Read Proverbs 3
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
when they have done you no harm.
31 Do not envy the violent
or choose any of their ways.
32 For the Lord detests the perverse
but takes the upright into his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks proud mockers
but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.
Go Deeper
In Proverbs 3, we see Solomon’s continued instructions on how to live a wise and righteous life. On the surface it might seem as if this chapter is all over the place, but we can actually pick up on a pattern that is threaded from the beginning to end of Proverbs 3. Throughout this chapter Solomon outlines sets of instructions followed by the benefits of following those instructions. Some of these instructions involve submitting to wisdom, receiving God’s discipline, and how we should interact with the people around us that God has placed in our lives.
Towards the beginning of this chapter, we see one of the most recognizable passages in all of Proverbs. Let’s re-read these often-memorized words of Proverbs 3:5-6:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
If you have spent much time in church at all, you have probably heard those words before (and maybe even heard a sermon or two about them). Most of us want to trust in the Lord with all our heart. But how? How do we do it when the seemingly powerful voices of the world around us are consistently nudging us to lean on our own understanding?
First, we have to acknowledge how little of the big picture we’re able to see. As much as we wish our understanding of the world was even remotely equivalent to God’s, 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” Our understanding is often driven by how we feel, not necessarily what we know to be true about God.
Secondly, we submit to him in all of our ways–both the large and small. If we wake up each day and submit each appointment, meeting, conversation, and interaction to God (no matter how significant or insignificant it might seem), we develop the muscle of living faithfully. The more we learn to live faithfully in the small parts of our lives, the more natural it will become for us to live faithfully in all parts of our lives.
Questions
- On your first read through this chapter, which verse(s) stuck out most to you? Why?
- How has your own understanding led you astray?
- What are some ways you need to submit your ways (large or small) to God today?
By the Way
Verse 3 instructs the listener to “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” This passage is reminiscent of the shema from Deuteronomy 6:5, where the Israelites are told, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” They are also instructed a couple of verses later to write those instructions on their hands and to bind them to their foreheads. The principle for us from both passages is simple: We should be marked by our devotion to Jesus and we need to constantly find ways to remind ourselves of that devotion.
3 responses to “Proverbs 3”
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
So much truth here in these verses! Not only the instruction to trust in the Lord with ALL my heart, but equally important to NOT lean on my own understanding. This goes against my human nature!
Teachability.
“How many of us know extremely talented individuals who never reached their full potential? How many of us know difficult people who will never admit when they’re wrong? Being unteachable stems from the deadly sin of pride and it infects every relationship we hold. Here in Proverbs 3, the chapter is littered with references to being teachable.”
Wisdom protects our paths, and directs our paths. We have to swallow our pride so that we can learn. Pride is in direct opposition to wisdom.
21My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
God thank You for today, these minutes of this day. God thank You for that wisdom and discretion that I am teachable. Thank You for protection of my path with direction so that I follow and obey You. God thank You for all these minutes today that I love, speak and act according to Your direction of my path in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!
I paid attention to specific wisdom instructions:
•do not forget my teachings
•keep my commands in your heart
•let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them
around your neck, write them on the tablet of your
heart
•trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding in all your ways submit to
him
•do not be wise in your own eyes
•fear the Lord and shun evil
•honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits
of all your crops
•do not despise the Lord’s discipline, do not resent
his rebuke
•do not let wisdom & understanding out of your sight
•preserve sound judgement & discretion
•have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that
overtakes the wicked
•do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act
•do not plot harm against your neighbor
•do not accuse anyone for no reason when they have
done you no harm
•do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways
These 15 principles can lead us to trusting in God and not ourselves.