1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep
my commandments:
God is speaking to His children again
and emphasizing the importance of the law.
I would warn that this “law” is more than just the Ten Commandments. The
use of law here is more in the vein of direction or instruction. That is to say, surely the Levitican laws and
rules governed in their time and still convene over His universe, however, the
direction and instructions to us in this summation of those laws are collected
here in Proverbs. Their purpose is to
guide us and define the boundaries in which we live a life full of
blessing. They are not defining the
shackles or restrictions placed on us by God.
2 For length of
days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Does it occur to you that there is
something wholesome and healthy about being one with Wisdom? This could be something as simple as keeping
us from being strangled by a neighbor.
It could be as subtle as in having Wisdom keeps the torments of the mind,
heart and soul from creating a metabolic acid bath inside us. If you think about it this way, you have had
someone ask you, “What’s eating you?”
Well then, you should know the things that are lurking within us are
also evident without. Those who know us
best can always tell when things aren’t right.
Parents can tell even to the point where they know if their child has
stolen something or broken something or if they told a lie. It is the way we are. Wisdom allows us to be transparent. Wisdom settles the gurgling of the belly.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about
thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
May we never depart from mercy. Meaning: having a disposition to show
kindness or compassion. MERCY
implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice
demands it. There are those of us that have big hearts and basically it is
important to understand that by having mercy, it is a key root component of
properly executing Wisdom. You see
Wisdom is not for the purpose of puffing us up, it is for the purpose of
completing us and making us whole.
It is difficult in this day and age to
comprehend truth in the truest sense. There is so much around us that is
deceptive. It’s a wonder that our
children can even spell the word truth.
I have always contended that no matter what, truth will survive and be
the only thing left when all is said and done.
You might want to be careful if you pick that statement up and make it
your mantra. It is much more difficult
than you might think with all that we are subjected to in this day and
age. Think of it this way, what is the
first thing that pops into your mind when you see a commercial or a politician
pontificating what he or she is going to do?
My guess is that you don’t reach for a pad of paper and a pen to jot
down the expletives you have just heard.
In most cases we cast these statements into the pit of
worthlessness. Yet, you can be wise
about what you hear and how you respond when you are a Wisdom bearer.
It is interesting here that the word
“bind” is used several times in the scriptures as a sign. In Joshua it is used to signify an alliance
when Rahab took in the spies Joshua sent to bring him information about the
city before they attacked. She was told
to bind a scarlet cord outside her window so that during the invasion, she
would be spared. Binding mercy and truth
around your neck would be an obvious sign of your condition and allegiance.
The last part of this verse talks again
about putting the Word of God in and on your heart. Psalms 119:11 “Thy word
have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” If you take on the memory challenge I talked
about in chapter 2, you will quickly see how merciful our God is to us.
4 So shalt thou
find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
I have often found myself standing in
the forest of confusion, looking for some familiar marking in order that my
bearings might be righted. Here on earth
it is important to understand our standing before God. I contend that one cannot know clearly what
their standing is without Wisdom. Wisdom
has a way of cutting into the meat of things and His principles sing the song
of Him in us. Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him." Further still is the fact that our standing
before God is such that Christ stands before us and by God’s design He sees His
Son and the purifying work of the Cross.
To be in such a state, that our enemies would be at peace with us should
convict us such that it is us that make enemies and not them that war against
us.
The word “favor” means grace, elegance
and charm. It is as though God cherishes
us, and He does. Why can’t we get that
through our heads? It is not what we do
that pleases God and it is surely not that He needs us.
5 Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
I heard an example of trust using a
chair. The example goes like this; we
see the chair, we trust it will hold us up and we put our rump in it. The only problem is our trust is reliant upon
our assessment of the chair’s worthiness.
In actuality this turns out to be a better example of “lean not unto
thine own understanding.” The chair
could have been riddled with problems, sending our rump straight to the floor.
