Life and Health

Yesterday, I enjoyed reviewing a verse with a group of students from Proverbs. In a world where people severely struggle to maintain normal, without being overwhelmed by life, this proverb seems especially pertinent. Folks struggle everywhere. In the midst of their struggle, we can see light and have hope.

Life and Health

Solomon writes to Rehoboam, his son:

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Notice the last two lines of this three verse stanza, “For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”

Life and health.

To what does Solomon refer?

Life, in this text, relates to one’s inner man. This refers to the soul. Yes, when one follows God through His Word, he will get eternal life; however, I think here, Solomon refers to something more. He is talking about the vitality of the inner man. One’s attitude. One’s emotional stability. Plus, one’s affections. One’s thoughts. All flowing out of an inner man that highlights life.

Health relates to a person’s actual health. Here, Solomon connects an outer man response to inner man life (strength, vitality, stability). In other words, life in the inner man produces better health in the outer man. Of course, this does not mean perfect health. What it relates to are those outer man manifestations of inner man turmoil. Sometimes we refer to these things as manifestations of stress, anxiety, and the tolls of life.

The Result of Living Focused on God’s Word

What provides the benefits of life and health? Solomon connects life and health to our posture toward and before God’s Word. Once again, catch his emphasis.

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;

What are the sons and daughters to do? Give attention to the words of wisdom. These words of wisdom are the very words of God.

Give attention – This means that we pay attention to God’s Word. It captures our attention. We do not merely consider it lightly.

Incline your ear – To incline one’s ear relates to leaning in to hear something clearly. To listen for it.

Do not let them depart from your eyes – We keep the Word of God before our eyes when we read it regularly. Of course this could include listening to it as well, but there is great value to actually reading the words of the Bible in front of you.

Keep them in the midst of your heart – In order to keep the Word of God in the midst of your heart, you need to memorize it. Then, as often as you can, review the verses that you have memorized with a desire to also remember how you have applied them to your life.

What is the result?

If you place the effort into learning and remembering the wisdom of God through the Word of God, then you will enjoy life and health.

Why? Because when you strategically learn and remember God’s Word, you also will live according to it. Focusing on God’s Word in this text is not just merely knowing the Bible. Instead, this text relates to applying to daily life as well. It starts, however, with learning it. Before you can apply the Bible well, you must know it.

The Result of Living Focused on God’s Word

What if you are not enjoying life and health? For sure, there is no doubt that some of you reading this blog are not enjoying the life and health to which this proverb relates. Why? And, if that is the case, what can you do about it?

First, double down on your efforts to give attention to, incline to hear, keep before your eyes, and keep in your heart God’s Word. This is fundamental to a good step forward.

Second, consider whether or not you are applying what you know. Whatever the passage is that you are considering this day, how are you seeking to apply it and live consistently with it?

Third, if you know of any sin in your life, confess and repent of that sin. If you are bitter, then forsake that bitterness. If you have malice, then begin your work there. What about your anger? Confess it. Pay special attention to what is playing on the theater of your mind. What do you have on repeat? What are you saying to yourself?

Begin here.