How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14

This particular proverb is based on the previous verse.  That verse deals with those who conceal versus those who confess and forsake their sin.  This verse is a reminder to us about another comparison.  This one is those who fear God versus those who harden their heart.  That is what happens when we become aware of sin in our lives.  We have a choice at that point as to whether we are going to fear God and deal with our sin - or - whether we are going to harden our hearts and think that sin is not that big of an issue.  Some even deny that sin exists and in so doing, put another crusty layer of hardness from ungodly philosophies over their heart. 

When we become aware of sin we should fear God.  We should fear God because He is holy and sin will break our fellowship with Him.  As a holy God, we should also fear because His great love for us will respond with discipline in our lives to get us to turn from sin.  Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the passages in the Old and New Testament where God responds to sin, should know that good things are NOT going to happen when we choose sin.  Even worse things are in store if we not only choose sin - but them add to our sin by rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit when He seeks to alert us to our rebellion against God's Word.  Just naming names and places should remind us of this.  Sodom and Gommorah, Pharaoh, the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, Dathan and Abiram, Achan, Nadab and Abihu, David and Bathsheba, and Annanias and Saphira are names and places that should immediately make us aware that God takes sin seriously.  Then there is that whole "judgement seat of Christ" thing, as well as the "lake of fire" in the book of Revelation that should remind us that God is anything but "pro-sin" in His dealings with mankind.  Therefore we grasp and see that there would be a blessing on the man who "fears always," when it comes to sin.  This does not mean that this man is cowering 24 hours a day thinking God will strike him dead at any moment.  But it does mean that this man has a healthy fear of God that assists him in making godly choices - and steering clear of ungodly ones.

When sin comes to us, we do have a second choice.  That choice is to "harden our heart" toward God.  The wise man receives the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  He embraces what God has to say to him, knowing that God loves him - and sin will be harmful.  But the fool stiffens when God offers rebuke and correction.  The fool doesn't want to listen - and he doesn't want any other authority than himself in his life.  He completely rejects any warning that is given.  He wonders what an ancient document has to do with him.  Why should he restrict his desires and wants due to what the Bible has to say.  Thus he hardens his heart against God and against God's Word (think here whatever God has to say about an issue. 

The problem with a hardened heart toward God is that its rejection of God's Word puts him in the path of calamity.  That is what we read here.  God made this world - and it works best when we submit to Him.  When we do not - problems are on our horizon.  What I am about to say you can take to the bank.  You cannot reject God's Word without causing yourself harm. There are going to be consequences for disobedience and rebellion.  There are going to be consequences for following your own lusts.  There are going to be consequences for choosing your own way or the ways of the world system rather than choosing God's ways.  The best way to describe these consequences is with the word "calamity."  This word is the Hebrew word "raah" and it means something evil or bad.  Zhodiates says that this word has ten or more shades of meaning about evil according to the context where it is used.  It describes absolute evil as well as various aspects of bad things that happen in our lives.  One thing though about this word is that it never means something good.  Thus we may not physically die immediately after rejecting God's Word and hardening our hearts toward Him - but - you can know that nothing good is going to come of it. 

We have a choice day by day as to how we are going to live.  Will we respect our own thinking and ways or the ways of God?  Will be fear God and choose to honor and obey Him and His Word - or will will consider our own finite minds more than adequate to guide us through life?  In the end, the choice that we make will yield very clear consequences.  Thus we need to know as we make these daily choices that every one of them will come with either a reward or a recompense.  May we be wise and choose the right way - the way of fearing the Lord - and the way of turning from sin rather than turning to it.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 22:15

Ah, we come to the NOT-Dr. Spock proverb.  If you do not know who Dr. Spock is the first thing I should tell you is that he is not the pointy-eared science officer from the Star Trek series.  He is a child psychologist from the 1960's who announced to the world through his writings that spanking a child was wrong.  Unfortunately an entire generation decided that he was right (after all he is a psychologist!) and that God was wrong.  If you are wondering the results of that choice, take a look at our society today. 

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.  This is a view that is also rejected by the vast majority of psychologists and educators today.  We are told that we need to let children "express themselves."  When we try to impose our views upon them - we are only warping them in our image.  I can only tell you that when we add a biblical worldview to the practice of guiding and disciplining a child - people in the academic world tend to go ballistic.  But the biblical fact is, well . . . fact. 

