Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4
King James Version (KJV)
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; herefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
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.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not,except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked s as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; or out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Proverbs 4
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction; pay attention, in order to gain insight;2 for I am giving you good advice; so don’t abandon my teaching.3 For I too was once a child to my father; and my mother, too, thought of me as her special darling.4 He too taught me; he said to me,“Let your heart treasure my words; keep my commands, and live;5 gain wisdom, gain insight;don’t forget or turn from the words I am saying.6 Don’t abandon [wisdom]; then she will preserve you; love her, and she will protect you.7 The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom! And along with all your getting, get insight!8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will bring you honor;9 she will give your head a garland of grace, bestow on you a crown of glory.”
10 Listen, my son, receive what I say, and the years of your life will be many.11 I’m directing you on the way of wisdom, guiding you in paths of uprightness;12 when you walk, your step won’t be hindered; and if you run, you won’t stumble.13 Hold fast to discipline, don’t let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
14 Don’t follow the path of the wicked or walk on the way of evildoers.15 Avoid it, don’t go on it, turn away from it, and pass on.16 For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil, they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall.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, shining ever brighter until full daylight.19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they don’t even know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying; incline your ear to my words.21 Don’t let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart;22 for they are life to those who find them and health to their whole being.
23 Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences.24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth, banish deceit from your lips.25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you.26 Level the path for your feet, let all your ways be properly prepared;27 then deviate neither right nor left; and keep your foot far from evil.

　　”1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine,forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; herefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 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. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” I was definitely my father’s daughter. I would beg to be able to “help” him in any of his daily chores. As I grew older, I realized how much he had taught me, without me even being aware that I was learning. I imagine that most of us can tell that story. I have forgotten some of the things he taught me: I do remember that he taught me how to love our Father. He taught me to honor my elders and to learn from them. He taught me that wisdom is to be cherished, since it is usually learned the hard way. He taught me that making the same mistake twice is a waste of time. Do it right the first time, if at all possible.
　　Through him, I learned that following the heart of God is the only way to live: to ever know true happiness. As I have gotten older, I see things much more clearly. I know that keeping His Words in my heart is the only way I can live the life that I know He gave me. His Words were meant to guide us: not only to live a better live, but a more productive life. One that does not waste time by following the paths laid out to mislead us. Those paths were designed by our enemy, intended solely for our failure. If we only listen to the guidance of our Father: we will succeed! We will make it! He only wants what is best for us. He designed this world with us in mind! His children! He only asks that we not forget His Words as we wander through this life. “When you walk, your step won’t be hindered; and if you run, you won’t stumble.”
　　”16 For they sleep not,except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; or out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” In all that we do, our Lord cautions us against falling for the enemy’s lies. That way leads only to heartbreak. It may seem so enticing, but, in the end, there is only pain. Our Father’s Words are a “lamp unto our feet” meant to guide us as we walk with Him. They are the life blood to our souls. As we seek His Wisdom, our ways become established in Him. We become more like Him! Isn’t that what we all want? To become more like our Father? For His Words to become rooted and grounded in our heart: we must seek Him. We must follow Him, and learn from the One Who created us!

Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3

King James Version (KJV)

1 My son, forget not my law;

but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and long life,

and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:

bind them about thy neck;

write them upon the table of thine heart:

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding

in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes:

fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel,

and marrow to thy bones.

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance,

and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,

and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;

neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;

even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,

and the man that getteth understanding.

14 For the merchandise of it is

better than the merchandise of silver,

and the gain thereof than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies:

and all the things thou canst desire

are not to be compared unto her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand;

and in her left hand riches and honour.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:

and happy is every one that retaineth her.

19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth;

by understanding hath he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes:

keep sound wisdom and discretion:

22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely,

and thy foot shall not stumble.

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:

yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear,

neither of the desolation of the wicked,

when it cometh.

26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence,

and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,

when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again,

and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour,

seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

30 Strive not with a man without cause,

if he have done thee no harm.

