1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” 10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
Commentary
Vs. 1-9 1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
In exhorting us all to pursue wisdom King Solomon now recalls how his own father earnestly extorted him to do the same (vs. 1). To listen to his instructions and to keep his doctrine, to obey his law and do his commandments (vs. 3-4), for in doing these one finds life, that is one not only finds a high quality of life, but one also escapes the pathway of death, of suffering an ill-fated ruin brought on by one’s own misdeeds and behavior. Therefore, in recalling his own upbringing his exhortation grows even more pronounced and stronger in verses five to nine, when he says, “Get wisdom! Get understanding!” For that is the principal thing or the whole duty of man, to do His commandments, because through them wisdom is gained when one embraces His Word and keeps it. Indeed, it is by wisdom that one is preserved, one is exalted, and one escapes the many pitfalls and perilous people in this life. For it is by wisdom that one walks justly, righteously, and uprightly with God and Christ and thus shuns the spirit of this world and the god of this age with their degenerating morals and unrepentant values, as this world runs headstrong downward and thus is only reaching its sins fullness, and thus ushering in its own demise. Wisdom then is not some esoteric knowledge restricted to the few, for does not need to climb up to some mountain top to get, or search out the depths of the earth to find, but it is very near each and every one of us, found freely and graciously to everyone who believes and obeys God’s Word. All which begins by believing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:5-13). All the benefits then of doing so, of following wisdom are being exhorted here.
Vs. 10 "Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many."
Long life, goes hand in hand with living righteously, and of all that entails: honesty, integrity, charity, mercy, kindness, love and of course a life free of the moral filth and the spiritual corruption of this world (vs. 10). Therefore, hear and heed the Word and the Warning of the Lord Jesus Christ who tells us all about entering into His Life and His Kingdom that we: 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matt. 7:13-14 Start then by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (for there is no other way to be saved than by faith in Him, Acts 4:12), then set your heart, mind, and life, on doing and keeping His commandments, which will guide your steps and illuminate your paths into His Kingdom (see 2 Peter 1:5-11).
Vs. 11 “I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.”
Truly then God has given us all through His Son and His Word, and specifically these wonderful Proverbs in His Bible, the right course of life to follow! Examine them and see that what they declare in fact is what plays out in life, especially your own life, whether you believe them or not!
Vs. 12 “When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.”
Wisdom makes a smooth pathway for all who keep her, giving stability to one’s person and steadiness in one’s life when they keep and do God’s Wisdom.
Vs. 13 “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.”
Taking firm hold of instruction through the Word of God is what will make and keep your life right. Indeed, wisdom is life for all who take hold of her. Which is in contrast to the culture of rebellion that glorifies the rebellious, “glorifies” the one who casts aside wisdom and casts of all restraint, who lives by their own counsels, and thus suffers their own fate, even trying to entice the naïve and vulnerable into thinking that rebellion, (especially rebellion against God), leads to “freedom”, when all it leads to is one’s own bondage, destruction, and ruin. For the rebellious do not like instruction, indeed it is an abomination to them, and so they built themselves thin-walled houses on their foundations of sand while boastfully encouraging and prompting others to do the same, but their ways always have an end, an end that does not last, nor endure (Job 21:14-16; Psalm 1:1-6; 37:18).
Vs. 14-17 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.
Do not then enter the path of the wicked, that is follow their wicked course of life, nor align oneself with them in business or anything else, for whom you associate with is whom you just may become! And aligning oneself with those whom you know are wicked is only going to harm you, and or your reputation as a trustworthy person in the end.
Nor walk in the way of evil, that is do not go with those who are living sinful and evil lives. For the life of sin always has its dark and sad end, and though they may confidently and arrogantly boast of all their evil works and ways, God’s judgment is assured them all (Psalm 18:26). Therefore, never entertain thoughts of befriending them, or “hanging out” with them, because following their paths will only corrupt your own, and they will only lead you to your own personal misery and ruin. For they themselves cannot even sleep unless they have done some evil deed, or made some person fall, “For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.” Vs. 17
Vs. 18-19 18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.
