Proverbs 4:23-27
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity.
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead.
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left.
keep your foot from evil.
Perhaps no book in the Bible has more practical wisdom and advice about how to think about and live our life on a daily basis than Proverbs. Proverbs is the “Do” and “Don’t” book of the Bible; it’s filled with admonitions about what to do if we wish to have a life marked by goodness, honor, integrity, confidence and virtue. Proverbs also speaks repeatedly of what not to do if we wish to avoid ruin, shame, unhappiness and disgrace. The wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs makes it plain that while human civilization has advanced in innumerable ways in areas ranging from science to technology, at the same time, human beings have changed very little in the last several thousand years. The issues people struggled with then are still issues today. Areas in which people are tempted and fall, often to very public embarrassment, haven’t changed much either.
Perhaps no book in the Bible has more practical wisdom and advice about how to think about and live our life on a daily basis than Proverbs. Proverbs is the “Do” and “Don’t” book of the Bible; it’s filled with admonitions about what to do if we wish to have a life marked by goodness, honor, integrity, confidence and virtue. Proverbs also speaks repeatedly of what not to do if we wish to avoid ruin, shame, unhappiness and disgrace. The wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs makes it plain that while human civilization has advanced in innumerable ways in areas ranging from science to technology, at the same time, human beings have changed very little in the last several thousand years. The issues people struggled with then are still issues today. Areas in which people are tempted and fall, often to very public embarrassment, haven’t changed much either.
The human heart is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. In the scriptures, the heart refers most of the time not to a vital organ that is constantly beating and enables us to live. The heart is seen as the center of emotions, feelings, moods, and passions. The heart functions as the source of thought and reflection (Isaiah 6:10; Mark 7:21-23). The heart understands (Deuteronomy 8:5; Isaiah 42:25), provides wisdom to rule justly and wisely (1 Kings 3:12; 10:24), and discerns good and evil (1 Kings 2:44). The heart also represents the idea of our will and conscience (1 Samuel 24:5; 2 Samuel 24:10). The request for a pure heart is the desire for a new and more perfect conscience (Psalm 51:10; Matt. 5:8). Since the heart is the center for decisions (2 Sam. 7:21), obedience, devotion, and intentionality, it represents the total person. Listen to Proverbs 4:23-27,
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
Proverbs 4:23 tells us that perhaps the most important thing we can pay attention to in life is what is happening in and with us. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. The Bible’s view is that our heart and the capacity to choose is at the center of who we are. Three times in the passage from Gospel of Mark 7:20-23 that we heard earlier in the service, Jesus says, ““It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come… All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Jesus had a very clear-eyed view of humanity. One that is more realistic than he’s sometimes given credit for and Jesus is direct in his teaching that our outward speech and behavior have their source in the choices that come from inside us.
Jesus certainly knew Jeremiah 17:9-10 which states, “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it? I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” Next month the movie Noah starring Russell Crowe is being released. The story of Noah begins in Genesis 6:5-6 which says. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”
When I hear these ancient words I think Jeremiah is correct that the heart can be hard to understand. We can look around the world and wonder if much has changed since the days of Noah because the thoughts of many hearts still seem inclined to evil. Jesus and Proverbs offer us a different path. In the verses from Proverbs, did you notice the progression in human behavior? Proverbs talks of our heart, speech, eyes, and our feet. This progression from inner desire or thought to outward speech and action reflects that our actions have their origin inside us. We may think about something, talk about doing it, look to see where we may do it, and then we go there. Sometimes when we find ourselves in a bad place we wonder, “How did I get here?” You can look at Proverbs 4:23-27 and say, “Well this is exactly how it happened….” This progression can take place slowly over time or in a matter of seconds or minutes. Another way of stating Proverbs 4:23-27 is, Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Guard your heart because it shapes your thoughts and words. What you think is usually what you say, although most of us don’t say all we think. What we say and do affects our life’s direction.
