The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below. Proverbs 15:24

The wise will have an upward bound life. That is what this passage tells us. It promises both an encouragement for the wise - that their path will lead upward. It also gives a warning - that the unwise path will end in Sheol, the place of the dead.

In His commentary on this verse Phillips makes the comment, "Darwin would have us believe that our feet are set surely on the upward way, that may is progressing by slow but sure degrees from protoplasm to paradise." This is the belief of those who account randomness and no purpose whatsoever for our existance and our origin. Unfortunately, both science and sociology tell us a much different story. They tell us a story consistent with the Biblical narrative.

Science reminds us through the second law of thermodynamics that we are in a constant state of decay. Things are not coming together into more order and more stability - they are moving from order to disorder. We look at the astounding complexity of life and see that it screams to us of an intelligent design infinitely higher than that of man. Science also tells us that something is wrong with this world. Things keep dying. It is as is this world has been cursed so that what originally was made - is now devolving into greater and greater chaos. Disease, sickness, pain, and suffering are the norm as we grow older individually - as well as our world grows older corporately.

Social Sciences also do not point in a direction that is good. The history of man is not a history of us getting wiser and wiser. It is not a history of mankind embracing new heights of goodness and mercy. On the contrary, the 20th and 21st centuries have witnessed a cruelty and evil that almost cannot be matched by previous generations. The endless wars and evils of our generation strike us in ways that at times takes the breath away. More people have been brutally murdered and systematically executed than ever before. We've found modern ways to exterminate our children, killing over 250 million of them since the inception of that horrific procedure. We call it population control - God calls it genocide of the innocents. The way of the fool leads to the place of death - that is what we know from experience. The way of the fool leads to pride and arrogance as he says there is no God.

The path of life goes upward for the wise man. He sees things as God sees them. He is blessed no matter what situations and privations await him in life. He knows that this life is not all that there is. In fact the Scriptures teach him that this life is just a fleeting breath. He is like a brief puff of wind that rustles the leaves and he is gone. Therefore he lives for God's will rather than his own lusts. Amazingly, this kind of choice fills him with joy - no matter what he faces in life. For him the worst he will ever face is in this life. He knows that things lead upward for him - until the day that he will embrace eternal life in all its fullness. He tastes it now, finding it sweet and delightful to his soul's palette. But how he yearns for the full meal. This grants him the joys of knowing life and of sterring clear from spiritual death and its ultimate companion, hell.

Things on this earth are not getting better and better. They were ruined by the entrance of sin brought on by man's rebellion and disobedience. Things are falling apart on this earth and will continue to do so until the day God brings an end to this fallen existance. Living for only here and now is therefore the utmost foolishness. The wise man knows this, because he knows God. The wise man therefore lives for eternal things. He lives because of His Creator's mercy in providing salvation through Jesus Christ. He also lives FOR His Creator and Lord - knowing that this is the pathway that leads upward - path this cursed ground - into the very presence of God in glory. Oh, precious ones - take this path!

The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. Proverbs 14:32

God is going to deck the wicked. That is the basic idea that is being communicated here in today's proverb. The word wicked describes those who are law-breakers. The Law spoken of by this word is God's Law. The wicked have no regard for God's law - and honestly for any other law as well. They are rebellious and find themselves resisting and standing against any law that tries to restrict their freedom to do whatever they want. This is what will deck them in the end.

The second half of this proverb points us in a very interesting direction. We are told that the righteous has a refuge when he dies. Thus the proverb is not just dealing with things here and now - it is pointing us to when we die. What is going to happen to the wicked and the righteous when death comes? The righteous man will have a refuge in that day. His hope is in God's remedy for sin - the Lord Jesus Christ. His refuge is Jesus. He looks to Jesus Christ to give Him a righteousness that will stand on that day - and he rests in that as His salvation. The wicked will find that all they have on that fateful day is their own wickedness. What they will learn too late is that that evil will deck them on jugdment day. They will be accountable for their choices and their actions - which were wicked. What a horrifying day that will be for all those who trusted in themselves and their own righteousness. They will not have a refuge, but their very own doctrines will cast them to the ground.

