Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Pr 3.1 and following. Indeed, theyare for you, young believing friend, these loving words of your Heavenly Father: “My son, do not forget…”. This expression “my son” is repeated fourteen times in numbers 1 to 7. The apostle, quoting verses 11 and 12 to the Hebrews, will be obliged to say to them, “You have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons.” Let us therefore weigh the warnings of these chapters carefully, remembering who addresses them to us (Hb 12:4-29). Goodness and truth are inseparable. They correspond to the nature of this God of love and light of which we are children. Let us hold them in our hearts (verse 3). As chapter 2 has shown us, there is an intelligence to be sought through prayer; the one through which the Holy Spirit leads us into god’s thoughts. Blessed is he who obtains it (verse 13). On the other hand, there is another one I must be wary of: my own intelligence (verse 5). I cannot at the same time rely on it and entrust myself to God with all my heart, follow both my reasoning… and directions from above. “Do not be wise in your own eyes,” recommends Rom 12:9-21 in our v. 7.
The blessings promised here to the disciple of Wisdom are earthly blessings. All the more so should the Christian carry out these exhortations, since his call is heavenly. Remembering the instructions of Wisdom is necessary in the first place to the life of my soul. “Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:1-13). It will be at the same time vis-à-vis others an ornament of grace (v. 22; Pr 1.7-9; Pr 4.7-9). My walk will be strengthened during the day, and during the night I will rest safely. My sleep will be sweet (verse 24). Where do the hesitations and errors of judgment that often make me flinch during the day come from? The fears and torments of mind that sometimes come to assail me even during the night? From what I have lost sight of the Lord’s teachings, as well as simple trust in Him (verse 26), to reason according to my own thoughts.
God, who knows my selfish heart, then reminds me of what I owe to my neighbor (verse 27; Luke 6:27-31). And He expects from me, because I am His child, a complete righteousness, the absence of compromise in my deeds, my words and my intentions. Gentleness and debonairness are virtues that the world risks taking advantage of to dispossess the Christian who manifests them. But this one is never a loser. God gives greater grace, as James 4:4-7 promises us by quoting verse 34? After the general exposition of the subject of Proverbs contained in the first two chapters, we enter here into the detail of what Wisdom is and what characterizes its path. Let us first notice that, from this chapter 3, until the end of chapter 7, Wisdom speaks to her son. – It is only in chapters 8 and 9 that it is addressed to all men, in relation to what is presented to us in chapter 1:20-23. – She therefore speaks here to those whom she has begotten and this word son thus acquires a very special value, As we have seen, the son is already mentioned in the two introductory chapters, but here this term is constant (3:1, 11, 21; 4:1, 3, 10, 20; 5:1, 7; 6:1; 7:1, 20).
Chapter 3 contains three main divisions marked each time by the word: “My son”. In vs. 1-4 we find the characters that the path of a son of Wisdom must have at its beginning. He is responsible for the teaching she gives him. What must characterize the son is the subjection to the commandments emanating from the divine authority to which he is bound to submit, and a memory exercised to remember the things taught. These qualities result in “an extension of days, and years of life, and peace.” All these blessings are earthly, for, it cannot be repeated enough, Proverbs places us on the ground of God’s present government on earth (see also v. 10). To these characters vs. 3-4 add two others: goodness and truth which are the adornment of the inner man. They were brought here on earth by Jesus Christ man. As for Christ, they were part of Himself, they were Him: “Grace (which is more than goodness) and truth came through Jesus Christ.” As for the son of Wisdom, he is bound to wear them as an ornament (cf. 1:9), perhaps here as a gentle and light yoke (cf. 6:21) and as a precious word that his heart must remember in order to find what Jesus himself encountered, favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).
In vs. 5-10 we find the principles according to which Wisdom acts. The son must: 1° trust in the Lord and not in his intelligence; (2) to know him in all his ways, that is, to introduce into it the character of the Lord; then He will direct His paths; (3) have no lofty thoughts of one’s own wisdom (see Rom. 12:16); (4) fear the Lord by giving him in his life the place due to him; and to move away from evil, which is the immediate consequence of the fear of God. These things are the health of the child who is separated from the natural bonds to live here on earth from his own life and they contribute to the growth of the whole being (v. 8). Finally, v. 9-10, the son must: 5° honor the Lord by recognizing, by his gift, that all good from this world comes from Him and must return to Him. In this case, according to God’s government, earthly goods will be multiplied to the one who, recognizing that he owes everything to Jehovah, is a faithful steward in what He has entrusted to him.
