Straightforward

Greetings everyone. We will pick up in the book of Proverbs with our Bible Study, our series of Bible Studies, that we have begun. This time, we will start with chapter 3. Proverbs 3:1.

God inspired Solomon to write:

1 My son—

or my daughter, my child

1 —forget not my law—

This is God speaking through Solomon, inspiring this through Solomon.

1 My son forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments:

2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to you.

So he’s talking about the Ten Commandments here, and he’s talking about how if we follow those commandments and obey those commandments, blessings will be poured out on us. I want to turn to Psalms 119:72, and it talks about God’s commandments in this verse. It says, Psalms 119:72:

72 The law of your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

Notice the value he puts on the law, the Ten Commandments, David did. Then he even goes further in other verses, but the one that even nails it down further is verse 172. Psalms 119:172:

172 My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are righteousness.

So the Ten Commandments are really the epitome of living life God’s way. They sum up how we are to live life. It is love toward God and love toward neighbor. You find them listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. So let’s go to Deuteronomy 5 just to review them. It says here in Deuteronomy 5:6:

6 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

7 You shall have no other gods before me.

That’s the first commandment. The second commandment is:

8 You shall not make you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

That’s the second commandment.

Verse 11:

11 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain—

I’m just giving the short version here. You should read all of this. That’s the third commandment.

Deuteronomy 5:12:

12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it—

or to keep it holy

12 —as the Lord your God has commanded you.

That’s number four. And verse 16:

16 Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

That’s number five. Number six is:

17 You shall not kill.

Number seven:

18 You shall not commit adultery.

Number eight:

19 Neither shall you steal.

Number nine:

20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.

Or you shall not lie. And then the tenth one is, “You shall not covet.”

21 Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s wife, neither shall you covet your neighbor’s house—

nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

So those are the ten great principles and precepts and commands that we are to live by.

And here in Proverbs, back to Proverbs 3, it says that if we will do that, if we will follow God’s law–and by the way, God’s law, God’s Ten Commandments are also mentioned in the New Testament in several places.

In fact, let’s just go to one that comes to mind very quickly, over here in Matthew 19:17, where Jesus Christ Himself talked about the Ten Commandments. And He says here in Matthew 19:17:

17 And he said unto him—

Jesus Christ speaking.

17 —Why call you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if you wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

And then He mentions some of them so that we know exactly what commandments He’s talking about–the Ten Commandments. You shall do no murder, verse 18. You shall not commit adultery, etc. And all of them go together, all ten go together. They are one law.

So it says right here in Proverbs 3 that if we keep that law, if we keep those commandments, they are not harsh, they are not bondage. They are wonderful, and they are an expression, an intense expression, of love–love toward God and love toward neighbor–then “length of days and long life and peace shall they add” to us.

Now, over here in Ephesians 6, let’s notice what it says about keeping the fifth commandment. Just notice the promises that come our way if we do that. Ephesians 6:1:

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honor your father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

3 That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.

Spiritual and physical blessings come our way when we keep God’s commandments. Of course, we cannot keep them on our own. We must have God’s help to keep the Ten Commandments. But He will give us that help, and as we rely more on more on Him and draw closer and closer to Him, we’ll be able to more fully keep those commandments, both in the spirit and in the letter, and the blessings will be poured out on us. The blessings of peace and the blessings of abundant living, and the blessings of happiness and joy.

Well, let’s continue now in Proverbs 3:3:

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you—

In other words, don’t neglect them.

3 —bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart:

In other words, wherever you go and whatever you do, make sure that mercy and truth are part of your way of life and part of your thinking. It does not mean that you literally hang them about your neck. How would you write them on the table of your heart? This is a principle that talks about having them internalized, having them a part of our very being. Taking them with us wherever we go and whatever we do, this attitude of mercy and truth. Don’t neglect, don’t forget mercy, and don’t forget truth. Make it a part of who you are and how you are wherever you go.

4 So shall you find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Once again, Proverbs talks about living life God’s way and enjoying the consequences, enjoying the blessings. It talks about really practical Christian living. It talks about an attitude that we ought to have as Christians and a pattern of living and action that Jesus Christ followed when He was on this earth, and that He will help us follow by living His life over again in us in our lives.

