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!

Will they not go astray who devise evil? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good. Proverbs 14:22

Today's proverb has to do with the payoff for both evil and good. There is a pay day for living in a way that is morally wrong. God uses quite an interesting picture of the one who is planning and devising evil. The word used here is "haras" which means to plow or to till the soil. The kind of plowing that is being done is plowing and planting evil. The evil is both moral and ethical in its reach. The fool spends his time plowing this way - and planting a very morally perverse crop into the ground of his life. The proverb tells us that the ones who live this way - will err. They will wander about and go astray. They will be intoxicated with their sin and as a result wander off not really realizing the danger of their actions. In the end they go the wrong way and wander into a moral wasteland.

Unfortunately I've watched this kind of moral wandering many times. They begin to plow the fields of their life with questionable morals and ethics. As they do this they speak of their freedom to do what they want - and usually disparage the Word of God for its straight-laced moral views. But in the end they wind up wanding off into things they did not intend to do. They only realize this when they've gone much father than they expected - or when something devastating happens to them because of their moral blindness. It is a sad thing to watch - because as those counselled by Scripture, we see where they are going. That is why this is voiced to us in a rhetorical way. The rhetorical question is that they are going to wander and err who plan and plow evil in their lifestyle.

To counter this erring way, we are also given a strong statement about what awaits those who plow what is good in their lives. This good (Hebrew word "tobah") is something that is well-pleasing, fruitful, proper, and morally correct. Of course all these things are referring to how God's Word affirms the moral direction that they are taking. What is promised to those plowing in this way is mercy and truth. Let's take a closer look at these two words.

Kindness is the Hebrew word "chesed." That word means to receive mercy and lovingkindness. The word is used of God's love constantly in the Old Testament. It is the closest kin to the Greek word agape in the New Testatment. It refers to God's covenant love with His people. When we choose to plow in a way that is morally in agreement with God's Word, God loves us - and will shower us with His grace, mercy, faithfulness, and goodness. That is what awaits right moral choices. The second word is "truth" which is the Hebrew word "emet." It refers to faithfulness - and is often combined with ideas like God's righteousness and peace. When we plow our lives with godliness and moral rectitiude, there will be a harvest of peace and righteousness that will come to us. Rather than the wandering destructive ways that come to those who plow evil, there is a blessing that showers on those who seek a crop of good things. That blessing is a righteous life - a peaceful existance where we know where we are going. There will be the smile of God and the light of His presence upon this person's path. He sows to godliness and reaps an abundance of joy, light, and life as a result.

When I consider this proverb I cannot but come away from it without remembering the promise of God that we will reap what we sow. To the one who is plowing and sowing evil this comes as a warning that his ways are not good. He will eventually be led to wander and even be destroyed by his ungodly moral choices. To the one plowing and sowing good there is the confident expectation that a good crop will grow - yielding 30, 60, and 100 fold fruit to the glory of God - and to his own blessing and welfare. So the question to ask is simply this, "How are you plowing the fields of your life and future?" 

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26

What kind of neighbor are you? Jesus once told a group of people that they were to love their neighbor as they loved themselves. An individual in the crowd, wanting to justify himself as well as hopefully humiliate Jesus, asked the question, "Who is my neighbor?" That brings me to a principle I've learned in my own life - as well as in Bible study. Here is the principle. If you don't like what Jesus said, the dumbest thing you can do is ask a smart-alek question about it. If you did not like what He said at first - you are really not going to like how He answers your question. When Jesus answered their question about a neighbor, He said in effect that anyone and everyone is their neighbor. In that particular story the two Jewish leaders were the goats and the Samaritan was the hero. I'm sure that this endeared Him even more to the Pharisees and religious Jews who asked the question in the first place. I went through all this to assert the fact that Jesus made it clear that all those around us - especially those in need - are our neighbors. So, having said this, I ask my first question again, "What kind of nieghbor are you?" That is what today's proverb helps us to become - very good neighbors to those around us.