Trust has valor and boldness. Don’t paint yourself into a corner by
thinking that trusting in the Lord is going to handcuff you or make you seem
like a wimp. Trust and trusting is
anything but that. Trust may lead you in
a direction that seems to be more difficult initially. If we combine trusting with what we learned
in the last chapter in Proverbs 2:12 – 15 and 2:16 – 19, we know that with
Wisdom we will be protected from trusting the wrong sort of people.
6 In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
The phrase “in all thy ways” means your
path. The Hebrew words used means
journey and the root word is from the word that describes archers and the path
they send their arrows. “In all thy
ways” is not rolling with the punches, it is more determined and thought
out. Along the way by acknowledging Him
brings more insight and direction. Take
a look at another verse where the same Hebrew word for "acknowledge"
is used: Gen 3:5 KJV 5 "For God doth
know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." It strikes me that acknowledging or knowing
has an huge impact on who we are. There
is an enormous responsibility here. In the
past I often thought this verse was telling me to cry out every time I did
something for the cause of Christ. Nope,
you see the testimony comes from a consistent knowledge which in turn makes for
our testimony by way of actual behavior which is motivated from our knowledge
and understanding. As we are drawn
closer to Him our steps become more sure.
The direct result of that insight and direction is a closer walk with
Him.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and
depart from evil.
Having Wisdom also means having
responsibility. The responsibility is to
keep from becoming haughty and puffed up.
It is easy to allow ones self to think more highly of themselves than one
should. Humbleness is crucial in being
blessed with TRUE WISDOM. Just as a
matter of clarification, humbleness is not a lack of boldness. Humbleness is simply not having to be given
credit for everything you deserve. (If indeed you feel you should get credit,
let that be a warning sign of becoming “wise in thine own eyes.”) As in the previous verse, acknowledging Him
all along the way will render rewards of a heavenly nature. He will not shower His blessings on someone
who is of a mind to take the credit.
Again, “fear the LORD” and take the
high road. We know deep down inside us
there is penalty for sin. In some cases
death is the sentence and in other cases, even worse, living a probationary
life. When we “depart from evil” we are
able to keep ourselves out of trouble’s grip.
8 It shall be
health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
By heeding the warnings and living a
righteous life we are prone to have a healthy life. The vehicle in which God has placed our souls
is sound and able to provide us the opportunity to serve Him. Having “health to thy navel” is interesting
in that as a fetus, the navel is the sole supply line to its receiving
nourishment, oxygen and blood. The
umbilical cord attaches to the intestines while in the womb and the complete
and total dependency of the unborn child is upon the mother. Once we are born, our dependency tends to be
on ourselves and selectively dependent upon God. But through sound Wisdom and complete
reliance on God the nourishment of the soul comes from the umbilical cord of
our Father.
Time for a medical lesson: Bone marrow
(or "medulla ossea") is the tissue comprising the center of large
bones. It is the place where new blood cells are produced. Bone marrow contains
two types of stem cells: hemopoietic (which can produce blood cells) and
stromal (which can produce fat, cartilage and bone). Stromal stem cells have
the capability to differentiate into many kinds of tissues, such as nervous
tissue. Hematopoietic stem cells give rise to the three classes of blood cell
that are found in the circulation: leukocytes, red blood cells (erythrocytes),
and platelets (thrombocytes).[1]
As you can see the marrow is vital to a
long life. It is interesting too that
the bone is also the structure in which all muscles are attached and the
muscles are the means of holding us together, but without healthy bones we
become crippled. The bones are
foundational to our physical health just as Wisdom is foundational spiritual
health.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the
firstfruits of all thine increase:
I know we get somewhat sensitive when
we hear the preacher start in on us about giving. Well you could skip to the next verse and
completely miss the blessing of this verse totally. You see there is a responsibility, which ties
what we have with what we are going to do with it. If you have held to the discipline of giving
of your “firstfruits” then you will understand the next verse without
explanation. If honoring the LORD is
strenuous then stop and look at what you have for a moment. We need to consider the desires of our
heart. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Wisdom helps us to understand what should be
treasured. We often fall into the trap
of letting THINGS rule us. For instance,
we may not need a mode of transportation that happens to be “Road & Track”
magazine’s car of the year or Oprah’s seven easy steps to glamour to feel
confident.