In what are you trusting to stand on that day? Are you trusting that there won't be one - because that is a vain and empty choice. Are you thinking your good works will be weighed against your bad ones - and if there is more good you will make it? That is a foolish choice for it is not by our works that we are saved. Are you trusting that God is mercy and good and will overlook all your evil? That is unwise for it ignores the righteousness and justice of God. The righteous man knows the way - because he knows first and foremost of all that the righteousness upon which he stands is not his own. He gains that righteousness by faith, not by works. He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ to be his righteousness. Therefore he will stand and will have Christ's gifted righteousness as his refuge on the jugdment day. Again I ask, "In what will you be trusting on the great day of God's judgment. Trusting in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and risen from the dead will not stand. Take refuge in Jesus - in the One Who makes you righteous by grace.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27

Ours is a society that craves safety. Some think that carrying a gun at all times or having a top notch security system will provide them safety. But for the man of God these things, although providing some measure of safety are nothing compared to the fear of the Lord. According to today's proverb that is the most effective security system known to mankind.

The fear of the Lord is described here as a fountain of life. The Hebrew words used for the phrase, "fountain of life" are "mekor chaiyim." This phrase literally means, "the vein of lives" and referred to the aorta which is the artery which carries the blood from the heart as it seeks to pump it throughout the entire body. Without our aorta we would be dead. I remember a very terrifying moment when my own father was found to have a seven inch long annuerism on his aorta. It was a life threatening condition of the worst kind. If my father's aorta burst - the very fountain of life in him would be cut off - and he would have died within seconds. The medical staff were able to do surgery and repair his aorta. But it was a reminder to me that without the "vein of lives" functioning, we will not live long. I am not saying that without the fear of the Lord we will die in mere seconds, but I am saying that the fear of the Lord is essential to us having the life that God provides. Here in today's proverb we read that the fear of the Lord is what helps us to avoid the snares of death. What are these "snares" that are mentioned here?

The Hebrew word for "snares" is very telling. The word is "moqesh" and it refers not so much to the snare itself, but to the bait which is placed in the snare. The word literally means the bait placed within a snare or trap - without which the animal would never come near it. It is the bait that makes the trap effective. The bait tempts the animal to come near even when his own instincts tell him the situation is dangerous. Unable to quell his own lusts for the free food, the animal draws near. The end is a trapped or dead animal. This parallels our problem with sin. Our desires draw us toward things that will eventually damage and destroy us. But we cannot seem to shake the lusts of our flesh, eyes, and prideful love of the world enough to turn away. We are bllind due to our sin. But this is where the fear of the Lord becomes a life-giving fountain to us.

The fear of the Lord is the respect and honor that we have of Him and of His Word. It is the willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit when He warns us about something we are about to do. We listen and obey when we fear the Lord - but we ignore Him when we have no repect or honor toward the God who made us. For those who do this, there is only death in the end. They may have an initial experience of pleasure in their sinful choice - but be warned that they will stand in the judgment for their actions. Any sinful action will be eternally regretted on that day. But know also that sinful choices, although their poison may not be felt immediately - also have consequences here and now as well.

Today's society, and unfortunately many in the church, think that the fear of the Lord is a thing of the past. They ignorantly say that we are a people of grace in the New Testament. The Old Testament idea of fearing God is out of step with who we are supposed to be. What I find interesting is that the book of Acts tells us that the church benefited greatly from the fear of the Lord. In Acts 9:31 we read the following, "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. " The fear of God is a New Testament truth that will bless God's church. In fact the fear of the Lord is linked here with the "comfort of the Holy Spirit." It was the combination of these two that worked together by God's grace to cause the church to increase. But there is one more thing that will bless us as we look at the proverb for today.