If you look at the screen behind me, right now it’s blank. There’s a sense in which our lives are like a screen that makes visible some (but not all) of what’s going on in our heart. And it isn’t a Silent Movie. If our heart is filled with selfishness, our speech and our behavior will likely reflect that. If our heart is filled with love, our speech and behavior is likely to reflect that as well. On Friday evening I officiated at the wedding of Caitlin Spaulding and Matt Van Gelder. In the ceremony I read the familiar words of 1 Corinthians about love. We can forget that Paul’s powerful words from 1 Corinthians were not initially directed to a love struck bride and groom. They were delivered to a congregation whose hearts weren’t exactly right. What Paul says love is – patient, kind, rejoicing in the truth; bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things – is what the Corinthians were lacking in and failing to do with each other. What Paul says love is not – envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, insisting on its own way, irritable, resentful, and rejoicing in the wrong – is how the members of the church were behaving with one another. They weren’t guarding and keeping their hearts the way Jesus would have wanted them to; we want to get it right.
When we keep our heart with all vigilance, we’ll allow God and even other people to shape our heart and the love, speech, and actions that flow from us. Henri J.M. Nouwen wrote about our hearts, “There is a twilight zone in our hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves-our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and our drives-large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness. This is a very good thing. We will always remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That’s a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility, but to a deep trust in those who love us. It is the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.” When our heart is touched it leads us to speak, look, and act differently.
The love of Jesus Christ is what can truly transform the human heart. This is the love that God pours into our hearts and we in turn love God and Jesus, and others as well. When we let God love us, we will have love to share with others. It all begins in our hearts.
How do we keep our heart well? One of the best summaries of how to do it is found in Psalm 16:7-9, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.” Note how many aspects of the self are referred to: the mind, the heart, feelings, the soul, and the body. The key to having a glad heart and a joyful soul is stated in verse 8, “I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Like David, Helen Keller wrote about having a faithful and joyful approach to life, “Deep, solemn optimism, it seems to me, should spring from this firm belief in the presence of God in the individual; not a remote, unapproachable governor of the universe, but a God who is very near every one of us, who is present not only in earth, sea and sky, but also in every pure and noble impulse of our hearts.”
In Psalm 86, David, prays, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:11-12
This prayer asking God for guidance and the confident thanksgiving that follows says so much. What God needs from us is a willing heart. Do we have the desire to learn the ways of the Lord so we may walk in them? David asks for an undivided heart. For a heart that is pure, that’s not focused on nor distracted by many things. Our physical heart is divided into four chambers. The blood comes in one way, drops off the bad stuff, picks up the oxygen and goes out the other way. Our physical heart is divided so it can fulfill the function it must in order for us to live.
Spiritually speaking, however, a divided heart is a recipe for spiritual disease and weakness. We can pray for an undivided heart to revere, to hallow, to treasure God’s name and God’s presence in our life. When we give thanks to the Lord we do so with our whole heart, and not half-heartedly. The Bible spends a great deal of time talking about the human heart because we live from our heart. The condition of our heart influences our thoughts, our will, and our spirit – every aspect of our life. What is in our “heart” matters more than anything else for who we become and what becomes of us. Keep and guard your heart well for from it flow the springs of life.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” That is a goal worth striving for, now and always. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Prayer:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24a).
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14)
Blessing: Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Questions for Reflection or Discussion
What do you think Proverbs 4:23 means in urging us to keep our heart with all vigilance? How do we do that?
In Matthew 5:8 Jesus states, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Why is purity of heart important? Is it attainable? What do we do when we experience moments when our heart or motives are less than godly?
Verse 24-27 are examples of being vigilant about our behavior. Verse 24 addresses our speech; what do you do to strive to speak in a God honoring way? How aware are you of your words, tone, and assumptions in your speech?
Verse 25 deals with what we look at – where our eyes gaze and linger – how does this aspect of life deal with purity of heart? What can we do to be watchful regarding what we look at in our daily living?
Verses 26-27 uses our feet as an image for the whole body and the importance of staying on God’s path and not getting sidetracked into behavior that is unhealthy, unhelpful, and ungodly. How do you treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit?
Pastor David May
05/28/2022
COPYRIGHT © 2021 FROM PRISON TO GOD'S MINISTRY - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.