We are picking back up in our study of Proverbs. Our text, coming off of the attention needed t our words and sayings, we now see the charge to keep our heart and why – Proverbs 4:23-25. We hit on the heart a little a few weeks ago, but today we are going to dig into the heart to understand why this charge is important, and then look at what Solomon is telling us.

At first glance, many look at the heart as just the organ that beats in our chest. They would be right...to a degree. As we said a few weeks ago,

Then we have the heart figuratively. The heart is the decision maker, in Scripture, not the brain. It is in the heart that we find that adultery, belief, concern, condemnation, desire, doubt, evil, fear, hatred, joy, love, lust, medication, obedience, pride, purity, purpose, reason, rebellion, rejoicing, sorrow, suffering, thought, wisdom resides.

Now we dig into the heart in a fuller sense. All that was said above, and much more could be applied to the heart. Why should we keep it? The first answer is because it is where there is the issue of life comes from – Proverbs 4:23. These issues is best summed up by John Wesley. He said,

Thy thoughts, will, and affections. For-from thence proceed all the actions, as of the natural, so of the Spiritual life, which lead to eternal life.

I think that is a pretty good summation of the heart. The things that come out in the heart is that which also is found in the natural realm. Look at the list quoted above. Each one of those things, the belief, the evil, the obedience, the pride, everything will show itself in the physical realm. This can be no more evident than what we find in Proverbs 4:14-17. If the heart is allowed to wander, that is the natural inclination of where the heart is going to go.

Hence Solomon says to keep it. Keep means to watch and is used some sixty two times throughout the Old Testament. It is not a weak word but requires due diligence to protect and guard the heart to not allow it to go toward that which is evil. So much so, that Proverbs 4:24-27 hinge on the fact of the heart being right.

If we start by looking at Proverbs 4:24, the mouth that speaks deceitful, and a perverse lips, those come from first a dirty heart. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, 17-20. Now, going back to Proverbs. What do we see here? A deceitful mouth.

Deceitful here is only used twice in the Old Testament and both times are in Proverbs. The first, is naturally here. The second is in Proverbs 6:12 and is the word perverse. Look at how that verse fits with the one we cover here. We are to put away the deceitful mouth, and the one with a PERVERSE (I.E. Deceitful) mouth is a wicked man, a worthless person. Ouch! It is often hard to say that someone is worthless, for as a Christian, we see everyone having intrensic value because they were designed and created by God. But the Bible tells us that a worthless person has a perverse mouth and therefore, there are those who are in fact worthless.

We, as fellow man, cannot and should not make that declaration ourselves. We can judge fruit (Matthew 7:16, 20). But God is the One who truly knows the heart (Psalm 44:21). He is the one who has the ability to search it to its fullest depths (1 Chronicles 28:9), and He is the only one who can have a pure test to see where the heart is or is not (Jeremiah 12:3).

We can only judge fruit and judge we should and must. Not only within ourselves but also within those whom we see and deal with. It is foolish not to do so. It is this judging that allows us to know if someone is good or not in regards to their influence on our family, children, ourselves. The moment we realize someone is not a good influence or a good person, we usually cut them out of our lives. If we listen to those who say Judging is all bad, guess what, if they do this...they judged. God’s Word, however, points out those who have a perverse mouth is a worthless and wicked person.

Before we go too far, what makes them worthless? The word worthless, in Proverbs 6:12, is the same word we find that is translated as:

1. Wicked (Deuteronomy 15:9)

2. Perverted (Judges 19:22)

3. Corrupt (1 Samuel 2:12)

4. Rebel (1 Samuel 10:27)

5. Scoundrel (1 Samuel 25:17)

6. Rogue (2 Samuel 16:7)

7. Ungodliness (2 Samuel 22:5)

8. Evil (Psalm 41:8)

9. Disreputable (Proverbs 19:28)

This word is used twenty-five times in the Old Testament and each instance gives us an idea of the individual. As we look at Proverbs 4:24, this command to put away the deceitful mouth becomes much more vital, does it not? Then we couple that first part to the second, put the perverse lips far away. This word is only used one time, here. As such, what is apparent is these two things are to be avoided and removed as far as possible from us who are desiring to not live a life and heart like we find in the evil from Proverbs 4:14-17. But there is one more reason and this is where we go back to the truth that God knows and searches the heart.

If we pause long enough to look at Matthew 12:36, we are drawn to the very real truth that our words will be measured and weighed out. EVERY. IDLE. WORD. Not some, not partial, not only in certain circumstances, but EVERY. Let us not miss the greater context, though. Notice Matthew 12:34-37. Pay close attention to what is said in Matthew 12:25 (notice the heart shows back up!). Are we, dear readers, understanding the depth that is starting to form here?

