Proverbs 3:1-12
“My son, forget not my law . . .” The opening words of Proverbs 3 are those of a father to his son. How one reads these words is dependent upon one’s perception of the speaker. The book of Proverbs, or the vast majority of the book, is attributed to Solomon. Many scholars contend that Solomon either collected or authored most of the wise sayings that are recorded in this book. For such scholars, the speaker is a wise father, a father whose words should be considered and heeded.
Bible believing Christians know the true identity of the wise father. The wise father is the author of all scripture. Christians recognize the voice of God, Our Father. We are not to forget His law. His law is the law which He gave to Moses. God has given us His commandments such that we might know Him. If we forget or disregard His law, our relationship with Him is undermined. It is through His law that we know that we have sinned against Him and have need of redemption through Christ Jesus. Believers are sons of God, born not of blood or of flesh or of our own will. We are born of God by receiving and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:12-13).
“Let thine heart keep my commandments.” These words can be applied to the commandments of a wise father or to the Wise Father. God directs believers to respond with their hearts. God does not instruct His sons to dutifully keep His commandments. He instructs us to fulfill the desires of our heart by keeping His commandments. If it is not the desire of a believer’s desire to please God, a believer’s heart is wrong and he cannot do as God has instructed. God’s instruction is directed to them who seek to please Him. His commandments are to be kept out of love for Him. The basis of that love is rooted in what God has given, even His only begotten Son.
The length of days, long life, and peace which are added to a son (v. 2) are contingent upon giving loving obedience to one’s father. No earthly father can extend the days of an earthly son. The Father which is in heaven extends the life of earthly sons. God the Father has extended the lives of all His adopted sons for all eternity. The length of days, long life, and peace are gifts of His love.
When one honors his father with loving compliance to his directives, stress, worry and conflict are silenced. The blessings of long life and peace are a natural consequence of a life powered by love. God’s commandment to honor thy father and thy mother comes with a promise attached: that thy days may be long upon the land. God tells us of the blessings of His love because He wants all men to claim the gift that He freely gives (II Pet. 3:9).
The father instructs the son to not let mercy and truth forsake him (the son) [v. 3]. Mercy and truth are attributes of God. Mercy and truth are gifts, which if unused, are of no benefit. God would have His attributes be seen in all men. When used (when seen in men), mercy and truth elevates one in the eyes of men and pleases God.
The wise father instructs his son to trust in the Lord and to lean not to his own understanding (v. 5). Individuals possess differing understandings. The intellectually gifted are tempted to trust in themselves. The wise father knows best. The Wise Father instructs His sons to trust in Him and to lean not to earthly understandings.
The earthly wise father directs his son to acknowledge the Lord God with the expectation that God will respond by directing the son’s ways (v. 6). Believers are to acknowledge the Father by doing as the Son has directed. We are to love one another and to go and to tell others of the Father’s love.
When one trusts in his own efforts, one does not acknowledge God. God does not force His will upon men. He does not direct the paths of them who cast Him aside. He who trusts in himself is wise only in his own eyes. In verse 7, being wise in one’s own eyes is presented as an direct opposite to fearing the Lord and shunning of evil. When one acknowledges God with fear (deserving respect) and by doing as He directs, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (v. 8). Health to the navel and marrow to the bones are physical images of spiritual blessings. The wise earthly father directs his son to seek the spiritual blessings of the Father above.
The father’s instruction in verse 9 is to honor God with his substance and with the first fruits of his increase. This is the instruction which the Lord has set forth in the law given to Moses. The law requires men to tithe and to present the first fruits of their harvest as an offering to the Lord. The first fruit, unlike the later harvest, is free of insect damage. First fruits are the best and the best is to be reserved for the Lord.
The material blessing of filled barns and plentiful wine (v. 10) is linked to honoring God. Do as God directs and He shall do as He has said.
In verses 11 and 12, the father tells the son not to despise the chastening of the Lord. God’s chastening is with purpose. God corrects them whom He loves. God cares. God wants men to honor him and themselves. God’s chastening is evidence that He wants us to do better. God wants us to be successful. He wants His will to be done in us.
God has a plan, a glorious plan for all who will place their trust in Him. May we embrace His mercy and His truth trusting in Him to direct us in the paths of His love.
