Proverbs - Chapter 4

Replacing Negative Thoughts with God's Thoughts. A verse-by-verse study of chapter 4 of the Book of Proverbs. Believersbibleschool.com

The Book of Proverbs

Chapter 4

We have now entered into Proverbs, chapter four.  We learned in the last verse of chapter 3 that the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be upon the fool.  King Solomon ended his life by becoming the greatest of fools.
 

Listen to the Doctrines of Your Father

But, in King Solomon's glory days, meaning when he walked in righteousness and the wisdom of God, he continuously tryed to pour knowledge and understanding into his young son so that he too could become wise when he became king over Israel.  Solomon also wanted his son to be trained in the ways of the Lord, experiening the same kind of God-wisdom as he had experienced.  Sadly, history verifies that both father and son fell by the wayside and neither of them ended up walking in the wisdom of the Lord.  Solomon, because of making bad choices, and his son Rehoboam watching and following the example of his father and became just like him. Both fell to the evil temptations that pulled them both away from the Lord and their choices changed Israel's future, which affects Israel even today some 3000 later.  
 
The choices of one leader can change a nation for good or for evil.
 
As we begin chapter 4, King Solomon is in his glory days in which he was walking in the wisdom of God.  As such, Solomon continues to pour his knowledge, which was the Lord's knowledge into his son. 
 
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.
 
In this verse we see a change in King Solomon as he is now addressing "his children."  Three times throughout the Book of Proverbs, we see King Solomon addressing more than one child.  Could it be that he was teaching more than one son at this particular time, as he had many sons, or could he be addressing the sons of Israel, with him as their teacher and father in his instructions?  This we do not know!  Checking all Bible commentaries, no one makes mention of it.  This we know - King Solomon was known as the wisest man in the world at this time and he thrived on giving our words of wisdom to whomever was willing to listen to him.  
 
Assuming King Solomon is teaching more than one child, he again is asking them that they listen to his instructions so they can gain understanding of what he is saying.   Remember, first comes knowledge, then understanding.  Only with attaining both of these can one gain wisdom - God's Wisdom. 
 
Solomon is asking his sons to listen to his doctrine, which is a combination of the Law of Moses and the law he has set up for his family.  And he says, it is good!  "Gain that knowledge, purpose to understand it, and then you can attain God's wisdom."
 

King Solomon Taught the
Words of His Father

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.
 
King Solomon was reminiscing back to when his father, King David, taught him as a young child.  Again, probably in preparation to becoming the future king of Israel.  Solomon was just a young lad when his mother Bathsheiba nurtured him as her only child, and his father, King David taught him the law by commanding him to never forget what his father taught him.  If he does not forget to keep his commands, he will live.  These words of his father had to really impress Solomon because King David was not known in Scripture to spending a lot of time with his children.
 
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.
 
What we discover here is King Solomon was taught the same thing by his father King David as he was teaching his son or sons.  Get wisdom, and in order to do so, you have to gain the knowledge you need and then take that understanding to make wise choices in life.  That will lead to the wisdom he needs - the God-kind of wisdom that will preserve him for all future times when he needs it.  In fact, Solomon was teaching his sons that they need to love to continuously seek after wisdom - God's wisdom.  When it is done by continuously seeking after the right kind of knowledge that will bring on understanding, they will have gained the needed wisdom to make wise decisions in life as an individual as well as the king over Israel.  As such, Solomon was training his sons to be lifetime learners in attaining God's knowledge throughout their life to continuously walk in wisdom.
 

The End Goal - Wisdom

7. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom.  And in all your getting, get understanding.
 
The end goal of gaining knowledge is to obtain wisdom.  In all your getting, as Solomon says here, get understanding.  In order to get understanding, we have to gain the knowledge first to get that understanding.  The goal - get wisdom - that is the principal thing that we seek to attain - again, God's wisdom.
 
8. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
 
Understanding this verse from a New Testament perspective, it says here to pursue wisdom, place her above other things - for when you do, wisdom will bring you to places you could not attain on your own.  God's wisdom is God working through you in areas where you have purposely sought to learn to gain understanding.  Then God can work in and through you to think God's way, and do things the way God would want them done.   As such, you will be recognized with honor and respect because you did things God's ways.  So hunger and thirst to obtain God's knowledge and understanding to get His wisdom. 
 
