FATHER-SON DISCIPLING Lesson #6 Proverbs 4:24-27 Body Participation

Father-Son Discipling here uses Proverbs 4:24-27 as a basic Bible study I had with my son as I remember it. This is only a suggestive model. I have been very explicit for those who want to understand how to do things. Write to me if you have questions or suggestions.

1) Time
Every time we start something unexpected happens. This time when he came into my study, I told him to sit down so we could start. He asked me, "Where, Daddy?" I told him in the chair as usual. But he nicely protested, "But the chair isn't here!" While turning around, I said, "What do you mean?!" The chair was gone. Evidently we had a chair swiper. I told him to get it. He protested he didn't put it anywhere. There must have been an accomplist! I asked if it was in their room. I remember hearing the boy's closet door close a few minutes before. I went into their room and discovered the chair in secret. What fun!

This poignantly reminds me that a Bible Study is the growing of a personal relationship. In a sense he tests me how much I really love him. We got the chair, put it in place, and promptly started.

2) Review
We did very little review. I shared with him that this was the last section in chapter 4. He said, "Good that means that we are done." I intercepted him and reminded as before that this is something that we will keep doing but in different places. He seemed content with this.

3) Reading the text (Proverbs 4:24-27, NASB).
I started reading the four verses without me asking.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established.
27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
.

4) Pray
We prayed. He opened with a good but short prayer; I followed.

5) Verse 24
I was going to start by discussing the two words: deceitful and devious but delayed it to later. I instead caught myself noticing something more significant to focus on. I realized that verse 24, 25, 26-27 each spoke about a different part of the body needing special control.

            Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. (24)

I asked him what part of body was mentioned in verse 24. He mentioned lips. I spotted mouth. As I started drawing one, he took the pen and drew one. They of course work together. Wisdom only helps if we make our bodies do what they are suppose to. In this case, I explained, that our thoughts are expressed through what we say. We can say good thoughts or bad thoughts. If we put scripture in our minds, then we will more than likely speak forth good things.

I took this opportunity and asked how his Bible reading (devotions) was doing. He mentioned good. I asked what he read today. He said Psalm 7 (I think).

6) Verse 25
He read this verse after I asked him.
         Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. (25)

As above, I asked what body part is mentioned here. He mentioned eyes. I asked him if he knew what 'gaze' meant. He didn't so I explained and showed him what it was by staring at something.

We talked about some specific issues. I frankly told him that lots of men have trouble controlling their eyes. He needed to control his eyes now or he would too have a big problem later. We talked a bit about looking straight ahead. Usually, the things on the side of the road distract us. At first, we would not have thought about doing anything. But then, once we see a sign or a sleazy girl, then we start thinking about things that were not on our minds earlier.

The eyes were opposite than the mouth. The mouth expressed what was on our mind. The eyes, however, bring suggestions and thoughts into our minds. The two pair up and make us want all the things we don't need. The eyes make us want it, and the mouth help us get it.

We talked about a boisterous billboard coming home from church. It was terribly placed! Even looking straight ahead, one still would see it. Then I said, one almost needs to keep his eyes right on the road. I mentioned how ads direct our desires. If not careful, they rule us and tell us what to do. We also got into the computer screen. He is so easily fixed to any visual screen whether it be TV, video or computer. We already greatly reduce his time. He only has 20 minutes a day on computer (except Sunday - none). But I know he needed to know why we limited him. So I explained how we train his eye control by our rules. I told him how many terrible emails I get each day. Each one leads down a dangerous path. He needs perfect control of his eyes.

8) Verse 26-27

Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. (26)
Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. (27)

I asked what body part was spoken in these last two verses. (If he was older a bit, I could have asked him from the beginning to tell me all the body parts mentioned in these verses). After he found foot, he began to draw a foot. It didn't look quite right so he called it an alien foot. Later I mentioned how I had made web pages for these Proverb studies and the reason why. I wanted other Dad's to know how to help their sons. I asked him if he thought it was good that I do this. He thought it would. I asked if he wanted to see them. He did. So I quickly went to the computer screen and showed him the web pages. He was naturally more interested in the pictures. He wanted to see this alien foot on this page.

We saw that it spoke about path again. I remember the word 'path' was used several times in Proverbs 4. Path has a lot to do with feet. Our feet take us where we will speak to others or see things.

I showed him how to scan a page for the word 'path.' I took a pencil and kept it just above the page and zigzagged back and forth and had him search quickly for the word 'path.' He found one. I then went back over one section that had two more. He found another. The third one kept hidden so I focused in on the place that the third one was found. We discovered all four times it was used.

11 ... I have led you in upright paths.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked...
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn...
26 Watch the path of your feet...

It was so important to go where Daddy and Mommy tells you. This is the wisdom that he talks about. If you obey them, then your are wise and are specially protected.

I closed by asking him what it means to have ones ways 'established.' He didn't know what the word meant. I explained it was like starting something. Once started it was still there. Where you go determines the welfare of his life. This is why he needs (me too) to always go in the right places.

We close by a few comments on areas that he specifically needs to work on. He needs to be diligence so not to be lazy and truthful so not to lie or deceive.

10) We both closed in prayer.
Before we prayed, he climbed over into my lap - just barely fitting. He just started praying and prayed quite specifically and confidently. I was encouraged by his prayers. I closed afterwards.

9) Other important matters
We talked a bit more about different things and then he was off.

Proverbs 4 is over. He suggested maybe Proverbs 5 next week. That is good I agreed but it gets into husband-wife relationships a bit more than I feel comfortable at this stage However, I thought, he needs to be fortified with the truth. Onwards we go.

(Thanks for joining our discipleship time together! Hope you can give us feedback from the times together with your son. We can add appropriate comments to this site. Please contact Paul at info@foundationsforfreedom.net with any questions or suggestions.)

As for me, a year later, I have now been taking each of my young children that can read (or learning to read) in a private time with Dad on Sunday. They now look forward to it for the most part and do not put up any fussing. The younger ones are more learning to read and coax them into the Savior's love. I choose passages on what they have been learning, reading or some thought that came to me while praying for them.