“A Worthy Soldier,” (Proverbs 4:23-27)
Keep thine heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth,
And perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on,
And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet,
And let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
Remove thy foot from evil.
Keep thine heart with all diligence;
“Leb” is the word for heart, and it has several meanings—from the human heart to the heart of an animal, to the intangible aspect of one’s inner person. An example of a saying that expresses the inner person is, “His heart wasn’t in it.” This says that the participant would rather not have been involved. Another example of this expression is when someone apologizes and afterwards the recipient says, “His heart wasn’t in it.” This says that the apology was not genuine. Just the opposite of that is the expression, “It came from his heart.” This means that his total person stood behind his words. So, in context of the verse, we are describing the immaterial part of our person—that which makes us who we are. And we are told of its importance by the preceding and succeeding words, “Keep thine heart with all diligence.”
“Nasar” is to keep, meaning to “guard, to hide, to preserve.” It refers to people faithfully keeping something entrusted to them. It especially emphasizes the keeping or guarding of God’s Word. Therefore, it appears that the chief duty of our heart is to keep, guard, preserve, and maintain God’s Word. It is critical that our hearts be kept in right order to faithfully and diligently fulfill this privilege. To further emphasize this, the phrase “with all diligence” expands on the importance of this. It means “to have custody, to set guards, to secure something of value by maintaining a watch of guards over it.” So the word picture we get is that the chief duty of our heart is to be a guarded safe-deposit box for God’s truth. In Psalm 119:10-11, King David said, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid (or stored) in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” David understood the importance of this and further knew the command that God gave to the Kings: “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law (the five Books of Moses) in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:” (Deuteronomy 17:18-19)
This was the chief duty of the man who God made King, so that he would rule in justice and remain humble in nature: “That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:20) As a young man, when I first read these verses, my thoughts were, “I may not be a King, but what is good for a King must be good for me. And who knows, someday I may be responsible for influencing others in the ways of the Lord.” So my journey began. And to this day, some thirty years later, it continues. It’s been a great journey, beyond hard, but never without hope.
The importance of “keeping your heart with all diligence” is found in the next phrase, “For out of it are the issues of life.” Unfortunately, King Solomon learned first hand the truth of this verse when it was not kept. In his later years, he lost his passion and allegiance to the Lord. His lust for “strange women” got the better of him, and he married outside the Jewish culture. More than likely, these were also political marriages, marrying daughters of Kings from the surrounding pagan cultures. This could have been Solomon’s way of “keeping the peace” between the nations, although practically speaking, it was not necessary. The Kingdom of Israel was a dominant one. And, regardless of this, it was strictly forbidden to marry outside the Jewish Culture. It was not only a violation within the Levitical laws, but it was also a violation of one of Solomon’s own Proverbs: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with Him.” (Proverbs 16:7) Solomon’s focus was off, and instead of trusting the Lord, his heart drifted away from the Lord. This was Solomon’s attempt (the arm of flesh) to do God’s work. Whenever we try to do God’s job rather than trusting God to do His job, the effort either fails or the outcome, at the very least, falls short from God’s desired end, if in fact the outcome is not devastating. These pagan women influenced Solomon to build idols to their gods and even worship them, and children born from these women had rights to the throne. He truly had “smitten” Israel at the heart, because he did not keep his heart with all diligence.
The word “issue” is interesting. It means “ending point” or “the extremity of a border.” In my understanding, it is the accumulated total within one’s heart producing a belief, action, and/or statement. Therefore, based upon my understanding of this word, the saying, “Junk In, Junk Out or Truth In, Truth Out” defines it. Therefore, the importance of the prior statement is critical, “Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” We all influence someone. Hannah influenced Samuel, and he became one of Israel’s greatest prophets.
“Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” The mouth or speech is the first indication of knowing what is in the heart of an individual, for it is with words that we represent ourselves to others. And if a “froward mouth” (to speak without integrity) or “perverse lips” (deceitful speech) comes from an individual, it indicates that it is “just the tip of the iceberg,” and much more deceit lies within. Don’t make friends and keep that individual at the same distance you would a Cobra snake, because that is with whom you are dealing.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
When the eyes look, the expression indicates it is with intent to have. So to look straightforward means to keep your focus on the Lord and your eyes from lusting after false gods: things, thoughts, or beliefs that are venom to one’s soul. These false gods and worldly ideologies seek to poison our faith, as Solomon’s many pagan women did to him. Looking “right on…eyelids look straight” will keep your heart from worshipping/entertaining “pagan gods,” such as materialism, beauty/sex, and power, which have been idols that each culture and each generation have sought and worshipped. Regardless of the form the idols take, they have taken captive many a man and woman, and the fallout of it is painful. Divorce, fatherless children, drugs, and alcohol abuse just to cope have unmeasured devastation on the human soul, especially the children.
Since eyes are the keeper of one’s soul, what one allows himself or herself to see matters greatly. “I will set no wicked (vain) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalm101:3). The eyes, however, are a port of entry. They do not interpret or add or take away value. That is the job of one’s heart. To one person, a super nice car may be the desire of the heart; to another, money in the bank is more important. David said in Psalm 119:18-19: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.”
Jesus spoke of being the light and said the darkness vanishes in the light’s presence. Solomon started out as a light of truth for Israel but ended up in darkness. He became “too wise” for his own good and lost his humility and need of the Lord. He failed at his main mission, which was to guide Israel in the ways of the Lord, though economically speaking, he made Israel wealthy. Faith was traded in for wealth and worldly living. He grew up with a “silver spoon” and did not have the rugged faith of his father, David, who knew God through war. David’s trust and faith in God was forged with the sword, as he saw God overthrow nations much mightier than Israel. How important it is to live as though, “I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” (Psalm 119:19)
My ending thought, and a somewhat sobering one, is that out of all the Kings that started out fearing the Lord, only two finished: David and Josiah. There must have been between the two Kingdoms, Judah and Israel, more than seventy-five kings (rough guess), and only two remained true to the Lord. How will we end our race? Will materialism, love of money, name, or pleasure take its toll on us, or will we run the race of faith, knowing that we are strangers in a strange land? Each day we answer that question by how we spend our time. God help us to always choose Him, and in those days that we can’t, there is no fear or worry, for He will never abandon His own. He knows and He will keep us.
Father God,
Thank you that the certainty of our salvation lies with You. Call us back when we wander. Remind us when we seek love, peace, or security from false idols of our imagination. Help us to have the wisdom to see what man gives is temporary, but what You give is eternal and pure. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur
Arthur Navarrette