31 Envy thou not the oppressor,

and choose none of his ways.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord:

but his secret is with the righteous.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked:

but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

34 Surely he scorneth the scorners:

but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

35 The wise shall inherit glory:

but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 My son, don’t forget my teaching, keep my commands in your heart;                                                                                         2 for they will add to you many days, years of life and peace.                                                                                                    3 Do not let grace and truth leave you —                                                                                                                                                                                      bind them around your neck;                                                                                                          write them on the tablet of your heart.                                                                                                                                          4 Then you will win favor and esteem                                                                                         in the sight of God and of people.                                                                                                                                                  5 Trust in Adonai with all your heart;                                                                   do not rely on your own understanding.                                                                                                                                         6 In all your ways acknowledge him;                                                                               then he will level your paths.                                                                                                                                         7 Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom;                                                                        but fear Adonai, and turn from evil.                                                                                                                                                8 This will bring health to your body                                                                   and give strength to your bones.                                                                                                                                                          9 Honor Adonai with your wealth                                                                and with the firstfruits of all your income.                                                                                                                                      10 Then your granaries will be filled                                                                  and your vats overflow with new wine.                                                                                                                              11 My son, don’t despise Adonai’s discipline                                                                 or resent his reproof;                                                                                                                                                                         12 for Adonai corrects those he loves                                                                            like a father who delights in his son.                                                                                                                                         13 Happy the person who finds wisdom,                                                                           the person who acquires understanding;                                                                                                                                 14 for her profit exceeds that of silver,                                                                                 gaining her is better than gold,                                                                                                                                                      15 she is more precious than pearls —                                                           nothing you want can compare with her.                                                                                                                                               16 Long life is in her right hand,                                                               riches and honor in her left.                                                                                                                                                                         17 Her ways are pleasant ways,                                                                                and all her paths are peace.                                                                                                                                               18 She is a tree of life to those who grasp her;                                                          whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.                                                                                                                        19 Adonai by wisdom founded the earth,                                                                                       by understanding he established the heavens,                                                                                                    20 by his knowledge the deep [springs]                                                                                                                                                                                       burst open and the dew condenses from the sky.                                                                                                       21 My son, don’t let these slip from your sight;                                                                                  preserve common sense and discretion;                                                                                                                                             22 they will be life for your being                                                                                                                                          and grace for your neck.                                                                                                                                                              23 Then you will walk your way securely,                                                                                                  without hurting your foot.                                                                                                                                                24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;                                                                             when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.                                                                                                       25 Don’t be afraid of sudden terror                                                                                                                                                                                        or destruction caused by the wicked,                                                                                                                            when it comes;                                                                                                                                                                                                26 for you can rely on Adonai;                                                                                                        he will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.                                                                                                                          27 Don’t withhold good from someone  entitled to it                                                                                                         when you have in hand the power to do it.                                                                                            28 Don’t tell your neighbor, “Go away!                                                                                                                                                                         Come another time; I’ll give it to you tomorrow,”                                                                                  when you have it now.                                                                                                                                                                29 Don’t plan harm against your neighbor                                                                                       who lives beside you trustingly.                                                                                                                                       30 Don’t quarrel with someone for no reason,                                                                     if he has done you no harm.                                                                                                                                                                     31 Don’t envy a man of violence,                                                                                           don’t choose any of his ways;                                                                                                                                        32 for the perverse is an abomination to Adonai                                                                                                  but he shares his secret counsel with the upright.                                                                                                          33 Adonai’s curse is in the house of the wicked,                                                                      but he blesses the home of the righteous.                                                                                                                                                         34 The scornful he scorns, but gives grace to the humble.                                                                                                                                   35 The wise win honor, but fools win shame.

_____________________________________________

“1 My son, forget not my law;

but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and long life,

and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:

bind them about thy neck;

write them upon the table of thine heart:

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding

in the sight of God and man.”

Again, we are reminded here to remember His Words.

That if we engrave His Words upon our hearts:

THEN and only then, will we have a life of peace.

His Commandments… His Words, to us,

are to be the very fiber of our souls.

We are to hang on to His Words,

as though our very lives depended on them.

His Words will allow us to live the

life that He wants for us.

A life filled with favor and understanding from Him.

From our Father: our Creator.

Who doesn’t want the favor of their father?

Who doesn’t long for their father’s attention

and understanding?

Long conversations and fellowship with Dad?

“5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes:

fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance,

and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,

and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Allowing ourselves to think, even for one minute,

that our own intelligence surpasses His,

can be a very tragic mistake.

His wisdom is immeasurable:

our human minds can never comprehend its vastness.

In these verses, we are yet again,

admonished to trust in Him.

To acknowledge His infinite Wisdom, and to fear Him.

Not to cower down in fear of His authority:

simply to honor Him enough to know that

His wisdom is much more vast than our own.

As much as we would honor our earthly parents:

extend to Him the same honor.

As we honor Him, our Father will reward us

with far more than we can imagine.

Even as parents might spoil their favorite child:

so will He manifest His love for us.

“11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;

neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;

even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,

and the man that getteth understanding.

14 For the merchandise of it is better

than the merchandise of silver,

and the gain thereof than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies:

and all the things thou

canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand;

and in her left hand riches and honour.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:

and happy is every one that retaineth her.”

