Proverbs 3 & 4

***3***


More beautiful promises... if you follow some simple steps

3 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."

5 "trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"

12 "because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in."


The steps are:
1. keep God's commands
2. always love
3. always be faithful
4. trust in the Lord (lean not on your own understanding)
5. Honor the Lord with your wealth
6. accept and even embrace discipline

The promises are:
*prolonged life and prosperity
*favor and a good name in the sight of God and man
*straight paths
*health to your body
*nourishment to your bones
*overflowing resources
*discipline out of love
*wisdom more valuable than silver or gold
*safety
*sweet sleep
*blessings of the home
*inherited honor

This passage does not change the unconditionality of our God. His love for us cannot be earned through discipline or good works. BUT if we just live life without honoring the God who created us and everything around us, we miss out on a lot of blessings.

13 "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding."


***4***


Some more wisdom talk. Isn't it sweet?

6 "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding"

It's that valuable. All you have. Understanding is worth more. To know what God wants for my life and where he has planned to take me, I would pay anything for at this point, so I guess I can grasp that one. It tells us to love wisdom. I think it's cool that we are called to seek. We are called to ask. Also, we are offered help along the way...

11 "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths."

18 "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."

It's so cool! The path of the righteous is fully lit and beaming even. There are no secrets - it's all out there in the sunlight. Cool promise, but unfortunately I can imagine the alternative much better. Knowing you're in a bad place, but you don't know what got you there or how to get out or even the literal; falling but you don't know on what.

Sometimes I think people write God off as "too mysterious" or too distant, vague even. On the other hand, people also name God as a very conditional, my way or the highway type. But this passage tells us otherwise. God has our best interest at all times and wants to shine that "gleam of dawn" on our paths. He wants us to want Him and search for Him, to really understand.


And here's something I've held pretty closely.. "above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (23) I've been holding onto this verse for I don't even know how long. I have been guarding my heart by not putting myself out in the world to get hurt. I think there's a little wisdom in that, not to throw yourself at anyone, but I don't know if that's exactly what this verse is saying. I think in the context of this Proverb, it's saying be righteous, go down the righteous path. Use wisdom to guard your heart. Hiding is not wisdom. And more than anything, the verse is simply saying "the wellspring of life" or "out of the heart the mouth speaks" (matt 12:34) so guard your heart. Do not speak unwisely.