(Prov 4:1 NASB) Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,
(Prov 4:2 NASB) For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.
Prov 4:2: Here we see Solomon advising the people as if they were his sons to listen to the instructions of wisdom and gain understanding.
Paul used this as a guide and wrote to those he was teaching Torah as if they were his children (1 Thess. 2:11-12).
(Prov 4:3 NASB) When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,
(Prov 4:4 NASB) Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;
Prov 4:4: When Solomon was the only child of David and Bathsheba, David taught him the value of wisdom, which he was now teaching all of Israel. David taught him that the Torah gives life to those who embrace it (Prov. 7:2, Lev. 18:3-5, Isa. 55:1-3, John 12:44-50).
(Prov 4:5 NASB) Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
(Prov 4:6 NASB) “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you.
(Prov 4:7 NASB) “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
Prov 4:7: The beginning of wisdom is to have a desire to acquire it. With all your acquiring, you get understanding. The wisdom and understanding of the Father are only exemplified in those who do His commandments (Deut. 4:4-6Psalm 111:10).
(Prov 4:8 NASB) “Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.
(Prov 4:9 NASB) “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.”
Prov 4:9: Wisdom will reward those who seek her (Dan. 12:1-3).
(Prov 4:10 NASB) Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.
(Prov 4:11 NASB) I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.
(Prov 4:12 NASB) When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.
(Prov 4:13 NASB) Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.
Prov 4:13: Those who are obedient to His Torah will not stumble (Psalm 119:165). Yeshua knows that His Torah is the light that we are to walk in (John 11:9-10).
(Prov 4:14 NASB) Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
(Prov 4:15 NASB) Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.
Prov 4:15: The way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1).
(Prov 4:16 NASB) For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
(Prov 4:17 NASB) For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.
Prov 4:17: The wicked and the ungodly are consumed by their evil ways (Psalm 36:1-4).
(Prov 4:18 NASB) But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
(Prov 4:19 NASB) The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.
Prov 4:19: The path of the righteous is like the light of Dawn. Yeshua spoke of Torah this same way (Matt. 5:14-19).
(Prov 4:20 NASB) My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
(Prov 4:21 NASB) Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart.
(Prov 4:22 NASB) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body.
Prov 4:22: The wisdom that Elohim gives us through His Torah should get our sole attention and be kept in our hearts.
(Prov 4:23 NASB) Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
(Prov 4:24 NASB) Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you.
(Prov 4:25 NASB) Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
(Prov 4:26 NASB) Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established.
(Prov 4:27 NASB) Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
Prov 4:27: We are to stay on the path of His Torah without deviating to the right or to the left (Deut. 5:31-33, 12:32, 28:13-14).
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas