Straightforward

Greetings everyone. We’ll pick up our Bible Study through the book of Proverbs by turning to Proverbs chapter 4, and beginning in verse 1. As we have covered before, and as we’ve said before, we are in the first part of the book of Proverbs, which contains 5 parts.

The first part is from chapter 1 through chapter 9, and it basically is a continual explanation of the benefits of wisdom, although there are other themes running through this part of the book of Proverbs as well. But it continually goes back to the importance and benefits and blessings of wisdom.

Now, of course, the wisdom it’s talking about is true wisdom. Wisdom that comes from Almighty God Himself. Wisdom that comes from standing in awe of God and obeying Him and walking with Him. Not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom that comes from God—spiritual wisdom that leads to tremendous choices and a right direction in our lives, that brings tremendous benefits in all facets and aspects of our lives.

So now we pick it up in chapter 4 verse 1.

1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.

Solomon was the son of King David, and obviously King David, his father, did give him excellent instruction regarding the way to live, and as Solomon followed those instructions, he had a wonderful life. When he deviated from those instructions, he had problems in his life.

Now, also, this is not just talking about Solomon listening to his father and mother, and therefore we should listen to our father and mother as children growing up, and even later on when sound advice is given by them. But in addition to that, it’s talking about listening to our heavenly Father who gives us instruction, who gives us good doctrine, and he says here in Proverbs 4:2:

2 —forsake you not my law.

Talking about the law of God. Now the subject of laws, that’s a very interesting subject. We know that there are the laws of physics that must be followed in order to attain predictable results—for instance, the law of gravity. When we work with the law of gravity, we can predict the results usually, and the consequences of doing so are very good. When we break the law of gravity, the consequences often can be disastrous. Another law of physics that is often referred to is the law of aerodynamics. When we work within that law of aerodynamics, we can achieve great results. Airplanes take off, rockets take off, flight is achieved, and it’s wonderful. But when we break the law of aerodynamics, disastrous results, plane crashes, rockets blowing up, etc., take place.

Well, you know, all of creation is based on law, and human life is based on the law of God. And just as when we follow the laws of physics, we get good results and achieve a great deal, even more so is true when we follow the law of God. We get wonderful results and great achievements; great consequences come our way as a result of obeying and following and living by the great law of God, the Ten Commandments. Now, of course, in order to do that, we must prove and know and understand that God does exist, and that the Bible is inspired. And therefore, all life is governed and guided by this great law that has been set in motion—the law, the statutes, and the judgments.

Now, of course, it is popular in higher institutions of learning to teach that God doesn’t exist, and that evolution or agnosticism or atheism is the philosophy that ought to be embraced. And yet, you can prove that God does exist and that the Bible is inspired and that His laws are in effect; and that the results of obeying those laws are tremendous, but the results of breaking those laws are horrendous.

I just want to turn to one verse in the Bible very quickly, Psalms 14:1, regarding the existence of God or a popular teaching of God not existing. Notice here in Psalms 14:1:

1 The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.—

Doesn’t matter what the IQ is. Doesn’t matter what the educational background is. Doesn’t matter what degree the person might have. Doesn’t matter how well–connected the individual might be. If his education and his thought process and his way of viewing life ends up saying or believing or espousing the theory that God doesn’t exist, then God calls him or her a fool. Because you can prove that God does exist, and true education and true wisdom and true knowledge that really works is all tied in with the existence of the Great God.

1 The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good.

So we have to understand that when we read in the book of Proverbs that we are not to forsake His law, we have to understand and be able to prove that God does exist, the Bible is inspired, His law is in force. And when we do that, and we get our lives lined up with the law of God in every aspect of our lives, the blessings and the happiness and the joy and the peace and the abundance begin to flourish in our lives. But when we break that great law, then trouble and pain and suffering and penalties begin to emerge in our lives, and it can be very unpleasant and very, very painful.

So we are told here in the book of Proverbs:

2 —forsake you not my law.

And that’s for our own good. Let’s continue now in verse 3.

3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

A good attitude of course for parents to have toward their children.