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor. So, in order to be a good neighbor, you need to live and speak in a way that guides them. From what we read in the rest of this proverb - that the wicked leads their neighbor's astray - we see that this guidance has to do with leading them in the right way - in a good way. Another thing we can rightly assume is that since this is written in the Bible, which is God's revelation of Himself, the "right" and the "good" way of which we speak is God's way.

Do you lead your neighbor's in God's way? That is the real question that needs to be posed to each of us. First of all, do you know the spiritual condition of your neighbors? Are they Christians? Are they aware of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If not, this is where you begin. You being by leading them to Christ. That is most definitely the right way. But more and more in Christian circles we are not sharing Christ with those around us. I don't know if this statistic still holds true, but at one time it took over 90 Baptists to lead a person to Christ. Before you think I'm picking on the Baptists, I imagine that number doesn't change much when it is transferred to Calvary Chapelites. Who knows it may go up! The problem is that what this means is that probably 1 out of ever 90 believers is actually sharing their faith - and knowing what I do about my particular area - I bet that is too low a number. It is more like 1 out of 250 are sharing their faith in Jonesboro. So what does this mean? It means we are NOT being a guide to our neighbors when it comes to THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH in life itself.

God left us on earth after saving us so that we could be a guide to others. In proverbs it says that a wise man wins souls. A wise man takes every opportunity to share Christ with others - and lead them to turn from sin and put their faith in Jesus rather than in their false gods, their religious works, or in nothing at all. It also means that we are to be guides to our neighbors when it comes to truth in general. Therefore I ask another question. Are we being guides to our neighbors by the way we live - and the things we support and oppose? All it takes for evil to triumph is for CHRISTIANS to not guide their neighbors! We need to speak up concerning biblical morality and biblical principles. First though we might want to "live-up" these things. Our country used to be a Christian nation. The reason it has abandoned those principles is because Christians abandoned living them out and guiding their neighbors with them.

The second half of this proverb warns us that the way of the wicked - leads people astray. It leads their neighbors astray. The word "way" here is our old friend "derek" in the Hebrew. It speaks of a lifestyle. It is what we would see if a lifestyle was made into a path for us to see. When the wicked live the way they do - it leads people astray. If you do not believe this, think about how the stars in Hollywood live - and how it has affected our nation's morals. We see them in movies and on television as they push the envelope further and further morally. Christians protest - and even complain of what is put before us. The problem is that we don't come out with the positive alternative. Even worse - we are not taking the gospel to our generation - thus making sure that there are more lost people in our generation than in any before it. Lost people act lost - its what they do. Therefore by not guiding our neighbors - we insure that the next generation will be even more ungodly than our own.

Wisdom knows that fallen men will act fallen. Wisdom knows that sinners will encourage other sinners to act like sinners. Wisdom also knows that without a Word from God to arrest men in their sinful ways, they will not turn from them. The righteous in this passage are not righteous because of what they have done for themselves. They are righteous by faith in Christ. They are transformed because Jesus Christ has become to them not just righteousness - but wisdom as well. They are living godly lives because of the grace of God. Therefore the wise know that they must be guides to their neighbors. Otherwise their neighbors will not come to Christ. Romans chapter 10 reminds us that unless we guide our neighbors - they will not know Christ, believe in Christ, and be transformed by His power to walk in godliness. Listen to Paul's words to the believers of his day.

"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:14-15)

Our neighbors MUST be guided. We are the ones to guide them - and we cannot guide them unless we bring them the good news of the gospel. Not everyone who hears will receive Christ. But this we can know for sure, NO ONE WILL unless we guide them and share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with them. Be a guide to your neighbors - not someone who, through their silence, leads them astray.

"Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says, Proverbs 9:16

We continue to look at the call of foolishness and how to discern it.  So far we've primarily looked at the place where foolishness dwells - the company that she keeps, and the way that she is sitting on the spiritual sidelines calling out to those who desire to live godly lives - being a dangerous distraction to them.  Today, we see what she says - we see the actual call of Folly to those who will make the mistake of listening to her. 

