Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
1 An exhortation to obedience, 5 to faith, 7 to mortification, 9 to devotion, 11 to patience. 13 The happy gain of wisdom. 19 The power, 21 and the benefits of wisdom. 27 An exhortation to charitableness, 30 peaceableness, 31 and contentedness. 33 The cursed state of the wicked.
Pro 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
Commandments. Heb. torah, most rendered “law” in the OT. It comes from the root yarah, meaning “to throw,” “to shoot,” and in one form of the verb means “to teach,” “to instruct” (see Ex. 4:12; 24:12; Lev. 10:11; 1 Sam. 12:23).
Hence torah means “teaching,” “instruction”; therefore, the phrase is better rendered, “Forget not my teaching.”
The LXX uses the word nomos here, meaning anything assigned, such as a custom, convention, or law. Nomos is the NT word for “law.”
If the OT idea of instruction is applied to “law” throughout the Bible, it takes away from “law” the sense of blind compulsion and turns the commandments of God into guideposts on the road of life, warning against dangerous detours into paths of sin.
Pro 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, Pro 3:2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Loving obedience to the teaching of God will result in an extension of the life span. Though this promise will be fulfilled for many in the attainment of a peaceful old age in this life, it will be true of all the righteous in the ever-rolling years of eternity.
Pro 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Such traits are always pleasing to God and will win the favor of men. However friendly a man may be, he will fail to win friends if his promises cannot be relied upon.
Pro 3:4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; .
Entire trust in God is the only logical position for Christians to take. God has all knowledge and all power and foresees and prepares against all the troubles that come upon man as sudden emergencies.
For anyone to rely on his own understanding under such circumstances is foolish indeed. It is also folly to alternate between trust in self and trust in God. To place little confidence in one’s own understanding does not mean that a man must lay aside intelligence and give up the power of choice.
Intelligence is needed to determine from the Word of God and from God’s guiding providences what is the divine will.
Pro 3:6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
The Hebrew emphasizes that God Himself will make straight and plain the path of His servant, when His servant acknowledges Him in every phase of life’s many activities.
Pro 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
By pointing out the danger of self-trust, Solomon reinforces his previous counsel (v. 5). Many have started to walk the path of right with complete trust in the Saviour, but have later begun to take the credit to themselves for their achievements and have ended up in sinful rebellion against God.
Such was the experience of Solomon himself, but he was fortunate to awake to his sad condition before it was too late (see 1 Kings 11:1–13; PK 75–86).
Pro 3:8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones
Mental and physical health are closely connected one with another (ch. 17:22), and there is no greater stabilizer for nerves fretted by the rush and worry of life than the knowledge that God is an active partner in all that we do, an influence ensuring present contentment and ultimate victory (see Phil. 4:11–13; MH 241).
Pro 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
Malachi cites as one reason why the giving of part of the riches gained leads to greater gain the fact that God will rebuke the devourer and make possible a greater increase (Mal. 3:8–12).
A more important reason is that the cheerful giving of ever-increasing sums in tithe and offerings as wealth increases will prove a bulwark against the subtle temptations to selfishness and covetousness. God can entrust a man who is a faithful steward of His means with still more of the wealth of the world, for it will be rightly used.
Pro 3:10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Pro 3:11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,
Some people permit the troubles that come upon them to drive them farther away from God, because they think that He is cruel or indifferent. How far from the truth this is, the next verse shows.
Pro 3:12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Paul points out in his enlargement upon this thought (Heb. 12:5–11) that we gave reverence to our earthly fathers when they disciplined us. Perhaps as children we dimly perceived that they were doing it because they loved us. The children of God should believe that all things are under the control of a heavenly Father who delights in them and who will work circumstances for their good if they submit cheerfully to the discipline and learn the lessons it was intended to teach.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
Pro 3:13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,
Having been chastened by the Father, the child has found the way of blessing and is now continuing to draw out understanding from the rich stores of heavenly knowledge.
All blessings are available to the man who has begun with the fear of the Lord, has progressed to wisdom, and is now drinking from a spring of ever-flowing water of life (see John 4:14).
Pro 3:14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
Solomon compares the value of wisdom to that of other precious things. He draws some of his figures from his commerce in gold and in silver (see 1 Kings 10:21–23). He well knew the profits to be gained by trading in these precious metals.
Nevertheless, he realized that the income from trading in wisdom was greater and more lasting. When the love of money comes between a man and the increase of his holdings in true wisdom, his material riches have become a snare (see 1 Tim. 6:9, 10).
