Bible Commentary

Proverbs 4:22 is a Bible verse in the Old Testament where Solomon is teaching his son the value of words of wisdom, and the reward of keeping them.

To get a bigger picture of what Solomon is teaching his son, let’s look at Proverbs 4:20-21.

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (Proverbs 4:20-21)

Solomon is imploring his son to listen to him and to continually keep the words of wisdom in front of him, and even tuck them into his heart, because they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:22)

Every loving father wants the absolute best for his sons and daughters, that they live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life, escaping the many pitfalls, lies and dangers of the world.

That is just what God, our Heavenly Father, wants for us, and He teaches us the importance of continually keeping His Word in front of us and tucking it safely into our hearts. It is our guide to being protected from the lies, pitfalls and dangers in this world. The Bible is our guide, even our healer, for a healthy self-image and a healthy body.

The promise is plain: His Word is life and health to our flesh, our bodies. Everyone wants that, of course. But the problem is this: do we believe it?

Unlocking the Truth - Life and Health

We tend to believe only what we can see and feel—how we feel in our bodies, what we see in the mirror, the balance in our bank account.

But God calls us to believe in what we do not see, to believe in what we do not currently feel, to believe in His promises (Mark 11:24).

The enemy, the devil, has done his best to steal, kill and destroy and distort everything beautiful, holy and true, and we are vulnerable to his attacks because of our lack of faith and ignorance about who we are in Christ.

God gives us the gift of His wisdom. It's in the Bible. He tells us exactly who we are in Christ. Seeking wisdom from God’s Word is the only way to identify the lies we have accepted from our past that deeply affect how we feel today.

We can choose to receive it or reject it. Acceptance and pursuit of God’s Word is extremely rewarding. Likewise, neglect or rejection of it is extremely costly.

We can also look at it this way. Insecurity about our health is nothing more than fear. Fear is a form of sickness, a detriment to our soul. To be well within, we must fight fear with faith—a firm belief in the truth. Faith in the truth is the antidote to that “fear” sickness.

We must saturate our minds with the Word of God. Repeat scripture and mantras of truth to yourself throughout the day. Tuck it into your heart and hang on to it. As we practice believing the truth, we grow more confident in the truth. We can feel well, inside and out. Just as Jesus said, “Your faith makes you well.”

Jesus came to restore all that has been lost, everything that the enemy has stolen from us and our family (Joel 2:25). That means health, wealth, talents and gifts of intellect, favor and relationships. Jesus is the promise, the opportunity for complete restoration of mind, body and soul.

Jesus Christ offers us the complete satisfaction, splendor and prosperity of His covering, His beauty. Receiving His Word as truth into our heart transforms us, inside and out. 

We must stop depending upon our sight--and ourselves, and start believing the Truth in our heart. Study the Bible verse of Proverbs 4:22 and all of God’s Word for yourself, and renew your vitality and health in Christ.

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