Choosing A Path: Walking Through Proverbs 4

If you read Proverbs 3 and what I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago, then you might find Proverbs 4 to feel familiar. We looked at why attaining godly wisdom is important, and specifically, how it can bless us. Proverbs 3 was also clear about the negative repercussions of a life without wisdom. Today, we’ll see how Proverbs 4 continues with these ideas and describes two paths we can take.

But Dad…!

Proverbs 4 opens with something all of us have struggled with at some point in our lives. Parental instruction. Have you noticed that obeying parents and listening to their instructions is consistently encouraged in the Bible, even commanded? It’s not an option, and it’s actually wise to heed our parents’ advice. But, like, I don’t wanna!

From One Generation To The Next

“Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me,…”

Proverbs 4:1-4a

King Solomon, the traditionally credited author, tells his son not to ignore his teaching, and then he shares something his own father, King David, told him when he was younger. This isn’t just a king passing down wisdom to a future king; it’s fatherly advice and godly wisdom being passed down the generations.

This doesn’t seem to happen as often as it used to anymore. We expect and accept our children to roll their eyes at us when we share helpful guidance. Our kids think they know better, and too many parents live as if they agree with that sentiment. Perhaps having instantly accessible resources of information in our pockets at all times has made us insecure. Yes, there is a lot of information out there, but don’t let that create doubt in your mind. Most of what your children think they know has nothing to do with God and is often wrong. It’s the world’s wisdom, and our children still need fathers and mothers to impart godly truths. They need our guidance.  

“Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

Proverbs 4:5-9

King Solomon remembers his father’s words, and his message to his son is if he gains wisdom, it will keep him, guard him, exalt him, honor him, and be a crown on his head. Wise words, indeed, but he needs to warn his son, as well.

Two Paths In Proverbs 4

Solomon moves on from his father’s words of wisdom to his own and offers a warning about the importance of keeping hold of wisdom.

“Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.”

Proverbs 4:13

Your life?! Is King Solomon being a bit of a drama queen here? Keep reading, and you’ll see the absolute seriousness of following biblical wisdom in your life.

Path 1: Path Of The Wicked

“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.”

Proverbs 4:14-17

The path of the wicked is not a path of wisdom. The description we encounter of one’s life without wisdom is fully antithetical to the life we should have with the Lord. It’s so far removed from biblical wisdom that we’re warned to stay away from it in four different ways in one sentence.

1. Avoid it

2. Do not go on it

3. Turn away from it

4. Pass on

Path 2: Path Of Righteousness

The other path in life we can take is grounded in wisdom.

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”

Proverbs 4:18-19

Wisdom leads us onto the path of righteousness, but turning from it and towards the path of the wicked instead is darkness. It’s interesting how King Solomon describes the darkness. It’s so dark that those on the path can’t even see the dangers and what’s tripping them up. This reminds me of myself before I came to the Lord. I recognized problems in my life, but I couldn’t figure out what caused them. I wasn’t able to see what lie ahead and that I was my own problem. I needed off that path. Thankfully, on May 3, 2009, Jesus saved me, and I’ve sought His wisdom ever since (though not perfectly).

Stay Focused On What’s Ahead Of You

Proverbs 4 ends with an instruction to keep on keepin’ on. I’m paraphrasing, of course.

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

Proverbs 4:25-27

Walking in wisdom isn’t something we can just put on autopilot. Friend, wise living isn’t our natural state. As the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing says, we’re “prone to wander.” We get lazy, distracted, or tempted, and before you know it, we’re walking into foolishness. Believers know what to do and have all the instruction they need in God’s Word, yet we so easily step off the path of righteousness. Let’s be thankful for such a longsuffering God!

Final Thought

Proverbs 4 reiterates a lot of what we’ve already read in Proverbs 1-3, but it adds two important aspects of wisdom. First, we should be listening to the wisdom our parents have to share, and we ought to be actively passing down biblical wisdom to our own children, as well. Second, if we don’t choose wisdom, we are choosing the path of the wicked. It’s your choice, though. Will you embrace God’s wisdom and seek a life guided by it, or will you reject biblical wisdom for your own? There are two paths. Which one will you take?

Do you have wisdom from a parent that you have shared with your own children?

Image courtesy of Aaron Burden via Unsplash.