If the choice must be made, it is better to trade in understanding and be poor in gold and silver than to reap a harvest of earthly riches and be poor in wisdom and other eternal treasures.
Pro 3:15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
15. Rubies. The word here translated “rubies” is not used in the Bible in a context that makes its precise meaning clear. Some translate it “pearls”; others, “precious stones of all kinds”; still others, “coral,” because a similar Arabic word means “branching.”
This much is clear from v. 14, that the word signifies something very precious, perhaps even more so than “fine gold,” for Solomon seems to be building up to a climax of value.
Wisdom is so much to be desired that there is nothing a man may wish for that can surpass it in value. The LXX reads, “precious stones.”
Pro 3:16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Wisdom never comes alone. When Solomon chose to ask the Lord for wisdom, he was promised long life, riches, and honor (1 Kings 3:5–14). He here pictures wisdom as bringing these other gifts in her hands.
In the enumeration of gifts in the book of Kings, long life is last, and conditional upon obedience to God’s commands. In the Proverbs, Solomon puts it first and in the right hand—the place of great honor in the East (see Ps. 110:1)—and riches and honor in the left hand.
While this promise may be regarded as applying today largely to the eternal reward of the righteous, it is still true that prudence and wisdom will do much to ensure long life and prosperity in this world.
Many are suffering the ill effects of eating and drinking things that are harmful and of carrying out other unhealthful practices. It is the part of wisdom to study the relationship between diet and health, and to endeavor to live in harmony with the plan of the Creator.
While the wise man today may not always attain to great wealth, he will find that godliness with contentment is still great gain and that good men will always honor wisdom (1 Tim. 6:6).
Pro 3:17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
Many feel that trifling amusements and unproductive activities are the ways of pleasure, but true joy and lasting satisfaction are found only in following wisdom.
Solomon emphasizes the serenity and blessedness of walking in the unfrequented paths of wisdom instead of following the multitude in search of the fleeting and unrewarding pleasures of the senses.
Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.
Tree of life. Because our first parents rejected wisdom as a guide and followed Satan, none of us has been privileged to taste of the tree of life. Divine wisdom will lead us into a way of life that will have much the same result.
It will give us a fuller and longer life in this world, and gain for us access to the tree of life itself in the world to come (Rev. 22:14).
Pro 3:19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
Solomon presents wisdom as the divine power of God, creating the heavens and protecting those who put their confidence in Him.
Pro 3:20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
Divine wisdom was required to devise and execute a system that watered the earth without rain and erosion and also served to equalize the temperature over the whole of the globe (see on Gen. 1:6). This system was completely changed at the Flood, so that the rain replaced the heavy dew, the rivers became drains, and the equalizing influence of the water below the firmament and above the firmament was lost.
Yet the earth remained habitable over a large part of its area. These facts are a further demonstration of the wisdom and foreknowledge of the Creator.
Pro 3:21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion;
Pro 3:22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.
Jesus came to give His sheep more abundant life (John 10:10), and all who seek to serve God acceptably will receive fresh supplies of physical strength as well as mental and spiritual power.
Pro 3:23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
Those who thus serve God walk in confidence and security, because they are walking in the way of wisdom, in which there are no stumbling blocks to cause them to fall. Those who turn to the right hand or to the left in search of amusement or selfish gain find themselves stumbling over unexpected obstacles and falling into sin and sorrow.
Pro 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
He who is obedient to the counsel of the Lord can lie down in full awareness of the possibilities of danger and death, yet drift off like a weary child into quiet and untroubled sleep.
Pro 3:25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
It is hard to remain fearless in the face of sudden and unexpected danger. Only those who have built up a firm and enduring faith in the working together of all things for good (Rom. 8:28) can meet such an emergency with steady pulse and calm demeanor.
The people of God should not dwell upon the time of trouble before them and thus have a time of trouble beforehand. They should rather meet each day’s problems in the strength of the Lord. They should expect the Lord to lead them into circumstances that will build up their faith so that they may be prepared to meet greater troubles ahead.
If they will be among those translated, they must be prepared to stand without a mediator in a world that is racked by the strife of men and the mad raging of the unrestrained elements of nature themselves.
Pro 3:26 for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.
Pro 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
The wise man turns suddenly to practical matters and begins each of the next five verses with a statement of prohibition. There is a timeliness about deeds of kindness that multiplies their value.