9.  She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
 
People often regard money or fame as the principal thing in life.  Instead, God, is asking His people, which includes New Covenant believers in Christ, to give a much higher place to His wisdom.  Money or fame comes and goes, and will soon fade away; but God's wisdom will carry you through life as long as you keep seeking it and applying it to your life.   Wisdom will bring you to places where you will have respect and honor among the piers around you.  Wisdom can then be worn as a crown upon your head.   It is something you will never regret obtaining.  Wisdom will come to your rescue many times over as you keep applying it to your daily life.
 

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.

King Solomon again speaks directly to his son, reminding him of the importance of what he has learned so far.  King Solomon was saying to his son, as well as it speaks to us that lack of self control and wisdom shortens one's life, and those who follow in the ways of the Lord, gaining His wisdom, God will add to their days.  As a general principle, God is showing us that those who choose to follow in His ways - seeking after His wisdom will add years to his or her life.

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.

As long as Solomon's son stays on God's righteous path, he would not stumble.  Our path as well will not be hindered because we are trusting God on the path that He has laid out before us.

"Take hold - never forget the instruction I have given you" says the king to his son.  "Never let them go - for wisdom is life."  In the same way, we are never to forget the wisdom God has given us, follow in the path He has laid out for us, for it is our life as well.

In a earlier teaching I taught on Proverbs 3:5-6 and it was brought to my attention by one of you viewers that I missed the teaching on Proverbs 3:7-8, totally bypassing it and going into verse verse 9 of chapter 3 on firstfruits.  I do apologize for that.  I knew I could not go back and re-record it, but somehow add it into another teaching in which it would fit in.  Right now seems to be the time.

Proverbs 3:7-8  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.  8  It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.

Keeping it in the context of what trusting in the Lord with all our heart, leaning not on our own understanding, we see here that Solomon is telling his son, as well as God is speaking to us, to not think of ourselves as wise.  In comparison to God, we know nothing.  Instead, we need to stay away from all forms of evil - anything that is contrary to the will of God, and fear God with an awesome reverential fear and respect that puts Him in the place of honor and first-place in our lives.  God is our Creator and He knows every detail of our life - past, present, and future.  Who are we to think that we can lean our own understanding, and think we are wise?  That's comparing our earthly selves to God and His full knowledge of who we are.  To me, that is prideful and mocking God for He is.  

If we can just put ourselves in the right perspective with God, we will acknowledge Him as our Creator and we are His created.  He formed us, breated His life into us, gave us a call and a purpose in life, but we are still His created being - not the Creator.  We are here to serve Him, and God is Lord over all!

When we lean on God for His wisdom, having that awesome fear of Him as Creator and Lord over our lives, it will bring healing, health and strength to our bodies.  Why would we even want to lean on our own strength when God promises all these wonderful things to those who put their trust in Him, not leaning on our own understanding?

The Path of the Wicked

Proverbs 4:14 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.  
We see here at the path of the wicked and say to ourselves "I could never become that evil.  Surely, King Solomon must have been talking about the really wicked in society."  However, was he? 
John 10:10...the thief comes to rob, kill, and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come to give you life, and life abundantly.
Satan's job is to destroy whomever he chooses for destructions.  He doesn't play games.  He is serious about destroying people.  The more he can get Christian leaders to stumble, the easier it is for him to destroy what God has set up as beautiful and according to His purpose.  Pull the leader down and the followers will tumble.  It isn't that Satan is stronger than God, it is mankind, who have chosen to follow God, who then backed away, being tempted and deceived by Satan to go down the path of wickedness.