In contrast then to the pathway of evil, is that pathway of the just. And so here we get a wonderful picture of the beautiful life of the just, of the pure life which radiates and illuminates not only their persons and lives with the light of the world Jesus Christ, but also their persons and lives radiate to all those around them, what is good and sound and right. And since they walk in the light as God is light, they are inherently being guided by Him into more light and life. That is what is meant when the Scriptures says that the just are ever shining until the perfect day; which is the Day when God will Judge the world in righteousness, and all the works and deeds of man done in it, through the Man who He has appointed to do so, the Man Jesus Christ (Acts 17:30-31). In contrast then to the pathway of the just; which is ever increasing in light and life; is the way of the wicked which is like darkness, which is the degenerating realm of sinful living where there is no light and life, where ones own understanding of what is good and right becomes more and more darkened as one continues on it. Therefore when anyone rejects God and His Word and chooses that path for themselves, they are then left to their own darkened understanding. And so they live without care and concern, because they're consciences have now been seared with a hot iron, so that sin and darkness now seems like the only "normal" path of life to follow. And so they continue on in the same evil course of life, which only leads them downward into more and more of the same or worse. Now the saddest thing about that whole picture is that they do not even see that their own ruin is coming though their own evil deeds.
Vs. 20-27 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
Vs. 20-22 Having just warned us of the fate of the wicked, we are once again admonished to give heed to what we are reading, to incline our ears to it, and not let God’s Wisdom and Word depart from our eyes, but rather to keep it and its truths in the midst of our hearts (vs. 20-21). For truly, keeping and obeying God’s Word, His Wisdom, brings life and health to everyone who does (vs. 22, also consider John 6:63).
Vs. 23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
Because the heart is where the core of all of our beliefs are held, we are to keep it with all diligence, and not let it become corrupted by the degenerating morals and worsening values of this world. For what one takes into one’s heart is what one will become, therefore we are to guard our hearts (and minds) with all diligence and not expose them to all of godlessness and wickedness in this world. For example, you cannot watch pornography and not have it ill affect your heart, your mind, your person your life! For it is from the heart, our hearts and minds, where the issues of life spring out. Therefore, if we keep our hearts and minds clean our lives will also reflect the same. To conclude then, be very careful what you watch, and whom you listen too, and what you believe! For there are many inducements to sin, and many deceptions and many deceivers in this world, and so many things that arouse the fleshes lusts and passions that seem so desirable and pleasurable now, but only bring with them great sorrows later, that many people suffer ruin, both here and now and eternally because they open their hearts and minds to accept and do such things that they should avoid and shun. Inclusion then without discernment is only delusion! Nor is ignorance bliss, its peril!
Vs. 24 “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you."
Wisdom now tells us to put away a deceitful or devious mouth from ourselves, which is a mouth that only lies and or misrepresents the truth. Same thing with perverse lips which is not straightforward speech, but only lips which seek to deceive or mislead the listener. Therefore, do not be like those who delight themselves in their abilities to speak cunningly, and or deceitfully, for all such people are an abomination to the Lord, and they are only storing up wrath and punishment upon themselves when God judges the world in righteousness (Deut. 19:16-19; Psalm 11:13; 96:13; Prov. 6:19; 19:5, 9; 26:23; 32:39-43; Ecc. 3:17; Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6-10; 2 Thess. 1:6-9 etc.).
Vs. 25-27 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
Keeping focused then on the truth, and doing what is right in the sight of God is the path of wisdom (vs. 25). Same with considering one’s steps, for where one goes, and what one does, and what one pursues all has effects on one’s person and life. And so rather than jut living in and for “the moment”, which only lasts for a moment, consider the consequences, which maybe long lasting and far reaching, so that all your ways are established (vs. 26). Finally in following Jesus Christ as our Lord do not turn to right hand or to the left, that is to all the inducements to sin in this world, instead remove your foot from evil, and leave that life of self ruin to others.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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