Proverbs 4
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Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
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.
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
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Commentary
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Many of our emotional and psychological struggles originate in our thoughts. Sometimes those thoughts get away from us and completely escape reality, complicating even simple misunderstandings. At other times we may trust the words of others who tell us what we want to hear, without using discernment.
I have often wondered how much emotional distress and even mental illness could be avoided if we were taught while young to guard our hearts. The authors of Proverbs understood the importance of this, and in the next few verses he breaks it down further: We must watch our speech. Jesus took this further when he warned in Matthew 12:34-37 that what is in our hearts is revealed in our speech. We are judged by what we say. Next, we should know what we want in life and fix our eyes (minds) on that so we aren’t distracted from those goals. Finally, we must not complicate our path through life by walking on the edge between what the world offers and the abundant life that God wants to provide us.
Cathy Kabanuk
Educator, Portland, Oregon USA (as of this writing)