The fear of the Lord is said to be a "fountain of life." There is another parallel that is such a blessing to see here. In John chapter 7 Jesus spoke of the way that the Holy Spirit would come to those who believed in Him. He used the picture of fountains of living water that would flow from the innermost being of those who experienced the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is what we have learned today in Proverbs. It is another way that the Holy Spirit is linked directly to the fear of the Lord. We need to realize that one of the ways that the Holy Spirit works in our lives is to bring us the fear of the Lord. We have a respect for God - a desire to honor Him and not to displease Him. This makes us very receptive to His Word which tells us what He wants us to know. Both are the same fountain. As we fear God the Holy Spirit works in us to teach us God's Word - and then to urge us to listen and respond to what God has said. All this comes together to turn us from the snare - from the bait of Satan which seeks to lure us into His traps and his snares of death. May God give us grace to fear Him - to experience the Holy Spirit's teaching and warning - and to avoid sin as a result.

In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12:28

Can there be a path where there is no death? How can Solomon say that wisdom means that there is a way of walking that does not have death on it? Death comes to all men. So what do we have here - a contradiction in the Scriptures?

There are those who try to find contradictions in the Bible - who can find tons of them. Their problem is that they do not allow for poetic license by the writers of Scripture. Of course these are the same people who do not expect others to take them literally all the time in their lives. When they say that they could kill someone for what they said - they do not expect the hearers to immediately alert the police about their murderous intentions. We all use these kind of expressions almost every day. It is only those who WANT to find problems in the Scripture that try to expose what is clearly poetic language.

What seems to be a contradiction here is actually understood when understanding this passage in the context of the whole counsel of Scripture. You see the Bible speaks of righteousness in a way that we do not normally conceive. It speaks of "absolute" righteousness in reference to God's righteousness. The "way of rightreousness" therefore is not a works thing, it is a faith thing. The righteous man lives by faith. This means that he receives righteousness as a gift - and the gift comes from God Himself. Therefore the way of righteousness is a lifestyle that looks to God for justification. In the way of righteousness is life. We experience life when we turn to Him and receive the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ on the basis of faith (see Romans 3:21-26).

In the pathway of this righteousness there is no death. This is not saying that people will not die physically. If you understand both Testaments of the Bible you know that there is more than one kind of death mentioned. There is physical death which is experienced by all men. There is also spiritual death - which is the common condition of all mankind. They are alive physically, but dead spiritually. The Bible refers to the second death in Revelation. This is what will happen to all those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life. They will be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age - where they will die forever.

When we look at the whole counsel of God's Word, this passage not only makes perfect sense - but is even a declaration of the gospel itself. There IS indeed a "way of righteousness" that we can experience - through faith in Jesus Christ. It is THE ULTIMATE way of righteousness - and more than that - it is the ONLY way of righteousness. When we walk in that way - living by faith - there is no death in that way. We may die physically (which the Bible refers to as "falling asleep") but death will be swallowed by life - and life eternally. That is the truth of the gospel. It is not a contradiction - it is a glorious revelation!

He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.  Proverbs 11:19

Here we find life gained and life lost.  Both life gained and lost have to do with what we pursue and steadfastly desire in our walk on earth.  It is no shock to us to learn that those who are steadfast in their desire and pursuit of righteousness are those who receive life. The word "steadfast" here means to set something up so that it will be firm and established.  Here it refers to how someone views righteousness - and pursues it in their lives.  Are you building a life whose foundation is laid in God's view of righteousness - or more simply put, in what God says is right?  That is the life Christ referred to in Matthew 7 when He spoke about foundations.  The one who hears the Word of God and heeds it - he is the man who has built his foundation on a rock.  When the winds and storms of life come upon that man, as they surely will, his house will stand.  That is why the steadfast in righteousness will attain to life. 

The life lost is the one that is actively pursuing evil.  Consider King Ahab in the Old Testament, along with his wicked wife, Jezebel.  They pursued evil together.  They were the poster couple of pursuing wickedness and sin.  They excelled in it - and ran after it with an ever-growing lust for more.  They worshipped false gods, stole, killed, and plotted their way to the top.  When at the top they continued in their ways of evil - and heartily encouraged all of Israel to follow their foolish example.  It is no wonder then that they both brought about their own death. 

