Teachings to Remember
04/15/07 AM
Text and Reading: Proverbs 3:1-22
[The structure of this sermon was drawn from Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines On The Old Testament By Warren W. Wiersbe]
Introduction
The Book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, a collection of moral and ethical teachings, dealing with many aspects of life. The teachings provide guidance in how to lead wise, godly lives and how to avoid the pitfalls of unwise, ungodly conduct. Proper and improper attitudes, conduct, and characteristics are referred to repeatedly and directly.
The Book of Proverbs instructed the Israelites in how their faith in the Lord and His Word should affect their daily lives. And these teachings offer the same instruction for us today. Proverbs is God’s book on “how to wise up and live.” It is His treasure book of wisdom.
In the third chapter, Solomon is urging the young man to lay hold of divine wisdom because of the blessings it will bring to his life. Of course, these teachings apply to anyone who will hear and obey.
[Let us consider the teachings given in this third chapter of Proverbs and seek the understanding to better allow God to direct our paths.]
Keep the Word (vv. 1-4)
1.The son is urged, both negatively (do not forget) and positively (keep), to heed what he was being taught.
a.Active listening so commandments are heard and understood.
b.It is not only the mind, but also the heart that should remember and consider the Word. (intellectual and emotional)
2.In God’s Word is found God’s Will (informed of the Colossians love of the Spirit, Paul wrote: )
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”
a.The better you know the Bible, the better you know God’s will and better understand how His will should direct your path.
b.If these instructions are part of one’s inner life, two benefits will be realized: longevity, a sign of God’s blessing, and prosperity. The word for prosperity, šālôm, is often translated “peace.” Though it includes peace and prosperity, it is broader in meaning. It also suggests wholeness, health, and harmony.
[One’s whole life is made better by keeping the Word, Solomon goes on to say:]
Trust in the Word (vv. 5-10)
1.Trusting the Lord is shown in our obedience to His word.
a.Commandments heard must be remembered, must also be kept; actively applied to our lives.
2.3:5 To trust in the Lord wholeheartedly means one should not rely (lean) on his understanding, for human insights are never enough.
a.God’s ways are incomprehensible Isaiah 55:8-11;
Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”; yet He is trustworthy.
b.All the wisdom a person may acquire can never replace the need for full trust in God’s superior ways.
c.Heart in Hebrew refers to one’s emotions but more often to his intellect (such as understanding, discernment, reflection, or will.
3.Verse 5 does not teach that Christians should fail to think and consider facts when making decisions, because God expects us to use our brains. Rather, it means that we should not trust our own ideas or wisdom; but to have the path of our thoughts directed by God (James 1:5-6: ask in faith for wisdom and it will be given).
4.3:6 As a person trusts in the Lord and acknowledges Him in all his ways (all your heart); he finds that God makes his paths straight.
a.God providing a clear path or way of life, or perhaps better, bringing one to the appointed goal.
5.3:7-8 Those who acquire wisdom need to remember that they did not become wise by themselves; wisdom comes from God. Romans 12:16c: “…Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
a.A heart awareness of and proper response to God (fear the Lord) will promote a humble attitude.
b.As a result God gives health and vigor. Health in one’s bones, mentioned several times in Proverbs suggests, as is well known today, that spiritual and physical health are related.
6.3:9-10 In Israel, honoring the Lord with the firstfruits of all one’s labor was a way of expressing gratitude to Him; a way of acknowledging God and His blessing.
a.In return, God then (cf. v. 4) promised to fill the barns (with grain) and the vats with new wine (tı̂rôs “freshly squeezed grape juice”). In general it is true that godliness results in gain, that piety brings prosperity.
b.But this kind of generalization, common in Proverbs, does not disallow God from making exceptions. Otherwise God is invested in, rather than honored.
c.Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Submit to the Word (vv. 11-12)
1.3:11-12. The God who can be trusted to make our paths straight (vv. 5-6) and to supply one’s material needs (vv. 9-10) may at times demonstrates His love by discipline.
a.The warning to the son is twofold: do not despise (“reject or take lightly”) the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent (“loathe or abhor”) His rebuke.
2.Sometimes God has to chasten us to bring us into His perfect will; see Hebrews 12:5-11.
a.The same is true of a parent’s discipline of his children. Resenting such discipline denies the benefits that come from such correction.
b.Too often we rebel at God’s loving hand of chastening; instead, we ought to submit and grow.
c.Satan tells us that our trials are proof that God does not love us; but God’s Word says that sufferings are the best proof that He does love us!
3.God will turn our submission to His discipline into blessing.
Treasure the Word (vv. 13-18)
1.3:13-15 Because wealth often does not bring genuine happiness, wisdom’s value far exceeds the worth of precious metals such as silver, gold, and also rubies. The words profitable and yields better returns (lit., “brings a higher yield”) are the language of a trader or investor. What wisdom returns to her possessor is of greater value than anything gold or silver can purchase.
2.3:16-18. Wisdom, personified as a woman, gives with both hands, that is, generously. Her right hand gives longevity (cf. v. 2) and from her left hand she gives riches (what silver and gold can purchase) and more.
a.Besides giving a long life, wisdom also provides a quality life: pleasantness and peace (šālôm; v. 2). Long life with no thought for its quality could be a curse rather than a blessing.
b.A long and fruitful life is expressed in the figure of a tree. Much as the tree of life was a source of all life, so wisdom is a source of a prosperous life.
3.Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Conclusion
3:19-20. When God created the world; He used wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. If these were useful to God in the creation of all things, it is clear they hold value in our lives. And we can gain them by Keeping the Word, Trusting in the Word, Submitting to the Word, and Treasuring the Word.
Invitation