The Bible reprents mankind as fallen and ruined due to sin.  That includes little ones fresh out of the womb.  I know that it is very easy to look at little ones and think, "Oh, they are so cute - they're just little angels."  The problem is that they are NOT little angels.  The Biblical view is that they are little fools - and will remain that way unless we apply the rod of discipline in their lives.  Children will basically be selfish and self-centered.  The will have a tendency toward sin - and if left to themselves without discipline will become little tyrants.  Some will howl with disapproval for this statement saying that not all children are this way.  I've helped rear six children and would be the first to say that different children have different ways that they express their sinful nature - but every one of them needed discipline to keep from being fools.  Some of my children were active in their rebellion - others were passive in how they disobeyed - but without a doubt they all disobeyed naturally. 

God's Word says that what we are after is their hearts.  Note that we read that foolishness is bound up in a child's heart.  We are not aiming for their bottoms - although that is where the discipline usually is administered.  We are aiming for their hearts.  We want them to see that they are fallen and that they need God.  We want them to see that they are foolish and need the wisdom of God.  We want them to see that they are sinful and need the forgiveness of God.  We also want them to see that they are bound in sin and desperately need the deliverance of God.  Finally, we need for them to see that they are fatally flawed and need the regeneration of God that comes with salvation.  They need their "heart of stone" to be replaced at salvation with the heart of flesh that God promises in the new covenant. 

One reason we do this is because they must learn that discipline is the way of life.  God will continue to discipline them as Hebrews 12:5-9 says.  If we are His children - we WILL be disciplined.  Thus we are to be trained by our parents early to learn to receive discipline and to learn from it.  The rod of discipline is applied to help remove the foolishness from our hearts.  As it does its work, we will grow in wisdom and understanding - and will learn to put away foolish things from our lives. 

There are some who will argue that the "rod" mentioned here is just words.  But the word itself means a rod or stick - a club or the stick in a spear.  I will not argue with those who say that at times God refers to the rod of His mouth.  But when it comes to child training there are other passages in Proverbs that make it clear that we are to spank our children in disciplining them. This being said, I will also state clearly that over-spanking a child is abuse - and that God's Word refers to "LOVING" discipline that should be administered.  Simply grabbing a child and swatting them is very ineffective.  There should be instruction, clear boundaries, discipline, as well as reassuring love that is given after any kind of spanking that is given to a child.  Our children need to know that we are not disciplining them because they are annoying us.  We are discplining them so that they will become pliable in the hands of God - and so that they will learn not to embrace foolishness when it presents itself in their minds or through their friends and aquaintences.  This is the kind of discipline that will train up that child.  It is also the kind that will help them love their parents - and later the Lord for what He is doing.  They will see that this is a very positive thing done out of love and always done with their ultimate best interests in mind.

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?  

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.

"How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? Proverbs 1:22

If they only knew . . . this is the way that a lot of statements begin about those who reject Biblical truth and the Biblical world view.  But this statement assumes that the only problem that is present is a lack of information - a lack of education.  Yet today's proverb seems to present a different picture.  There are those who even if educated would persist in their worldview and ignorance.  Could it actually be that there is a deeper problem in the human race than a lack of education?

Three descriptions are given here about how people view their world.  The first is the person who is naive.  According to what is written in this proverb, the naive ones actually love their naivete.  They enjoy their simple-mindedness.  The word used here is "pethi" which means to be naive.  The picture that this paints for us though is of someone who is very open minded.  In fact to them the greatest character trait that you can have is to be as open-minded as possible.  The root for this word means to be wide open and spacious.  It refers to someone whose mind is as wide open as can be - to everything - to every view that is out there.  The only thing this person cannot tolerate is a view that is considered narrow in its focus.  The naive person thinks that everyone would be able to get along - if we would all just accept each others views as equally valid.  This is the case even when the views in question are diametrically opposed to each other.  This is the post-modernist whose most valued idea is tolerance.  They love their open-mindedness so much that they will pretty much gut the real truth of any position so that everyone can have their opinion, be right for themselves, and never a threat to each other. 