4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let your heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Follow the directions of our parents as we’re growing up, and then follow the directions of our Father in heaven throughout our lives. Keep my commandments and live, that’s the result of keeping that great law of God.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you.

Wisdom is pictured here in this chapter as a person. It is personified and it talks about how if we really desire wisdom, if we really want wisdom, if we have a passionate pursuit for wisdom, and then we use wisdom, which is good judgment—that’s what wisdom is.

Wisdom is using good judgment. Wisdom is being wise. Wisdom is being able to take knowledge from God and apply it in the proper way. Wisdom comes from walking with God, standing in awe of God, being filled with the spirit of God, guided by God through His spirit, having the mind of Jesus Christ, understanding what life is all about, and why we’re here and where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there. That’s what real wisdom is. And it comes from saturating our minds with the word of God and staying in contact with God on a daily basis.

And so therefore if we have this desire to have wisdom and we forsake her not and we love her, then she shall keep us, it says in verse 6.

7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.

Now, the basic attitude we should have is that of giving. But on the other hand, getting something that is good for us, for others, and that pleases God—that’s wonderful. And to pursue wisdom, to seek it, to get it is something that all of us should be passionately involved in.

Today, in society and in the human family all over the earth, the basic attitude is get money, get money, get more and more money, get power, get prestige, get, get, get.

Satisfy the flesh, it’s self–gratification. It’s all about me, me, me, my, my, my, get this, that, and the other possession.

But you know what sets people apart, and therefore what sets the quality of their life apart and puts it on a higher plane, is the attitude of seeking wisdom and seeking a close relationship with God, and making our decisions and choices, and living our lives based on godly wisdom, godly understanding and the great law of Almighty God.

Now, we read here over and over again how important wisdom is. I want to turn to another verse, over here in I Corinthians 12.

A lot of you who have been reading the Bible for a while are well aware that it speaks of the gifts of the spirit, having God’s holy spirit and therefore there are fruits that come with God’s holy spirit and there are gifts. And quite often when people refer to the gifts of the spirit, they will talk about healing signs, wonders, miracles, and casting out demons, and that’s all certainly part of it. But how often do we hear about wisdom and knowledge and faith? Those are the first three that are mentioned. Let’s notice here in I Corinthians 12:8:

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom—

That’s the very first one mentioned.

8 —to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; to another the interpretation of languages:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Or individually as God chooses through his holy spirit. But what is the very first one that is mentioned? This list of gifts of the spirit. Now, I’m not trying to categorize one being more important than another, but it is interesting to notice that the very first one that was mentioned is, I Corinthians 12:8, wisdom and then knowledge and then faith. Well, we need to take note of that.

So let’s turn back now to Proverbs 4:8, continuing the discussion about wisdom and it says:

8 Exalt her—

Value her; put her on a pedestal so to speak. Something that we really want and really ask for, we really desire and we really want to be filled with.

8 Exalt her, and she shall promote you—

using wisdom in the person of she

8 Exalt her, and she shall promote you: and she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.

Why is that? Well, because we make better decisions, better choices. We live our life in a more diligent way. We stay out of trouble. We stay away from trouble. We go in the right direction as opposed to the wrong direction. We draw closer to God and further away from Satan’s society. We think of others more than ourselves then. We focus and concentrate on God and what He wants, and therefore then we begin to do what He wants, and therefore then we begin to benefit from doing that. That’s what it’s talking about.

9 She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you.

Now these rewards and blessings connected to wisdom, they’re not just referring to what will come in this life. As we read through this book of Proverbs, let’s understand that we’re talking about practical Christian living. And that’s going to tie in with having wonderful blessings in this life, but most importantly and above all, this is referring to having blessings in the Kingdom of God. When it says here:

9 She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you.

That’s referring to eternal life. That’s referring to being a king and a priest and a teacher in the Kingdom of God. That’s referring to being a very member of the family of God as a spirit being, living for all eternity. So the blessings that flow from having the attitude of serving God and having wisdom, a gift from God, have to do with blessings in this life, yes—spiritual and physical. But most of all, they have to do with blessings in the life after this life, eternal life in the family of God, inheriting everything.

