Listen, Watch, Walk

Parents make sacrifices for their children. They want to make sure their children have a good life. Of course, parents have different ideas about what makes life good. Ideas range from wealth to a good career to ownership of property; or perhaps, a loving family, good health, comfortable living, a good education, good standing in the community, and so on.

For wise Solomon, the best thing he could give his son was wisdom. And while much of the wisdom of Solomon came from careful observation of life, his God-given gift of wisdom transcended the wisdom of the world. He saw the value of honoring and revering God, living a life of righteousness, and being devoted to integrity and equity toward his fellow man. These were among the things he had in mind when he pleaded:

My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your sight’

Keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them

And health to all their body.

—Proverbs 4:20-22

Solomon recognized that wisdom guided the human spirit and provided health to the human body. Someone recently commented to me that even an unbeliever would live a better life by following the wisdom of Solomon.

If only written, you can still sense the stress in Solomon’s voice as he urged his son to listen. Continuing in verse 23:

Watch over your heart with all diligence….

The heart refers to the human spirit where the human will, emotion, and intellect reside. Solomon knew that the spirit can be deceived and can itself affect the perceptions and decisions of the soul. So, the soul must take responsibility and guard the heart (spirit). This is primarily about watching what influences come into the heart and mind. In the verse that follows, Solomon urges care regarding what comes out of the heart:

Put away from you a deceitful mouth

And put devious speech far from you. (24)

How is all this accomplished?

The answer is found in the final three verses:

Let your eyes look directly ahead

And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. (25)

First, your soul makes a resolute decision. The direction of one’s gaze is to be trained toward God, fixed (set) on His written revelation, Scripture.

Watch the path of your feet

And all your ways will be established. (26)

Once your soul is locked in on God and His word, look at your feet, that is, examine yourself, to ensure that you are walking according to God’s way.

Do not turn to the right nor to the left;

Turn your foot from evil. (27)

Verse 26 is the positive instruction that is to be followed while verse 27 is more defensive. It is instruction in what is to be avoided.

This is wisdom from above. Trust it and it will make your life on earth good. It will also help to prepare you for life to come. 

So, be wise.

Mark Stinnett

January 4, 2026