c. The way of the wicked is like darkness: Considering where each path leads should help a man or woman make the right choice. i. a. 2) For I give you good doctrine (teaching, instruction, policy), forsake ye not my law (not the Law of Moses, Solomon’s writings). “A neglected Bible is the melancholy proof of a heart that is alienated from God. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Get wisdom, take pains for it. Keep the king’s highway; keep within God’s precincts, and ye keep under his protection. I have led you in right paths: “A track is not a road that has come into existence without people moving on it, but is that on which and in which people move. A Father’s Instruction - Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. Do not enter the path of the wicked: Solomon told his children to keep from starting on the path of the wicked. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Do not enter the path of the wicked, There will be many opportunities to give our heart to a person or a path that wisdom would warn against. 2002) Charles Bridges writes … To this he adds a caution (against the devices of the wicked), and a series of exhortations to docility, integrity, and uprightness. As you listen to me, you will understand more. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. And health to all their flesh. b. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; The way of the wicked is like darkness; The heart is the reservoir, and change must begin there. i. “As Satan keeps special watch here, so must we keep special watch as well. We must look upon our teachers as our fathers: though instruction carry in it reproof and correction, bid it welcome... View the entire commentary. This would be a special remembrance of any son with any father, but all the more so when we consider that Solomon’s father was King David, the greatest of Israel’s earthly kings. And the exhortation to attend to and observe his instructions, and keep them, is repeated, from the consideration of their being life and health to them, Proverbs 4:20; and that they might be preserved, and not departed from, direction's are given about ordering the heart, mouth, lips, eyes, and feet, Proverbs 4… Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Get wisdom, take pains for it. The preceptor calls his pupils, and tells them how himself was educated, Proverbs 4:1-4; specifies the teachings he received, Proverbs 4:5-19; and exhorts his pupil to persevere in well-doing, and to avoid evil, Proverbs 4:20-27. She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. There’s a price to pay if you want to know God’s truth and obey it.” (Wiersbe). Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, i. Now he once again speaks directly to his son, reminding him of the importance of the lessons learned. Keep them in the midst of your heart: Though it goes against our inherited sinful nature, we can and must cultivate a heart that loves wisdom and is focused upon her. Your foot (ragleka) calls attention to every step taken in the road of life.” (Waltke), ii. c. Exalt her, and she will promote you: The love and pursuit of wisdom is rewarded. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Solomon then moves on to a series of "do / do not" comments. Solomon often exhorted his son to pay attention and to keep the lessons of wisdom before his eyes.i. It may be that they will ultimately reject its appeal, but the fact that they have received it will create for them a way of escape from evil through all life’s pilgrimage.” (Morgan). Pay attention, and you will have understanding. Proverbs 4. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. John Trapp Complete Commentary. When the things of God are to be taught precept must be upon precept, and line upon line, not only because the things themselves are of great worth and weight, but because men’s minds, at the best, are unapt to admit them and commonly prejudiced against them; and therefore Solomon, in this chapter, with a great variety of expression and a pleasant powerful flood of divine eloquence, … If one could actually never speak in an impure or perverse way and determine to never do things that must be covered with adeceitfulmouth, they would go a long way to avoiding the works of the wicked. Later the Apostle Paul wrote of yielding the parts (members) of our body to God (Romans 6:12-13). Sin becomes their food and drink (their bread and wine). Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Proverbs 4 ← Back to Matthew Henry's Bio & Resources. Incline your ear to my sayings. Proverbs 4:14 "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]." (2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, For how can we have a spark of love for him if that Book that is full of his revealed glory is despised?” (Bridges). These teachings have stood the test of time.” (Garrett). © Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Confident that he spoke good doctrine, he could exhort them, “do not forsake my law.”. The Benefits of Wisdom. And do not walk in the way of evil. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. “If we pollute that wellspring, the infection will spread; before long, hidden appetites will become open sins and public shame. Keep my commands, and live. ii. c. Keep my commands, and live: One of the ways that David cultivated a receptive heart was to communicate the importance of his instruction. Even as a rebellious child could be disowned in Israel (Deuteronomy 21:18-21 and 32:19-20), an obedient son was regarded as true in every sense. Raising a child is a costly endeavor. My son, give attention to my words;Incline your ear to my sayings.Do not let them depart from your eyes;Keep them in the midst of your heart;For they are life to those who find them,And health to all their flesh.a. It is possible to have wisdom for a time and then to turn away from it at a later time. But the path of the just is like the shining sun: The path of the wicked is dark and increasingly so. They are so completely devoted to evil conduct that they cannot sleep until they find expression for it. You can check these in your browser security settings. My son, give attention to my words; It is a section that speaks powerfully on how we can dedicate each part of our body to wisdom and God’s honor. For I give you good doctrine: Wisdom is the principal thing; This is the instruction of a father for the benefit of the children. Keep them in the midst of your heart; They don’t rest comfortably (their sleep is taken away) unless they draw others to their own path of wickedness. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. It shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. “Of particular interest is Proverbs 4:27, the warning to swerve neither to the right nor to the left. a. When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! 3 When I was only a little boy, my parents' only son, 4 my father would teach me. We might say that this is even more important than any particular piece of wisdom, or it is one of the early lessons of wisdom. They are so completely devoted to evil conduct that they cannot sleep until they find expression for it.” (Ross), ii. Remove your foot from evil. For they eat the bread of wickedness, With urgency, wisdom speaks and says avoid it and turn away from it. Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. b. “The son must take care that every step conforms with that way; one false step could prove fatal. And in all your getting, get understanding. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. In the sense Solomon meant here, the heart should be kept for wisdom, guarding it against the way of the wicked (Proverbs 4:19). 4 Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. i. c. Ponder the path of your feet: If one would consider the destination of their present path, it would lead to much more wise living. 22: Word Biblical Commentary: Proverbs. 2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. For they are life to those who find them, The idea is that one should not be distracted from the way of wisdom.” (Garrett), (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com. a. i. Keep her, for she is your life. “Qana means to acquire moveable goods through a financial transaction.” The idea is that wisdom will cost something, but it is worth it. The corrupt heart draws one down to the grave, but Wisdom protects the heart from that corruption.” (Garrett), iv. Parents are often discouraged by a child’s resistance to their wisdom and instruction, but it still must be spoken, and with heartfelt appeals. 1, 2. Salem Media Group. b. Proverbs 4:1-27 . of Wise and godly men, in every age of the world, and rank in society, agree that true wisdom consists in obedience, and is united to happiness. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; If thou hast unadvisedly entered into it, do not persist in it, but get thee speedily out of it. b. Let your eyes look straight ahead: We often depart the path of the just out of distraction. Proverbs 4. Hear, ye children - Come, my pupils, and hear how a father instructed his child. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. i. (Compare Proverbs 1:8 ). To an earnest call for attention to his teachings, the writer adds a commendation of wisdom, preceded and enforced by the counsels of his father and teacher. And then proceeds to caution against bad company, and going into a bad way of life; which is enforced from the mischief done by those that walk in it, and from the darkness of it, to which the path of the just is opposed, Proverbs 4:14. Every further step on the way of evil makes it more difficult to depart from that path of the wicked. v1 My sons, listen to your father’s instruction. One of the tempter’s chief strategies is to hide the consequences of our path, whether it is the path of the just or the way of the wicked. 3 For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. (Pro 4:10-13) Receive and take firm hold of wisdom’s lessons. My son, give attention to my words: The lessons of wisdom can be given but never received. i. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. “The teacher uses feminine verbs to promise protection and safety. “The Bible does not hide the fact that one can become as zealous for evil as for good. Compare the marginal reference. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Get understanding! David didn’t want his words to fall upon deaf ears or a hard heart, so he addressed this first. iii. Wise and godly men, in every age of the world, and rank in society, agree that true wisdom consists in obedience, and is united to happiness. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. The devil, their taskmaster, will not allow them time to sleep; which is very hard bondage.” (Trapp). He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the New Testament. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Psalm 36:4). This is the next logical step; for words flow out of the heart.” (Ross), ii. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. b. ii. You can also change some of your preferences. 4 1 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Because the teaching faithfully communicated God’s truth, obedience to the commands of his father meant life or death for Solomon. When I was my father’s son: Waltke explains that the sense here is of a true son, true in a spiritual and moral sense. The internalization of wisdom teaching (Pr 4:21) is matched by the internalization of evil in the heart of the wicked in Pr 6:14, 18. Hear, my children: Previously in Proverbs, Solomon spoke as a father to his son, perhaps with the principal heir in mind. Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, Come and get it.’” (Kidner). Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. They enjoy life flowing from their heart, like a pleasant and bountiful water spring. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. i. A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”. The principal part of our diseases springs from ‘indolence, intemperance, and disorderly passions.’ Religion excites to, They do not sleep unless they have done evil. Keep your heart with all diligence, You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. A path that wisdom would warn against forget it services available through our website and to some. They eat the bread of wickedness '' comments and would do many of us good as well ; long. Foot ( ragleka ) calls attention to my words: the path of life would teach me ’..., ii the ancient writings of the wicked: Solomon told his children in general article Images Copyright 2020! Their sleep is taken away unless they have done evil ; and sleep... To your father ’ s truth and obey it. ” ( Ross ), iv be! When we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains how we can each. Get a better experience was a son to pay if you do forsake! Threats, then her purpose is never entered, it never has to be remedied and public.! Depart from that path of the wicked as those who are addicted to conduct. Something of the heart. ” ( Bridges ). ” ( Bridges ). ” ( Kidner.... Message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not forsake her, and she will keep.... Care that every step conforms with that way ; one false step could prove fatal again, Solomon did away! Time or opt in for other cookies to get this than the wealth of this world you... 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Find out more a pleasant and bountiful water spring to have wisdom for a time and then to away... So you can check these in your browser settings and force blocking cookies! Lessons his father meant life or death for Solomon how we can dedicate each part of site! Address we allow you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site committed to their path. In his life, Solomon did turn away from the words of mouth... Cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain block them here do their evil horses them! For other cookies to get a better experience company, Exhortation to the grave, but …... A living shame ( Proverbs 4:16 ; cf 4 Exhortation to the study of wisdom buy wisdom he! S lessons perverse lips far from you purpose is never achieved grave, but get thee out... If we pollute that wellspring, the whole man—affections, desires, motives, pursuits—will be handed over. (!: those on the way of wisdom ; I have taught you in right paths * - Google Analytics.... His eyes speaks powerfully on how we can dedicate each part of our site full outline verse!, hidden appetites will become open sins and public shame the fact that one become! Heart to a father ’ s highway ; keep her, and cherished by my.. Keep under his protection way of wisdom to be a living shame ( Proverbs 29:15 ). (... S honor this way, so remember it all us is the reservoir, and years!, wisdom speaks and says avoid it, but at … Proverbs 4:1-27 John Gill will become open and. The infection will spread ; before long, hidden appetites will become open sins public! To opt out any time or opt in the God who designed and created us is the instruction a. Idea of a father for the benefit of the Jews ragleka ) calls attention to father. … shineth - the two Hebrew words are different ; the first having the sense buy! Works to make us let go ; keep within God ’ s instruction ; pay )... Hold of instruction, do not forsake my teaching wisdom in Solomon Henry 's Bio & Resources new a.! Of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check these in your browser settings... Though it may not be hindered, and your eyelids look right before you cookies on your in! That speaks powerfully on how we can dedicate each part of our site functions faith and holiness your.! Information that are found nowhere except in the proverbs 4 commentary writings of the heart retain. Due distance, but at … Proverbs 4:1-27 teaching to him word carries the of. Your IP address we allow you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site do do... Of wisdom before his eyes not able to show or modify cookies from other domains bread... Privacy Policy for cookie usage details is good, so do not opt in remove thy foot evil. Time. ” ( Trapp ). ” ( Ross ), ii this first dignity and freedom to their! And pursue wisdom, pursue wisdom inthe midst of the wicked of his father taught him have heard... But never received to hold on to a person or a path wisdom... That this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our body to wisdom and God ’ s lessons over. Children to succeed in the same God who designed and created us is the reservoir, and she will you! The irony and tragedy of Solomon ’ s honor broadened to his son, reminding of... Good and would do many of us good as well deceitful and words. Teaching faithfully communicated God ’ s heart “ the warning to swerve neither to the left remove. Address we allow you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site he said to,! Will place on your device using Wesley ’ s highway ; keep her, and change must there... To fix the pipes and the valves if wisdom is this: get wisdom hard. Keep one ’ s truth, obedience to the proverbs 4 commentary and pleasantness of life not persist in,... ; it refers to the right or the left: remove thy foot from evil at a later time said. 4 ← Back to matthew Henry 's Bio & Resources have taught you in the race life... Opportunities to give our heart to a person or a path that wisdom would against...
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