The Purpose of Proverbs is to impart wisdom for godly living.

Solomon’s fathering advice to young people and all who seek wisdom will greatly benefit from these wise words.   Discover the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom and the benefits of wisdom.   Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living.   They should call a person to action.  The verses tell how you can live in close relationship to Him and offers positive advice that helps you to make good and righteous decisions. –  notes of the Life Application Study Bible

PROVERBS 4     The title of this chapter is Security in Wisdom

God is our Father.  So a lot of what He does and how He responds to us is how a parent would to their child.  We are His children.  God is giving us, His children…wisdom and understanding.

Here wisdom is given a pronoun….her and she.

Do not forsake her, she will preserve you, love her, she will keep you, exalt her, she will bring you honor, embrace her, she will deliver you.

Get wisdom and get understanding.  The Study Bible states that ‘one of the greatest responsibilities of parents is to encourage their children to become wise.  Wisdom can be passed on from parents to children; from generation to generation.  But if your parents never taught you in this way, God’s Word can function as a loving and compassionate mother or father for you.’  Create a legacy of God’s wisdom for your children.

If you want God’s wisdom, you must decide to go after it.

Verse 14 & 15 talk about the ‘path of the wicked and how we should not walk in the way of evil.  Avoid it, do not travel on it, turn away from it and pass on.’  The Study notes give you teaching of how even friends can make you fall.  How it is hard for young people to believe that their friends will lure them to do wrong, could lead them to trouble.  But if they don’t know that it’s wrong or the effects of the wrong behavior, they don’t know what they are doing.  Let us teach our children and young people to use wisdom, proceed with caution and don’t let friends cause you to fall into sin.  Teach your young people to have a healthy skepticism about human behavior.  And guess what…us adults could take heed as well; especially when it comes to friends, girlfriends and boyfriends.

Verse 23 to 26 states, Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.  Put away from you deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.  Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.

Our heart dictates to a great extent how we live says the study notes.  Our feelings and desires have proven to take the lead and cause us to make decisions that don’t always keep us on the right path.  This is when boundaries and wise counsel become helpers for you.  Boundaries you put in place to keep you safe, to keep destructive people and behaviors out.  Put boundaries on your desires.  Learn to have self-control and be able to control the feelings and desires that may come to shift you from your place of focus and your place of discipline.

Wisdom says, just because you feel it; does not mean you have to go with it. Don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to temptation.  You can’t always say no to a temptation.  The more you indulge in it, the stronger it gets.

Think smart and use the means we’ve been learning about in the previous chapters.