#907 Proverbs 3 Don't Forget

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

2 for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment to your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with the first-fruits of all your produce;

10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than gold.

15 She is more precious than jewels,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

16 Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding he established the heavens;

20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, do not lose sight of these—

keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22 and they will be life for your soul

and adornment for your neck.

23 Then you will walk on your way securely,

and your foot will not stumble.

24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror

or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,

26 for the Lord will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from being caught.

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

when it is in your power to do it.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,

tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,

who dwells trustingly beside you.

30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,

when he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy a man of violence

and do not choose any of his ways,

32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,

but the upright are in his confidence.

33 The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,

but to the humble he gives favor.

35 The wise will inherit honor,

but fools get disgrace. Proverbs 3 ESV

Proverbs 3 

But let your heart keep my commandments - Hearing, desiring and executing. There is a commitment both to memory and obedience.

- “The heart is the first thing that wanders away from God, and it is also the first thing that returns to God.” (Bridges)

…21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. 22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,…

…24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so— not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer— he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.… James 1: 21-26

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you - Mercy and truth are not segregated from one another. We should carry with us always the adorning memory of God's mercy toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. It is the necklace of humility when God's love and faithfulness, his truth and mercy are the filter for the mind and the mouth. If we treat others as beneath us, then we have not understood the grace bestowed to us. 

…14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.… Ephesians 4: 14-16

And do not lean on your own understanding - Solomon's son did not retain these things. He sought the wisdom of his elders, but then went to the immature, whose words echoed and fed his own arrogant heart. He rejected mercy and threatened a more grievous burden, a higher tax. His father left him a better legacy in his writings, but he was more enamored with the excesses of his father's life.

The Scorpion King 

Honor the Lord with your wealth - How you obtain it, view it, and spend it. You are the steward of what actually belongs to God, how did you manage it?

16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,… 1 Timothy 6: 16-18

By understanding He established the heavens - This is revealed to them and evidenced by their daily observances of the sun, moon, tides, rain, but the more we understand by science, are able to observe through technology, the more stunning the wisdom of the Creator becomes. It is a very detailed and complex galaxy, our life is dependent upon perfection in distance of orbit and even the orbit of other spheres. 

Do not envy a man of violence - It doesn't matter how much material wealth he may gain, the end does not justify the means. It is human nature to want to decide things by force, especially if we think we have the greater force on our side, but might does not make right.