In Proverbs chapter 3, verses 1-10, Solomon teaches us about wisdom.
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the first fruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Rooted in sound teaching (1-4)
Rests in trust in God (5,6)
Rewards those who obey (7-10)
Along with trusting comes obedience. There must be action behind our trust. Think about it, when we trust anything we put faith in whatever that may be. And as we have said before, ultimately we can only trust God because anything else where we put our trust, can easily fail us. But trust without faith or obedience, is no trust at all. They go hand in hand. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
A College Physics Professor was demonstrating the scientific qualities of a pendulum. The Professor had just finished his lecture, wherein he had shown the mathematical proof that an untouched pendulum will always swing in ever-decreasing arcs.
He then asked for a volunteer to demonstrate this fact by standing against a wall with a pendulum bob against his chin, then releasing the bob, and allowing the pendulum to swing naturally through its arc. The Professor reminded the class that the bob would return almost to, but not quite touching the chin. No one volunteered. Although the science students “believed” that the law of physics was true, they were unwilling to put it to the test.
How like many of us in our relationship with God. We know the facts, believe them, but are unwilling to risk a step of faith based on them. Trust without obedience is no trust at all.
Verse 1 and 2: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands in your heart; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” How does that sound, long life and peace?
The heart in verse one commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason, but also includes the emotions, the will, and thus the whole inner being. Think of the heart as the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever effects speech, sight and conduct.
Solomon is suggesting that we do not forget God’s law, the commandments given to Moses, but I believe there is forward thought here as well. “Let your heart keep my commands” reminds me of the greatest commandment. The kids in Vacation Bible School a few years back learned the “Shema” (Hebrew for hear.) Found way back in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy, penned by Moses 1400 years before Christ, chapter 6, verses 4-6, he writes; “Hear, O Israel. The Lord Our God, the Lord is One.” The word “one” here is meant to speak the truth about monotheism (only one God alone) but it does not refer to singleness, but unity. It is the same word found in Genesis where the husband and wife were said to be “one flesh.” Do you see reference to one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the trinity? “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” He goes on to stress how important it is to teach this to our children and future generations.
Solomon says to let our hearts keep God’s commands. Now then zoom ahead 900 years or so after he wrote these words, and we find Jesus teaching, after His triumphal entry into the Jerusalem during the Holy week and just prior to His betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection. The account is found both in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark. Jesus was tired of the religious leaders of the time, protecting their own self interests, hiding behind laws that no one could keep. The elite Priestly Sadducees, and their rivals, the Pharisees were too concerned with externals and ceremonies and the way things appeared, and not concerned enough with matters of the heart. Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy again and again. In Matthew chapter 23, verse 25, Jesus says; “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. In the verse prior, Jesus accused the Pharisees of “straining out a gnat yet swallowing a camel.” Meaning that some Pharisees would strain their beverages through a fine cloth to make sure they did not inadvertently swallow a gnat – the smallest of unclean animals in comparison to a camel which was the largest of unclean animals according to the law written in Leviticus! He went on to say, Even though you outwardly appear righteous to men, inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” God knows our heart. He is more concerned with the inside than the outside. That’s why David, who outwardly broke commandments big time, was still considered to be a “Man after God’s Own Heart.”
Being tired of these religious rulers, when asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Mark in his Gospel account adds the word “strength.”) Jesus went on to say; “This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. This is absolutely directed to the Sadducees who only believed in the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) and the Pharisees who believed in the Torah as well as the Prophets.
Verses 3 and 4: “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.”
To bind mercy and truth around our neck - What we do outwardly should reflect what we believe inwardly. In Eugene Petersen’s translation of Proverbs in “The Message” he writes; “Don’t lose your grip on love and loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.”
“To find favor in the sight of God and man” reminds me of an account we read in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus had just returned to Nazareth from Jerusalem after teaching in the synagogue as a boy of twelve years old. And although we do not know really anything about Jesus’ growing up years, Luke writes that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.
And then my favorite verses in all of Scripture,
Verses 5 and 6: “Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
Trust in the Lord. Inward trust and faith, outward obedience. There it is again. If we truly put our trust in the Lord, giving up relying on our own intellect, than our outward appearance should reflect this faith and trust.
I am not suggesting that we stop thinking. God has blessed us all with a brain, some more than others, most more than me. The moment we intellectually put our trust in anything other than God, we are setting ourselves up for a fall and a failure. What possibly on earth can we trust?
The stock market? Governments? The foundation of the earth? People? Have you perhaps followed the incredible story over the past month or so regarding Bernard Madoff and his Ponzi scheme? Many who know Madoff say they are surprised by the revelations. "Many of the assets he took were from friends and family," says a former official. "It is almost inexplicable. Even the people I have talked to who have had long relationships with him are shell-shocked."
Where do we put our trust? Trust only in the Lord with all your heart and rely on Him to guide and direct you.
Verses 7 and 8: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil; it will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.”
Again, if we are wise in our own eyes, than we’ve taken our eyes off of the true source of wisdom. Solomon writes at the beginning of this book that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When we read the word fear here and in verse 7, it applies to a reverence for God, putting God above and over all. This reverential awe and admiration, fear is the foundation for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Unfortunately, in Solomon’s life, he slowly took his eyes off of God as his true source of wisdom and relied on his own understanding. In this process we watch Solomon make poor choices and ultimately fail. (Read 1 Kings, chapter 11.)
If we fear (reverence) the Lord, fleeing from temptation it will bring health to our flesh and strength to our bones. If there is ongoing or unconfessed sin our lives, it will eventually take its toll. When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” we are praying for our own well being, body, soul and mind.
And last, verses 9 and 10: “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” We could spend weeks on these two verses alone, but it comes down to this in our lives today. Everything we have should be used to glorify and honor God. He provided it in the first place, it all belongs to him. So how do we honor God? This is accomplished by trusting God, by giving back the first and very best to God (first fruits), by being fair, by giving generously and by expressing gratitude for all He gives. The result of such faithfulness to honor him is prosperity and satisfaction.
It was during a DL Moody meeting in Massachusetts in the mid 1800’s, Daniel Towner writes: “Mr. Moody was conducting this particular meeting and I had the pleasure of singing for him there. That night a young man rose during a testimony and said; ‘I’m not quite sure – but I’m going to trust and I’m going to obey.’ Daniel Towner said, “I just jotted that little sentence down and a hymn was born.”
“Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Amen.
