Proverbs 4:1-27 (NLT)
1 My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment,
2 for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.
3 For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.
4 My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.
7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”
10 My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
11 I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
13 Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
14 Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15 Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
16 For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17 They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence!
18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Solomon is known as the wisest, but he indicates here a great contributor to his wisdom. It was received from God in a choice he made when offered anything he wanted. Why did he ask for wisdom, though? It was because of a father who had proven the benefits of following everything God commanded. It was from his father that the worth of wisdom was elevated above everything else he might have otherwise chosen. Instilled in him from a man with a heart after God was the assurance that insight from the Word was more valuable than silver and gold. Because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, it took a man who feared God above anything else, including death, to make it very clear that having wisdom was the choice above everything else.
There is an understanding to be drawn here for our own lives, but there is another powerful understanding that will take personal adherence to a greater impact. Each choice to listen to and follow after wisdom is part of a developing ability to impart that same truth to everyone we influence. In the demonstration and proclamation of our lives will be guidance given to those who are forming the foundation of their own lives. With each deference to His will over ours will be enabling the power of His grace to reward wisdom’s obedience with health and abundance in every area of life.