A Study by Scott Sperling   Proverbs 4 - A Father’s Instruction 1  Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. 2  I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3  For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 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. 5  Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6  Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7  The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8  Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. 9  She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”   In this chapter, again, we have Solomon addressing his son concerning the value of wisdom.  Solomon here covers similar material as in the previous chapters, though with subtle variations and emphases. We may question why there are similarities between the teaching here, and in the previous chapters.  The answer to this can be found in the stubbornness of the human mind in allowing such teachings to sink in and become a part of one’s existence, such that they are reflected in the actions we take and decisions we make in life. We need this instruction drilled into our heads. “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 eloqiience, inculcates the same things that he had pressed upon us in the foregoing chapters” [Henry, 809]. “So drowsy are we all that we need our attention to be continually aroused” [JFB, 423]. “A mind like Solomon’s, ‘large even as the sand that is on the seashore’ (see I Kings 4:29), might readily have made every sentence a fresh discovery of his knowledge. But more suitable to our sluggish and forgetful heart is ‘the word of the Lord, precept upon precept’ (see Isa. 28:13)” [Bridges, 43-44].  There are three sections in this chapter, each beginning with a direct address by Solomon to, in his words, “my son.” The chapter begins: “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching” (vss. 1-2). It is an obligation for parents to teach their children godly wisdom. Such an education is an act of love. We in our worldliness think that buying gifts and giving our kids a comfortable life is the best way to show our love for them. No. Far better it is to educate them in the ways of the Lord, to give them a clear understanding of right and wrong, and to lead them to an appreciation of the sacrifice that Jesus made for them. The poorest parent can give their children these valuable gifts. “Training discipline, not foolish indulgence, is the truest evidence of affection to our tender and beloved ones” [Bridges, 45]. “It is the truest mark of love on the part of the parent to teach the child in the ways of heavenly wisdom; and to leave a child untaught is virtually to act as if you hated him” [JFB, 423]. “If my infancy is spent among those whose main thought is ‘to get’ riches, I acquire imperceptibly the love of money…. But if in infancy I live with those whose love is wholly centred upon Religion, who cherish her with unaffected ardour and respond to her claims with kindling emotion, I may in after life be seduced from her holy ways for awhile, but I am always haunted by the feeling that I have left my first love, I am restless and uneasy until I can win back that ‘old bride-look of earlier days.’… The first thing, then, is to give our children an atmosphere to grow up in; to cultivate their affections, and set their hearts on the things eternal; to make them associate the ideas of wealth and honour, of beauty and glory, not with material possessions, but with the treasures and rewards of Wisdom” [Horton, 55]. Such an education is best given by the parents themselves, not surrogates such as Sunday-school teachers (much as their roles are valuable). “The father (and mother), not the professional teacher or the pastor or government official, has the most profound responsibility and opportunity to lead a young person in the right way. Only a parent can implore the young person to do what is right with the depth of love and concern displayed here” [Garrett, 88]. “God has no kinder gift to give us than a hallowed home, the memory of lessons from the lips of father and mother, the early impressions of virtue and wisdom, the sacred streams which rise from that fountainhead, and that alone, and run freshening and singing and broadening all through our lives” [Horton, 53]. It is best that this education begin early in the child’s life. “The branch is easily bent when it is young and tender” [Bridges, 810]. “Early instruction will be retained, recalled, and reproduced” [Pulpit, 99]. “There is always a measure of identification between father and son, so that a son understands and thinks ‘when I grow up, that’s what I will be.’ The father-status already exists as a potentiality in the son” [Waltke, 381]. “Wisdom doth live with children round her knees” [the poet Wordsworth]. As it is the obligation for the parent to teach, so it is the obligation for the child to listen, as Solomon says: “Listen, my sons…; pay attention…” “The obligation is reciprocal. It lies on parents to teach; it lies on children to learn” [Wardlaw, 127]. And though best taught to youth, all of us benefit from learning or re-learning, as the case may be, godly truths. Though we may be grown, ’tis not an excuse to ignore this teaching. “Let all that would receive instruction come with the disposition of children, though they be grown persons. Let all prejudices be laid aside, and the mind be as white paper. Let them be dutiful, tractable, and self-diffident, and take the word as the word of a father, which comes both with authority and with affection” [Henry, 810] Solomon speaks personally of receiving this same instruction from his father David: “For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 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’” (vss. 3-4). The idea that the instruction is passed down, generation after generation, strengthens the teaching. “The writer is fortifying and strengthening his instruction by the authority of his father, showing that what he was laying before others he had had placed before him” [Pulpit, 84]. “By recalling his own upbringing and citing his father, the teacher both identifies with the present struggles in his son’s life and reinforces the paternal dignity of his words” [Garrett, 89]. “When the father refers to and