The writer asks, "How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?"  The fact is that all views can't get along with each other.  There has to eventually be a right and a wrong.  There are some worldviews that are just flat out wrong.  Look at Mao in China.  To say that his view of communism, which was responsible for the murder of over 50 million people is ludicris!  To say that Hitler's position is equally valid with that of Mother Theresa is insane.  Yet the naive want everyone's view to be equally valid.  They love their naivete so much that they will frontal lobotomize themselves when it comes to thinking to have every view just as valid.  Europe took this view as Hitler rose to power - and each and every step along the way, Hitler took advantage of it to Blitzkrieg his way accross most of northern Europe.  He wouldn't have been stopped except that at some point the naive ones realized that their open-mindedness could not fit him and his views of the world. 

The second group are the scoffers.  These are the ones who scoff and mock at the things of God.  They belittle them as subpar thinking and subpar reasoning.  They don't know how to build up - just tear down.  They love their own scoffing, delighting in it every step of the way.  They see it as a great thing when someone denigrates Christ, the Bible, or the church in some way.  But their scoffing becomes such a lifestyle that they can offer nothing positive in reply.  They only become bitter, self-centered critics who have nothing to offer anyone - except a constant cry to destroy and level anything related to God.

The third group are the fools.  These are the spiritual dullards and dupes who don't want to be bothered by the facts.  According to this passage they hate knowledge.  This word speaks of knowledge, knwoing, learning, discernment, and insight.  They do not want God's wisdom in their lives and will reject it when it is offered. 

Now here is the amazing thing about this passage.  None of these three types can have their lack of wisdom repaired by education alone.  Their problem is not a lack of information.  It is that they don't want the information.  They enjoy their simple-mindedness, their scoffing, and their foolish worldview.  They need something more than just information and knowledge.  They need a change in their heart as a result of a work of God's Spirit in their minds.  How do I know this?  Because of the very next verse in chapter 1.  These three groups are encouraged to "turn to God's reproof.  They will have to see their views as wrong, and be willing to turn from them to God's correction.  They need the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them where they will then be able to receive the words that are spoken to them.  Their problem is a heart level problem - not just an education level one.  They delight in their views - and reject anything that would threaten them.  Until there is a heart change - there will be no embracing of any kind of educational outreach to them. 

This is actually the view of classic Christianity.  The problem with mankind is not just one of proper education.  We can educate someone for decades and unless there is a heart change wrought by the grace of God, they will continue to reject the truth.  As Romans chapter one puts it, God's wrath is revealed against the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness.  They want their sin.  They want their foolishness.  They want their unrighteous ways.  No amount of education that leaves their hearts unregenerated will do them any good whatsoever.  There must be repentance and a change initiated and completed by the work of God's Holy Spirit.  If that does not happen - they will simply continue to reject the truth and embrace their unrighteousness - whether it is dressed up as naivete, scoffing, or foolishness.  What we see here is that only the grace of God can take a man and change him from a fool into a wise man.  Oh, that we would pray that God's grace would touch the hearts of men to convert them from darkness to light - and from the foolishness of this world to the wisdom of God.

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? Proverbs 18:14

There are two kinds of sickness that can come upon us.  One is a sickness that we can endure and bear - but there is a second type mentioned in the Scripture that is impossible to bear without the work and grace of God being upon us.

We are told that the spirit of a man can endure his sickness.  This sickness mentioned here is the word used for various illnesses that come upon us due to the face that we live in a fallen world.  The entrance of sin into our world ruined it.  It also introduced sickness and death into our world as well.  But a man's spirit can help him endure his sickness.  I am about to share something that will cause some to react badly.  If we live in this world, we are going to face illness and sickness.  Because of the fall of man and the entrance of sin into our world - sickness also came into it as well.  What I mean by this is NOT that anyone who is sick must have sinned.  That is false doctrine.  But what I do mean is that when sin entered the human race - death did as well.  Now all things are running down - aging - and generally falling apart.  The second law of thermodynamics tells us that things are moving from order to disorder.  That is true in our very makeup itself.  Our cells are breaking down - our DNA is liable to mutation (which is never good) - and we will slowly fall apart until we physically die.  This is fact.  Those who think we can go through all of life simply confessing divine health - and therefore never having to be sick or adversely affected by the degeneration of our world or ourselves are sadly mistaken.  They to will die due to the sin of man.

