²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight;
    keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

Counsel for Men (and Women):

1. “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life” (v.23). 

What do you love?  We all pursue what we love, so be sure you love the right things.  Love what is good.  Above all love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself.  Love Christ and His Word.  Guard your heart from evil.  Remember Demas, who deserted Paul because of his love for this present world (2 Tim 4:10).  “Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is form the world.  And the world is passing away along with it’s desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17).   

2. Put away crooked and devious talk (v.24). 

Keep it far away from you.  Like stones, our words can lay a strong foundation or be launched like projectiles from a catapult.  They can build or destroy, heal or wound.  Crooked words are corrupt and corrupting.  Let your words build up, not tear down.  Not all words are obviously destructive.  Some destructive words are more subtle.  They sneak in the back door.  They destroy by a slow rot from the inside out.  Consider words that make light of the things of God.  Some words seem harmless, but they are like termites slowly eating away the strength of our faith from the inside.  Devious talk includes all forms of lying and deception, including: exaggeration, omission, and spin.  God’s people must speak with honesty and integrity.  We will not go along with a lie or affirm others in an lie to please them. We speak truth in love to please God not man.

3. “Let your eyes look directly forward” (v.25). 

There’s an obvious reason that we don’t look sideways when riding a bike.  We’ve all seen the clips of folks with their eyes glued to their phones who walk into a pole or fall into a fountain.  If we don’t pay attention to where we are going, we will inevitably crash.  It is easy to get off track and be pulled away from serving Christ.  Focus on what is good and true. This is broadly applicable.  Though perhaps especially with lust and pornography.  So, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8).  “Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:2-3).  Fix your eyes on Christ that you will walk in His ways.

4. “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure” (v.26). 

Think hard before you act.  It’ll keep you from many scrapes.  My father always told me, “Measure twice, cut once.”  A piece of fatherly wisdom that applies to far more than building projects.  In our day, swift action is lauded.  Yet we must be careful to consider consequences and discern the right course.  Ready, fire, aim is a terrible approach to any situation, especially the Christian life.  Ask: What guidance does God give in the Bible about this?  What has God said.  We cannot go wrong if we follow God’s word.  All our ways will be sure.  Not easy.  But sure.    

5. Stay on God’s path and do not turn to evil – either to the right or the left (v.27). 

Growing up in South Dakota we traveled many two-lane highways and rural roads with deep ditches on both sides.  In the Christian life, there are nearly always two ditches we can fall into that are sinful.  For example, a husband may be passive or authoritarian.  Both are a failure of male leadership.  This is why the king was to write his own copy of the law and read it every day (Deut 17:18-19) so that “he may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right hand or to the left…” (v.20).  The devil doesn’t care which ditch we fall into.  He just wants us in the ditch rather than walking on the road of righteousness.  Stay on the path of God.  This is the path to “good success” in the faith (Josh 1:7).

God help us live these truths and teach them to our children as well.  Let us be attentive to them. May we keep them in our hearts and not let them escape our sight.  For they are life to those who find them.  Amen!