“Honor the LORD with your substance”
simply means to dedicate a portion of what God has allowed you to acquire. The LORD gives us what we have and only ask
for a tenth in return. Leviticus 27:32
"And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of
whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD." It occurs to me that when we are loaned money
we not only have to pay all of it back but we also have to pay back an
additional portion. In other words, be
content with the part that is yours, after all, our part is ninety
percent. In Hebrews 13:5-6, “5Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine.
The “barns” are used to store the
harvest and the “presses” were used to make the wine. In giving of the first portion of our
increase the LORD promises to bless with abundance. Don’t confuse barn with bank. Everyone’s barn is different. One person’s
barn could be a house full of grandkids during the holidays. Another person’s barn could be the ability to
help the needy. The presses are designed
where pouring the fruit in the top and placing a lid under the screw mechanism,
when the screw is turned the lid forces the juices into a container. If you place too much fruit in the press (due
to abundance) the containers will overflow.
If the LORD were to pour enough pure
gold to fill the interior of our cars the weight would be such that the tires
would pop and the glass would break out and the car would be ruined from the
weight of His blessing. Some of us would
complain about the condition of our car.
As is the case in this verse, some of us would complain about the fact
there is no more room in the barn.
Something to consider also is that maybe we have the wrong things in our
barn and in order to make room for His blessing we need to clean out our barns
of worthless rubbish.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;
neither be weary of his correction:
Our joy should be restored by the
concern of the LORD in that He loves us enough to take the time to correct
us. Chastening is correcting. Look at what it says in Hebrews 12:6-8 "For
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." Now having this wonderful component of His
love, Wisdom will take it to the next level and help us to understand what it
is we are to learn.
We cannot learn without the
chastening. Often we are so stubborn and
it requires a more focused correction.
Be careful to know that often hardship falls into two categories, first,
the result of sin and secondly, the result of correction. Look what it says in Jeremiah 5:3 "O
LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder
than stone and refused to repent." (NIV)
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a
father the son in whom he delighteth.
This is just to remind us that
sometimes we are not going feel as though the Lord is showing favor in our
lives. He wants us to do or be a certain
way concerning the things we have in our lives.
We must remember that He sees and knows the future and in the end, He knows
what we need to do in order to receive what He has for us. Accept the correction from a heart of
gratitude and beg Wisdom for the insight to know what the LORD has for us. Beg Wisdom for direction, understanding and
above all, the mind of the LORD.
13 Happy is the man
that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
I
have often thought deeply about what would bring true happiness, I mean the real
thing. It’s hard to think that something
that is free and there for the asking is the root of true happiness. With Wisdom comes understanding. I have found myself feeling immensely
challenged at times when I did not understand something. There is a tremendous salve that coats our
soul when we have understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the
merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Wisdom’s fruit is not seasonal. It never gets bruised or rots on the
vine. And, I might add this; Wisdom once
possessed renders us with merchandise that reveals the treasures of Heaven.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things
thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
I don’t know what you think but rubies
are pretty nice and then there is this; “all the things thou canst desire”
don’t even come close to Her majestic adornment to our souls. One other thing, don’t think this would go
unnoticed while in our possession. If we
possess Wisdom completely, with a humble spirit, those around us will be able
to see the LORD through us.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left
hand riches and honour.
Wisdom is the fountain of youth? Well not exactly but it is the fountain of a
long fulfilling life with purpose and direction. There is even the promise of riches. If your eyes darted back up to the verse to
make sure you read that right good for you.
It does say riches.
Now honor is something few people
really think about today. But its
absence is the root cause of most of the distress many of us find ourselves
in. Especially when we feel we have
been wronged or someone took advantage of us.
We tend to ponder getting even or striking back. We even tend to give way to rage and become
mindless with our actions. Honor only
lives in the worthy. In Proverbs alone
the following verses describe an interesting facet of honor; 15:33 "The
fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility." 18:12 "Before destruction the heart
of man is haughty, and before honour is humility." 22:4 "By humility and the fear of the
LORD are riches, and honour, and life." Most may have a vision of honor being the
result of a single act when in fact the opposite is true. Honor comes to them that fear the LORD and
are humble. If we truly want honor we
must first beg for humility.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace.