Solomon's Downfall

God had spoken to Solomon when he first became king over Israel to never marry any foreign wives, for they would be the cause of his downfall.  Sadly, he could not obey wat God had asked of him.  He became smitten with Egypt's Pharaoh's daughter and made her his wife.  From that point on, to keep peace with Israel and the foreign nations around him, which were all foreign idol worshipers, King Solomon married daughters of foreign kings to keep peace with Israel.  All in all, Solomon collected 700 wives and 300 concubines in his political moves.  One of those wives was Naamah, an Ammonite and idol worshiper, who became the mother of Rehoboam, the future king after Solomon  That made Rehoboam only 50% Jewish and 50% Ammonite blood.  Already, there is a breach in that the future king of Israel was only part Israelite.
We know from our 1st teaching on the Life of King Solomon that he kept erecting building projects for his foreign wives, which extravegant amounts of money was poured out of Israel's treasury.  While Solomon was a the richest king at one time, his funds kept depleting as he catered to his foreign wives with their own castles and places of worship for their foreign idols.  To continue on with his building projects, Solomon eventually stopped hiring Phoenician workers and made slaves out of his own people to indulge in his foreign wives constant wishes.  This depleted the treasury of King Solomon, and hatred grew among his own people in the forcing slavery upon his own people.  As such, the kingdom of Solomon began to fall apart.  By the time of Solomon's death the Kingdom of Israel was already on its way toward ruin. 

Rehoboam's Inheritance

This is the kingdom that Rehoboam inherited from his father when he became king over Israel. When Rehoboam became king, he had no heart for God because his own father fell to Satan's ways as he lost his fear and love for God, and taught his son otherwise through his action.  Because Solomon, as his father fell, so did the son. 
Satan was busy at work to destroy God's people the Israelites. 
John 10:10...the thief comes to rob, kill, and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come to give you life, and life abundantly.
We know that God only wants the best for His people.  We have learned all along - really, from the very beginning, that without the fear of God, there is no beginning to wisdom.  No knowledge, no understanding, and certainly none of God's wisdom will come to anyone who lacks God's knowledge and understanding. 
King Solomon had it and gave it away.  His son Rehoboam only received a portion of the teachings he should have had.  Now as king, he depended on foolish counsel while he kept reaping one bad consequence after another.  Rehoboam demanded even more taxation out of the people just like Solomon did, bringing on more hatred for the new king of Israel.  Rebellion came to Israel and in one fell swoop, Rehoboam lost ten of the twelve tribes, amounting to lost half of his kingdom.     

The Path of the Just

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. 
On the totally opposite end of the spectrum, the path of the person who follows after God shines brighter like the dawn of a new day growing brighter and brighter until full daylight.  The wicked, however, walk around in darkness, blind to whatever they do because they simply cannot see what makes them stumble over and over.  They simply repeat the same wrongs continuously.  There is no fear of God, and they walk in the ways of their own understanding.

Israel's Travesty

Because King Solomon failed to obey God and His righteousness, he and his son Rehoboam's rebellion toward God put them both into Satan's hands and it eventually ruined the whole nation of Israel.  In the end, Rehoboam died after reigning only over the two tribes of the kingdom of Judah for only 17 years. Worse yet, his son, Abijah, had a shorter reign of only three years. Such a terrible legacy for the wisest and riches man and king in the world. 
Imagine what the history of Israel would have become if King Solomon listened and obeyed God until the end.  Then if his son, whom Solomon taught, had also been faithful to heeding the advice of his father.  If only…

Application for Christians Today

Can we also see how important it is for us believers in Christ to stay on the path that God has chosen for us?  Since the enemy is continuously out there to rob, kill and destroy, and he will do it a little at a time, we need to remain faithful to the ways of the Lord, turning out back on Satan and his temptations.
We too can walk away from the path that God has put us on.  Once off the path, leading out own life, our love and belief in Christ will diminish to where it can leave us forever.
Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Yes, a believer can lose his or her salation.

Look at Solomon.  He did not remain faithful until his very end.  His son, even when he first became king rejected the Lord and his ways.  So then, what was their eternal destination?   

What about us today as believers in Jesus Christ?  What is the message that God has for His children in this section of Proverbs today?  Unlike Solomon and Rehoboam, can we remain faithful to the Lord and His ways until the very end?  For if we don't,  do we see what dangers face us for our disobedience? 

