The father brings into the discussion an evaluation requirement, for his son is to engage himself in pondering.

Not wondering but pondering.

Pondering does not simply mean the act of wondering about or musing about.

The word ponder is from the same word where we get the word "pound".

It means to weigh in the mind, it means to compare with a standard.

Ponder is an action word, its activity resulting in action.

True pondering results in change.

Pondering takes place whenever you drive a car.

You weigh your direction in your mind against the standard of the roadway and you turn your steering wheel to conform to the standard.

Better ponder your path or you end up in the ditch.

So pondering is comparing the circumstances or consequences of an event, or the importance of the reasons for or against a decision and making a change to conform to the standard.

Paul wrapped this same message up in New Testament language in 2 Timothy 2:15 when he said to Timothy,

Study to show thyself approved means to ponder your path in light of the word of God.

Compare your path with the standard and change to the standard.

This father does not intend for his son to drift through life, a product of his environment or his circumstances, just bouncing off one experience after another.

There is a time when we must firmly choose the course we will follow, or the relentless drift of events will make the decision.  Herbert V. Prochnow

And a part of this drift is never evaluating the path of your feet.

But this son is being taught to evaluate the path of his feet.

This son is to ponder the path of his feet, not somebody elses path.

He is to know that he can only control his path, not others paths.

In pondering he is to ask, Where does my path take me?

This is the question of the proverb.

We are to deliberate and agitate our minds.

Where has our way taken us and where is it going?

We are to look at the path we have come from and compare it to the path that we see ahead.

Has the path of the past been more effective for God than the path ahead looks to be?

Are there side paths that get us off the main path, are there ruts in the path that impede our progress?

We are to carefully examine our path.

Get acquainted with it. Ask ourselves some hard questions.

Not ignore our path and simply say that it will ever be thus.

Change is not possible, we conclude without considering that with God all things are possible.

Being faithless in our musings.

Note this verse does not ask us to examine our heart.

Instead it asks us to examine the evidence of our life, our path.

Don't try to look into your heart because it will deceive you.

God expects us to ask ourselves questions about the path of our life upon which we trod.

What have you done in life, what will you do in life if you continue to walk the same path?

Is there daily devotion and repentance on the path that you walk, can salvation, the new birth, devotion and service to God be found on the path of your life?

Is the desire of your heart that your path be as close to the path of Christ as is all possible?

What does the future hold upon the path that you are walking.

Is it simply going through the motions of life with no direction.

So many go through life as a leaf does when it is blown from a tree, having direction but direction given only by the wind, by its experiences.

But this father desires that his son have direction given to him by God.

For God desires that all of his sons and daughters have direction.

That is why Jesus Christ said he is the Way.

The Way is direction and that direction is always toward God.

But direction in only gained by faith in the Way.

Without faith there is no direction but only drifting from one experience to another, as a leaf blowing in the wind.

So ponder your path. Does your path coincide with Jesus Christ, who is the Way?

So we are to ponder, we are to compare with a standard the path of our life.

If we are his then we are to compare our path with Christ and we are to yield ourselves to him so he can adjust our path to conform to him.

He makes no adjustments to conform to our path!

And in the habitual act of pondering (or studying) we will establish our way.

Since Jesus Christ makes no adjustments we can conclude that his way is established and therefore if our way is conformed to him, then and only then will our way be established.

Otherwise we will simply be as a reed shaken with the wind?

This father then tells his son to stay on the path once established.

Don't get off the track. Don't lean to the right or to the left.

The Hebrew word used here for establish is "koon".

It means to be erect, that is to stand perpendicular.

This is what this father means when he tells his son to let all thy ways be established.

It is what a carpenter does when he erects a building.

Let all thy studs be perpendicular.

Measure their perpendicularity against the standard of the level.

Set them to be perpendicular so that they will stay perpendicular for the life of the house.

Set them so that they will not move from being right.

Erect righteous walls, walls that are established.

This is what the father is saying when he says:

Be perpendicular, for a column is only strong when it is perfectly perpendicular.

Just a small degree to the right or to the left and its strength is reduced exponentially.

You are to constantly ponder, constantly line yourself up with God’s level, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

For Jesus Christ is right all of the time.

For any son to go with Christ is to be truly established.

Show and discuss a weight chart which is a comparison of standard weights of people of various heights.

Examine the chart to see how your weight compares with the standard weight for people of your age and frame.

Will the examination of the chart affect your way of life?

Will simply looking at the chart and examining its details do any good for you?

No! I must compare my weight to the standards the chart proposes, in order to see where I am in comparison with the standard.

So I must have a help to know where I am in comparison with a standard.

I must step up on the scale to get information relative to my path. Where is my path compared to the standard path?

I have just described the act of pondering.

Pondering does not simply mean the act of wondering about or musing about.

The word ponder is from the same word where we get the word "pound". It means to weigh, it means to compare with a standard.

Notice that this verse talks about your feet, not somebody else’s feet. We are not to ponder the path of someone else’s feet.

Where do your feet take you? Where have your feet taken you?

This is the question of the proverb. We are to ponder the path of our feet.

We are to scratch our chin and say "hmm" and consider our way.

We are to cogitate, ruminate, deliberate and agitate our minds.

Where has our way taken us and where is it going?

We are to look at the path we have come from and compare it to the path that we see ahead.

Has the path of the past been more effective for God than the path ahead looks like?

We ought to look at the details of our path, is it smooth, is it paved, are there rocks in it, pebbles, holes, sticks, stones, pits.

Are there side paths that get us off the main path, are there ruts in the path that impede our progress?

We are to carefully examine our path. Get acquainted with it.

Note this verse does not ask us to examine our heart. It does not ask us to examine our feet.

Instead it asks us to examine the evidence of our life, our path.

Don't try to look into your heart because it will deceive you.

God expects us to ask ourselves questions about the path of our life that we trod on.

What have you done in life, what will you do in life if you walk the same path that you are on?

Is there repentance on the path that you walk, can salvation, the new birth, devotion and service to God be found on the path of your life?

What does the future hold on the path that you are walking on.

Does the path coincide with the Way that Jesus is?

So we are to ponder, we are to compare with a standard the path of our life.

We compare our path with the "Way".

Jesus said that he was the "Way".

If we are his then we are to compare our path with Christ and we are to adjust our path to conform to him.

He makes no adjustments to conform to our path!

This proverb tells us to establish our way.

Since Jesus makes no adjustments we can conclude that his way is established and therefore if our way is conformed or adjusted to him, then and only then will our way be established.

Solomon tells us to stay on the path once established.

Don't get off the track. Don't go to the right or to the left.

Don't get on the conservative path and don't get on the liberal path.

Go with Jesus Christ regardless of what the right or the left do.

Both groups may be right some of the time, but both groups are also wrong some of the time. But Jesus is right all of the time.

Ephesians 5:15, See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. (Circumspectly: cautiously, with watchfulness every way; with attention to guard against surprise or danger)

"PROVERB PRACTICALS" Article 1 in "The Projector" for Proverbs 4:26,27, adjust to the standard