Choose Your Path

Introduction:

We are going to be looking at the wisdom of a father towards his son tonight as we look at what Solomon had to say in Proverbs 4. Solomon was a unique person in the history of Scripture. God blessed him in such a way that not only did he have great wisdom, but he also had great authority as king of Israel, and he had great wealth and opportunity. Solomon was the type of guy that could have anything he wanted, and in the Book of Ecclesiastes, we are told that he did use all that he had to try to find the meaning in life and what could satisfy.

Solomon writes the first few chapters of Proverbs as a letter to a son. The latter part of the book becomes a collection of Proverbs, or wise sayings. In Proverbs 4 we hear the plea in a father’s voice to his son to make wise choices and walk the right path.

Now, because this isn’t a human book, but is divinely inspired Scripture, we have to understand that God gave us this book for our spiritual growth. We are supposed to learn and make sure that we choose the right path to walk down in our lives as well.

There are three things we will look at tonight, but let’s start by taking a look at the first 9 verses.

Proverbs 4:1–9 ESV

1 Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, 2 for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

1. Pay attention to the Word of God (vv.1-9)

This is a father instructing his son

There is a natural tendency for children to take for granted their parents’ instructions

We need to understand that we learn by several methods. A couple of these is by learning from example, and by learning from actual teaching. There is formal instruction and informal instruction.

Solomon is giving both.

We sometimes look at what our parents or other people teach us and think that if they don’t follow their own instruction, we shouldn’t either. This is not a wise choice. We always are going to make mistakes and find ourselves not living out what we teach; but just because we may not follow our own advice, that doesn’t mean that the teaching is wrong.

When we approach God’s Word, we can look at it like it is a letter from a Father to a son.

We need to come to the Bible with a hunger to examine every word and every letter in order to find everything in their that God wants us to hear.

2. Choose Your Path (vv.10-19)

Proverbs 4:10–19 ESV

10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. 11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

The way of the wicked is described like a path in the darkness. The wicked walk this path and can’t see a thing. They stumble and fall and get hurt.

The way of the righteous is like a well lit path in broad daylight. It is a path that shines brighter and brighter each day I walk down it.

We learn to walk the right path and it become more clear to us each day we follow the right path

3. Guard Your Heart (vv. 20-27)

Proverbs 4:20–27 ESV

20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

There is a plea once again to pay attention

There is a warning to guard the heart.

The heart is like a pool of water. Imagine that this is your only source of fresh drinking water. You are going to guard it with your life, because it is your life.

You protect what is most important to you.

Jesus warned us to guard the heart or the tree of our lives will produce poisonous fruit

Matthew 12:33–35 ESV

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Conclusion:

We need to hear to voice of the Father telling us to guard our heart and our ways. We need be careful of what we are listening to.