Thursday, August 8, 2013

SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 4:10-13


He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)

Wisdom: The Path Leading To Life  Prov 4:10-13
10) Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11) I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12) When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13) Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life.


INTRODUCTION:
We will be seeing that Solomon recognized that wisdom was the pathway that leads to spiritual life, eternal life with Christ and, in many case extended physical life on earth…
 
EXPOSITION:
10) Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Solomon now addresses the life giving role of wisdom…
If Solomon’s teachings of wisdom are obtained and applied to our daily lives, they can result in lengthening our  physical lives on earth.  Why is this the case?  Remember wisdom is the application of God’s Word to our lives.  When we apply the commands of God to our lives, we can avoid many of the harmful results of sin that afflict mankind. 
A few examples are:  if we have intimate relations aligned with the principles of God’s Word, we are much less apt to acquire AIDS and other diseases; if we live honest, gracious and forgiving lives, we have a less chance of others hating us and wanting to do us harm; if we follow His commands to forsake drunkenness, we will be able to better make life decisions and avoid rash, uncontrolled decisions that may put us in positions of peril.   The list goes on and on.

“Now these [are] the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do [them] in the land whither ye go to possess it:  That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.”   (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)



11) I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Solomon took care to use proverbs that were truthful and inspired by God.  The path of wisdom that he presented is the straight, just, pleasant path that will lead to spiritual prosperity and physical benefits.  He recognized that the teaching of wisdom was a tremendous responsibility and he always sought to faithfully fulfill the duty given to Him.

“And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.”   (Ecclesiastes 12:9)

“And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”   (Acts 13:10)


12) When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 
Wisdom equips to do the will of God in two ways….
1.  As they depart from the place of learning with wisdom at their side, they will be able to avoid many distresses, tight places and trials that naturally follow the way of fools. 
2.  As they run the race that God has given to them, they will avoid hindrances and stumbling blocks that can so easily cause them to miss the goal their Lord has set for them.  

“Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.   But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”   (John 11:9-10)

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:1-2)


13) Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life.
Solomon now summarizes the great need of God’s people…
1.  seize and strongly hold to the teachings, warnings and corrections that the Lord has given
2.  do not let go of these teachings but apply them consistently
3.  guard them as valuable possessions
Why do these?  Wisdom is the source of our spiritual life, the lengthening of our physical life, and eventually will be the basis of our eternal life with Christ.  Without the application of God’s Word to our lives, NONE of these can be had.

“Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance: and [by it there is] profit to them that see the sun.  For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence: but the excellency of knowledge [is, that] wisdom giveth life to them that have it.”   (Ecclesiastes 7:11-12)


SUMMARY:
The only way that we can receive spiritual life which leads to eternal existence with Christ is through the application of God’s Word to our lives.    By coming to an understanding of the teachings of the Bible, we also come to understand the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As we believe His Word and place our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.   He alone did the work that was needed to pay the price for the sins of His people and gain the forgiveness of their sins with God.  This is the message of Solomon and the entire book of Scriptures.  This is true wisdom.

By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.

May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

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