What is the meaning of Proverbs 4:6? Do not forsake wisdom Proverbs 4:6 opens with a clear command: “Do not forsake wisdom.” Turning our backs on God-given wisdom is pictured as abandonment. Scripture equates wisdom with God’s own instruction (Proverbs 2:6). • Forsaking wisdom means disregarding God’s voice, as Israel did in Judges 2:11-13; the results were disastrous. • Holding to wisdom resembles clinging to the Book of the Law in Joshua 1:8 and treasuring God’s word in Psalm 119:11. • New-covenant believers receive the same charge: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Keeping wisdom close is not optional advice; it is covenant faithfulness. and she will preserve you Wisdom responds to loyalty with preservation: “she will preserve you.” • Preservation includes practical safety—wise choices keep us from many avoidable harms (Proverbs 2:11-13). • It also speaks of spiritual security. God “guards the course of the just” (Proverbs 2:8), and wisdom is His appointed means. • This promise echoes Psalm 121:7, “The LORD will keep you from all harm,” reminding us that God’s protection often arrives through the wisdom He supplies. Forsaking wisdom invites vulnerability; embracing it aligns us under God’s protective covering. love her The verse shifts from duty to affection: “love her.” • Loving wisdom is more than academic interest; it is heartfelt devotion, like the psalmist’s cry, “Oh, how I love Your law!” (Psalm 119:97). • Proverbs 8:17 voices wisdom herself: “I love those who love me.” Mutual love indicates relationship, not mere information. • Jesus’ parable of the pearl (Matthew 13:45-46) portrays a man joyfully selling all to gain something priceless—an illustration of loving wisdom enough to reorder life. Cultivating affection for wisdom keeps obedience from becoming cold ritual. and she will guard you Finally, loving wisdom brings active guardianship: “she will guard you.” • Guard pictures a sentry shielding a life. Proverbs 2:8 promises that God “guards the path of the righteous.” • This guarding is round-the-clock. Discretion “watches over you” (Proverbs 2:11); peace “guards your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). • The result is resilience. Wise choices, grounded in God’s truth, form barriers against temptation, error, and despair. When wisdom is loved, its protective power becomes personal and constant. summary Proverbs 4:6 lays out a two-way relationship: refuse to abandon wisdom and actively love her; in return, she preserves and guards your life. God’s wisdom, revealed in Scripture and fulfilled in Christ, is no mere concept—it is a living safeguard. Choose loyalty and love toward wisdom, and experience the preserving, guarding hand of God every day. |
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