As we do that “so shall you find favor”, or high esteem, “in the sight of God and man.” Our light will shine in the right way, and people will be inspired and uplifted and encouraged and helped by our example. God will be pleased, and we will be granted favor in God’s eyes and in the eyes of decent people.

Proverbs 3:5:

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

Do not just feel like, “Well, you know, I know everything. I can figure it all out. I don’t need any help from anybody. I’ll make my own decisions, go my own way and if I feel like doing it, I’ll do it. I’ll follow my heart.”

That’s not what the Bible says. What the Bible says is that we are to “trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding.” We’re going to see later in the book of Proverbs that it talks about a way that seems right, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.

So we need to be close to God in prayer and saturate our minds with God’s word, and then trust God and trust His word, and follow what He says and follow where Christ leads, and lean on them for greater understanding, and ask them for greater understanding. Notice verse 6:

6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

Talk to God, thank God, yield to God, and surrender to God. If we do that, He’s going to guide us. He’s going to direct us. He’s going to lead us. He’s going to show us. His word will be a map for us to follow. His spirit will be the strength and the power and the understanding we need to go where we need to go and do what we need to do if we acknowledge Him and if we yield to Him.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

In other words, we don’t want to be know–it–alls, and we don’t want to just take the counsel of fools. We want to be careful who we listen to. We want to be careful who we counsel with, and we want to make sure that it is based on and tied in with God’s word. And we want to make sure that we are humble because if we get wise in our own conceit, it’s going to be deceptive and then we’re going to end up in trouble.

Jeremiah talks about this. Let’s turn to Jeremiah 10:23. It says in Jeremiah 10:23:

23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps.

24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

So it’s just not there for man to figure things out on his own. Notice here in Jeremiah 9:23.

23 Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

24 But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, and judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

So we are to acknowledge God. In verse 6 it says in Proverbs 3. Acknowledge God, glorify God, thank God and then depend on God to guide and direct us. Lean on Him for understanding, not being wise in our own eyes and wise with conceit. If we do that, verse 7, if we are not wise in our own eyes and if we fear the Eternal and depart from evil, it brings health. It brings spiritual health. It brings physical health.

Notice what it says here in verse 8.

8 It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones.

A better translation is: It shall be health to your body and marrow to your bones. In other words, your whole body will benefit. Your whole system will benefit because we fear God and we depart from evil. Therefore that brings health. That brings mental health, emotional health, physical health, spiritual health. The fact that we obey God takes us in the right direction. It guides us around pitfalls. It guides us around traps. It guides us around foolish people and puts us in the company of wise, moral people, and puts us on sound paths. And so it’s good for our health and it’s good for our well being. As we draw closer and closer to God, we get stronger and stronger spiritually because we fear God and we depart from evil.

9 Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the firstfruits of all your increase:

10 So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.

In other words, we are to tithe. Let’s notice Malachi 3. We’re to be generous in giving to God. He has a whole system of tithing in place, and as we follow that system, we are blessed. And you can’t out give God. So He gives more back.

It says here in Malachi 3:8.

8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed you?—

And He answers.

8 —In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.

I will bless you, He says, as you obey me and honor me with the first fruits of your increase. Honor me with your tithes. Because He says if you do not do that, then we are robbing Him. We’re actually stealing from God.

So back to Proverbs 3:9:

9 Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase:

10 So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.

In other words, this is just talking about being generous with God, but it ties in with the whole tithing system that God has in place. And as we do faithfully tithe to Him and as we do faithfully honor Him with offerings and with putting Him first in our monetary decisions, He’s going to bless us and it is honoring Him as we do that. Actually it’s a form of worshiping God.

And look at the blessings, verse 10:

10 So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.

Correction from God is love from God. It helps us repent and change and walk down the straight path instead of the crooked path. Just like a loving parent correcting his children or her children help them do that.

13 Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding.

We’ve talked about wisdom quite a lot already.

14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

Wisdom speaking in the first person here, or speaking as a person.

15 She is more precious—

What? Wisdom is more precious

15 —than rubies: and all the things that you can desire are not to be compared unto her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her.

That holds her fast, regarding wisdom. So we ask for wisdom, we seek wisdom, we search for wisdom, we value wisdom more than diamonds and precious stones and gold and silver, and God will give us more and more wisdom. And then we make better and better decisions, and better and better choices, and reap the wonderful benefits from those decisions and choices that are based on wisdom, which means good judgment, which means taking good knowledge and applying it properly. And we can ask God and He says He will give us godly wisdom, and wisdom ties in with our relationship with God. The closer we walk with God, the more we stand in awe of God, the more rich and in–depth our wisdom will be.