There are two things that foolishness says to us as she attempts to get us to turn our gaze from the path in front of us.  The first is a simple call to come to where she is.  "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here."  We have seen this word "naive" (which is the Hebrew word "pethi") before.  The thing that we need to see here is that the simple or naive is one who does not yet fully understand God's Word.  They are deficient in seeing the world from God's perspective - and as a result their moral maturity is lacking.  The call of foolishness to such a person would most likely involve a call to be open-minded to seeing things other than how God sees them.  Foolishness does not usually say this outright - but the call nevertheless is for someone to listen to "another" view of morals and righteousness. 

Foolishness calls out to those who are lacking "understanding."  The word here is "leb" and it means heart.  The reason foolishness calls to such a one is because they lack a fundamental growth in their inner man.  They are lacking a heart for God - and as a result - they lack a true devotion to the Lord and to what He teaches.  This is why they are a prime target for the evil one.  He knows that they have yet to fully embrace God's ways and God's Word - therefore they can be picked off easily by a call to be broad or open minded. 

This call for an open mind is one of the most dangerous things in the arsenal of the wicked one.  It is not that God does not want us to think - but that He desires for us to first submit ourselves to His Lordship and His Word.  The original sin in the garden was a rebellion that was centered in wanting to make up our own minds concerning the knowledge of good and evil.  When Adam and Eve partook of that fruit - far more than just a new taste was in their mouths.  God desired for them to partake of the tree of life and live according to the life that God would grant them in Him.  But because they listened to the devil and believed his lie - they decided to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They wanted to decide for themselves what "living" was about - and it yielded to them and their posterity - death. 

This lie continues to this day - and is still effective among the sons of men.  God has given us His Word - which shows us the way of life.  It reveals to us all that we need to know to develop morally and spiritually.  We can know life and life abundantly!  The problem is that we hear another call - the call of foolishness.  "Come on!" Folly says to us.  "Have an open mind about these things."  Folly would have us think that morality - righteousness - holiness is not just what God says.  We should think for ourselves - determine our own right and wrong.  God even knows that in the day that we determine these things for ourselves - we will be like Him knowing good and evil!  But the lie kills - it killed in the past - and it will kill today.  Hold fast to God's Word - and hold fast to how God defines life.  Do not listen to the call of foolishness.  Remember that the man is blessed who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scoffers.  The man is blessed who meditates on the Word of the Lord - day and night - so that he may do all that is according to that Word.  If we want to know Who to listen to in life - we should listen to God as He speaks by His Spirit through His Word.  That is the way of life - and those who partake of this fruit will know life indeed.

Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.  Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:26-27

Watch means to weight out or to ponder.  The idea here is that someone is pondering evil and then choosing to avoid it.  It means to seriously think about the path your feet are going to take - and choose to take them in a direction pleasing to the Lord.  Sometimes we don't think enough about the path of our feet.  We just act and go along with our lives.  We don't take the time to think about where we're going - what we're doing - and where it is going to lead when things reach a conclusion. 

We are told that if we will do this we will have all our ways established.  Ways is "derek" which again is the Hebrew word that refers to our lifestyle - the way we're going in life.  To have that way or that lifestyle established means to have it firm and fixed.  It means our lifestyle is one that is upright and good.  We will have a life that matters and just as important - one that will be steadfast in what pleases and honors the Lord.  There is also a sense in which we are being told our lives will last - whereas the worldling and the wicked man will only be temporary. 

When we look at the way of our feet, we need to know not to turn to the right or the left.  This is assuming that our feet are on God's paths and ways and not our own.  When we turn to the right or the left, we are choosing to depart from God's paths and walk in our own, the world's ways, or those of the devil.  Which ever of these three are true, we will find ourselves in a way that is wrong - and ultimately a way that will hurt and cost us. 