It may happen that these temporal blessings are lacking in the son and that instead of enjoying them, he is under god’s discipline. Should he, in this case, despise discipline or lose heart in the face of reprimand? (See Heb. 12:5–6; Rev. 3:19). On the contrary, it is a very special blessing that confirms to the son of Wisdom the love of the One who begat him. V. 13-18 contains the beautiful description of the price of wisdom for the one who found it, and of intelligence for the one who obtained it, after renouncing his own wisdom and intelligence (vs. 5:7). It is a double source of happiness, both for the one who possesses it (v. 13), and for the one who maintains it firmly (v. 18). “Stand firm what you have,” said the Lord in Apoc. 3:11. Wisdom is “a tree of life for those who grasp it.” It maintains, by its fruits, life in those who possess it. For us this tree of life is Christ (Rev. 2:7), Wisdom personified, and the life he gives is eternal life. Here the blessings do not go beyond the millennial earthly blessings according to God’s government, while for us the peace, happiness, life that the Lord provides have a heavenly character. It is necessary to find, to grasp Wisdom, because it is outside of us and is found only in Christ.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Wisdom and fear of God:
- Education, examples of educated children
Josh 8:35 There was nothing of all that Moses had prescribed, which Joshua did not read in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, the women and children, and the strangers who walked among them. Ps 34:12 Come, my sons, listen to me! I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Pr 3:1 My son, do not forget my teachings, and may your heart keep my precepts; 2 Tim 3:15 From your childhood, you know the holy letters, which can make you wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Forgetting God, Warning Against
-The need to watch so as not to forget God Dt 4:9 Only, take care of yourself and watch carefully over your soul, every day of your life, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and that they come out of your heart; teach them to your children and to the children of your children.
Prosperity leads to Dt 6:10-12 Jehovah your God will bring you into the land that he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you. Thou shalt possess great and good cities which thou hast not built, 11 of the houses which are full of all kinds of goods and which thou has not been filled, dug cisterns which thou has not dug, vineyards and olive trees which thou has not planted. 12 When you eat and satiate yourselves, be careful not to forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
-The fate of those who forget God Ps 9:18 The wicked turn to the sojourn of the dead, all nations that forget God.
Encourage moral cowardice Isa 51:13 And you would forget the Lord, who made you, Who extended the heavens and founded the earth! And you would tremble incessantly all day before the wrath of the oppressor, Because he seeks to destroy! Where, then, is the anger of the oppressor?
-Ends with bitter tears Jr 3:21 A voice is heard in high places; These are the weeping, the supplications of the children of Israel; For they have perverted their way, They have forgotten Jehovah, their God.
- Divine Approval, Examples
Gen 4:4 and Abel, for his part, made him one of the firstborn of his herd and their fat. The Lord looked favourably on Abel and his offering; Gen 39:21 Jehovah was with Joseph, and he extended his goodness upon him. He put it in favor in the eyes of the head of the prison. Luke 1:30 The angel said to him, “Fear not, Mary; for you have found grace before God. Acts 7:46 David found grace before God, and asked to erect a dwelling place for the God of Jacob;
- Safety of the Saints, General References
Ps 91:5 Thou shalt fear neither the terrors of the night, Nor the arrow that flies by day, Ps 112:7 Thou shalt not fear bad news; His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. Hb 13:6 So we can confidently say: The Lord is my helper, I will fear nothing; What can a man do to me? 1 Pet 3:13 And who will mistreat you, if you are zealous for good?
From all the above, we note thatafter having shown the active principles of Wisdom in us, the Word shows that it is in its fullness, not in us, but in the Lord, in the One who gave birth to us. If I want to know these three things, wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, I find them all in Christ. He manifested them at Creation. It is from Him that it is said: “You once founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” We have seen in v. 1 what the son must remember; in v. 11 what he must esteem; here we find what he must keep or observe: sound thoughts about himself (cf. Rom. 12:3) and reflection on the object that God presents to him. The soul lives by these things and they are like an ornament to those who possess them. If we occupy the last place to give the first to Christ, our path will have no uncertainty; we will walk as by day, without flinching; the night will not frighten us and will be for us only the occasion of rest. Another way to escape all the traps is trust in Him. Thus the state of the heart on the one hand, and on the other the trust that has marked the whole life of the Lord, make us perfectly safe from the fate that awaits the wicked. If, in the preceding verses, the positive state of our hearts protects us from the traps of the enemy, here we find a state that is almost negative towards evil, in our relations with our neighbor. Do not refuse to give him his due, do not wait until tomorrow to give him what we could give him today (there would be some falsehood there); not to machine evil against him; not to contest against him, when we do not have a complaint to make about him. The absence of any selfish thought is a fruit of Wisdom in the one who possesses it. When it is no longer a question of the neighbor, but of violent, perverse, wicked, mocking and foolish men, what should the son of Wisdom do? He must remain entirely outside their ways, for all his blessings are on the side of The Lord. The secret of Jehovah is with righteous men; he blesses the dwelling of the righteous; if he resists the proud, he gives grace to the humble (see Jacq. 4:6); he gives glory as an inheritance to the sons of Wisdom. So all these blessings belong to those who follow here on earth a path of true separation from evil. This was the way of Christ. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Acquiring and keeping wisdom over the course of life” (Pr 4).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.