Ahab foolishly ignored the prophetic statements of Miciah, who warned him that God had allowed a deceiving spirit to move among Ahab's false prophets - so that he could be lured to his death in battle.  Ahab's response was to imprison the prophet - and have him fed with barely enough bread and water to survive until he returned from battle.  Miciah's fateful last words to him were, "If you return, the Lord has not spoken through me."  In another desperate but foolish move, Ahab then disguised himself and did not wear his royal robes into battle.  Thinking he had cheated death and God - he went into battle feeling safe.  We read in Kings that a random archer shot an arrow into the air - and God guided that arrow so that it hit a joint in Ahab's armor.  Badly wounded, he retreated to watch the battle from a distance until he died in his chariot.

Jezebel, having learned of a plot to destroy her family and their legacy in Israel, painted herself and called to her executioner from a tower.  Thinking herself safe there - her executioner called for the men in the tower to throw her down.  They did so and Jehu crushed her beneath his horses and chariot wheels.  These two who pursued evil so passionately both brought about their own death because of their rebellion against God. 

In Deuteronomy God reminded Israel that He put before them life and death.  There was a choice for them.  If they pursued evil and rebellion against God - they needed to know that their sin would find them out.  They would be pursued by the very One against whom they rebelled.  They would learn that He was not impotent as they thought.  They would learn that the One they defied is God - and that He will prevail.  They will also bring about their own death with the evil they think frees them from His authority.  But life is also available to us.  It is received by pursuing righteousness steadfastly.  What is amazing to those who receive that righteousness is that to pursue it, one must pursue by faith.  The just (righteous) man lives by faith.  Their steadfastness is gained by rejecting their own works - and turning to God who Himself will declare them righteous as a gift.  They will learn that the only way of being steadfastly righteous, is to steadfastly cling to God's gift of righteousness which comes only through His Son, Jesus Christ.  That, dear ones, is the only way we can be steadfast in righteousness - and thereby know life.

"But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:36

What happens when we do not live according to the wisdom of God?  What happens when we reject God's view of things - beginning with His work in creation - and then widening to include an ever greater rejection of what He says and commands?  That is what today's Proverb tackles. 

This proverb meantions two views of God's wisdom.  The first is to sin against wisdom.  The second is to hate it.  This speaks progressively of where we go in life as we convince ourselves that it is OK to reject the wisdom of God.  The first step is to sin against wisdom.  The word used for "sin" here means to miss the mark.  Things begin as we miss the mark concerning what God says.  It starts as simple as rejecting a command of God - or questioning whether we can even trust what God says.  We miss the mark.  The Hebrew word is "hata" and it means to miss the mark - but it also means to go wrong, to sin.  The word was used of those who would miss the mark as archers or slingers.  They would miss the target.  But it also meant someone who would fail to reach a goal.  Some miss wisdom by simply being ignorant of it - or not having any desire to read or study God's Word so as to grow in it.  Their missing the mark, though unintentional at first - grows into a basic level of ignorance which is willfull.  They see no real need to get God's wisdom - seeing that they think so highly of their own.  They will do just fine in their own thinking - therefore to spend time studying to know God's viewpoint is silly and unnecessary.

When we live like this, the Bible tells us that we "injure" ourselves.  Injure is the Hebew word "hamas" and it means to be violent - or to act violently or wrongly.  It was used to describe unethical behavior.  When we miss wisdom - we are hurting ourselves.  It is not just an error we are committing - we are hurting and injuring ourselves.  To reject God's wisdom is injurious to our well-being because God's ways are always best for us.  This comes back to seeing that God created us - and therefore knows exactly what we need and what is the way we should live.  If we are just the sum of purely accidental happenings over billions of years - it really does not matter what we do.  Everything is meaningless anyway.  But if we are the creation of God - there is not only a purpose - but a plan for us to follow to become what we were created to be and to do what we were created to do.

