Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3:1

C. Wisdom’s Rewards (3:1-10)3:1 Like all good parents, Wisdom wants the best for her children. She knows that that can come only through obedience to her teachings, which is another way of saying obedience to the sacred Scriptures. So here she pleads with her son to remember with the mind and obey with the heart. 3:2 In general, those who are subject to their parents live longer and better lives. Those who kick up their heels against parental discipline invite illness, accidents, tragedies and premature death. This verse thus corresponds to the fifth commandment (Exo_20:12) which promises long life to those who honor their parents. Jay Adams writes: The Bible teaches that a peace of mind which leads to longer, happier living comes from keeping God’s commandments. A guilty conscience is a body-breaking load. A good conscience is one significant factor which leads to longevity and physical health. And so, in a measure, one’s somatic (bodily) welfare stems from the welfare of his soul. A close psychosomatic connection between one’s behavior before God and his physical condition is an established physical principle. 3:3, 4 Mercy and truth should be seen in the outward behavior (bind them around your neck) and should be true of the inward life as well (write them on the tablet of your heart). This is the way to find favor and high esteem (or success, AV margin) in the sight of God and man. What it boils down to is that the satisfying life is the one that is lived in the center of God’s will. But that brings up the question, “How can I know God’s will in my life?” A classic answer is given in the next two verses. 3:5 First, there must be a full commitment of ourselvesspirit, soul, and bodyto the LORD. We must trust Him not only for the salvation of our souls but also for the direction of our lives. It must be a commitment without reserve. Next, there must be a healthy distrust of self, an acknowledgment that we do not know what is best for us, that we are not capable of guiding ourselves. Jeremiah expressed it pointedly: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer_10:23). 3:6 Finally, there must be an acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ: “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” Every area of our lives must be turned over to His control. We must have no will of our own, only a single pure desire to know His will and to do it. If these conditions are met, the promise is that God shall direct our paths. He may do it through the Bible, through the advice of godly Christians, through the marvelous converging of circumstances, through the inward peace of the Spirit, or through a combination of these. But if we wait, He will make the guidance so clear that to refuse would be positive disobedience. 3:7, 8 Conceit puts us on “hold” as far as divine guidance is concerned. When we fear the LORD and depart from evil, it means “all systems go.” It spells health to the body and strength (lit. drink or refreshment) to the bones. Here again we are brought face to face with the close connection between man’s moral and spiritual condition and his physical health. It has been estimated that fear, sorrow, envy, resentment, hatred, guilt, and other emotional stresses account for over 60% of our illness. Add to that the terrible toll taken by alcohol (cirrhosis of the liver); tobacco (emphysema, cancer, heart disease); immorality (venereal diseases, AIDS). Then we realize that “he shall direct your paths” is more literally “he shall make your paths smooth” or “straight,” but guidance is surely included in the promise. Solomon, by divine inspiration, was way ahead of his times in the field of medical science. 3:9 One way in which we can honor the lordship of Christ is in our stewardship of possessions. All we have belongs to Him. We are stewards, responsible for its management. It is our privilege to choose a modest standard of living for ourselves, put everything above that to work for God, and trust God for the future. Like David Livingston, we should determine not to look upon anything we possess except in relation to the Kingdom of God. 3:10 The generous Jew in the OT was promised bulging barns and overflowing vats of wine. Even though our blessings may be of a more spiritual nature, it is still true that we cannot outgive the Lord.

