Under Pressure

Father Knows Best. The writer of Proverbs 4 gives instructions to his sons. We can find out what we are truly made of, or rather what we’ve absorbed when we are put under pressure.

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A parent does the best he or she can to guide their kids, to keep them safe. One major goal most every parent has is that their children won’t make the same mistakes that they made when they were children. Proverbs is a wealth, a treasure trove of wisdom. According to Proverbs 4, the wisest thing a person can do is to pursue, or chase after wisdom. Proverbs 4 is fatherly advice for the author’s sons, but also to the author himself.

³For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.

Proverbs 4:3-4 NIV

His father gave this advice, this wisdom and now he passes it along to his sons. The wisdom of grandparents has got some extra weight to it.

But for what purpose?

That’s what I usually ask when I read something. Why was this written? Why share about this passage today? How does it impact us right now?

First, we’ve got to understand that wisdom is not the same as knowledge.

Knowledge is just info, facts and figures.

Wisdom is how to use what info.

Example: I may know something personal about a neighbor of mine. That’s information, knowledge. Wisdom and discernment will help me understand when it is ok and not OK to talk about that information. I give evidence to being wise by correctly discerning this and acting accordingly.

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One more thing before we dive into the book of Proverbs: these aren’t fortune cookie sayings. They’re not advice you’d get from a magic 8-ball. These are the inspired word of God for the building up of his people.

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Heart of the Matter

3 times in this chapter, the father (author/speaker) talks about the heart. The first time is in verse 4, which we just looked at, “…take hold of my words with all your heart…”

The other two mentions of heart are verses 21 and 23

Do not let them [your father’s word’s] out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;

Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:21, 23 NIV (emphasis added, [brackets] for context)

The Heart is the seat of emotion. It is the very core of who we are. It also is a storehouse of things that impact our personality in various ways, helping us to make decisions (for better or for worse).

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What are you soaking in?

Did you ever hear this sage advice from a parent?

“Garbage in, garbage out?“ To a parent or someone who has made mistakes of taking in “garbage” this expression makes sense. But to a young person without much life experience of their own, it sounds over simplified and trite. The dad in Proverbs 4 paints a very specific picture, warning his sons.

¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶ For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 4:14-17 NIV

Why do we care what kind of people our kids hang around? Because the activities and desires of others, friends, influencers, they rub off on those close enough to them.

This is NOT about our children being good little boys and girls just so it doesn’t cause us more trouble and stress in the future. It is for their benefit, their future, and their soul that they ought to stay away from “the path of the wicked.”

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 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.

Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV

“Gaurd your heart.” Why do we give a police officer a bullet proof vest? To guard his or her own heart. It’s precious. Your body can’t live without your heart. But the Proverb is not talking of a physical heart, but a spiritual one. The one that is the seat of emotion and personality. When we are kind, compassionate, generous, thoughtful, it isn’t because we logically made those decisions with our minds but rather with our hearts. The same can be said when you consider the opposite actions for each thing I just mentioned. Inconsiderate, cruel, stingy, and thoughtless. When any of us show these behaviors or emotions, you can be sure: that’s what’s in our hearts.

Don’t believe me? Think you are the exception? I want to show you a little demonstration.

We’ve got a sponge here, conveniently shaped like a heart. Again, not a physical heart with ventricles and such…

If I place the heart in a glass of clean, clear water, it will absorb that water. Of course, it will, that’s what sponges do! Yes, it is true.

And if I were to apply a little pressure to this sponge, we could see that as I squeeze it, the clear water comes out. It was saturated with clean, clear water and when pressed, that’s what came out.

Now here I have a glass of dirty water. It has bits of things floating around in it, maybe even microorganisms. It’s yucky looking. Even if I were VERY thirsty, I wouldn’t drink it. But if we put our sponge-heart into this glass, it absorbs the dirty water. If you could get really close, you could see some of the bits stuck to the outside of the sponge. I don’t think you’d like to wash your dishes with this sponge, would you?

