Proverbs 4:20-27

Proverbs 4:20-27 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. (23) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24) Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. (25) Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. (26) Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. (27) Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

The Lord exhorts us to "give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings." Then He goes on to describe how we can practically give attention to His words. It's interesting to note that what follows are descriptions, not of theology or high minded intellectual musings, but rather everyday areas of obedience.

1) Eyes - window to the soul

• "Do not let them depart from your eyes" (v20)
• "Let your eyes look straight ahead" (v25)
• "your eyelids look right before you" (v25)

The eyes can either open your soul to God or to self and world. We must choose to keep the Word of God literally before our eyes, as in read the Word daily, and to keep the precepts and heart of God our focus continually. Our eyes, as that which act as a rudder to our brain, steer us and the Lord is asking us to keep on that straight and narrow path, the path being illuminated by the Word, the lamp to our feet and light to our path. If our eyes aren't working, our feet will not know where to walk. If our focus isn't on Jesus, how will we walk toward Him?

2) Heart - the seat of The Spirit

• "Keep them in the midst of your heart" (v21)
• "Keep your heart with all diligence" (v23)

The heart is that eternal part of you, your Spirit, that which has been made new by the blood of the Lamb! We must keep the Words of God at the core of our desires, at the core of our motivations, at the core of our actions, at the core of our hopes. It is the Word of God that is powerful (Heb. 4:12) and is our primary weapon (Eph. 6), so we must keep it at the center of our heart, where all outward manifestations of our belief originate. We are told to "keep your heart with all diligence." If we do not keep our heart focused and grounded in Jesus, we will be pulled aside to the broad way, the path to destruction (Ps 7). It relates to the idea of taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God or pulling down strongholds, (5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

3) Mouth - the proclaimer

• "Put away from you a deceitful mouth"
• "put perverse lips far from you"

The mouth is that little member that may either Praise it's Creator or bring destruction to men. The Lord encourages us to take the deceit and perversity from our lips. Of course those things don't just out of the mouth, the originate in the heart. So then if our heart is pure, our words become pure, if our heart is not, our words will reveal it. We cannot fake what's truly in our heart, it will surface and it will either edify or destroy. We must make the active choice to use what God has given us to obediently serve Him. This doesn't happen by accident, but through the filling of the heart and through keeping watch over the gates of our mouth.

James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

Palms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (KJV)

4) Feet - support and motility

• "Ponder the paths of your feet"
• "let all your ways be established"
• "do not turn to the right or left"
• "remove your foot from evil"

Our feet are for the purpose of moving us. Yet they do not act alone. If the heart is pure and the eyes are focused, the feet will walk along the narrow path.

Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Though our feet must depend on the other parts of our person, their purpose is to move the Worshipper toward their God. To act, moment by moment, walking in faith and trust, is to believe. James tells us that we cannot say we believe if there is not fruit. There must be fruit. Our feet carry us, they are those things that we do, in mind and body, that demonstrate our love and trust in Jesus. The mouth acts similarly. If we are not walking forward toward our Savior, then we are misusing the drive, determination, purpose, will, and actions that our Savior died to give us. May we not waste what God has intended for His glory and the benefit of His Kingdom and Body.

May we be attentive to Words of God and may we have unwavering focus on and cling to the One Who spoke them!