Now, before I completely depress you, let me return to our proverb today.  Our spirit can help us endure sickness.  There is an inner strength that is granted to us in our spirit that helps us deal with the fact that we are human.  We will make it through sickness.  I've seen the extreme of this in believers who glorify God in the midst of terminal illnesses.  There is something so alive and strong in them - even in the midst of their last days.  They conquer death - even as they face it.  That is the power of God working in our spirits. 

But the Proverb does warn of a second sickness that is unbearable to the human condition.  "But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?"  The word for broken here is so telling.  It does not refer to what we experience at the end of a romance - the famous broken heart of romantic movies and novels.  This broken spirit is one that is stricken and scouraged.  It refers to more than just suffering.  It refers to when we come to see that everything we can live for in this life means nothing.  It is the brokenness that God actually seeks to bring us to in life.  It is a brokenness that cannot be cured with more stuff or more power.  It won't be solved by a new romance - or another boyfriend or girlfriend.  This brokenness goes to the very depths of our spirit.  It is God telling us that we cannot be self-repaired.  We need Him.  That is why the wise man poses the question, "Who can bear it?"  No one can - except he turn to God.  Only He can reach to the very core of our deadness and cause our spirit to come alive.  This work He does by the Spirit of God as He applies the gospel of Jesus Christ to our broken condition.  Then we find ourselves fixed - and actually far more than fixed.  We are reborn - and our spirit comes alive as the Holy Spirit grants us the very life of God. 

The wise man knows as he sees and endures the sicknesses of this present world that something is terribly wrong with this world.  The death that reigns over this present world points us to a much deeper death that reigns over our souls.  This brokenness of spirit can only be repaired by God.  He has given the cure in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And . . . a wise man knows to turn to God for His ultimate remedy for a broken spirit.

Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.   Proverbs 23:19

There are some very serious consequences for those who become heavy drinkers or gluttonous eaters.  These are things that we don't like to deal with today - because they tend to get a little personal when we confront them.  Nevertheless, these things are not good for us, and they will rob us of the blessings of a good and prosperous life. 

Contrary to the nanny state that is trying to change people's behavior by legislation and shaming, God's Word takes a different approach.  First of all, we see that the things that are being said are said from the mouth of a father.  These are matters that the state are not to fix - they were meant to be addressed in the course of living within a godly home.  The reason that these things are epidemic in our day is because of the rampant lack of godly homes.  There are no longer fathers who take the time to regularly teach and train their sons to be godly men.  There are also no longer those in our society that will know the Word in a way that will move them to impart wisdom to their children.

The father here speaks to his son and lets him know from the start that the motivation for his comments is that his son would be wise.  He is saying to his boy, if you are wise, you will avoid these kinds of lifestyle choices.  Then he lets his son know that if he rejects such wisdom - there will be consequences.  He does not seek to deliver his son from the consequences except a warning of what is to come.  He is not wanting to just modify his son's behavior.  He is seeking to help his son on heart issues.  He says, "Direct your heart in the way!" 

Our current legislative overreach wants to modify behavior by taxing certain behaviors heavier - or trying to outlaw them altogether.  They seek to stop smoking this way - or they try to so stigmatize smoking that people will stop out of shame.  What this has led to is people who hold fast to their smoking - but not have to pay far more to do so.  The sad thing is that in the end, the government (who is constantly in search of more money to spend) receives greater tax because of this behavior.  This makes it to where they almost don't want to have smoking stop - because then their revenue stream will dry up and go away.  Just addressing the outward behavior will do little or nothing to stop the problem. 

This father addresses the heart.  He wants his son to be wise - and a wise man takes the time to direct his own heart into a way that does not dishonor God.  He will direct his heart into ways that are not destructive to himself.  Instead he will direct his heart into "THE" way.  What is "THE" way?  It is the way of the Lord.  It is a way that puts great value on bringing glory and honor and praise to Him.  It is a way that values the Word of God - and values the lifestyle that comes from honoring and obeying the Word of God.  This is what the father wants - and it is a wise thing that he is seeking! 

Fathers, let's give us merely trying to change our son's behavior with poor motivators.  Threats and harsh punishments will probably not turn the hearts of our sons to the right way.  Let us speak the truth to our children, but at the same time aim for the heart.  What we want is to see them choose wise paths - and heart-motivated change.  May God give us the wisdom to speak to them this way - and then they will be blessed - not just with good behavior, but a good heart that motivates that behavior for a lifetime.  Check tomorrow's post as we continue through the next several verses to see how the father uses wisdom - and an understanding of the biblical consequences that follow our actions.

