For The Proverbial Palate- 09.27.2008

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:20-23

In the above verses taken from the Proverbs we see wisdom (my words, my sayings) personified as a father speaking to his own son. Now as a father of two son’s, the words of encouragement that a father gives to a child is very valuable, as are these words of exhortation, for this word is life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. It has been my sincere desire that as we have been feeding the proverbial palate that we have found these words a resource of encouragement and profitable for daily living.

If the word of God is to be effective in the believers life he/she must heed the warning of our Lord when when He gave the ‘parable of the sower’… “be careful what you hear and how you hear it”.  We see this same exhortation to the son from the father when we consider the following admonitions….

“attend to”

“incline thine”

“let them not depart from thine”

“keep them in the midst of thine”

Words of wisdom are nothing more than water off a ducks back unless they are attended to, inclined to, kept in the midst of and not departed from. Hence wisdom is not what one knows but what one does (actions) with what they know. Knowledge put to godly actions.

There are three receptors that are mentioned here. The ears, the eyes and the the heart. The eyes and the ears may seem to be the most important of the receptors when taking in the word of God, but the residing power is in what type of soil (the condition of the heart) the seed finds.

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:18

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Psalm 119:37 

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:10-11

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. Psalm 119:101

It is pretty apparent why God said  David was a man after His own heart, for David’s heart was set to obedience and that to the word of God.

malachi

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