Proverbs 22:17-19 "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. (18) For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. (19) That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee."
I knew a man once who would close his eyes the instant I began to preach. For
the longest time, I thought he had slept all the way through my message. He
explained that he was shutting everything else out when he closed his eyes. He
could better concentrate on what was being said because all distractions were
taken away. Have you ever had a time when you were determined to hear
everything that the preacher was going to say, but before you knew it, your
mind had drifted? Or, have you read a chapter in the Bible and realized that
you couldn't remember what you had just read? In today's passage, the
wise man is reminding us to shut out all distractions as we listen to the words
of wisdom. "Bow down thine ear, and hear..." Turn your ear away
from everything else and position it in order to best hear what is being said.
I realize I get on soapboxes a lot, but listening is fast becoming a lost
art. The effort has to be made in order to give proper attention to the
thing being spoken. But then he tells us to "apply thine heart unto my
knowledge." In other words, when we hear words of true wisdom, we should
incorporate that into our very will and intention. Allow the wisdom to be the
guide for our very lives. Why? "For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep
them..."
True wisdom from God's Word instills confidence and trust in the Lord. We will
never outgrow our need for those things. "Lord, I want to listen and apply
your words into my life."