Proverbs 4

20–27 Again the writer reminds us that his words (verse 20)—words inspired by God—are life and health²⁷ (verse 22) to those who find them and keep them in their hearts (Proverbs 3:1,3). And then he says: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life (verse 23). The “heart” is our inner being, our SOUL, our real self;²⁸ it is from our hearts that our deepest thoughts and desires come. What we are on the inside will sooner or later express itself on the outside, in our words and actions (see Matthew 12:33–35; Mark7:2123). Thus, the heart is like a “wellspring” out of which flows everything in our lives—whether good or evil; if we guard our heart, we will keep ourselves from evil.

However, even though making our “inner self” right is the most important thing, that doesn’t mean our “outer self” will automatically be right as well. In verses 24–27, the writer tells us that we must also work on our outer self, our outer behavior. In verse 24, he tells us to work on our speech (see Ephesians 4:25,29). Then, in verse 25, he tells us to keep our eyes (hearts, minds) fixed on God (see Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 12:2). In verse 26, he tells us to make level paths for our feet—that is, to remove the moral hindrances and sins that entangle us and make us stumble (see Hebrews 12:1). It is not enough to simply “get a new heart” or a “new self”; we must also put off our old self and put on our new self (Ephesians 4:22–24). Yes, the new self—the new life, the new birth—comes from God (John 3:3; 2Corinthians 5:7); but we are still responsible for how we live and behave (Ephesians 2:10; 4:1). This is the central message of this chapter and, indeed, of the whole book of Proverbs.