Book of Proverbs
Chapter 4
Staying on the Right Path
It has been said that a wise man learns by the experience of others. An ordinary
man learns by his own experience. A fool learns by nobody’s experience. Chapter 4
begins with a father’s instruction to his children. It is a father’s duty and privilege to instill
godly wisdom in his child, and it is a child’s duty and privilege to listen and learn. In this
chapter there are 36 direct commands or instructions. Fatherly instruction deals with three
vital areas:
 Instruction about desire – wanting the right things (whatever gets your attention
will eventually get you)
 Instruction about direction – walking the right path (many roads look appealing,
but only one road is safe)
 Instruction about discipline – watching the right person (that person is you)
1. Passing on the father’s instruction (vs. 1-9)
It is important for fathers to give good instructions that come from God Himself. Children
need to listen and learn from their fathers (vs. 3-4). David was Solomon's father. He told
Solomon that wisdom and understanding were the most important things in life. He must
have listened to his dad's teaching because he asked God for wisdom (1 Kgs. 3:5-10)
A. Pay close attention to your father (vs. 1-2)
B. These are valuable lessons from my father (vs. 3-4) – Learning these things is a
matter of life and death (vs. 4, 10, 13, 22; Deut. 30:19).
C. Receive wisdom and she will reward you (vs. 7-9) – Wisdom is once again pictured
as a gracious woman. Wisdom is desirable and attractive, not negative or ugly.
We are not told what these unnamed blessings are. They may not be spectacular
blessings, but routine blessings in everyday life.
Proverbs 10:1 says, "A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of
his mother.” Parents in the Bible who had foolish children: Aaron the high priest and
brother of Moses had two sons, Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10); Eli the priest had two sons,
Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam. 2); Samuel had two sons, Joel and Abijah (1 Sam. 8);
Solomon had a son, Rehoboam (1 Kgs. 12).
2. Picking the right path (vs. 10-19)
Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Solomon reminds us that
the road we take has consequences. The only way to end up at the right destination is to
choose the right road. In Bible times they didn't have cars, but they had roads. In fact,
journeys were common in the Bible. In these verses God reminds us that there are two
paths or roads to travel:
A. Choose the way of wisdom (vs. 10-13) – Vs. 11 reminds us that the best method of
teaching is by example. It has been said that children have more need of models
than of critics. Parents lead their children by what they do (actions), by what they
say (words), and by how they feel (attitudes). Instruction (vs. 13) means discipline.
It refers not only to the discipline of a parent, but also to self-discipline in the child.
Good parents not only discipline their children. They teach them self-discipline
(self-control). It's a lot like driving a car. At first a teenager gets a learner's permit
and with practice he learns what to do behind the wheel.
B. Refuse the way of the wicked (vs. 14-17) – The Bible says the path of the wicked
is: a stubborn way, Jdg. 2:19; the way of lying, Ps. 119:29; a false way, Ps.
119:104; a way that seems right, Prov. 14:12; and a hard way, Prov. 13:15. On the
other hand, the Bible says the path of the just is: a path of life, Ps. 16:11; a straight
path, Ps. 27:11; a righteous path, Ps. 23:3; the path of God's commandments, Ps.
119:35; a good path, Prov. 2:9; an upright path, Isa. 26:7; the narrow way, Mt.
7:14; the way, Acts 16:17; the way of truth, 2 Pet 2:2; the way of God, Acts 18:26;
a perfect way, Ps. 101:2; a way known by God, Job 23:10.
Matthew Henry once said: "We must dread and detest the ways of sin and sinners,
and decline them with the utmost care imaginable." Instead of asking, "How close can we
get without sinning?" We need to ask, "How far away can we get?" The wise person
knows that he needs to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (lit., the
evil one).”
A rich man was looking to hire a driver for his limousine. He asked each of the
three candidates this question, "If we're driving on a narrow mountain road, close to a cliff,
how close can you come to that cliff without sending the car into the ravine?" The first
driver said, "I can have the tires of the limo within a feet of that cliff and still keep you
totally safe." The second driver said, "I'm such an expert driver, that I can have the edge of
the tires hanging over the edge of the cliff and still keep you safe." The third driver said,
"I'm such a good driver that I'm going to stay as far away from the edge of that cliff as
possible, and maybe even take a different road." The third driver got the job.