For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; Proverbs 2:10

God wants us to have a "heart" religion - and not just one that affects our heads on certain days.  Here we have Solomon speaking to us about having wisdom enter our hearts and knowledge becoming pleasant to our mind, will, and emotions.  This is the kind of work that the Lord wants to do in us.  Let's take a closer look at what it means to have this happen - and the reason it is not such an easy task.

First of all - as with all things in a Biblical worldview, sin has made things diffiicult because it has ruined us.  We learn from the prophets that we currently have a heart of stone.  One of the promises of the new covenant is that God will remove from us this heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh.  The sign of this is that God will have written His commandments on our hearts - and we will want to obey Him.  Part of this process also comes when we seek the Lord and desire to know Him and the wisdom that comes from having His Word before our eyes.  In Proverbs 2 we see the pursuit of God's Word - and the passion that Solomon had for it.  This is a work of grace because we read in 1 Peter 1 that we are to long for the Word like a newborn babe longs for its mother's milk.  When that work of grace happens - the Word of God will dwell within us richly - and in time - it will enter our hearts.  This work of God's grace will encsure that wisdom too will enter our hearts. 

To have wisdom from the Word in our hearts is vital.  Jesus said that it is out of the abundance of what is in the heart that the mouth speaks.  That is why it is so important to have wisdom enter our hearts.  The heart is also the wellspring of our being.  Whatever reigns in our hearts will reign in our lives.  That is why we don't just want a small helping of the Word of God - but we want it to dwell richly within us.  We want an abundance of the Word in us - and we want it to powerfully speak to us as we seek the Lord and desire to hear from Him through His Word.

The second precious work we read of here is having knowledge from God become pleasant to our soul.  The word here for knowing is the Hebrew word "daath" and it means a knowing by experience, encounter, and relationship.  This is not just having a mental knowing in our heads - it is truly knowing God in an intimate relationship with Him.  We have encountered God Himself - we've experienced Him - and as a result of our former and continued encounters with Him - we know wisdom.

What is even more precious to me about this verse is that we learn that this intimate knowing of God Himself will become pleasant to our souls.  The word used here is "naem" and it means something sweet, beautiful, pleasing, comfortable, and delightful.  Remember that when we read of a work in our souls - we are talking about a work in our mind, will, and emotions. 

When wisdom enters our hearts - knowing God will be pleasant to our minds.  Before this work of grace we were opposed to God - and the thought of someone having ultimate authority in our lives yielded rebellion and resentment.  Our minds were disturbed by the thought of someone who knows our every thought and deed.  It was anything but comforting to know that we would stand in the judgment and give an account for every word, thought, motive, and deed.  Our response to such things was anything but pleasant.

When wisdom enters our hearts - knowing God will be pleasant to our will.  Here is an interesting study in the Scriptures.  Before a work of God's grace happens in our hearts, obedience to God is anything but pleasant and delightful to us.  We are born rebels and our status as such is confirmed again and again by our response to God's Law.  God's Law reveals to us that we are sinners - that we do not find submission to God pleasant.  We rebel against it and do not do the things that His Word says to do.  If any one passage of Scripture bears this out it is Romans chapter 7.  There Paul reminds us that the things we want to do, we don't do - but the very prohibitions of the Law are what we choose to do.  Paul's cry at the end of that chapter is that he is a wretched man who desperately needs deliverance from sin.  But when God does that work through Jesus Christ our Lord, we find that a transformation has taken place - and that transformation continues as we walk with God, indeed finding an intimate walk with God pleasant to our will. 

When wisdom enters our hearts - knowing God will be pleasant to our emotions.  Our emotions can be a source of amazing blessing as well as a source of untold problems.  Some wind up with their emotions far more in control of their lives than they are in control of their emotions.  We find ourselves on an emotional high during which we would do anything for the Lord.  But then we find ourselves in the same week with an emotional state, that if we let it control us, will render us almost incapable of doing anything.  Here is where wisdom is so important to our souls.  When that work of God's grace begins to change us, we learn to tell our emotions that they will not control us.  We enjoy our emotions, but learn not to have them dominate our moods - and our attitude.  That is reserved for God's Word which consistently directs us as the Holy Spirit uses our mind to understand it - our will to choose it - and His power to carry it out.  When that work of God's grace happens, we find knowing God in our emotions a delightful thing.  Before you think that emotions are a bad thing - I want to remind you that David spoke of how his emotions were moved by God Himself - and how he knew the heights of joy as well as the depths of despair - all as he knew the living God in relationship to Him. 