Incline Thine Ear

As we wind down chapter 4, we see a lot of repeat of what Solomon has been saying many times over.  My personal thought here is that whenever we see Solomon saying to his son to give attention to his word or incline his ears to his saying is simply another time of teaching - like a teacher saying to his students on another day - "students, what we will learn today is of importance, (even though the teacher is about to say something that has been taught before), he is emphasizing the importance of knowing what he is about to repeat.  So then, let me rephrase verses 20-27 in an easy to understand paraphrased version (NLT), and I will stop when I want to use a supporting scripture which wil be in a smaller print. 

Proverbs 4:20 child, pay attention to my words; listen closely to what I say.  21 Don’t ever forget my words; keep them always in mind. 22 They are the key to life for those who find them; they bring health to the whole body.  23 Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. 

Let me capitalize on verse 23 first - be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life:  

  • I'm reminded of the scripture verse in 2 Cor. 10:5 where the Apostle Paul is telling the believers in Corinth to cast down arguments (or imaginations) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Satan is a created being, able to be only in one place at a time and does NOT know what we are thinking, having no ability or capacity to do so, unless we speak out our thoughts.  Neither do his demonic forces that follow after him, of which there are demonic forces that are assigned to us. 

  • In addition, we are all creatures of habit.  Our mannerisms are very predictable.  Demonic spiritual forces assigned to us knows exactly how we respond to all situations, and will put the most outlandish thoughts in us - even evil thoughts.  How you respond to those thoughts can be vital to your success in life.   If you accept the thoughts Satan or his demons plants within you, meditating and feeding on them, they will eventually become a part of YOUR own thinking pattern.  Since we usually put our thoughts to speach and action, we are in danger of bringing on our own destruction. 

Did you know that you have the God-given ability to stop any negative imaginery thoughts, even in the middle of a thought?  God would not have told you to take "every" thought captive to the obedience of Christ if He didn't give you the ability to do so.  The very moment you realize you are thinking a negative thought, replace it with something  that the Word of God tells you.   Take a promise of victory and repeat it over and over.  Turn those thoughts around to work in a positive direction for you.  To begin with, it may take a while before you even realize you are thinking negatively. But when you do, that is the time to take action.  Immediately replace that thought with one of God's thoughts - such as one of His promises toward you.  Then pray and ask God to show you sooner when you get into negative thinking, and He will remind you. You can then take action again to stop those thoughts immediately.  As often as Satan tries to put a negative thought in you, the more agressive you have to become.  (Phil 4:8)  Keep meditating on God's Word instead of those negative thoughts.

  • Think on God's Word.
  • Set your mind on the things of God - His promises, His blessings, His kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and every wonderful thing He has provided for you.
  • Think about the answers, and the problems will be left behind.
  • BUT if you think about the problems, sadly your answers will be left behind.

Because our minds have been trained to think negatively, replace it by speaking the positive things of God, even though your mind tells you something different.  It will want to go right back to your old pattern of thinking - but don't allow it.  Get right back into thinking what the Word of God says.  In time, your mind will begin to think God's way!

Let's continue on and finish the chapter again in the NLT version. 

24 Don’t use your mouth to tell lies;  don’t ever say things that are not true.  25 Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good. 26 Be careful what you do, and always do what is right.  27 Don’t turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths.

Our mouths were never meant to lie, gossip, or say bad things to and about other people.  We are called to love others as we do ourselves.  We are called to edify one another, even though sometimes we are required to speak the truth in love....again I said...in love.   

  • As Christians, we carry a huge responsibility to those around us.  Our flesh may want to do the opposite of what the Word of God says, but we must always remember, that we are ambassadors for Christ, always having within us the purpose of showing God's love to other people.
  • We want to win the world for Christ, not repel them so they will go to hell.
  • So then, we must do what is right in all situations, and stay on the course, or path, that God has set before us.

There we have it - keep away from evil paths.  Those ruts in our lives have to be the ruts or grooves set up by the Lord, or else Satan will lead us down his path - which only leads to evil and death.

God bless,

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com

 

Written by Pastor Joyce A. Erickson

Believers Bible School, Founder https://believersbibleschool.com/