So, let’s make sure that we understand and that we have the big picture and that we have vision, that we don’t just limit the benefits of obeying God and applying wisdom to human existence. But let’s understand that it leads us to eternal life and as a spirit being existing in the family of God, and all of the glory and honor and greatness that goes with that. It just keeps on going when you start looking into this subject of wisdom and digging into the depth of this subject and pulling back the layers. The blessings just keep on building and mushrooming and burgeoning and blossoming. What a wonderful thing! And God says if we ask for wisdom, He’ll give it to us, and if we seek it, we will find it.

10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your life shall be many.

11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.

12 When you go, your steps shall not be straitened—

or, in other words, hindered

12 —and when you run, you shall not stumble.

You know, if you’re running a race, or you’re out jogging, you don’t want to stumble around and fall and injure yourself. You want to have a good steady stride, a smooth way of running. Well, wisdom when applied to our everyday living, and applied to our walking and running through life, helps to smooth that out.

13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.

Firm hold. See, in other words, instead of seeking physical things and physical fame and physical fulfillment, we’re talking about a higher level of living. We’re talking about graduate Christianity if you will. We’re very thankful for physical things, and we thank God for them, and we use them properly, and reflect Jesus Christ and glorify the Father, and share with others these physical things.

But our main pursuit has to do with spiritual things, has to do with wisdom and instruction and direction from God. Trying to do the will of God. Obeying the law of God. Following where Jesus Christ leads. Living our lives in a way that is really practical and is really worthwhile and really useful based on spiritual principles. What wonderful peace and confidence that brings.

It says here, Proverbs 4:13:

13 Take firm hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.

14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

Just don’t even go there. If you find yourself drifting in that direction, put the brakes on, stop now, turn and go the other way because the outcome will be predictable. It’s going to be painful. It’s going to be disastrous. You will fail, and so will I, if we go that way.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

From it, is what it’s saying. Do not travel on it. Notice how the Bible is written here. It repeats it. It accumulates a description here because God wants it to be emphasized. He wants to nail the point home.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

In other words, they just live for dealing out misery and for creating havoc and for being involved in violence and evil things, and we don’t want to have any part to do with any of those people in any of those acts if we’re really going to obey God.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.

I don’t know how it could be put any better than verse 18. If we try to do what God says, we grow stronger and stronger and happier and happier and more and more powerful in our service to God and to His people. Like a light that just gets brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter until the perfect day. What a wonderful description of living God’s way.

Of course, we’ll have problems. Of course, we’ll have tests and trials. Of course, we’ll make mistakes. But when we do that, and we come before God and we repent and change and really begin to turn around and listen to what God says, the light will begin to get brighter again and brighter and brighter and brighter, all the way through until we are resurrected right into the Kingdom of God at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

In the world of the wicked, it just gets darker and darker and darker and darker until finally, their light goes out.

20 My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.

This is a description of keeping God’s way and God’s words close to our thinking and close to our lives all day long. Wherever we go, we are mindful of God, mindful of His words, mindful of His instructions, mindful of His guidelines, mindful of His truth. And we never put ourselves in the position where we forget that. We never put ourselves around people where we lose that awareness and that keen desire to obey God and do what He says. So it’s described here in verse 21 of keeping it close to us. Keeping the truth, keeping wisdom, keeping His instructions close to us, in our minds and in our hearts and before our eyes wherever we go.

22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Physical benefits are there as well as spiritual benefits—even physical health, no doubt about it.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Guard the door of your mind. Be careful about what we let in and what we allow to influence us. We have to be careful about that. We have to guard the door of our minds like we guard the door to our home, and therefore keep wrong thoughts, wrong ideas, garbage and all of that, out of our minds. Keep our minds clear and uncluttered and pure and right and in line with what God says. And wisdom certainly is something that we can fill our minds with that will keep us on track in our relationship with God, and being filled with His holy spirit will help us keep our minds pure and connected with God and His way.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence—

Don’t let stuff in there that shouldn’t go in there. Don’t look at things that we shouldn’t look at. Don’t listen to things that we shouldn’t listen to. Don’t let them stay in there. Expunge them. Push them out and replace them with good things.

24 Put away from you a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from you.

25 Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids look straight before you.