quotes his father, he signals that the authority of his teaching rests not primarily on his life experience or position in the family but on the generations before him. The father passes on information, beliefs, and customs that the community has tested and reclaimed time and again” [Yoder, 76]. “This linking of three generations demonstrates how a love of the best things will be transmitted mainly by personal influence, along the channels of affection” [Kidner, 63]. “Divine wisdom is the best of family heirlooms; yet, divine wisdom will not remain as a family heirloom without special care in retaining and transmitting it… Piety should be a family tradition” [Pulpit, 92]. “Families are reckoned honourable, when a rich estate passes from father to son, through many generations; but it is a far more lovely sight, to behold the same faith dwelling in a rising family, that dwelt in their mother, and father, and remote ancestor” [Lawson, 77]. Solomon repeats his father’s teaching: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them” (vs. 5). Literally, Solomon says (expressing the value of wisdom), buy wisdom, buy  understanding [Zockler, 71]. In another expression of wisdom’s value, Solomon pictures wisdom as a protecting spouse: “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you” (vs. 6). Solomon encourages persistence: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (vs. 7). The instruction is clear: “Get wisdom, get understanding,… Get wisdom, get understanding” (vss. 5, 7). “You begin to be wise when you begin to love and seek wisdom” [JFB, 423]. Solomon relates the value of wisdom in no uncertain terms: “Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (vs. 7). “Whatever he treasured in his heart as more precious than wisdom and in which he invested his time, energy, and resources must be given up to get wisdom” [Waltke, 387]. “A miser will never forget where his treasure lies, and he will lose his life sooner than be robbed of his precious store. The love of wisdom will in like manner induce us to lay it up in our hearts, and to keep fast hold of it in defiance of every danger… Setting so high a value upon it himself, it was his great desire that his beloved son should get it also. And those parents who are possessed of David’s spirit, would rather see their children wise unto salvation, than rich and great in the world. Evil parents are not so bad as to refuse bread and fishes to their children. Good parents use every means to make them sharers of that wisdom, which they have found to be their own happiness” [Lawson, 79]. Solomon continues with the picture of wisdom as a treasured loved-one: “Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown” (vss. 8-9). Youth of a certain age can identify with this. Our closeness, and intimacy (if you will), with wisdom should rival that as with a man or woman whom we “cherish”. Such an intimacy with Wisdom brings benefits: “She will exalt you… she will honor you… She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” With wisdom, naturally comes honor, and even exaltation. Do you want to “get ahead in life”? Practice godly wisdom.     Proverbs 4:10-19 – Walking in Wisdom   10  Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. 11  I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along stright paths. 12  When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. 13  Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. 14  Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. 15  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. 16  For they cannot rest until they do evil;   they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. 17  They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.   18  The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,   shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;   they do not know what makes them stumble. Solomon’s common phrase, “Listen, my son,…”  signals the beginning of a new section. In this section, Solomon speaks of walking through life in the way of Wisdom. He begins: “Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths” (vss. 10-11). He mentions first that the way of Wisdom will, in general, lead to long life, as “the years of your life will be many.” Certainly, we know of the health benefits of living wisely, not only of, say, remaining sober and drug-free, but also the health benefits of living a simple godly life, depending on God, and avoiding the stress that profligate living brings. Sin inevitably brings consequences, many of them unhealthy, many of them dangerous. Solomon, as the advising father, teaches not just with words, but with actions. He says, “I instruct you…”  and “I lead you…” “Teaching and leading are closely allied, but not identical. It is possible, and common, to have the first in large measure, where the second is wanting. They are two elements which together make up a whole. With both, education in a family will go prosperously on: where one is wanting, it will be halting and ineffectual… It is easier to tell another the right way, than to walk in it yourself...  Great is the effect when parents consistently and steadfastly go before their children, giving them a daily example of their daily precepts” [Arnot, 116]. The instruction is in the “way of wisdom”, and the leading is “along the straight paths.” When traveling, we seek the “straight paths”:  the paths with fewest obstacles; the paths that get us safely and quickly to our destination. Solomon speaks of the benefits of walking through life along the straight path: “When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble” (vs. 12). Steps can be seen as steps through life, a metaphor for each decision [Waltke, 393]. Wisdom contributes to correct decisions, thus limiting being “hampered.” We normally “walk” through life, but at times, we “run”, in times of urgencies and emergencies, times when prompt and decisive action is called for. Through Wisdom, in these times, we “will not stumble.” Given these benefits of wisdom, Solomon advises to grasp and guard it: “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life” (vs. 13). “Having received the heavenly doctrine with joy, do not let it go, through impatience or weariness, or through carelessness” [JFB, 424]. “Truths received only in the understanding, not