The latter stages of mankind's rejection of God is to eventually hate wisdom.  At first the wicked are just annoyed by the wisdom of God.  They are annoyed at a being who would claim absolute power, wisdom, and authority.  But soon that annoyance would grow to become anger - and anger will give rise to hatred.  The hatred grows out of a rejection of the notion that anyone or anything besides us have the right to control or even comment on our lives.  The more one runs up against God's commands and against the consequences of rejecting them - the more they resent the God Who wrote them.  That is why any sin - embraced long enough will bring us to the point of hating God.  It is alway why the Word of God says in James chapter 4 that friendship with the world is enmity against God - the one who loves the world, hates God. 

We are told that those who follow their sin to this point are ones who "love death."  God came to give us life and life abundantly.  His Word and His wisdom are filled with life.  When we embrace it we receive an abundance of life and joy.  But when we reject it - we begin to love death.  It is fascinating to see how the more a society rejects God - the more it begins to embrace self-destructive, even death-loving behavior.  This makes perfect sense when we see that a rejection of wisdom is the love of death. 

May God give us grace to learn to love His wisdom.  May we learn to treasure what He says to us - and to also treasure what His Word relates concerning the origins of all that He has made.  These choices will lead us to love and embrace God's wisdom.  To do otherwise is to love death.  We've watched our society reject God's wisdom over the years - and also embrace a culture of death more and more.  May we be those who embrace wisdom - the the overflow of life that comes with it.

 A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead.  Proverbs 21:16

To wander from God's way of understanding is a very dangerous thing to do.  Here in today's proverb we see just how dangerous this can be.  According to Solomon the eventual end of the man who does this is a final resting place among those doubly dead.

The word "wander" is key to understanding this passage.  This is the Hebrew word "taah" which means not just to wander off - but to err and go astray.  The primary meaning is to err and to make a mistake.  This word is used most often of thos who err or who are being misled in a moral or religious sense.  It is the word used in Isaiah 53:6 when the prophet tells us, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him."  To wander is to go astray of God's moral path - and to incur iniquity in His eyes.  Therefore to wander is to go astray of God's path and God's will for us.  The wandering here is to err from the "way of understanding."  This phrase speaks of someone who no longer has discernment or any kind of spiritual insight.  And since the phrase begins with the word "way" - it refers to someone whose very way of life turns from any spiritual insight and discernement and chooses instead a way of life guided by self and selfish desires and longings. 

The picture we get now is not just someone wandering away from a single situation where advice is offered, but rather a situation where as a way of life he is turning from God's will and Word.  This is basically the condition of a lost person.  They reject the wisdom of God - the Word of God - and the way of God.  They instead choose the world, their flesh, and the lies of the devil - since that is what we have learned the Holy Spirit has been sent into the world to convict us of in life. 

What is important is the warning that is given to us in the second half of this proverb.  The one who lives this way - "will rest in the assembly of the dead."  For those who think this is a reference to spiritual death - or a lack of spiritual life and blessing here and now - the actual word for death here is, "departed spirits."  This is a warning to turn from rebellion and purposeful rejection of God's will and way.  The end of such a lifestyle is a life spent with those who are "doubly dead."  They have died in this life losing their physical life - but infinitely worse they are devoid of spiritual life when they die physically - so - the place of their eternal dwelling is hell.  That is why it is so important to reject the heart and mind that reject God's Word and way.  To continue in it is to continue toward an abyss where there is no return.  Far better to embrace God's way and Word now - to embrace repentance from our own fleshly mindset - to embrace a turn from ourselves to God - from our way to His.  That will keep us from a rest that will be anything but rest.  It will rescue us from a fate worse than death itself.