And when I apply pressure, what comes out of the sponge? Dirty water.

The water represents things that can influence you such as books, shows, music, and even people around you who have these kind of “dirty water” attitudes and behaviors. If you soak in dirty water, you don’t get clean – you just get wet.

Those things will come out of you when the pressure is on. How many people do you think make the excuse, “Oh I don’t curse…except if I hit my thumb with a hammer or stub my toe.” May I suggest something to you? That’s exactly like squeezing this sponge. Pressure, even the sudden pressure of dropping something on your foot, can reveal what’s going on inside your heart.

Have you ever gotten in a shouting match with someone you really cared about? Did you have to apologize later and do what you could to restore that relationship? I hope so. It was likely that you were, in that moment, being squeezed. Squeezed by life, by your circumstances and dirty water came out of your mouth. You didn’t stop and think. You reacted.

Jesus’ brother, James had this to say about the tongue and the things we use it for

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

James 3:9-11 NIV

How to Guard Your Heart in 4 Simple Steps.

Proverbs 4:24-27, the author gives clear steps to guarding our hearts.

1. Watch Your Mouth
   • “Keep your mouth free of perversity;
     keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” (4:24)
   • If you want to guard your heart – you’re gonna have to keep your tongue on a short leash. Don’t let it get all crazy, speaking perverse and corrupt things.
2. Watch Where You’re Walking
   •  “Let your eyes look straight ahead;
      fix your gaze directly before you.” (4:25)
   • Stay focus on what’s before you. There is nothing more distracting than something in the peripherals. This is why work horses have blinders, it helps them focus on what right in front of them. The most important thing.
3. Be Aware of the Highs and Lows
   • “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
     and be steadfast in all your ways.” (4:26)
   • Here the author is saying, be careful of the paths. They aren’t all smooth and flat. Some translate this “Make level.”
4. Don’t Make Sudden Turns
   • “Do not turn to the right or the left;
     keep your foot from evil.” (4:27)
   • This is a call to thoughtfulness rather than impulsivity. Keep intentionally moving forward, much like we saw in verse 25, but guarding one’s heart involves resisting temptation to act upon the sidetrack. If we have our blinders up, we may not get distracted. But just in case we take off those blinders, remember to not turn left or right.

Live Long and Prosper

“Listen, my son, accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.”

Proverbs 4:10 NIV

Scripture not only inspires us but instructs us. Those instructions come from those who have gone before us. Our elders, our forefathers, people who’ve been down the road we’re heading. They know they right path because they experienced it, perhaps had to turn around at Albuquerque. It is foolish to not take in the guidance of those who have gone before us. That’s why in this passage, there is a familiar blessing. “Long Life.”

In case you’re thinking this verse is a one-off, let’s look at Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my teaching,
    but keep my commands in your heart,
² for they will prolong your life many years
    and bring you peace and prosperity.

Proverbs 3:1-2 NIV

This goes all the way back to Deuteronomy 5:16

¹⁶ “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:16 NIV

If for no other reason than living long and prospering, one should honor their father and mother. The best way to honor them is to heed their advice, their guidance.

Who Are You?

One final question, who are you? When you are pressed, when troubles come your way, who are your really? What’s in your heart?

I think this is on reason we as Christians like the expression and imagery of Jesus being “in our Heart.” He isn’t just mildly influencing our behaviors; He is sitting on the throne at the seat of our very self. That’s what it’s like to have Lord Jesus in your heart.

And when life begins to squeeze and the pressure is on, may we ooze holiness. May kindness and love and compassion come from our hearts because the Lord of all the universe is also seated on the throne of my heart and perhaps yours.

Under pressure, I don’t want to drip dirty water. I want the pure, clean, clear water of his righteousness coming out of me. Not because I’m good, or I follow the rules.

But because of Jesus.