C. Realize the consequences of your choice (vs. 18-19) – The path of the wicked is a
dangerous path (vs. 14) and a dark path (vs. 19). The path of the wise (just) is a
bright and blessed path. The path of the just is tried and true, safe and satisfying,
bright and blessed. All through the Bible, God's people are associated with light:
Jesus said we are the light of the world, Mt. 5:14; we have God's Word as a lamp
unto our feet and a light unto our path, Ps. 119:105; we are to walk in the light as
He is in the light, 1 Jn. 1:7; we are to walk as children of light, Eph. 5:8; and we are
to shine as lights in the world, Phil. 2:15. As the good song says:
When we walk with the LORD in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way.
Let us do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey.
The road you choose will determine the companions you have with you. No matter
which way you decide to go, you won't be travelling alone. So before you decide which
road you take, look who will be travelling with you. The Bible warns us about people who
are on the wrong road (vs. 16-17). Proverbs warns us to avoid certain kinds of people: the
angry person, the adulterous woman, the backbiter and talebearer, the backslider, the
boaster, the brawling woman, the liar, the drunkard, the fool, the hypocrite, the lazy
person, the perverted person, the proud person, the thief, the gossip, and the stubborn
person. Many people are in trouble and even in prison today because they got on the
wrong road and associated with the wrong crowd.
3. Protecting the whole life (vs. 20-27)
Verses 20-22 remind us about the importance of taking wisdom seriously. Warren
Wiersbe said, “The will of God is not for the curious; it’s for the serious.”
A. Our hearts must be guarded (vs. 23)
B. Our lips must be governed (vs. 24)
C. Our eyes must be godly (vs. 25)
D. Our feet must be guided (vs. 26-27)
The key verse in this chapter is verse 23. A Michelin tire commercial showed a
little baby riding in a tire and the sales pitch was, "So much is riding on your tires." The
Book of Proverbs reminds us that so much is riding on your heart. Proverbs 23:7 says “as
a man thinks in his heart so is he.” The heart is the inner person, the source of all thoughts,
motives, desires, the center of our feelings, and the place of our conscience. The Book of
Proverbs tells us that the heart is the center of wisdom, 2:10; trust, 3:5; perversion, 6:14;
wicked imaginations, 6:18; lust, 6:25; craftiness, 7:10; understanding, 8:5; deceit, 12:20;
folly, 12:23; heaviness, 12:25; bitterness, 14:10; sorrow, 14:13; backsliding, 14:14; joy
15:13; knowledge, 15:14; pride; 16:5; worry, 19:3; and envy, 23:17.
The Bible speaks of an evil heart, a good heart, a clean heart, a hard heart, an
understanding heart, a tender heart, a merry heart, a sad heart, a fearful heart, a fixed
(focused) heart, a deceitful heart, a wise heart, a stony heart, a new heart, a broken heart,
and a pure heart. It speaks of troubled hearts, failing hearts, and seeking hearts.
Jesus said in Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth
forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth
that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. In other words,
"What's down in the well comes up in the bucket."
The heart is where salvation takes place. Romans 10:9-10 9 That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We all need a new
heart, a heart transplant by a heart specialist named Jesus. We can pray, “Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” We can pray, “Let the words of
my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength
and my redeemer.”
Book of Proverbs
Chapter 4
Staying on the Right Path
It has been said that a wise man learns by the experience of others. An ordinary
man learns by his own experience. A fool learns by nobody’s experience. Chapter 4
begins with a father’s instruction to his children. It is a father’s duty and privilege to instill
godly wisdom in his child, and it is a child’s duty and privilege to listen and learn.
Fatherly instruction deals with three vital areas:
 Instruction about_____________________________________________________
 Instruction about_____________________________________________________
 Instruction about_____________________________________________________
1. _______________________________________________________________ (vs. 1-9)
A. ________________________________________________ to your father (vs. 1-2)
B. _______________________________________________ from my father (vs. 3-4)
C. ___________________________________________________________ (vs. 7-9)
2. _____________________________________________________________ (vs. 10-19)
D. _________________________________________________________ (vs. 10-13)
E. _________________________________________________________ (vs. 14-17)
F. _________________________________________________________ (vs. 18-19)
3. _____________________________________________________________ (vs. 20-27)
E. Our hearts____________________________________________________ (vs. 23)
F. Our lips______________________________________________________ (vs. 24)
G. Our eyes_____________________________________________________ (vs. 25)
H. Our feet___________________________________________________ (vs. 26-27)