grow brighter and brighter as he learns to follow the wisdom of God.” (Ronald Young on Prov. 4:18) (italics in original).12
Let the wisdom of Jesus’ light shine through you to offer hope to the lost13
Sharing Jesus’ light is one of your highest callings. Jesus commands believers to evangelize the lost (Matt. 28:19-20). This begins with your own example. You are Jesus’ ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). You are the only Bible some may ever read. The light of your example may either attract others to Jesus’ light or repulse them from the faith.
5. Salvation and Healing: Those Who Seek to Walk in Jesus’ Wisdom Will Enjoy Both Salvation and Good Health From Good Choices. Prov. 4:20-22.
Jesus’ wisdom offers eternal life and healing. Solomon urged his son to pay attention to his instruction on Yahweh’s wisdom. If followed, Yahweh offered life and good health. “20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 They are not to escape from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their body.” (Prov. 4:20-22). “For they are life . . ‘Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, (the highest happiness that man can attain to now, peace of mind,) and of that which is to come,’ the assurance of a joyful resurrection.” (Charles Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers on Prov. 4:22).14 “[H]ealth … flesh—by preserving from vices destructive of health.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on Prov. 4:22).15
Jesus’ wisdom leads to salvation. Solomon urged his son to listen and to not let wisdom leave his heart (Prov. 4:20-21). Yahweh’s wisdom was a matter of life or death. “22 For they are life to those who find them,…” (Prov. 4:22). In reference to the Messiah, Isaiah also declared that faith-led obedience was also a life or death matter. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.” (Is. 55:3). Jesus came to fulfill these promises. His wisdom leads to the path of eternal life. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.” (Jo. 6:63). “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Ro. 8:2). “So also it is written: ‘The first man, Adam, became a living person.’ The last Adam was a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor. 15:45).
Jesus’ wisdom leads to healing. Solomon also promised that Yahweh’s wisdom could also lead to “healing to all their body.” (Prov. 4:22). Jesus again came to fulfill these promises. “He sent His word and healed them, and saved them from their destruction.” (Ps. 107:20). “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24; Matt. 8:17). “‘See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.” (Dt. 32:39).
6. Abundant Life: For Those Who Walk In Jesus’ Wisdom, He Offers Springs of Abundant Life in Him. Prov. 4:23-24.
Those who follow Jesus’ wisdom will find springs of abundant life. Solomon urged his son to diligently watch over Yahweh’s wisdom. If he faithfully followed it, Yahweh offered him springs of abundant life. “23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Rid yourself of a deceitful mouth and keep devious speech far from you.” (Prov. 4:23-24). “For out of it spring the issues of life: There is great reward to the one who guards their heart, keeping it for wisdom (as in Proverbs 4:21). They enjoy life flowing from their heart, like a pleasant and bountiful water spring. The unguarded heart sees a choking or restriction to the joy and pleasantness of life. . . One of the great enticements to the way of the wicked (Proverbs 4:19) is that it is fun, pleasant, and will bring some sense of happiness. This is a lie. The same God who designed and created us is the God who guides us in and through His commands. Though it may not be immediately or instinctively apparent, His commands are for our happiness and good. Though guarding the heart with all diligence may mean saying a temporarily painful no to excitements and enticements on the way of the wicked, the overall result is happiness, joy, and pleasantness.” (David Guzik on Prov. 4:23) (emphasis in original).16
Turn to Jesus for the strength to continually guard your heart. Solomon repeated for emphasis “23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, …” (Prov. 4:23). But the moral failings of David, Solomon, and their descendants all show that a person cannot guard their hearts through just personal will power alone. The heart is also deceitful (Jer. 17:9-10). Thus, we need Jesus for the strength to both guard and transform our hearts for His use. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7). “Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15; Ro. 12:2).
