Day 139: A Father’s Wise Advice

*Proverbs 4:1-27

Proverbs 4 instructs children to value their parents’ wisdom, pursue understanding, and avoid evil to live a good life.

  • Fatherly Instruction:
    • The passage begins with the fatherly instruction of King Solomon, urging his son to listen attentively to his teachings and to incline his ear to his words of wisdom.
    • He implores his son not to forget or turn away from his instruction, emphasizing the importance of retaining his words in his heart.
  • Value of Wisdom:
    • Solomon extols the value of wisdom, declaring it to be the principal thing and urging his son to pursue wisdom above all else.
    • He emphasizes the benefits of wisdom, describing it as a source of honor, grace, and a crown of glory, and advising his son to embrace wisdom and prize her highly.
  • Path of Righteousness:
    • Solomon instructs his son to walk in the path of righteousness and to avoid the ways of the wicked and the unrighteous.
    • He warns his son against the dangers of wickedness, advising him to shun the company of evildoers and to guard his heart diligently.
  • Guarding the Heart:
    • Solomon admonishes his son to guard his heart above all else, for from it flow the springs of life.
    • He exhorts his son to keep his heart pure and free from deceit and corruption, instructing him to remove perverse speech from his lips and to focus on that which is good and upright.
  • The Path of the Righteous:
    • Solomon concludes by describing the path of the righteous as shining brighter and brighter until the full light of day.
    • He encourages his son to walk in the ways of righteousness and to follow the path of wisdom, promising that it will lead to a life of prosperity, success, and fulfillment.

Proverbs 4:1-27 teaches us to seek wisdom and stay on the right path. Life gives us many choices, but if we follow God’s wisdom, we will make better decisions and avoid unnecessary trouble. This reminds us to be careful about what influences us, to stay away from what leads us in the wrong direction, and to focus on what is good and right. When we guard our hearts and keep our eyes on God’s path, He will guide us toward a life filled with peace and purpose.

Proverbs 4:1-27 (WEB)

4:1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction.
Pay attention and know understanding;
2 for I give you sound learning.
Don’t forsake my law.
3 For I was a son to my father,
tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words.
Keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom.
Get understanding.
Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you.
Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is supreme.
Get wisdom.
Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you.
She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
9 She will give to your head a garland of grace.
She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
 
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings.
The years of your life will be many.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom.
I have led you in straight paths.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered.
When you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction.
Don’t let her go.
Keep her, for she is your life.
14 Don’t enter into the path of the wicked.
Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it.
Turn from it, and pass on.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil.
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 righteous is like the dawning light
that shines more and more until the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness.
They don’t know what they stumble over.
 
20 My son, attend to my words.
Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes.
Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and health to their whole body.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
for out of it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth.
Put corrupt lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead.
Fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make the path of your feet level.
Let all of your ways be established.
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left.
Remove your foot from evil.