The only turn we should make in life is one away from evil.  The word "turn" here is a Hebrew word that means to go away from something, to desert it, to quit, to keep far away.  When we see evil we need to remove ourselves from it - depart - honesly - RUN!  To hang around evil is to court its greater influence in our lives.  When we see evil we should hide ourselves from it.  The longer we remain in the presence of evil, the more likely we are to participate in it.  Thus the wise man runs from evil.

Think about where you're going.  It is important to do this - to consider our lives and examine them from time to time.  It is too easy to begin to wander from the ways of God - too easy to take a path that leads us away from the Lord.  That is why this Proverb helps us so much - it encourages us to think through where our journey reaches its destination.  We think about the end of things.  When we do this - we will see the wisdom of turning away from evil and keeping clear of the wicked one and his ways.  

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

The heart is the key to walking with God.  When the heart is changed and sanctified, the life will be godly and will be pleasing to the Lord.  But when a man's heart is not guarded and kept for the Lord, there will be problems.  This is why the father who is speaking frankly with his sons, will urge them to do all that is necessary to watch over their hearts.

The word "watch" used here is the Hebrew word, "natsar" and it means to watch over something, to guard and to keep it.  This word was used to describe how a person is to maintain something that is entrusted to them.  Whether we truly realize it or not, God has given us our hearts.  He has given us life and a direction in which it should be going.  Once this wonderful gift of salvation and a new heart is ours by God's grace - it is our duty to protect it - and to make sure that we watch over what God has done in our lives.  This "watching" is to be done with all diligence.  The word used here is "mismar" and it means to have someone put into custody, to guard them.  It speaks of things that are in a condition of being watched and controlled.  What a fascinating word to use here.  We are to watch our hearts and do so with a diligence that would be reminiscent of a prison - or the watch of a military unit at night.  This is no casual affair, but is something that is of the utmost seriousness.  God is absolutely serious about what we are doing with our hearts. 

The reason for this "due diligence" over our hearts is because our hearts are vital to our spiritual lives.  The father tells his son that from his heart flow the very springs of life itself.  A literal way of translating this passage is to say, "from out of it are the issues of life."  William Harvey, in the seventeeth century, discovered the circulation of blood in the human body.  This one discovery absolutely revolutionized science and medicine.  Over 2500 years before Harvey, the writer of Proverbs, inspired by the Holy Spirit, accurately spoke of how the heart was the very location where springs of life flowed out into the rest of the body.  The heart pumping the blood of the body through the arteries - is the very wellspring of life for the entire body.  If we watch out for the health of our heart - we are doing what must be done for a healthy body.  Kill the heart - and the body will die.  In a similar way, the heart is the seat of our spiritual life.  Keep our hearts and we will maintain a life of holiness and godliness.  Let our hearts go and we will find that the life of God will no longer flow freely through us and in us. 

The godly father impresses such things on his son.  He makes frank statements to his boys about the need to maintain a vital spiritual life where a heart for God is not just maintained, but is encouraged to flourish.  The father who takes this job seriously will be the father who rears sons to be men of God.  Dad, are you challenging your sons to maintain hearts for God and the things of God?  

For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.   Proverbs 4:22

The wise father will place before his sons that fact that living according to God's ways and commands is the very best way to live.  Living this way is how to experience, "Life and life abundantly" as Jesus said in John 10:10.  He will also let them know that God's ways are also the most healthy way to live for their physical bodies as well.  This should be almost a "no-brainer" when we grasp that God, Who is omniscient and all-wise, would of course know the very best way for us to conduct ourselves for the most healthy and meaningful life the few years we have on this planet.

The father begins by frankly telling his son that the ways of God are life to those who find them.  Jesus warned us in John that the thief, who is the devil, comes to kill, steal, and destroy.  We should take note that also in 1 John we read that the world lies in the power of the evil one.  Therefore it should be no surprise to us that the world and its ways are destructive to our health and well-being.  To follow the world is to ultimately harm ourselves.  God made the world around us to function in a certain way.  To follow Him is to follow the designer and creator of all that we see and know.  When God gave His Law to Israel He said something very powerful in Deuteronomy 30,

"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply . . . I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days . . ."  (Deuteronomy 30:15-16,19-20) 

God made it clear to His people that His ways were best - actually they were penultimate over all other ways of living.  To love, serve, and obey Him would bring them great blessing and life.  Again, He tells Israel this in Deuteronomy 32:46-47 when He says, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law.  For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life."