To withhold good that is within one’s power to perform is to rob God as well as man. The Son of man upon the throne of judgment regards those who neglect the least of His brethren as neglecting the Master Himself (Matt. 25:45).
If we delay the payment of a lawful debt when we are well able to settle the account, we are defrauding our creditor of the use of his own money, and we may seriously inconvenience him. In the same way the withholding of assistance from one in need aggravates unnecessarily his trouble.
We may find, when eventually setting about to offer the help so much required, that it is too late. The evil may already have overtaken the unfortunate one, or some less dilatory benefactor may have gained the blessing we were too slow to secure.
Pro 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.
With many it is customary to put off the one who is seeking help. Whether it is the payment of a debt or the giving of a donation, some men seem to take delight in forcing the recipient to return again and again before the sum is finally paid.
The motive for the delay may be merely to make themselves appear important, or to demonstrate their power over others. Solomon points out that such conduct is unbecoming to a servant of God. It shows a lack of the unselfish love of God in the heart. Without such love, none can claim to be a true follower of Christ.
Pro 3:29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. A warning against insincerity or against deliberate deception in dealing with a trusting neighbor. If true wisdom brings the reward of eternal happiness amid the riches of the new earth, what foolishness it is to jeopardize that future by petty wrongs committed against an unsuspecting friend!
So deceptive is the human heart that some who thus plunder their neighbors convince themselves that they do no wrong (see Jer. 17:9).
Pro 3:30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm.
The third of this series of “don’ts” refers to contention without cause. Today, as then, there are those who go to law about imagined wrongs. Unless a man has done us harm that is both real and reparable, we should not stir up trouble or act against him.
It may be thought that this advice permits litigation against those who have done us harm and thus contradicts the advice given by Paul (1 Cor. 6:1–7); but a comparison of the two passages shows complete harmony. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about brother going to law with brother. It is better to suffer loss than to take a brother to court and so give publicity to the evil that a fellow believer has done us.
God is well able to make up to us the loss. But the protection of the law is open to all who have been harmed by the actions of others, and the believer is free to seek protection against the malice of unbelievers (Rom. 13:3, 4).
Pro 3:31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.
The man who victimizes others may seem to prosper, and the honest man, who fails to reap as rich a harvest, may be tempted to feel a tinge of envy.
Pro 3:32 For the LORD detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence.
A self-willed person who turns from the way of righteousness. For his actions God can have nothing but abhorrence. If he continues in his perverse way, there is nothing for him but judgment and eventual destruction (ch. 14:12).
Pro 3:33 The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.
God’s curses are not like the curses of men. Men curse others because they hate or fear them and wish them harm. Balaam was called to curse Israel because Balak believed that Balaam could cause affliction to an innocent people by curses (Num. 22–24).
God’s curses are not due to hate or to a sudden loss of temper. Some of the worst curses in the Bible are found in Deut. 28, and many of them are obviously pronouncements of the natural consequences of disobedience to God’s commands.
The coming of the Babylonians to capture Jerusalem was in part the result of Hezekiah’s failure to teach the visitors from that city of the true God, whose healing power brought restored health (Isa. 39), but the destruction of the city could still have been averted in Jeremiah’s day had the descendants of Hezekiah turned to the Lord and made it possible for God to intervene in their behalf (Jer. 17:19–27).
The Babylonians never forgot the treasures they had seen, and were glad of the excuse to come and plunder Israel. A study of all the curses in the Bible shows that many of them are prophecies of the natural and inevitable outcome of rebellion against God.
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked” because the sinner’s self-willed course has prevented the God of love from bringing him into harmony with the eternal laws of life and happiness. That the blessing of God is upon the habitation of the righteous is equally true.
The loving God enters into every heart and every home that is open to Him, and wherever He enters He brings peace and blessing (see Rev. 3:20).
Pro 3:34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
While the Lord pays back the scorners in their own coin by permitting them to reap the fruits of their own ways, He brings mercy and saving power to the humble.
The statement in James 4:6 is a quotation from the LXX of this passage.
Pro 3:35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.
The parallelism suggests that the lowly of v. 34 are the wise, and the scorners are the fools. This is in harmony with Solomon’s whole argument concerning the value of true wisdom.
The humble servant of God has been reborn into the family of heaven and inherits glory by the right of sonship. The appearance of exaltation that the proud, willful sinner sometimes gains is but a prelude to the shame that he will feel when the plan of salvation and the history of each sinner are opened before the assembled universe for inspection.