He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of conduct will die. Proverbs 19:16

God's commandments are excellent keepers of our souls.  God did not give us His commandments to make our lives miserable - or to keep us from ever having fun - as some would accuse.  His commandments are boundaries that protect us from entering into areas where we would be harmed.  He does not command us to honor and obey our parents because He desires for us to be miserable as children - not getting our own way and being dominated by an older generation forever.  He does this so that children, who do not have good sense and whose sin nature would run rampant, would be protected from themselves.  He does so because they must be guided and helped to know the right from the wrong in their lives.  The Lord tells us to steer clear from adultery because God knows the damage and the destruction and misery caused by unfaithful partners in marriage.  He knows that sexual immorality will lead to disease and to the destruction of our bodies.  Thus the one who keeps the commandment indeed keeps his own soul. 

God's commandments go even deeper than our physical beings.  The one who keeps the commandment keeps his soul.  The word for soul here is the Hebrew word "nephesh" which means our breath.  This speaks of our inner being with its thoughts and emotions.  This came to mean our whole person - both body and spirit.  It spoke of the whole creature of man - both his outer health and his inner.  When we keep the commandment - watching closely to obey and even kep the "spirit of the commandments," we are protected inside as well as out.  Our mental health will be blessed by holding fast to God's commands and living by His ways.  God blesses our thinking, our reasoning, our understanding, our discernment, our decision-making processes . . . He blesses so much when we learn to walk in obedience to His commands.  But again I want to stress we obey the command - and we come to grasp the heart and love that is behind them.

The second part of the Proverb today reminds us that the one who is "careless of his conduct" will die.  The word careless is "bazah" which means to hold in contempt or to despise.  The reason one acts this way is because they have a basic disdain for something.  They disrespect the idea of a code of conduct.  They despise the idea that God would tell them how to live.  Here is the sin nature exposed in all its ugliness.  Mankind rebels against any master - and that is especially true of God as our Lord.  Fallen man trumpets his own freedom of will to do as he pleases - yet is so blind not to see that his will is in bondage to his own sinful desires and the spirit of this world.  He is careless of God's commands - and of his own ways.  He walks where he wants - being led about by his own lusts and by the "ruler of this world" who has rebelled against God as well.  He does not grasp that this rebellion - this contempt of God - this disrespect for His Word is a hellish thing. 

The one who lays hold of such a lifestyle will perish.  He will die in two ways.  First he will die physically - the wages of sin is death.  When God told Adam and Eve that in the day that they ate of the fruit they would surely die - He was not lying to them.  This was no mere ploy of God to keep them away from something good.  It was a loving warning that death lay in that decision to turn against Him and rebel.  But there is a death that comes spiritually as well.  The first pair knew sweet fellowship with God.  They could actually walk with the Lord in the cool of the day in the garden.  They could talk with Him, love Him, fellowship with Him in ways that we will only know in eternity.  All that was gone after they despised their conduct - or at least the one commandment given to them.  They died spiritually and passed down to all future generations a dead spirit at birth.  They were dead in their transgressions and sins - and so was every child descended from them.  In the first Adam we all died. 

Oh such a warning is given to us by this proverb.  How we should watch our ways - and watch God's commandments as our way.  The one who does so watches not just over his physical existance in this world.  He watches over the life that God gives him - both physically, but so much more importantly - spiritually.  Watch dear saints - watch your life and keep it according to God's Word.  See the positive call to life in every one of God's commandments.  For though they are given with a thou shalt not - there is within every one of them a call to life and life abundantly.  They is within them a freedom to walk in fellowship with God.  Enjoy it and walk in it!

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:14

Here God tells us that the law or teaching of the wise - the one who sees things as God sees them - is a fountain of life.  As usual - we are being taught to have a very teachable spirit - and this is especially the case when we are hearing truths from someone who is wise and godly.  Our ability to pay attention in these moments will make the difference in a large number of situations. 