How often have we whispered to
ourselves, “what in the world is going on?”
or “what am I doing wrong?” When
we are one with Wisdom our circumstances will no longer bring us to
frustration.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon
her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
This indicates the mentality of
Wisdom. True Wisdom is the ability to
discern what is right and good and proper.
It does not stop there, actions which follow the leading of true Wisdom
will be exemplified in a true Christian.
The significance of “tree of life” may
elude us lest we pause to consider what is being said here. In the Garden of Eden were two main
trees. One of the trees was the tree in
which we have all partaken through Adam, the tree of “the knowledge of Good and
Evil.” The other tree is the tree of
Life. Gen 2:9 "The Lord God
caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for
food, including the tree of life in the midst of the garden, as well as the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil." At the center of the garden was the tree of
life not the other one. Wisdom begs to
be at the center of our life. If we are
to truly desire to have Wisdom we MUST do as She says in Proverbs 2:1 – 5;
receive, hide, incline, apply, criest, liftest, seekest and searchest.
19 The LORD by
wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the
heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop
down the dew.
The God that created the heavens and
the earth is the creator of Wisdom.
Wisdom was used to create the heavens and the earth. To think that God
loves us so much that He would give that to us should make the gift of Wisdom
that much sweeter.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep
sound wisdom and discretion:
Wisdom continues to beckon us to come
to her. There should be an indescribable
tugging at our very core in which that void yearns to be filled. I recall countless times in my early years
where I have done or not done things.
The feelings generated from those experiences are often put aside
because they simply make me feel dumb or embarrassed. Of course we often purpose to never do or let
those things afflict us again, nonetheless, that clamoring is distinct and
should cause us to seek Her.
See the notes on discretion in Pr 1:4.
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to
thy neck.
Life unto thy soul has an interesting
connotation if you think about it. This
is not the same as life to thy bones, which is distinctly about physical
health. Life unto thy soul is referring
to our inner life. I would describe it
as the liveliness of our spirit upon answer to prayer. Where the distinct connection through the
Holy Spirit and God is warmly felt.
There is a certain rejuvenation that takes place when that happens. Our souls are alive and prominent. Wisdom brings on this prominence ongoing and
by being prominent, motivates us to continue.
By Wisdom we grow in courage about our actions. Our actions are structured and integrated
with Wisdom’s wealth of clarity.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot
shall not stumble.
Help, I have fallen and I can’t get
up! Everyone has seen that
commercial. Simply press the button and
help is on the way. The problem with
that scenario is that the fall has already occurred. What this verse is saying is that there is no
fall, not even a stumble. Now if the
commercial stated, “by wearing this device you will not fall nor even stumble”
you would probably do as I do and say out loud, “Come now, do you take me for a
fool?” Yet, Wisdom is not only willing
to do that for us but She is able. Think
about that for a minute. It actually
makes sense from the perspective of guarding us from making poor decisions and
keeping us from the places we should not be.
Just as a word of caution to those skeptics who might be reading this:
yes, you can still Stumble onto a new idea or Fall asleep but you wont fall
into the same old empty circumstances.
Speaking of sleep…you sleep best when you are safe!
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea,
thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
See!
I told you. It is not common knowledge that our sleep is in direct
correlation to Wisdom, but this verse is pretty clear here on this matter.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the
desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
You know, if you think long and hard
enough about anything you can find something wrong with it. This is especially true if you have had the
standard lot of tribulations in your life.
The point here is not to let those thoughts of potential catastrophic
events bring you to a condition of constant inner turmoil. For instance, you might think, “I had better
not have children, they surely cost too much money to raise or they could
die?” Or, better not get out on the road
and go to the store to get food, I could die in an accident?” These are extreme
cases but often we may not engage ourselves in the more subtly uncomfortable
situations. Don’t be captive to the
negative, think positive and refer to verse 3:5.
