Proverbs 3 - Part 1 Series

Wisdom | Proverbs 3:1-12

Verses 1-4

“My son, do not forget my law…”

- Solomon’s advice to his son is to remember God’s law

- Remembering God’s law is more than a mental exercise but is also connected to living in obedience…

- The heart means that we live for God from the inside out and we are not seeking outward conformity.

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you…”

- Solomon moves towards the personal responsibility we have to actively live out God’s truth and mercy.

- The mercy and truth we have been given should be extended to others.

- Finding Favor is found is living out the truth and mercy of God (The NT church saw this daily).

Verses 5-8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.”

Q: Where have you seen your understanding triumph over God’s word?

- Interpretation of Scripture.

- The Bible clearly says…

- God will direct our paths to the measure in which we trust and walk in his path(s).

- 60% of active professing Christians have claimed to not believe the Bible.

- Trust God with everything!

o With all your heart…

? Complete trust is essential.

? Continually surrender your will to his.

o Lean not on your own understanding…

? Don’t think that you have anything figured out.

? Put away your understanding and choose to trust God’s way of doing things as revealed in his word.

o In all your ways acknowledge him…

? This is the choice to invite God into our everyday lives and conduct.

? Stop putting Jesus first and make him central!

? Let God’s Spirit interpret Scripture.

- The term, trust, means to ‘lie down helpless, facedown’ and the picture is a servant waiting for a master’s command or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.

- Clark: “The grand sin of the human race is their continual endeavor to live independently of God.”

Verses 9-10

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

Q: Why is it hard to give God money / possessions?

- Honoring God with our wealth / possessions is a practical way for us to trust him.

- First Fruits: This is our 1st and our absolute best.

- When we give our 1st it is trusting God and anticipating that he will provide (more).

- In OT Times, the best was set apart for sacrifice.

- The principle involved: When we surrender our 1st and our best, God is generous towards us.

Verses 11-12

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Q: How does God discipline us?

- Discipline (Discipleship) This signifies correction, discipline and instruction.

- Teaching shows us where to go; discipline makes that teaching effective; correction brings us into submission.

- The point of discipline is to prevent specific actions / behaviors from becoming habitual.

- The term, despise, means to consider unless, unnecessary or troublesome.

- Discipline / Correction often comes with discomfort / affliction to expose a sin / evil that was not previously seen, showing the nature of the problem and how to address it, guidance towards rejecting the sin and embracing God’s best.

- Conviction x Condemnation: This is not who you are x Shame for wrong – doing.

- Spare not the rod (Proverbs 13:24) = The Rod was used for guidance and is a symbol of authority.

- Discipline x Kindness = it is the kindness of God that is designed to lead us to repentance. Thus, discipline must be viewed as a kindness to move us from a lifestyle or a choice / behavior that is not aligned with what will give us the best possible life.

Punishment x Discipline

- Do I need to obey God’s law…what about all the NT commandments?

- Paul recognized that there may be those among the Christians in Galatia who had been overtaken in a trespass. Paul didn’t seem to exclude the overtaken one from the brethren, yet they should never stay in the place of being overtaken.

- Overtaken “Contains the idea of falling. It is not the deliberate, the planned, aspect of sin that is stressed here, but rather the unwitting element. Mistake rather than misdeed…

- Restore: The person should be restored, not excused, not destroyed, not ignored. The goal is always, restoration.

- Restore: (Kataritzo) which means to “Put in order” “Restore to its former condition” This was a medical term for setting a fractured or dislocated bone.