Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 AMP
As we know, Solomon did not become the man or king he became by accident; there was a lot of preparation, planning, prepping, presentation and preservation that led to him becoming king. Let us examine the words of a few verses just before the one above, where he said: “When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba], He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. Do you see the benefits of an investment of time and prayerful contributions into the life of a child? Do you see why God burdens the hearts of parents for their children?
David may have been called promiscuous by the standards of today, but he did right by his son Solomon. As we know, it could have been this example of Godly teaching that made this boy offer the sacrifices he made, and made God appear to him and ask him to request for anything at all. In our own generation today, maybe we would be asking for riches and wealth, but this young king asked for wisdom. Of course, God the Author and person of wisdom was more than willing to give him what he asked for, and the benefits and impact of this wisdom are still seen in and around us today. Practically every verse in the book of Proverbs is a message on its own.
From the lives of parents and son, we learn a lot of life lessons. David should have been at war but he was home. Bathsheba maybe should have been aware of prying eyes as she took her bath. Both ended up in adultery; David went a step further and murdered the husband of Bathsheba. The heart of man, as God has said several times, is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The human degenerated heart without Christ is capable of anything because it is under the control and influence of the devil. David was forgiven but the consequences of what he did affected those who knew nothing of his evil actions. Be careful to submit this heart to the control of the One who formed it.
By myself, I cannot help myself. The heart is tuned to always focus on something every time. It is the focus of the heart that drives its pursuits and priorities. The heart is the origin of thoughts, actions and decisions, and one gets to live or die by the quality of the products of the heart. That is why guarding it is non-negotiable. It is only by understanding the power of Christ that I can keep my heart from evil. I have been given freewill; God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of that freewill. Be sure that if you submit the heart to Him, He will take care of it. He wants to control it, so it can lead to eternal life. Would you give Him yours? God's time of favour is here.
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