26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep
thy foot from being taken.
The one lead by Wisdom will have the
sanctity of knowing God is in control.
Not only in control but leading us from the things we might fall into as
we go through life.
One of the things that plagues us and
our thoughts is being used or taken advantage of by a conniving enemy. Yet, there is no way to know what is planned
or what has been set in place to trap us and pull us into the den of them that
have no sleep. In this verse God says he
will keep us from being taken. First we
have to understand that we should not be hanging around with the type of folks
that would desire to take us. Secondly,
we will be equipped to identify that which is meant to harm us by the
application of Wisdom’s principles.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when
it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
The word “due” in the original Hebrew,
means owner. If you have something that
belongs to the owner then you should eventually return it. In this case the thing that is owned is “good”
and the difficulty is in returning it when we have the power to hand it to
them.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and
to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
This is not just talking about the
person that lives next door to you. The
word “neighbour” means friend or companion.
As in the previous verse, if you have the thing they need and you know
they need it then why not just go ahead and give it to them.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he
dwelleth securely by thee.
This one stumped me for some time in
understanding how this related to Wisdom.
The fact that there is security around you is the point. Most of us would love to live in a quiet
little neighborhood. If there were
constant burglaries and people being shot in our neighbor’s houses, we would
move. Don’t be the one to disturb that
security.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done
thee no harm.
“Strive” is not used here the way in
which we use the word today. It actually
means to contend or quarrel and in some instances go to court. Today we use the word in the sense of focused
effort.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his
ways.
Sometimes we become enamored with those
who have the power to make things happen or are in positions to dictate the way
in which life is for everyone. In the
case of this verse, “the oppressor” is a violent one. If we ponder too much, then begins the stench
and hissing of the branding iron as it burns in our heart. Each time we study them and become desirous
of their wealth or position, we inhibit Wisdom’s purity. Don’t let those impressions fill the mind.
32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his
secret is with the righteous.
The “froward” are them that have left
the righteous path of the LORD. They
have forsaken that which they know to be right.
They do the things in which the LORD points out are an abomination in
Proverbs 6:16 – 19: they are proud, lying, blood shedders, wicked thinkers,
seekers of mischief, give false accounts and cause discord.
The LORD gives a promise in that He is
counselor to the righteous through Wisdom.
The word “secret” in the Hebrew actually means counselor.
33 The curse of
the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the
just.
The fact that the curse is in the house
is significant. It is not outside or
along the path but right there in the house of the wicked. The curse is simply the principle of what
David said in Ps 119:21 "Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,
which do err from thy commandments."
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace
unto the lowly.
The scorner is a lowly sort and reaps
from God that which he sows. The scorner
does not like to be shown he is wrong (vs. 15:12). The scorner does not like to
be corrected (vs. 9:7) and if you do correct them you paint yourself in
shame. On top of that the scorner will
hate you. (vs. 9:8)
The “lowly” are those afflicted with
circumstances beyond their control. The
word actually is translated several times as meek and humble. This gives the sense they are not blaming God
for their circumstances but instead rely on His grace to meet their needs. In the original Hebrew there is another word
in this text that is left off in the KJV and it too means poor, afflicted,
lowly but it also has meekness as a perspective or point of reference. Don’t confuse this lowly one with the one
begging on the side of the road for money to feed his sinful nature.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the
promotion of fools.
The word “glory” is many times
translated as honor in Proverbs. In
Proverbs 3:16 the same word is used at the end of that verse, “…riches and honour.” The point of this verse is that when we exalt
Wisdom and embrace her, she will establish us and we will be honored. Many seek fame, many seek the approval of
mankind, but few are willing to make the deep commitment to Wisdom. The process of becoming wise is a lengthy
undertaking and learning to become humble and accept the chastening of the LORD
seems opposite of honor but it is indeed the path to glory.
“Shame” lurks in the shadows of the
fool. Even though they seek some level
of respect, that respect is among their peers, which are merely other
fools. Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog
returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." Their folly is empty of wholesomeness and
leads to shame when the light of Truth exposes the fool’s wicked intentions.