19 The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding has he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

God created everything and He did it perfectly and in wisdom and knowledge–the same kind of wisdom and knowledge that we can have, that He will give us, from Him to conduct our lives and live our lives before Him in a way that pleases Him.

21 My son—

or my daughter—

21 —let not them depart from your eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

22 So shall they be life unto your soul, and grace to your neck.

23 Then shall you walk in your way safely, and your foot shall not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you shall not be afraid: yea, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.

Why? Because you’re pleasing God. You have peace of mind. You’re not riddled with guilt. Your conscience is clear. You’re trying to serve Almighty God and follow where He leads. He blesses you, protects you, looks after you, takes care of you, corrects you when you need it, and me as well. And as we respond to that correction, we grow. And life is abundant then.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it comes

26 For the Lord shall be your confidence, and shall keep your foot from being taken.

Not self confidence, not confidence that is promulgated in some kind of pull yourself up by your bootstraps seminar or theory. This is true confidence. This confidence comes straight from God as we serve Him, as we obey Him, as we submit to Him, as we yield to Him, as we do what He says. He gives us wisdom and knowledge and understanding, blessings and protection, peace. Even our sleep becomes tremendously sweet and deep and restful, and our confidence gets stronger and stronger, not to draw attention to ourselves, but to focus on God and Jesus Christ and draw attention to them and on their word. That’s true confidence. That’s the kind of confidence that enables us to go forward and meet challenges and accomplish great things.

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

28 Say not unto your neighbor, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when you have it by you.

In other words, there’s something here that they deserve or that you owe them and you have it but yet you play games and procrastinate and keep it from them. God says we’re not to do that. If there’s something due to our neighbor, and who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is any other person. And if we owe them something or there’s something they deserve or something we ought to give them and we have it, well then we ought to give it to them. We ought not procrastinate, drag it out, play games and try to orchestrate a benefit for ourselves. But go ahead and step forward and do the right thing. God is watching. God notices and He blesses those who will do that.

29 Devise not evil against your neighbor, seeing he dwells securely by you.

Here’s a good neighbor; here’s someone who does not meddle in your business, someone who does not cause you grief. Well, value that neighbor, value that friendship and devise ways to serve that person and to help that individual, not to do evil against them. In other words, keep the commandments. Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s what Proverbs is talking about–very practical and very proper conduct that brings wonderful benefits.

30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm.

Don’t pick a fight, and if there is a fight, don’t get into the fight. Handle it a different way. If at all possible, live peaceably with all men as Romans 12:18 says. And if that’s not possible, then you might have to move, you might have to back off, you might have to give them some room. But God does not want us to be involved in striving and in violence and in doing harm to others. It won’t work for them. It won’t work for us.

31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

Don’t envy those who are disobeying God and appearing to prosper because that prosperity is short–lived and it’s false. It will cave in on top of them, and he will end up being tremendously punished for oppressing others. So don’t try to be following the example of the oppressor, but rather follow the example of loving your neighbor, and then your prosperity, your blessings will be real and will be permanent. The oppressor and the apparent prosperity that he might be having by his wrong ways, it’s only temporary, it’s only false, it will fade away and collapse.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord—

The perverse, they are an abomination to Him.

32 But His secret—

God’s special intimate relationship

32 is with the righteous.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesses the home of the just.

He just pours out blessings on them like a sweet, wonderful, spring rain.

34 Surely he scorns the scorners: but he gives grace unto the humble.

or the lowly

35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion—

or the legacy

35 —of fools.

We want to leave a legacy of love and caring. We want to leave a legacy of peace and of looking out for the benefit and welfare of others. A legacy of serving God and obeying Him. We want to leave a legacy of doing the right thing and of setting the right example, and then we will inherit glory, it says in Proverbs 3:32.

We do not want to leave the legacy of shame and of wrong doing and of pain and suffering and mistreatment of others, which is what the legacy will be that fools leave.

So we will continue through this book of Proverbs, trying to learn more and more the depths and the riches of this tremendous word of God found in this tremendous book. We’ll pick it up next time in Proverbs 4.

This is Charles Bryce with the Enduring Church of God.