Turn to Jesus to guard your heart and find abundant life in Him17
A guarded heart can bring forth a spring of abundant life in Jesus. From Yahweh’s wisdom, “flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23). Isaiah promised that the Messiah would bring forth joyful life like streams in the desert. “Behold, I am going to do something new, now it will spring up; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Is. 43:19). “Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened, and the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped. Then those who limp will leap like a deer, and the tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (Is. 35:5-6). When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He offers you the water of eternal life. “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” (Is. 12:3). “Jesus replied to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ … but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”’ (Jo. 4:10, 14). Just as Solomon promised, waters of life that He offers will also burst forth from your life like a river. “The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”’ (Jo. 7:38). Jesus’ living water includes the promise of abundant life. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jo. 10:10).
An unguarded heart can lead to a number of sins. Solomon warned his son to “Rid yourself of a deceitful mouth and keep devious speech far from you.” (Prov. 4:24). Jesus later revealed that a mouth full of evil words is a sign of a corrupted and defiled heart. This can lead to several serious and destructive sins. “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements.” (Matt. 15:17-19).
7. Jesus’ Narrow Path: To Fully Walk in Jesus’ Wisdom and Enjoy His Full Blessings, He Wants You to Stay on His Narrow Path for You. Prov. 4:25-27.
The path of wisdom that Jesus offers you is narrow, and it runs through Him. Finally, Solomon warned his son not to deviate from Yahweh’s narrow path in order to enjoy the full blessings of Yahweh’s wisdom. “25 Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot from evil.” (Prov. 4:25-27). “Let thine eyes look right on,.... To the path of truth and holiness, without turning or looking to the right hand or left, as it is afterwards expressed; to the word of truth, as the rule to walk by; to Christ, the author and finisher of faith, from whom all grace, and the supplies of it, are to be had; and to the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God;” (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Prov. 4:25).18
Keep your eyes and your mind focused on Jesus. Solomon urged his son to keep his eyes focused on Yahweh. “25 Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.” (Prov. 4:25). Today, believers are also called upon to keep their eyes and minds focused on Jesus. “looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2). “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2). “while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18).
If you focus on Jesus’ wisdom, He will guide your path. Solomon further promised his son that if he kept his eyes focused on Yahweh, Yahweh would guide His path. “Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.” (Prov. 4:26). This repeated Solomon’s promise in his prior address: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6). For emphasis, Solomon would later repeat this promise. “The mind of a person plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Prov. 16:9). The Psalms contain similar promises. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you.” (Ps. 32:8). “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.” (Ps. 37:23-24). Isaiah made a similar promise. “This is what the LORD says, He who is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to benefit, who leads you in the way you should go.”’ (Is. 48:17). Jesus came to fulfill these promises. Through prayer and the Word, He shares His wisdom with you (Jam. 1:5).
Be careful to stay on Jesus’ narrow path. To walk in Yahweh’s wisdom, Solomon urged his son to be careful not to deviate from Yahweh’s path. “Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot from evil.” (Prov. 4:27). Moses, Joshua, and Isaiah all also urged God’s people not to deviate from God’s path. “So you shall be careful to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (Dt. 5:32). “and do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or the left, to pursue other gods to serve them.” (Dt. 28:14). “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:7). “Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Is. 30:21). Jesus also warned that His path is narrow. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus is the door leading to eternal life. Unless you follow His path, you will never find His door. “And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Lk. 13:23-24). Thus, the wise seek to remain on Jesus’ narrow path for them. If you stay on His path, He will bless you. If you leave His narrow path, you open yourself to the enemy’s attacks and the pain and sorrow of facing the enemy on your own.
Image credit: Govert Flinck: Solomon asks for wisdom↩︎
B. Waltke and I. De Silva, Proverbs, A Shorter Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2021), p. 109 (italics in original), quoting , A. Meinhold, Die Spruche, 2 vols., ZBK (Zurick: Theologischer, 1991), pgs. 91-92.↩︎
D. Kidner, The Proverbs, (Downer Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1964), p. 67.↩︎
J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Commentary Series, Proverbs (Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville TN 1991), pgs. 47-48. (italics in original).↩︎
Image credit: Proverbs 4:11 nlt↩︎
R. Young, Proverbs, A Commentary on the Book of Proverbs (SureWord Publications, Baltimore, MD, 2005), p. 66.↩︎
Image credit: Proverbs 4:18 KJV - Verse of the day↩︎