Proverbs 5:1

The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them about our attention to wisdom:

Proverbs 5:1 (ESV)

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;

incline your ear to my understanding,

When we give attention to something or incline our ear to something, we go to an extreme extent to make sure we see, hear or observe something.   Just before I read this proverb I actually practiced the principle.   I was sitting in the salon of our boat (the living area) and the boat started to rock violently, obviously from a passing boat not observing the no-wake zone for our harbor.   I rushed up to the helm to see if I could see who it was but at the same time I heard the football game I was watching reaching an epic point.    So, while half way up to the helm, I stopped to "stretch" back and "lean" in to see the key play of the game.   That leaning in and bending down to catch a game is what Solomon is talking about.   But, he is telling us to do this action and activity for something far greater than a game.   When we hear God's Word and know the that truth is being offered we should stop what we are doing and lean in and stoop down to hear the Word.   The is what the words "give attention" and "incline your ear" mean in this proverb.   Stop what  your doing.   Take time to incline your ear to hear His Word.