Proverbs 6:20–24 (ESV) 20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24 to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Part of wisdom is having right information. In imparting wisdom to his sons, Solomon emphasizes repetition and reinforcement. When I was young, we would have to practice addition facts or multiplication facts aloud as an entire class. We would repeat and reinforce those facts ad nauseam. It was and still is very useful. I am still able to do math (really, really basic math) without even thinking about it. Solomon isn’t asking his sons to commit to rote memorization alone. There must be memorization. But it must be thoughtful memorization. It must engage the mind, not be droning on while being intellectually disengaged.
Notice how Solomon also reinforces the mother’s role in teaching their sons. The husband has the primary responsibility, but the wife shares responsibility-sometimes the lion’s share of it.
Solomon repeats key words (keep...commandment, forsake not...teaching, bind...heart, tie... neck), driving home once more the absolute, non-negotiable necessity for retaining wisdom, for keeping it nearby. It is always needed. It is never not needed.
There is a reward for keeping wisdom close: it leads, it watches over, it speaks, it gives light, it reproves, it disciplines, it points to THE way of life. The reward is similar to the reward you get from memorizing math facts or practicing shooting a basketball or hitting a golf ball: it prepares you to meet challenges that are most surely waiting on the horizon. For his sons, Solomon recognizes that one of their biggest challenges will be the evil woman, the adulteress with her smooth, sweet-talking tongue.
One key thing to remember here: Memorizing Scripture, reading good books, going to a great church, sitting under solid preaching/teaching--none of those are worth a dime if they are like a costume in some sort of cosplay of life. They are never to be thought of as a costume. They help provide the armor and the training ground for actually getting in the arena of life to fight the good fight of faith. Furthermore, apart from the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to bind all of these together in forming you into the image of Christ and renewing your mind and heart, your efforts here are weak at best.
In other words, wisdom doesn’t have power on its own. The power comes from the Giver of wisdom, who is Himself Wisdom.
Seek both the Giver and his wisdom!!!!