"THE BOOK OF PROVERBS"
Somatic Therapy For Wise Living (4:20-27)
INTRODUCTION
1. In our study of chapter four thus far, we have seen Solomon make two
appeals concerning wisdom,
which I entitled...
a. Childhood Memories Of A Wise Man (4:1-9)
b. The Two Paths (4:10-19)
2. Solomon's third appeal to wisdom (4:20-27) makes metaphoric use of
body parts...
a. Such as the ears, eyes and mouth
b. Such as the heart and feet
3. I like to think of this section as "Somatic Therapy For Wise
Living"...
a. Somatic means "of or relating to the body"
b. Somatic therapy normally refers to holistic treatment designed to
integrate the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects
of one's being
c. I am using it accommodatively in this lesson for the sake of
illustration
[If we are to live wisely, then we need to apply "somatic therapy".
Let's begin with the fundamentals, what we might call...]
I. SOMATIC THERAPY 101
A. INCLINE YOUR EAR TO WISDOM...
1. "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ears to my
sayings." - Pr 4:20
2. In other words, careful attention to words of wisdom is
required
3. If we have ears to hear, then we must use them, leaning forward
to listen if necessary
4. Similar to the Bereans, who "received the word with all
readiness" - Ac 17:11
-- Do we make good use of our ears, listening carefully when
wisdom is shared?
B. FOCUS YOUR EYES ON WISDOM...
1. "Do not let them depart from your eyes" - Pr 4:21a
2. The eyes should be fixed on wise teaching
3. This implies careful reading of that which imparts wisdom
4. As Paul charged Timothy: "give attention to reading" - 1 Ti
4:13
-- Do we make good use of our eyes, reading things that help make
us wise?
C. APPLY YOUR HEART TO WISDOM...
1. "Keep them in the midst of your heart" - Pr 4:21b
2. The heart in the Bible often refers to the mind or affections
of a person
3. This implies meditation upon those things we have heard or read
4. As Paul exhorted the Philippians: "...meditate on these
things" - Php 4:8
-- Do we spend time contemplating the wisdom we hear and read?
D. THE BENEFITS OF SOMATIC THERAPY...
1. "For they are life...and health..." - Pr 4:22
2. Wisdom's words are life-giving and creative - Believer's Bible
Commentary (BBC)
3. And they are health to the whole body because they deliver a
person from the sins and stresses that cause so much illness
- ibid.
4. As Jesus said: "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and
they are life" - Jn 6:63
-- Do we let the wisdom of God give us a better life for both body
and soul?
[Wise living truly involves more than just the inner man. We must use
the whole man, including the eyes and ears that God gave us. As we
continue, let's progress to the next level...]
II. SOMATIC THERAPY 201
A. FOR THE HEART...
1. "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the
issues of life" - Pr 4:23
2. Diligence is required to guard the heart (the mind, the
thoughts)
3. For it is the fountain from which all actions spring - BBC
4. As Jesus revealed concerning sin: "For from within, out of the
heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, thefts..." - Mk 7:21-23
-- Are we careful about what goes into our hearts (minds)?
B. FOR THE MOUTH AND LIPS...
1. "Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far
from you." - Pr 4:24
2. We must not use our mouths and lips to lie or otherwise mislead
others
3. As Paul commanded: "putting away lying, let each one of you
speak truth with his neighbor..." - Ep 4:25
4. Again: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but
what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart
grace to the hearers" - Ep 4:29
-- Are we careful about what comes out of our mouths and lips?
C. FOR THE EYES AND EYELIDS...
1. "Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right
before you." - Pr 4:25
2. This suggests singleness of purpose, but it can also be take
rather literally
3. In a day when the mass media bombard us with publicity designed
to arouse our animal appetites, we must learn to keep our eyes
on Jesus. - BBC
4. As Jesus warned, the eyes can be a conduit into the soul of man
- cf. Mt 6:22-23
-- Are we careful upon what we let our eyes linger?
D. FOR THE FEET...
1. "Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be
established." - Pr 4:26
a. Think about the direction in which your feet are taking you
b. Work toward walking on established ways, not the unstable
c. In this, the Lord is willing to assist us - cf. Ps 37:23;
40:2; Pr 3:6
2. "Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from
evil." - Pr 4:27
a. With the Lord before you, don't let the allurements of the
world distract you
b. Should you take a step in the wrong direction, quickly step
back
c. Again, the Lord is willing to help - cf. Mt 6:13; 26:41;
1Co 10:13; 2Pe 2:9
-- Are we careful about where our feet are taking us?
CONCLUSION
1. Through proper "somatic therapy" we can live wisely...
a. Using our ears, eyes, and mouths in ways that are wholesome
b. Filling our hearts with good, so that it is good that proceeds
from our hearts
c. Watching where our feet are taking us, turning away when headed in
the wrong direction
2. How are we using our bodies as we go through life...?
a. Do we listen attentively to the spoken Word of God?
b. Do we read carefully the written Word of God?
c. Do we apply God's word to our heart and soul?
d. Are we careful about what we see, say, and hear?
e. Are we watching the direction our feet are taking us?
Fail to apply the lessons of "Somatic Therapy 101" and "Somatic Therapy
201", and we will fail to succeed in the course of life...!
<< Previous | Index | Next >>
|
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2009