The God who gave these very frank statements to Israel - also commanded the fathers of that nation to impress those same words upon the hearts of their sons.  So all we are reading here in Proverbs is a restatement of what God has commanded previously.

The father also seeks to say to his son that obeying the Lord's commands is also "health" to the body.  Here is where things get fascinating.  I attended Auburn University for my undergraduate work.  While there I knew a couple of brothers in Christ who endeavored to study the Scriptures and test the Old Testament dietary laws to see why God gave them.  Later I also read extensive articles out of a ministry in Chicago where doctors began treating patients based upon God's dietary and cleanliness laws.  Both groups adamantly stated to me that what God gave in the Old Testament is the most astounding public health system known to mankind.  If these commands were followed, it would lead to a marvelously healthy society.  When the Jewish slums followed these laws in Europe - the beubonic plague did not affect their populations.  Another way to say this is - the commandments of God are health to our bodies.

Dads, we need to speak frankly to our sons concerning life - and what enhances and offers life to them.  The world will not tell them such things, in fact, the world will tell them the opposite.  We are the ones God has designed to speak such things to them.  Actually, we are commanded to do so.  Blessed is the son who has a wise father who will speak frankly with him about life - and life abundantly!

Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. Proverbs 4:21

The father next reminds his sons that what is before his eyes will be what eventually dominates his choices.  He reminds him to not let the sayings he gives him - and the Scripture upon which they are based to depart from his eyes.  There is so much in our society that tries desperately to grab the attention of our eyes.  Even though we may place the Word of God and the commandments of God before the eyes of our children, they must be warned that there will be a concerted effort to have their eyes drawn away from such things. 

Think about the advertising business for a moment with me.  They spend millions of dollars researching just what images have the greatest impact.  Each year during the Super Bowl, companies spend over a million dollars for 30-60 seconds just to get the greatest impact upon the eyes of those who watch that event.  They do it becuase they want the images and the thoughts that come with them to stick with us.  And to be honest with ourselves, we have to admit that the majority of those images and messages run contrary to the Word of God.  This is why we need to impress upon our sons the importance of not letting God's commandments and God's Word depart from our sight. 

People ask me why I urge people to have a DAILY quiet time where they read and meditate upon God's Word.  It is because when they walk out the door to begin their day, they need that word impressed and engraved upon their very souls and hearts.  That is what the father says here to his son.  Keep these words - these sayings - these quotations in your heart!  There will be hundreds of messages a day that will run contrary to them - seeking to have us live for something that is 180 degrees counter to God's will for our lives.  But do not let these images and these things dominate your sight - keep your eyes fixed on the Word of God - and the wil of God as it is expressed to you there. 

Remember the number of times we are warned of the wiles of the immoral woman.  Almost every time that warning includes a warning not to let ourselves be captured by her appearance.  1 John 2:15-17 warns as well that one of the things we will face consistently is a temptation to live by the lust of our eyes.  Proverbs 23:26 and the verses that follow it are a similar appeal, "Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways."  This appeal comes moments before the father warns his son of the dangers of the immoral woman and her appeal to his eyes - and the way that alcohol appeals to the eyes as we look into glass as it is placed before us.  The eyes are the portal to our souls.  If we look long enough and hard enough at something it can have a powerful affect upon us.  This works both ways with us.  Paul told the Corinthians that as we gaze on the glory of the Lord - we can be transformed into that same glory as the Holy spirit works within us. 

