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The Two Paths of Wisdom (Proverbs 4:24)
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.” PROVERBS 4:24(ESV)[/perfectpullquote] DEFINITIONSCROOKED – not straight, bent, twisted, dishonest, corrupt, dubious, questionable, shady, under-the-table.
DEVIOUS – open to doubt or suspicion, plans and methods that are dishonest (in a complicated way).
THEME OF PROVERBS CHAPTER 4 – GET WISDOM AT ANY COST
The author of Proverbs 4 is King Solomon. He pleads with children to listen their father’s instruction (teachings) and then pay attention so that you can gain understanding (vs. 1). He continues to say that his teachings are sound and proper. In verse 4 he says “hold fast my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live”. He calls this wisdom! We are not to turn away from wisdom. We are to absorb it. Wisdom is a prize (vs. 8). Part of keeping wisdom is to avoid the path of the wicked (vss. 14,15). The wicked cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble (vs.16). BUT, the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day (vs. 18). Keep or guard your heart because everything that you do flows from it (vs. 23). This brings us to our verse for this study (vs. 24). Get rid of any crooked speech and ill planned talk. We are then directed by Solomon to keep our eyes focused forward and ponder the path of our feet.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION – NOTICING THE PROGRESSION
- Listen to the instruction of your parents
- Pay attention to the instruction so that you might gain understanding.
- Hold onto the teachings of your parents in your heart.
- Keep the teachings, absorb them, and then you will live by them.
- The prize of these steps he calls wisdom!!!
PERSONAL INSIGHT & REFLECTIONS
As an adult, have you ever done or said something and then said, “I just did or said something that my mom or dad used to do?” You imitated something one of your parents said or did. You were surprised at what just happened. A few decades ago, I heard a sermon on this subject at FBCA. We had a guest speaker that day. This is one of the illustrations that he used in regard to children acting out the actions of their parents. It must have been a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day because his message was on parenting and children listening to what their parents do or say. He said, “Parents, when you are living your life before your children did you know that they have a tape recorder within them. They are recording everything that you do and say. At some time in their lives, they rewind the tape recorder, push the play button and start living out the things that you did and said that they observed.” These are the steps of Proverbs 4. “He continued to say that they act out the things that you did that were good and guess what, they also act out and say the things that were bad.”
Children will also do and say things that they see and hear from their friends and peers. This is why it is so important that parents know their children’s friends and peers. They need to guard and protect their children from potential things, activities, and people who are crooked and devious. That brings us to our verse Proverbs 4:24 (listed above). If parents can teach their children the right things to do through the Word of God, then their children will be able to choose godly friends who are good role models. They will be able to see with their own eyes which of their potential friends are godly and which have evil intent. They will be able to decide for themselves. They would have applied the biblical teachings of their parents.
That is wisdom!!!
– Thanks for reading. Blessings from Carlton Ringer
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