Proverbs 6:20-22

²⁰ My son, keep your father's commandment,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching.
²¹ Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
²² When you walk, they^[d] will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.

I just love the visual that Solomon continues to expound on as we speak of holding the commandments and teachings on our heart.  Here the visual is expanded to include an interaction with these precepts—they will lead us – but will we follow?  Are we happy where they lead us? They will lead us through righteousness and holiness….and, sometimes we want to walk a path that we devise ourselves.  But – the truth is staggering -that the precepts of the Lord GO BEFORE US. We are, truly, never alone. If we will remember WHOSE we are – Wisdom sets a path for us through the mine field of life.  Holy Obedience to the ordinary is laid out before us – we simply have to keep our eyes focused on the ways of Wisdom and walk the path that has ben laid out for us.  How wonderful is our God?

My son is getting ready to go to college next year.  My brother ws curious about his ideas on partying.  I told my brother that, “We raised up in our morals and values.  AS he flies, we can only pray that it took and that it is part of his character and moral fiber.”  We raised him in love and we release him to his tomorrows in love.  He will make mistakes- but I told him not to live in them. Get right with God and man and move on. Wisdom is his friend and guide as we release him into the world.

We are never too old to have this guide as a comrade and companion. When we lie down, these precepts will watch over us. Here the word is “Shamar” – to treasure up, to keep, retain and to restrain.  In sleep, Wisdom does not leave us, rather, she is treasured up within our hearts to prepare for another day.  She  preserves and protects us as we slumber. Wisdom restrains us, even while we sleep – IF- we keep her precepts on our heart and around our neck.

And here – the promises in the next part make my heart glad.   When we awake- Wisdom will talk to us, through  prayer, inmuse, as we meditate upon her precepts, through study, as we ponder, as we  talk, sing, speak

The word here is (Polel) to meditate, consider, put forth thoughts.

Wisdom is not a dead thing that we study and we try to remember.  Wisdom is living and breathing and she walks with us and talks with us, protects us and guides us.  Is that not amazing??  We aren’t studying a book here, we are becoming acquainted with God.

Is this a revelation for you – that Wisdom is a companion that we can choose to follow? What are the temptations that keep your eyes away from the path that Wisdom lays out?