The instructions in Proverbs 4 are life sustaining! Look at verses 3-6:
3 When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba], 4 He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. [1 Chron 28:9; Eph 6:4.] 5 Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you. AMP
IF Solomon had himself continued to obey these instructions, that originally came from God through his father, David, he would have never gotten himself into the position where he married foreign wives and turned away from continual fellowship with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! He would never have had to write Ecclesiastes! Every one of us are faced, on a continual basis, with CHOICES! We, as born again believers, have the decided advantage of having the Spirit of God living IN US! Listen to HIM and make wise choices in YOUR life! Look at verse 7:
7 The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation). AMP
The MOST important aspect of getting Wisdom is the decision to go after Wisdom in the first place! Jeremiah 29:13 says this:
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. KJV
I like this even better from the Amplified Bible!
13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. AMP
Hosea 6:3a gives us this promise:
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: KJV
Again, I like the Amplified Bible for this!
3 Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord [to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him] AMP
The Word of God is the key to Wisdom! Jesus said, in John 17:17, that the Word is Truth! It is NOT just the reading of the Word, though, that brings the understanding spoken of in Proverbs 4:5! It takes THIS instruction from Joshua 1:8:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. AMP
"Meditate" here is the Hebrew word "hagah", which means: to murmur, to ponder, to utter, to muse, to speak. So, we must read the Word, hear the Word, speak the Word, think about the Word, all the while allowing the Teacher, the Holy Spirit Who lives IN us, show us what we need to know from the Word of God! AMEN! Then OBEY! Here is Hillsong with "I Live To Know You":
Shalom in Him!
