#11. March 16, 2015
2015 Devotional. These passages are taken from: “100 Verses Every Christian Needs to Know” by Freeman-Smith. All passages are from the NIV.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]”
In many ways this passage is my personal “World and Life View”!
The book of Proverbs is part of the Hebrew cannon known as “The Writings”, Biblical “Wisdom Literature” along with Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. The prologue of the book Prov. 1:1-7 gives the purpose and teaching and can be summarized as: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”.
The passage Prov. 3:5-6 is part of a larger section of the book titled in the NIV as “Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom” beginning at Ch. 1:8 and ending at the end of Ch. 9. This passage is also part of a bigger section of Ch. 3, Ch. 3:1-6 and v. 5-6 should not be separated from it. It is a father speaking to his son in the first person. He charges his son not to forget what he has taught him. But observe the commands of attaining wisdom; Keep them in your mind/heart. For, pointing back to verse one, “they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” This is a general truth and a promise from God but it is applied in different ways, not all are rewarded in this life but certainly in the next.
The father goes on with the importance of love and faithfulness “bind them around your neck” This is a strong Hebrew word in the sense of binding, tying, binding together, in other words in your very demeanor show love and faithfulness, it is obvious for others to see but it is rooted in the heart. “Write them on the tablet of your heart”, the meaning here is to inscribe, to chisel into stone, wood or metal. The New Testament speaks of being “written by the Spirit of the Living God” (II Cor. 3:3) The father goes on; “Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man”. That also is a general truth certainly favored by God but not always by man. Today, love and faithfulness is not a priority, and sometimes is outright rejected.
In verses 5-6 the father continues his instruction with: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart”. What does it mean to trust, do we trust in difficult times? Yes! We do! Trust means to completely depend on God. However, trust, hope, and faith go together, Rom 5: 1-5 shows us why we rejoice in good times and when we suffer. Why? Because we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts given us by Christ Jesus. The father goes on; “and lean not on your own understanding” The meaning here is “intelligence, insight, or skill” look to God’s Word for guidance. “In all your ways acknowledge Him”; acknowledging God in the course of our lives is to know God intimately and to always be learning to know Him deeper. “And he will make your path straight”, meaning direction for life, a way to live. The path in life is unique for every believer; God directs what path we follow. it may not always be the path we would choose, it may be up and down, a path into and out of many places and among many peoples’ lives but a path that builds the Kingdom of God by his grace. Continue to seek his guidance, and listen to the Holy Spirit!
Heavenhigh 