Even as parents correct a wayward child,

so does our Father correct our errant,

and sometimes, immoral, behavior.

Our children have to be taught, and corrected,

from the day they are born.

Not to cross the street without looking,

not to touch a hot stove, etc. It’s a continual battle,

at times, to convince them that we know best.

Just like our Father has to convince us.

We correct our children, because we love them.

We don’t want them to get hurt, or worse.

Our Father loves us even more than we love our babies.

He chastens us as we get to close to the edge

of whatever cliff we may be heading toward.

He doesn’t want us to get hurt.

As we learn to trust Him: to follow Him…

we eventually learn the wisdom of not

jumping off that cliff.

Wisdom and understanding can be

elusive concepts to learn at times.

Remember the School of Hard Knocks?

I think I graduated from there… as most of us did.

We don’t seem to learn from our mistakes at times.

Although, when we do achieve that knowledge:

it is indeed more precious than gold.

It saves us from much heartache in our futures.

Hard won wisdom is never

forgotten. Our Lord had much rather we graduate

from His School of Wisdom, than the School of Hard Knocks.

He has much to teach us:

if we only sat down long enough to learn from Him.

“19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth;

by understanding hath he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths arebroken up,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes:

keep sound wisdom and discretion:

22 So shall they be life unto thy soul,

and grace to thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely,

and thy foot shall not stumble.

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:

yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear,

neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence,

and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

If the very Earth, and all therein,

bows down to His Wisdom,

why do we think that we are so

equipped as to not need His direction?

If we only realized our own ineptitude,

and allowed Him to guide our footsteps,

how much more would our lives be enriched?

When His Words teach us that trusting in Him

equals a peace filled existence?

That if we would learn at His feet, we would all be

much more at rest within our hearts and souls.

This world is full of fear and anxiety:

any news media will assure you of that.

In Him, we don’t have to yield,

nor permit, those fears to torment our minds.

That is a tool of the enemy…

to torture our very souls with fear.

One synonym of torment is afflict:

the actual definition of the noun is severe mental distress.

The exact opposite of what our Lord intended for his children.

Never once did He EVER intend for us to live a tormented life.

He is our confidence! He is our validity!

“27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,

when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again,

and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour,

seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

30 Strive not with a man without cause,

if he have done thee no harm.

31 Envy thou not the oppressor,

and choose none of his ways.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord:

but his secret is with the righteous.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked:

but he blesseth the habitation of the just.”

As much as our Father extends His Mercy to us, we need to

extend that same mercy to all of humanity.

If we are blessed more than others,

how can our hearts be hardened

to the plight of the less fortunate?

Let us not become so callous as to

ignore the pain of someone.

Nor let us become so envious of the more fortunate

that we become resentful of their wealth.

It isn’t worth it.

Let us not waste our lives by being jealous of

someone who might choose an easier path.

If indeed they become your persecutor:

remember Who was persecuted for you.

Who was crucified that you might live.

Who suffered more pain than you probably ever will.

HE is our Defender: our Champion.

HE is the Winner.

We may endure battles:

HE wins the war!

Proverbs 1:31-33

King James Version Proverbs 1:31-33
“31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

Complete Jewish Bible Proverbs 1:31-33
“31 So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes.
32 For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
33 but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

It seems that we have learned in this chapter that seeking His Wisdom is vastly more important to our own well-being than seeking our own mindless pleasures.
For in seeking HIS Wisdom; we only enhance our lives, instead of the opposite. Whatever we may do to “chase our dreams” without Him seems to generally fail. Is it that we place too much importance on “chasing our dreams” and not enough importance on seeking Him? “So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes.” Sounds a bit familiar in this world. Sadly, I have met a few people who were convinced that their own self-importance took more precedence in this life than any mere wisdom learned by prayer and seeking Him. I imagine that you have met people like that, too.
“For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;” How many time have we seen a project fail when the master mind was so filled with his own confidence and self-worth that he “couldn’t see the forest for the trees”? Time after time, we can all become so blinded by our own egotism that we fail miserably in our attempts. When we become so self-absorbed in our own arrogance that we believe we are right and everyone else is wrong.
“but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.” In those Words; we have His Promise. Through Him we will not fail! When we stop long enough in our hamster wheel of life… we might actually see HIM! We might see His Glory when we take off our self-imposed blinders of self-importance. When we seek Him.. when we pay attention to Him… all other things become much more insignificant. We learn to live securely in Him.. without fear. Our Trust is in Him…the One Who holds the world in His Hands! The One Who created the world!
Who better to trust than the One Who is I AM? The One Who is Alpha and Omega? The One Who is EVERYTHING?