Proverbs 4:2 Commentary and Bible Study

The farmer not only taught the child to do the right things in the right order, he also taught the reasons why – ‘and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine.’ The child had to become an adult, and had to train others in his time, he must know the theory. The word of God tells us the way of salvation, it tells us what God requires of us, but it tells us the deep things also. It tells us about the fall of man, it tells us about the weakness of human nature, it tells us about the inherent depravity of man. It tells us about God's holiness and that he is also loving and merciful, and the tremendous difficulty which Almighty God faced in making a way of salvation for man. There is nothing like this in secular life. Do what you like: indulge your lusts, get what you want, go for possessions, go for fame and fortune, go for enjoyment, live for this world, but this world cannot tell you anything about human nature, cannot give you any deep explanations or tell you the purpose of life, or how you came to be here.The Hebrew word translated doctrine in our Authorised Version is an interesting word which refers to that which is passed on, that which is inherited, or passed from one to another. The idea is that Solomon speaking here, is depicting an earthly father training his children and saying, ‘For I give you that which has been passed down.’ So the translation ‘doctrine’ is perfectly reasonable. We are not here teaching some human idea that was thought up yesterday or last year, or in the last century. What we declare, and what we speak here is truth that has been handed down from generation to generation. None of those people thought of it; it came from God by revelation. It is his truth. Who in the world can give you revelation from God? Does this world when it gives you advice as to how to live, and eggs you on, and says, ‘Ah this is what you should do, go for this, go for that, go for something else.’ Where did that advice come from? I will tell you where it came from. It same from this present generation. It probably is not quite the same advice that was being given, even 30 years ago, let alone 100 years ago. It is young information, it is of human invention. But what we are reading here is divine information, which has come from way back, from God himself. It is sound infallible teaching, things that work, things that will not let you down, and which are superior.