Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. (4:23)
Here Solomon is obviously speaking of the heart in a metaphorical sense. We know that the actual organ which pumps our blood is not what needs to be guarded. Yet, as our physical hearts are the source of life because they pump blood through our bodies, our metaphorical hearts (emotions, soul, etc.) are the source of our spiritual and emotional life. We have to guard our hearts against sinful influences and make sure that our hearts are pure because whatever is in your heart is the real you.
Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34-35) and Jesus goes on in that passage to say that a good man brings good things out of the storeroom of his heart but a bad man brings out bad things from the storeroom of his heart. If what is in your heart is what is real and true about you, and if that is where everything in you comes from (whether good or bad) then we must guard it carefully. We need pure hearts so pure things will come from us to bless the rest of the world around us.
You guard your heart by making sure that your treasure is only Jesus and not worldly things. You keep your heart pure by keeping Him preeminent in your life and the greatest treasure of your heart. You guard your heart by guarding your eyes and ears; making sure that what you watch, what you read, what you see, and what you listen to is pure. We have an old saying that says, “Rubbish going in ensures that rubbish will come out.” You protect your heart by exposing it to what is lovely, pure, and holy and avoiding things that are not. You guard your heart by hiding the word of God in it. When you are constantly feeding on Scripture and meditating on it your heart will be guarded against the onslaught of a dark world. Above all else, guard your heart!