The phrase "fountain of life" should catch our eyes because it is a term that is very rarely used in Scripture, yet when used it refers to some very important truths.  The first time it is used is in Psalm 36:9 as a reference to God Himself.  With God Himself is the fountain of life.  We are told that it is in His light that we see light.  If we don't take advantage of listening to God - we won't even have the light we need to see things properly.  The other four times when this exact phrase it used is in the Proverbs.  We read in Proverbs 10:11 the the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, so once again we are encouraged to listen closely when a godly or righteous man is speaking.  Next in Proverbs 14:27 we learn that the fear ofthe Lord is a fountain of life.  When we fear God - showing respect to Him and to His Word, we are given the wisdom necessary to "avoid the snares of death."  Lastly in Proverbs 16:22 that understanding is a fountain of life - keeping us from the discipline of fools.  These passages along with the promise here that the teaching of the wise (which is that fountain manifest again) will turn us aside from the snares of death.  We see a pattern here that should catch our attention.  The "fountain of life" is when God Himself is giving wisdom - and that comes through His Word, through godly men and women who speak it, and through gaining understanding when we hear what they have to teach us.  Oh the problems and difficulties that we could avoid in life if we would only listen - and learn from this fountain - hearing what God has to say - and the understanding and cautions that He wants to offer to us.

Our problem is that much like the people in Jeremiah's day, we abandon the fountain of living waters - to dig our own cisterns instead.  We consider so many other sources more informative and worthy of our time rather than the Word of God.  We do not realize the value of godly counsel and teaching until it is too late and we've landed ourselves in the discipline of fools.  That is why it is wise to cultivate a desire for and an ear to hear what God is saying to us - no matter what the source at the time.  Listening will provide blessing - and in some cases the difference between walking unhindered in our lives, as opposed to finding that our path has led us to fall into a pit.  Such "snares of death" can be avoided if we will only listen and learn that the bait in the snare is a lie.  It won't bring satisfaction.  It will only be a lure to bring us down and yield death and destruction in our lives.  

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:14

Here God tells us that the law or teaching of the wise - the one who sees things as God sees them - is a fountain of life.  As usual - we are being taught to have a very teachable spirit - and this is especially the case when we are hearing truths from someone who is wise and godly.  Our ability to pay attention in these moments will make the difference in a large number of situations. 

The phrase "fountain of life" should catch our eyes because it is a term that is very rarely used in Scripture, yet when used it refers to some very important truths.  The first time it is used is in Psalm 36:9 as a reference to God Himself.  With God Himself is the fountain of life.  We are told that it is in His light that we see light.  If we don't take advantage of listening to God - we won't even have the light we need to see things properly.  The other four times when this exact phrase it used is in the Proverbs.  We read in Proverbs 10:11 the the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, so once again we are encouraged to listen closely when a godly or righteous man is speaking.  Next in Proverbs 14:27 we learn that the fear ofthe Lord is a fountain of life.  When we fear God - showing respect to Him and to His Word, we are given the wisdom necessary to "avoid the snares of death."  Lastly in Proverbs 16:22 that understanding is a fountain of life - keeping us from the discipline of fools.  These passages along with the promise here that the teaching of the wise (which is that fountain manifest again) will turn us aside from the snares of death.  We see a pattern here that should catch our attention.  The "fountain of life" is when God Himself is giving wisdom - and that comes through His Word, through godly men and women who speak it, and through gaining understanding when we hear what they have to teach us.  Oh the problems and difficulties that we could avoid in life if we would only listen - and learn from this fountain - hearing what God has to say - and the understanding and cautions that He wants to offer to us.

Our problem is that much like the people in Jeremiah's day, we abandon the fountain of living waters - to dig our own cisterns instead.  We consider so many other sources more informative and worthy of our time rather than the Word of God.  We do not realize the value of godly counsel and teaching until it is too late and we've landed ourselves in the discipline of fools.  That is why it is wise to cultivate a desire for and an ear to hear what God is saying to us - no matter what the source at the time.  Listening will provide blessing - and in some cases the difference between walking unhindered in our lives, as opposed to finding that our path has led us to fall into a pit.  Such "snares of death" can be avoided if we will only listen and learn that the bait in the snare is a lie.  It won't bring satisfaction.  It will only be a lure to bring us down and yield death and destruction in our lives.