Don’t Forget Wisdom
3: 1-4
A proverb is a short and memorable saying designed to be our blueprint for living in the world that ADONAI has created. It is important to note that proverbs are not promises; they are generally true principles, all other things being equal.
Worry is one of the more acceptable character faults, right alongside gluttony and perfectionism. After all, everybody worries, and no one quite knows how to stop. Also, the primary victim of worry is the worrier, so it seems harmless enough. But worry is a serious business. It not only causes a number of significant physical ailments, but worry can also trigger serious emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, and even compulsive disorders. Even more, worry is a spiritual problem, as both a symptom of foolishness and a precursor to sin. Solomon therefore offered a solution to this age-old sickness of the soul.
The father (to see link click Ak – Obey Your Parents) encouraged his son to cultivate good relationships within his community, which we might call “horizontal relationships.” This describes a cause-and-effect principle not unlike a law of physics or a principle of life. Drop a weight, and it will fall. Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and your body will be fit. Live within your means, save money, and you will build wealth.64 My son, this is the third teaching from the father (see Aj – Proverbs for the Youth), do not forget my instruction (Hebrew: torah, meaning teaching). Store my commands in your heart (3:1 Hebrew). The instruction was not to be forgotten. Not to forget is to remember, and to remember something in the Torah means more than mere mental retention. To remember, or not to forget, means to obey! The son’s obedience is to be more than a superficial matter; it is to be the core of his personality.65 In Solomon’s day, he called on the Israelites to write his teaching on their hearts; but today, Yeshua sends His Ruach to write ADONAI’s Word on the hearts of all those who believe in Him (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el).
The first motivation for obedience comes in the form of reward. For they will prolong your life many years and bring you shalom and prosperity (3:2 NIV). But before we go on, there is a problem here. So, let’s address it up front. The wise father offers us length of days and years of life (3:2), favor and a good reputation (3:4), barns filled with plenty and vats overflowing with good wine (3:10), and riches and honor (3:16). Is this the prosperity gospel? You know what I mean . . . the idea that God is out to make you healthy, rich, and comfortable, putting you on top of the heap because you are His child. Is this chapter saying that? Can we trust this counsel? Can we swallow it whole? I offer two answers.
First, the prosperity gospel is found nowhere in the Bible. It is coldhearted materialism in religious disguise. It chooses Bible verses selectively to fit a name-it-and-claim-it (some would call it a blab-it-and-grab-it) theory. But it does not love God. It wants to use God for selfish, immature purposes. Where does the prosperity gospel say, as the gospel clearly says in Philippians 3:7-11 (paraphrased), “I have lost everything, and I’m okay with that, because I’ve gained Yeshua. I have been stripped bare. I have nothing left. All I have is Messiah, and I’m content, because He loves me and that satisfies my heart?” That is the gospel and that is true prosperity.
Second, the rewards ADONAI offers us here in Proverbs 3 are good. No doubt. He will give them out to His wise children as He sees fit. But every believer’s life is complicated; there are consequences to our sinful behavior. Verses 11 and 12 make it clear that Ha’Shem disciplines us (Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children). He sends both earthly blessings and earthly sorrows. Our Lord Himself said: In this world you will have trouble (John 16:33b). Think of Yeshua. He suffered at the cross and prospered in the resurrection. And the resurrection is the prosperity you will want when your health utterly fails you, as it will. If your story is limited to the blessings of the here and now, you are in trouble, because your vats overflowing with good wine will also run dry. But if your life in this world is only the title page to your eternal story, and God gives you some barns and vats for the present, okay. Just be sure you set your heart not on the gift, which will certainly fail you, but on the Giver, who will certainly never fail you. We must always remember that this world is not our home; we are looking to our everlasting home in heaven (Hebrews 13:14 TLB).66
The commands are, in part, our blueprint for living. All things being equal, those who follow God’s way of living as taught by the wise father will live longer than those who flaunt those same commands. But more than simple longevity is envisioned here. A long life of suffering or strife is not something to be prized. The father added the qualification that the long life of the obedient son would be characterized by shalom.67 Hebrew word shalom is a comprehensive term meaning “wholeness,” all the factors which make existence complete and worthwhile. Health, prosperity and a happy domestic life lose their value when conditions threaten their destruction. Consequently, the supreme blessing which God can bestow is peace, since it is the foundation upon which everything desirable rests.
Two other qualities are also said to accompany an obedient life: truth and kindness (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed). These two words are often found together (Exodus 34;6b; Psalm 86:15, 108:4, 115:1, 117:2, and 138:2). The very character of ADONAI is described by these terms in the Torah: ADONAI, ADONAI is God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, rich in truth and kindness (Exodus 34:6b-7a). These words thus describe God’s attitude toward His covenant partners: YHVH stays involved and takes care of us. Our verse in Proverbs personifies these abstract qualities of the LORD and says they will be constant companions to the one who obeys, which would include the fathers’ son.
The next verse reverts to caution. The father counsels his son to live a life characterized by covenant truth and kindness. He reminds him to never let truth and kindness leave him! He asks him to tie truth and kindness around his neck as a reminder (the literal interpretation of this led to the use of phylacteries among the Jews). These commands are also seen in Exodus 13:9 and Deuteronomy 6:8. The wise father pleaded for his son to write them deep within his heart (3:3 NLT). This is a metaphorical phrase based upon the Torah (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bw – Sh’ma Isra’el), to express the idea of keeping the instruction ever fresh in mind. If obedient, then you will find favor with both God and others. An important point is made here that service to God cannot be kept separate from the service of others, they are intertwined.
This verse provides the final motivation: favor and a good reputation. In this way (that is, by obedience) you will earn a good reputation (3:4 NLT). This verse may have influenced the wording of Luke’s summary of Yeshua’s growth to maturity: And Yeshua increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). When truth and kindness become a natural part of our interactions with others, favor and good reputation become our reward. These will go a long way toward preventing problems, as well as draining our worry tank. In addition, we will be honored and sought after for our wisdom.
As you reflect on your most troubling problems, which are caused by conflict or poor relationships with others? What worries might you unload by making peace with someone, even if you must accept some pain and loss of some kind in the process?68
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