becoming the daily nourishment of the soul, never fix on the heart. The fast hold of instruction is by a personal living faith; including an intense interest, and persevering pursuit” [Bridges, 46]. Solomon expresses clearly the great value of living wisely: “…for it is your life.” Solomon makes clear his advice to avoid the way of the wicked: “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way” (vss. 14-15). His rapid exhortations add urgency to his commands: “Do not set… [Do not] walk… Avoid it… Do not travel… Turn from it… Go on.” Solomon gives “six different ways of saying ‘Don’t go there’” [Koptak, 146]. As Solomon is speaking to his son, he knows well the importance of this instruction to the young. “All who have, or ever have had, the charge of the young, must be aware of the natural predisposition to evil. Account for it as you will, the fact is beyond question, established by the recorded experience of all the thousands of years of the world’s history. Were the original bent of our nature to good, the difficulty would be to persuade to evil” [Wardlaw, 138]. The essence of this teaching is the total avoidance of evil: no dabbling allowed, not even one step on the “path of the wicked.” “It is far more easy to shun the occasion of sin, than the sin when the occasion presents it; to resist the beginnings, than the progress, of sin. There must, therefore, be no tampering with it; no trial of strength, to see how far our resolutions will keep us... To pretend to dread sin without fearing temptation, is self-delusion” [Bridges, 48]. Though we think we are immune to sin, we are easily seduced by it. “Of little sins we are not afraid, but say within ourselves, ‘These sins are attended with little danger, are they not little ones? Surely our souls shall not die though we fall into them.’ We are as little afraid of great sins, because we think them so shocking that we cannot fall into them. Frequently does it happen, that labouring under such misapprehensions as these, men lay down their heads upon the lap of temptation, and awake like Samson in the hands of their enemies” [Lawson, 85-86]. “Do not delay a moment, or dally with temptation, but flee the least occasions of sin with the promptness with which Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife (see Gen. 39:10)” [JFB, 424]. Solomon next describes the mindset and life-style of the evildoers: “For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence” (vss. 16-17). “They are so addicted to evil that it has become their sedative by night and their food and drink by day. Whereas the uncommitted youth are complacent toward evil (see 1:20-33), evil has now taken over, triumphed, and destroyed those who did not avoid it” [Waltke, 391]. “There is more than irony in this picture of upside- down morality, where wickedness has become meat and drink and even duty. It is a warning against setting foot on a path which one might think adventurous and diverting, for it can lead as far as this. The Bible does not hide the fact that one can become as zealous for evil as for good” [Kidner, 64]. The irony is that evildoers consider themselves free, as they live with no bounds, but they are, in truth, slaves to sin, “robbed of sleep”, not content without the “bread of wickedness”  and the “wine of violence.” “They are very slaves, for they are in bondage to impetuous passions, which prescribe service hard and impossible to be performed” [Lawson, 82]. Even more sadly, evildoers are not content to sin by themselves. They are “robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble” (vs. 16). They get satisfaction from corrupting others. They get no rest until they have entrapped others in the same enslaving web. This picture of the sinful life should teach us “how zealous we ought to be of good works. Why should the servants of the best Master labour in his service with less fidelity and resolution than those that serve the devil, and work for his poor wages? If we have David’s spirit, we will not give sleep to our eyes, nor slumber to our eyelids, till we have done the work of the day for God. The faithful followers of Christ will count it their meat and their drink to do the will of their heavenly Father” [Lawson, 85]. Solomon gives a concluding comparison: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (vss. 18-19). The contrast between living godly, and the way of the wicked is as great as the “full light of day” and “deep darkness.”  God is light; sin is darkness. “Light is emblematic of knowledge, holiness, and joy… Darkness is, as an image, the opposite of light. It represents ignorance, unholiness, and misery… The way of the wicked being ‘as darkness,’ implies at once its cheerlessness and its danger” [Wardlaw, 141, 142, 143]. “The way of sin is in all respects one of darkness. It is dark in its origin, dark in its course, and dark in its end” [Pulpit, 97]. Children are wise to be afraid of the dark.   Proverbs 4:20-27 – Wisdom in the Whole Body 20  My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21  Do not let them out of your sight,   keep them within your heart; 22  for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23  Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 24  Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25  Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26  Give careful thought to the paths for your feet   and be steadfast in all your ways. 27  Do not turn to the right or the left;   keep your foot from evil.   In this section, Solomon speaks of the role the whole body has in walking the way of wisdom. He speaks of the ears, the heart, the mouth, the lips, the eyes, and the feet. “Assaulted as we are at every point, every inlet of sin must be strongly guarded” [Bridges, 53]. First he speaks of the ears, the sight and the heart: “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body” (vss. 20-22). He exhorts his son to first “pay attention” and “turn your ear to my words.” Much of the success of living a godly life depends on where we choose to “turn” our ears, and keep our “sight”. Exposure to the ways of sin through turning our ears toward bawdy talk, and our sight toward movies and media which espouse the ways of the wicked, is more harmful than we think. Though we think it is harmless just to hear or see, and not participate, through the hearing and seeing, sin finds its way into our hearts. Sadly, modern media is rife with ungodly themes. It is near impossible to find solid, life-affirming, godly movies, music and books. Important is the exhortation to “turn our ears” toward godly influence and instruction, to “not let them out of our sight.” Solomon emphasizes the importance of keeping the ways of sin from infiltrating the heart: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (vs. 23). Jesus gave similar teaching: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). In the Bible, the heart is the seat of affections, emotions, and the will, and represents the true, inner self, as opposed to outer visible actions.  