Walking with God is more than just knowing a bunch of principles and ideas.  That kind of thing smells of religion.  God wants a vital relationship with us.  It takes the entrance of wisdom into our hearts for us to move into that precious relationship.  As we seek the Lord, may He give us grace to know such a marvelous intimacy with Him.

My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; and my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16

What should matter most to us when we think of our sons?  I know for a period of my life what mattered most to me was seeing my sons excel at sports.  I could have sadly rewritten these two verses with the following foolish edits.

"My son, if you do well at football and soccer, my own heart also will be glad; and my flesh will rejoice when I can cheer at your games for your goals and touchdowns."  (Dopey Father 23:15-16)

First of all I want to state that I am not against sports or competitive activities.  When God graciously broke me he still allowed my sons to compete in sports - and I continued to cheer for them on the sidelines.  Oh, but how I grieved for the years that I had lost - and for the way I had skewed their minds on what was a priority in their lives.  During that time period we set everything aside for their sports careers.  We spent tremendous amounts of money following them all over the mid-south (which, by the way, put us into debt).  I had my sweet wife miss church along with my sons, so that we could go wherever the coach told us to go.  We basically had a very clear idol in our lives - and it is was the dream I had that maybe one day my sons could play college ball - or even make a pro team.  But the most devastating problem that was growing all the time was the misplaced priorities that I was putting before my sons.  My own lack of submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life - carried over into my son's lives.  This story ends well - because of two things.  First and foremost because of God's mercy and grace.  But secondly, because of some serious repentance on my part - repentance and brokenness that led me back to a proper life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ - and with proper biblical priorities.  Let me get back, though, to the proverb at hand.

The father here is speaking of what makes his heart glad.  The father here was glad, and later even rejoiced that his son had a wise heart.  Wisdom was what this father valued most in his son.  And it is a wisdom that sees life as God sees it.  The father here lived to see his son one day with a very wise and discerning heart.  He labored to see that one day his boy would be a man who longed to do the will of God above anything else in his life.  This places before us a very important question.  Are we as fathers seeing our most important job as laboring to see our sons become wise, godly young men?

Wisdom comes from God.  We learned this back in Proverbs 2.  If we are going to have wise sons, it will be because we have taught them the things of God.  Wise sons come from wise fathers who both know the Word and apply it in our everyday lives.  The passion that often drives a "sports-dad" will be re-directed into being a "godly-dad."  If the Christian fathers who spend hours trying to hone their son into the next Peyton Manning or the next Landon Donovan, would devote that much time to honing their sons into the next Paul - we'd watch a revolution in the church - and in our society in general.  Instead of working on passing and catching skills alone - we'd find ourselves spending time also reading the Word with our child.  We'd be working on wisdom skills - on memorizing Scripture - and on being able to take the Word of God an use it to properly discern good and evil as they walked through their lives. 

I know I may be laboring the point a little bit, but think about this for a moment.  How many sons are actually going to be playing sports at the college level?  How many truly have a shot at the NFL or MLB or the MLS?  And how many who make it to those levels of sport will have a wise and discerning heart there to keep them out of the trouble that seems to be following sportsmen in these sports?  The truth is very few will make it to these teams, but everyone single one of those young men will need to be able to live a life of wisdom.  All of them - even those who do make it - will need "wisdom skills" to walk through life worthy of their calling in Jesus Christ.  If you think your son will make it to a college or pro level - have at it.  But Dad, make sure that the most important goal you have for your son is to live a life of wisdom an godliness!  Make sure HE knows that this is the true goal - and that which would most delight your heart and soul!

The father her also states that his inmost being will rejoice when he hears his son speaking what is right.  The inmost being spoken of here is literally kidneys in the Hebrew.  Dads, your kidneys need to rejoice over your son!  Now there is a phrase you don't hear much anymore.  "Hey Bob, man my kidneys just rejoice over how Bob Jr. is growing into a godly young man!" 