This is why, in Proverbs 4:23-24, there is the command to guard the heart, and put away the deceitful mouth and perverse lips. These two things lead to that which was condemned already in this chapter. By doing these two things, we are putting a guard on the very core of our being. This core shows us whether we are truly saved or not. This is where the heart comes into play again. A regenerated heart:

1. is contrite – Psalm 51:17

2. Is pure – Psalm 73:1; Matthew 5:8

3. And is a Treasury of good – Matthew 12:35.

If these things are not existant, then it is safe to proceed with evaluating whether we are saved or not. This does not mean we are going to be perfect (hence we are contrite when we sin), but that we desire to be pure and holy, just as God is (Leviticus 11:45; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:15-16). If this is not our desire, then we really must question our own salvation and heart. Sound harsh? I would advise reading the charge of 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Now we turn our focus back to the heart. If we do evaluate ourselves, and we allow the Word of God, with the Power of the Holy Spirit to have full access and power in our hearts, He will show us the truth. What does a regenerated heart respond with?

1. Belief (Romans 10:10)

2. Service to God (Deuteronomy 26:16).

3. Walking before God with all (1 Kings 2:4)

4. Trusting in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5)

5. will not regard iniquity in the heart (Psalm 66:18)

6. Do and fulfill the will of God from within (Ephesians 6:6).

If all of these are not present, then we go back to the need to test and evaluate. Now we move toward Proverbs 4:25.

The eyes are to look straight and the eyelids look right in front. These are two interesting phrases here which calls for us to focus on the right things. What we focus on stems from what comes from the heart (refer to all that was said above). As such, if our heart is right we are going to find ourselves finding Matthew 6:22 being true. What if it isn’t? Our eyes can wander to that which can be evil. For example, we can let our eyes wander to riches (Proverbs 23:5). We will begin to look to money as our god rather than God Himself. We become selfish, stingy, self centered. If we get just one more dollar, but one more dollar is never just that. I would advise looking at wealth, money, and finances throughout the Scripture. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of money more than he did of almost any other topic. It plays that big of a place that we must be guarded.

If we do not keep our heart, our eyes will wander and we will find ourselves in Proverbs 23:33. We will look at and watch strange things and, well, looky here! What utters pervese things? The heart. Please re-read all that was said above. If we are not captured yet by this truth of Proverbs 4:23, then we are willingly ignoring this truth.

If we do not keep our heart, then our eyes will wander to women – Job 31:1. Job made a covenant. He was not going to look at a young woman. Today, sex permiates everything. It is everywhere. Sex, in the marriage between one man and one woman is Godly and good. But that is not what is seen.

I heard of someones comment that said,

Women are just sex objects. The moment they realize that, the better we all will be.

That man has a depraved mind and heart. Of course now women have become highly sexualized. I will not call them ladies, but now they are as perverted and deceived as men used to be. This does not bode well for our society. It is a seen truth that every society or people group that has “sexual revolution” their days are numbered. Weep and pray, o believer, that the porn industry is destroyed, that sanctity, chasteness, and truth will come back into the mainstream. A woman who uses her body in such ways is on a road to self-destruction, whether they accept it or not. The same is true for the men. The men who use their bodies, or even allow themselves to be trapped by the sex industry, are on a road to destruction.

When we read the Song of Solomon, we find the truth of marriage, sexual intimacy, and the beauty of it. When we look at the sexual revolution today, it does not match. One is clean, holy, pure, true, and good. The other is dirty, sleazy, wretched, ungodly.

If our heart is guarded, the moment any of this wondering of our eyes is found, our prayer will be almost an exact replica of Psalm 119:37. This all deals with just the eyes looking straight ahead. And we have not even explored half of this nuance yet. We can pull in passages such as Psalm 5:8; Proverbs 23:26; and many others. But we move forward and see that we our eyelids must look right before us.

The concept is our focus, in every aspect of our eyes, is to be looking toward that which is good, holy, acceptable before God. But the eyelid also gives a more intentional approach. I will let Matthew Henry say this best,

“Let thy eye be single and not divided; let thy intentions be sincere and uniform, and look not asquint at any by-end” We must keep our eye upon our Master, and be careful to approve ourselves to Him; keep our eye upon our rule, and conform to that; keep our eye upon our mark, the prize of the high calling, and direct all towards that.

I cannot think of any better way than this to put it. So I will leave this for our musings. However, this is not all we are called to do. We now get to our feet and paths. For this, I would like to take an entire post to leave the instruction of Proverbs 4:26-27 at that time.

So our challenge is very obvious, is it not? How is our heart? Is our heart being guarded? If so, are we seeing this truth in our lips, tongue, eyes? Do we see a heart that is showing the truth that it is regenerated? Or should we do a deeper test to see if we are really in the faith? Each one of us should do this daily, but we should not be flippant about it. Instead, we should undertake this with the most sincere and urgent manner. Our eternal existence is on the line if we just half haphazardly look and ASSUME that we are saved because we just want to say we are saved.

We may find, if we take Christianity seriously, much for what is passed as Christian is nothing more than a satanic wrapped nothing that masquerades as Christian only to deceive all possible (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22). Therefore, dear reader, may we take these passages to heart, and follow.