Proverbs 4 - 6

Click HERE to read the passage.

In the first seven verses of Proverbs 4, Solomon is reminded of his relationship with his father, King David, and the valuable lessons his father gave him.  He said to love wisdom with all your heart and to embrace it with all your might.

Solomon offers us some tremendous advice wherein he advises us that there are three things that we ALL need to do: 

1. We need to guard our heart with everything we have. Why? Because it determines the course of our life. We need to be careful about the friends we make, the things that we do, and the path we choose to take in life.

2.  Solomon tells us we need to be careful about the things we say! He tells us to avoid conversations that involve perverse or ungodly things. He adds we need to avoid saying corrupt things with our mouths.  We're not to allow ant corrupt thing out of our mouths. This is why i refuse to cuss! God tells us not to. If so, why do people do it? If you're one that's got a dirty vocabulary, God will one day allow those words to haunt you - especially as He one day judges our lives!

3. The next thing we see Solomon saying in Proverbs 4 is that we need to fix our eyes on the good path, on the right things, on the things that please God. He warns us about let allowing our eyes to drift and to get away from the straight and narrow path God wants us to be on.

In chapter 5, he adds more phenomenal instruction!

He warns us about the pitfalls of immorality. He gives instruction about the immoral things in life, such as having a relationship with another woman or another man outside the bonds of marriage. In this chapter Solomon gives a scathing review to those who are drawn into the trap of an immoral woman. They seem beautiful and enticing, but in the end you will suffer more than you could ever realize!

This is such a big problem in today's society. It's as though it's okay to have a relationship with another woman or another man outside of your own marriage. But Solomon cries out and tells us that we are foolish, lacking wisdom if we think we're getting away with it. In the end, this immoral relationship will cost you more than you ever planned for!

In addition,, Solomon encourages us in chapter 5 to do whatever we can do to protect our relationship with our spouse and to enjoy them fully.

In chapter 6 Solomon offers a couple of great principles:

First, that if we have co-signed with someone on a financial note, we should get out of it as quickly as we can!

I personally have seen where this has been a major problem with families. I've seen where a mom or dad has co-signed on a child's note only to be hurt when the child cannot pay their debt and the creditors come after the parents.

The second principle is that Solomon tries to encourage us to be hard workers because for those who are lazy and will NOT work there will always be a scarcity of food and financial resources.

In fact Solomon uses the ants as an illustration of this. He describes how the ants work hard without anybody having to tell them to do so. So, if an ant is smart enough to work hard to save up food for days when they cannot work, why then would you not work hard while you can?

In Proverbs chapter 6:16-19, Solomon lays out 7 things God absolutely hates with all his heart:

1. An eye that looks to find greatness
2. A tongue that is willing to lie.
3. Hands that kill others
4. A heart that does evil acts
5. Feet that are involved in sinful activity
6. One who has a pattern of lying.
7. One who sows discord within a family

As Solomon winds up chapter 6, he reiterates of having an immoral affair! He reminds the reader that if they engage in such activity that it would be a sin that would not go unpunished and that it would create shame that will never be erased. Wow! Thats a heavy load to bear!

As you can see the Book of Proverbs is full of incredible advice!  A wise person would be smart to make the reading of Proverbs a daily activity.