Dads, focus your sons on the Word - and warn them about the ways that their eyes will be used against their own best interests.  Don't hide from them the way that the world will make its appeal.  Call them to fix their eyes on the Word of God - so that the Word they see will move through their sight into their hearts where it will transform them more and more to God's ways and God's character.  What they see will affect them.  Make sure they know that in this battle for their soul, the one thing to keep before them is God's Word.

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Proverbs 4:20

Proverbs is filled with admonitions from a father to a son.  This is a large part of this book - the importance of a father teaching his children the things of God.  This is something that has been lost to several generations in our country - and we can easily see the damage that results from it in multiple generations of American men. 

The father speaks bold words to his son - telling him to pay attention to the word that he speaks to him.  Dads, there is little that is as important as being able to speak this way to your sons.  This does not happen overnight because you decide to do it.  Cultivate this with your sons by spending time with them.  Turn off the television and put down whatever it is that you think is so important - and build a relationship with your boys!  This dad gained the ability to say such things by being a part of his son's life.  Having gained that position, he speaks boldly telling his son to pay attention to his words. 

Have you made it clear to your son that the things you say to him are important?  This is no small matter.  If a father practices neglect of his sons early, they will see no place for his words.  His words are spoken so seldom that they do not matter to him.  If a father plays the fool all the time his son will not take him seriously.  If a father is harsh his son will reject his words because there is no love in them.  But the father who consistently loves and speaks with his son - both about fun and serious things - will win his heart.  When this takes place his son will know that the words of his Father truly matter - and he will pay close attention to them.  This dad wants his son to truly hear - and grasp the things that he says.  The idea behind paying close attention to him means to listen carefully so as to heed and obey. 

He also says that his son should "incline" his ear to his father's sayings.  The word incline has the idea of stretching out and extending something.  It is a call for his son to stretch out his ears - to strain himself to hear what his dad is saying to him.  The Hebrew word "emer" here has an interesting aspect to it.  When used in its root form, this term meant a saying, but it usually also involved a quotation spoken after it.  For those of us who walk with God, this is pretty amazing.  It is a reminder that not only do we need to give our kids wise commands for their moral choices - but that we also need to include a quotation afterward.  That quotation needs to be from the Scriptures.  It is so vital that our moral statements have true moral authority.  So, we quote the Word to our sons as we tell them the way that they should walk and live in life. 

Men, it is so important that we speak to our sons.  It is important that they hear from us the morals and the values that they should have in life.  It is also important that as we share these things we let them know that our values and morals do not arise out of the ash pits of American society and the shifting sands of public or political opinion.  Our valures are rooted in God's revelation of Himself in Scripture - in the Bible.  They have their footings dug deep into the 10 commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the writings of Pau, Peter, and John.  This is the way to have a son who has strong values - and values that will not be blown and tossed like the waves driven by the wind.  Be a strong man - speak strong things - and rear strong sons!

To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; Proverbs 2:12-15 

Why is wisdom needed?  Well for many in the modern mindset, maybe it isn't.  They contend that the basic nature of man is good.  Yet the very reason for wisdom is the fact that evil exists.  But we are not being told about evil in theory - we are being told here that evil men exist.  The battle with evil in theory is one only in our minds - but a battle with evil that actually involves evil men - that is another story altogether.  

The first thing we learn is that there is a "way of evil" that exists in our world.  We are facing those who have developed lifestyles that embrace evil.  The facts are in - and those facts clearly deliniate for us that man is fallen.  The facts also indicate that being fallen, man has developed a whole way of life that is contrary to the will of God.  If we are not careful and wise - we will find ourselves following that path - that way of evil.  According to Solomon, we need to be delivered from the way of evil.  Maybe this is why we hear John telling us, "Do not love the world or the things of the world, if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him."  

The way we are drawn into this way of evil is by men who speak perverse things.  This perverse speech involves saying things that distort and deviate from what God has said and what God wants.  It is deceptive, corrupt speaking that either denies the Word or twists it until it suits our fallen appetites.  That's why we need wisdom and discretion - the ability to distinguish between things godly and ungodly.  We need to know when an "evil man" is trying to decieve us and lead us astray.