Proverbs 3:11

D. Wisdom as the Prize (3:11-20) 3:11, 12 We can also acknowledge the Lord by submitting to His discipline. Too often we tend to think of discipline as meaning punishment, but it actually includes all that is involved in the proper training of a child, i.e., instruction, warning, encouragement, advice, correction, and chastening. Everything that God allows to come into our lives is purposeful. We should not detest it or despise it. Neither should we shrink from it or give up under it. Rather we should be concerned that God’s purpose is achieved through the discipline, and thus we reap the maximum profit from it. God’s ultimate purpose in the disciplines of life is that we become partakers of His holiness. Discipline is a proof of love, not anger. Correction is a proof of sonship (see Heb_12:6-8). Thought: A gardener prunes grapevines but not thistles. 3:13 The happy individual is the one who finds wisdom, and especially so when we remember that Wisdom here is a veiled presentation of Christ Himself. Let us put Christ into the following verses and see what happens. 3:14 The benefit of knowing the Lord Jesus far surpasses any profits a man might get from silver and gold. He gives what money can never buy. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I’d rather be His than have riches untold, I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land, I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand Than to be the king of a vast domain And be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today. George Beverly Shea3:15 He is more precious than rubies, or any other jewels, more to be desired than any earthly prize. 3:16 With one hand He offers long life, in fact, eternal life. With the other, spiritual riches and honor. 3:17 All His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. “Where He guides, journeying is pleasant, where He points the way, all is peace” (Knox, alt.). 3:18 To those who take hold of Him, He is like a tree whose fruit is life worth living. Those who remain close to Him are the happy ones. 3:19, 20 These two verses describe the wisdom of God in creation, in judgment, and in providence. In creation He founded the earth and established the heavens. With understanding, He opened up the fountains of the great deep at the time of the Flood. By providence, He lifts the water from the ocean into the clouds, then distributes it again as rain upon the earth. And who is the active agent of the Godhead in doing all this? It is Christ, the Wisdom of God (Joh_1:3; Col_1:16; Heb_1:2).

Proverbs 3:21

E. Wisdom Practiced (3:21-35) 3:21 The privilege of being instructed by the Wisdom that created and sustains the universe is too great to miss. We shouldn’t let sound wisdom and discretion out of our sight. 3:22-24 They provide inward vitality (life to your soul) and outward beauty (grace to your neck). They enable us to walk safely in our way, free from danger of tripping or slipping. They guarantee a good night’s sleep, with no guilt on the conscience and no fear on the mind. 3:25 They preserve a man from the kind of sudden terror that overtakes the wicked. Those who envy the apparent prosperity of the ungodly fail to realize the built-in hazards of that kind of lifesuch as extortion, theft, revenge, payoffs, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder. 3:26 The LORD guards those who walk in His ways. He won’t let our foot get caught in a trap. We are often conscious of God’s marvelous interventions and rescues in our lives. But these are only the tip of the iceberg. Some day we will realize more fully all we have been saved from as well as saved to. 3:27 Notice the negatives in verses 27-31: “Do not withhold . . . do not say . . . do not devise . . . do not strive . . . do not envy . . . do not choose. . . .” First, never withhold anything good from those to whom it is due when you are in a position to give it. This might refer to wages that have been earned, to a debt that is due, to tools that have been borrowed. But in a wider sense it may mean, “Never withhold a kindness or a good deed from someone who is entitled to it.” This injunction may be introduced here to warn the righteous against becoming so occupied with their proper relationship with God as to neglect their responsibility towards others (see Jam_4:17). 3:28 Don’t put your neighbor off till tomorrow when you can meet his need today. Who is my neighbor? Anyone who needs my help. What does my neighbor need? He needs to hear the good news of salvation. If the Holy Spirit burdens my heart to witness to someone, I should do it today. Never refuse any prompting of the Spirit. 3:29 Love to our neighbor forbids us to devise evil against him as he dwells trustingly and unsuspectingly in the house next door. This rules out all the mean, sarcastic, and cruel revenge that too often follows neighborhood squabbles. 3:30 Here we are warned against picking a fight with a man when he has done nothing to provoke it. There is already enough strife in the world without needlessly going around to stir up more! 3:31, 32 The oppressor may seem to have instant success. But we should not envy his prosperity or follow his ways. The LORD hates, loathes, despises, and abominates the perverse person, but takes the upright into His intimate confidence (see Joh_14:23). 3:33 God’s condemnation or His confidence, His curse or His blessingthat is the choice! A dark cloud hovers over the house of the wicked. The sunshine of God’s favor beams down on the home of the just. 3:34 Again the choice is between God’s scorn and His grace. He scorns the scoffer but gives grace to the humble. The importance of this choice is seen in that the verse is quoted twice in the NT (Jam_4:6; 1Pe_5:5). 3:35 Finally the choice is between honor and disgrace. Wise men inherit glory; fools become well-known by falling into disgrace.