The kidneys were thought, along with the heart, to be the deepest seat of emotion and joy in a person.  It referred to the innermost and most private part of a person's life.  When you are moved to rejoice at that level, you are rejoicing at the deepest level possible.  You rejoice because your heart is blessed at the core level of your beliefs and principles.  This leaves me with another loaded question.  What is your deepest rejoicing about in life?  If you find yourself rejoicing deeply at the touchdowns and sports achievements of others - but yawning at the things of God - the exhibition of godly character and true manhood - you are rejoicing about the wrong things.  Let me say, I love a good touchdown like most guys - but God has worked to where I get more excited when I watch my sons make godly decisions. 

The reason this father was rejoicing in his kidneys was because his son was speaking what is right.  This is not that his son was parroting some phrase or some rote speech he knew would make dad happy, but that his son was speaking normally - and was saying what was right.  This is an important step for our sons maturity wise.  Jesus taught us that it was out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth spoke.  So when we hear our sons speaking what is right in their normal conversation - it tells us that God has worked in their hearts.  It is easy to get a son to say what YOU want him too when he is around you - but it is far more difficult to rear him to say the right thing (the godly thing) as a matter of normal living.  This requires God working in his heart.  That is why the father was dancing in his kidneys when he knew his son was speaking this way. 

Fathers, this proverb is vital for us to grasp.  We are called to take boys given to us by God, and rear them to be men.  This requires doing far more than just bringing home the bacon - and re-living our desires for sports grandeur through them.  Taking a boy and making him a man requires that we put wisdom and godliness at the top of our own priority list, and helping our sons to do the same.  It means laboring to see a heart-change in our boys by the working of the gospel and the Spirit of God.  It means training our sons to love a woman properly - and to have a vision of what God desires for their lives to be.  But I will tell you by the mercies of God that when you watch your sons begin to make godly decisions - no sports achievement in the world can come close to the sensation you will get in your kidneys!  Live therefore for the glory of God and the blessing of your kidneys as you labor to take boys - and give the world men of God.

Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

This is a simple admonition here in Proverbs - and yet if we will look at it carefully, it will yield to us some very helpful information. 

The first thing we see is that we are to apply our heart to discipline.  The word "apply" here means, "to bring to" - thus what God is saying to us is that we need to bring our hearts to something.  Here we read that what we bring our hearts to is discipline.  The word discipline is "musar" which means to instruct with discipline.  It refers most often to the discipline given by a father - both by word and by the rod. 

It is very easy when discipline is applied to us for us to not allow it to reach the heart.  We may hear the words - and receive the correction - but we do not bring our hearts to it.  True correction and discipline is for the heart - not the bottom.  It might be applied to the rear end with the rod - but the aim in these things needs to be directly to the heart.  Those who protest the use of the rod see the issue being striking a child - and they see it as evil in all circumstances.  But the godly parent is not aiming for the rear end alone.  They want to instruct with their discipline.  They want their words and their use of the rod to affect the heart of the child.  If you have their heart - in the end you will truly change their behavior.  What Solomon is saying though, is for the one receiving the discipline.  Apply your heart to what God is trying to teach you. 

If you are like me - there are times when you bristle at discipline.  It is not pleasant to have God apply the rod to us.  It is not a delightful thing for us to be corrected and rebuked.  But when God grants us discipline it is only for our best interests.  We can be absolutely assured of this.  Therefore we need to train ourselves to receive it joyfully - gratefully - and educationally.  If we do, maybe we won't need a second dose of discipline to complete the job for us. 

The second admonition here is that we also apply our ears to words of knowledge.  Knowledge here refers to more than just head-learning.  Solomon is telling us about a knowing of God and His ways.  He refers to a working knowledge - a practical knowledge - intimate knowledge - knowledge that truly changes the way we act.  The verb "apply" is assumed here - thus we are told to bring our ears to this knowledge that God is seeking to give us.  It is more than just hearing it - it is concentrated listening.  It is listening to learn and to apply it to one's life.  This is key to us becoming wise. 

If we will truly bring our hearts and ears to what God is seeking to communicate to us, we will be blessed greatly.  God longs for us to be wise and to know and follow Him with all our hearts.  These two practices - bringing our hearts to times of discipline - and bringing our ears to hear obediently what God says to us - will assure that we grow and personally experience all the godliness that God desires to give us when He works and speaks in our lives.