Learning to Lean

(Pro 5:1 KJV) My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

What good is “wisdom” (2451) if no one will “attend" (give attention NASB) (7181)? There may be a picture in Hebrew that does not come through in English. To “attend” (7181) has the idea of inclining your ears. Picture thinking you hear a sound and turning your head to get the best angle for hearing.

Our thinking must “bow" (incline NASB) (5186) toward hearing and “understanding” (8394). I think this says we have to prepare ourselves to listen. Think of this a leaning toward. This is the second part of the picture.

Body language says a lot about people and their attitude. People lean to show how they feel about someone.

One of the key points here is that the person in authority has something to share and it is worth listening to what they have to say. We live in an individualistic culture. We want to do our own thing and make our own decisions . That is not an automatic problem, but we must make those decisions based on the wisdom given to us by God and the godly people He has put in authority.

Even more important is our willingness to bow toward the Word and what it offers us.