The evil man leave the paths of uprightness to walk in their darkness.  Here it is again - the fact that there is an entire walk and path that is ungodly.  But we also learn that there is a corresponding walk that is upright and godly.  The evil man leaves God's ways and chooses those that are dark instead.  We learn again from John that the ungodly hate the light and does not come to the light.  That is the way of the evil man.  That is also why we need wisdom and understanding - to remind us that fellowship with the evil man means fellowship with darkness.  It seems that God is trying to get us to see that there is a light/darkness - good/evil - godly/ungodly situation in life.  

The evil man leave the paths of uprightness to walk in their darkness.  Here it is again - the fact that there is an entire walk and path that is ungodly.  But we also learn that there is a corresponding walk that is upright and godly.  The evil man leaves God's ways and chooses those that are dark instead.  We learn again from John that the ungodly hate the light and does not come to the light.  That is the way of the evil man.  That is also why we need wisdom and understanding - to remind us that fellowship with the evil man means fellowship with darkness.  It seems that God is trying to get us to see that there is a light/darkness - good/evil - godly/ungodly situation in life. 

Worldly wisdom equates the best of thinking and acting to mankind.  That is why they are shocked with evil rears its head.  They want to think the best of man - when the truth is man IS capable of the worst attrocities.  Proverbs tells us that there are those men who "delight in doing evil and rejoice in perversity."  We almost shrink from these statements - yet that is what is said here.

If there has been a "fall" of mankind into sin that has corrupted them utterly - then it really isn't that much of a stretch that man rejoices in evil and perversity.  To fallen man - evil is good and good is evil.  Isn't that what we see today?  In our world evil is called good and good evil.  They consider the things of God strange and His commandments as burdensome.  They see freedom as bondage and their current state of bondage as freedom.  Delight in doing evil then becomes the norm - and it should not be all that strange to see them devoting entire programs on television and articles in writing to rejoice in how they pervert the straight paths of God.  

Look at the sexual revolution of the 60's as an example.  The morals of the past were thrown off (possibly the biggest lie of that period was to deny that such things had always been happening - just that they were done far more secretly).  But I think that the shock was not that morals were cast aside, but that now those actin immorally were rejoicing openly in their perversity.  The movement was not just a desire to set aside what is right - it was a rejoicing in what heretofore was considered evil.  What is even more amazing to me is that several generations of this behavior has led to soceity adopting such actions as normal - and now even certain segments of soceity say we should rejoice in evil.  NOW we get why we need to cry out to God for wisdom, discretion, and knowledge to escape such a fate.

The final statement about the way of evil is that their direction in life becomes like their heart.  Their paths (again the word for lifestyle) are crooked.  Crooked is the Hebrew word 'iqqesh'.  It means something that is morally, religiously, and socially perverted.  This perversity comes from the source of an evil, deceitful, perverse heart.  No longer are certain actions perverted - but the whole direction and path of their life runs counter to the truth of God.

Their lifestyle is finally described as being devious.  This is the last straw.  It describes a person who has followed their perverse and wicked ways to the point where they now despise and reject God's ways.  They find them abhorant.  What is worse is that they are utterly blind to their condition.

What we have described for us is the natural degradation of fallen men.  They may begin with the remnants of God's image within them - but as they continue in their perversity they soon scald their conscience and harden it to the point where they no longer feel any shame in their sin.  By the way, this is exactly what is taught to us in Romans chapter one.  We learn that man begins with denying God and being ungrateful, but ends with those who cheer on the wickedness of man - preferring their own perversity to anything God has to offer.  In light of such an ignoble end - we see why Solomon impresses on his son the importance of crying out to God for wisdom and understanding.  There is too much at stake here to live and let live.  The fall of man guarantees that what starts as a mere snowflake will become a massive ball of snow that destroys all in its path.  May such a vision of the destrutive power of our core perverseness motivate us to a passionate cry for God's wisdom and a desperate search for His ways and paths.