At times, we can fool others with our outer actions, which may not always truly reflect what is in our heart. But eventually, our actions and speech will reflect what is in our heart. “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  So Solomon here exhorts: “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (vs. 23). “As the heavenly Ten Commandments were housed in the ark in the center of the holy of holies, the father’s teaching should be housed right in the middle of the son’s heart” [Waltke, 403]. “If the citadel be taken, the whole town must surrender. If the heart be seized, the whole man — the affections, desires, motives, pursuits — all will be yielded up” [Bridges, 53]. “If we guard our house, much more must the heart be guarded; the watches must there be doubled” [Zockler, 93]. Solomon continues: “Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips” (vs. 24). “The tongue is a world of iniquity, and needs a world of care to manage it” [Lawson, 91].  Lying, gossip, slander, backbiting, encouraging evil, cursing: there are many sins of the tongue. James also speaks of the importance of controlling one’s speech: “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check… Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:2,5-10). “Words offer the first and readiest egress for evil… While we speak, we should never forget that God is one of the listeners” [Arnot, 126]. Next, Solomon speaks of discipline concerning where we look: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you” (vs. 25). Through where we look, we can get distracted, and misled, from the way of wisdom. “One must not turn aside from the plain way of integrity, nor even look wishfully at any other course” [Stuart, 187]. Finally, Solomon speaks of the paths our feet take: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (vss. 25-26). It is important to “give careful thought” to any path we choose to take. We must look ahead as to exactly where it will lead. “The best time to ponder any path, is not at the end, not even at the middle, but at the beginning of it… Those who ponder after they have entered it, are not in a position either to obtain the truth or to profit by it… Every step is great, because it affects the destiny of an immortal soul” [Arnot, 128]. “Snares are laid out for every path, yea for every step in your path” [Bridges, 54]. “God's holy law is our heavenly King’s highway. We must not in the least turn aside from it into the by-ways of superstitious will- worship on the one hand, and unbelieving self- sufficiency on the other” [JFB, 426]. “Keep the king’s highway: keep within God’s precincts, and ye keep under His protection” [Trapp].    Bibliography and Suggested Reading  Arnot, William.  Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth - Illustrations from the Book of Proverbs. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1873. Bridges, Charles.  An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs.  New York:  Robert Carter, 1847. Garrett, Duane A.  Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (New American Commentary, v. 14).  Broadman Press, 1993. Henry, Matthew.  An Exposition of All the Books of the Old and New Testament.  Vol. III.  London: W. Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horton, R. F.; Nicoll, W. Robertson, ed.  The Book of Proverbs (The Expositor’s Bible). New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1902. Jamieson, R.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David.  A Commentary, Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments, Vol. III - Job to Isaiah.  Philadelphia:  J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1866. Kidner, Derek.  Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).  Downers Grove, IL:  Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.  (Originally published in 1964). Koptak, Paul E.  The NIV Application Commentary:  Proverbs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2003. Lawson, George.  Exposition of the Book of Proverbs. Edinburgh:  David Brown, 1821. Longman III, Tremper.  Proverbs (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament:  Wisdom and Psalms).  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Baker Academic, 2006 (eBook edition 2012, 2015). Perowne, T. T.  The Proverbs, with Introduction and Notes.  Cambridge, UK:  University Press, 1899. Spence, Rev. H. D. M., and Joseph S. Exell.  The Pulpit Commentary: Proverbs.  London:  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co., Ltd, 1891. Stuart, Moses.  Commentary on the Book of Proverbs. New York:  M. W. Dodd, 1852. Trapp, John.  Exposition of the Whole Bible. Vol. 3. Originally published in c. 1660. Waltke, Bruce K.  The Book of Proverbs:  Chapters 1-15  (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament).  Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans, 2004. Wardlaw, Ralph.  Lectures on the Book of Proverbs. Edinburgh:  A. Fullarton & Co., 1869. (Originally published in 1844). Yoder, Christine Elizabeth.  Proverbs:  Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries.  Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press, 2009. Zöckler, Dr. Otto.  The Proverbs of Solomon (A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures:  Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical, edited by John Peter Lange, D.D.).  New York:  Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1898. --------- Many of these books (those in public domain) can be downloaded free of charge from:  http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com