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Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/3



Proverbs 3 - NIV
Proverbs 3 – ESV

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.


Commentary:

We must have a continual regard to God’s providence, must own and depend upon it in all our affairs, both by faith and prayer. 1. By faith. We must repose an entire confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, assuring ourselves of the extent of his providence to all the creatures and all their actions. We must therefore trust in the Lord with all our hearts (v. 5); we must believe that he is able to do what he will, wise to do what is best, and good, according to his promise, to do what is best for us, if we love him, and serve him. We must, with an entire submission and satisfaction, depend upon him to perform all things for us, and not lean to our own understanding, as if we could, by any forecast of our own, without God, help ourselves, and bring our affairs to a good issue. Those who know themselves cannot but find their own understanding to be a broken reed, which, if they lean to, will certainly fail them. In all our conduct we must be diffident of our own judgment, and confident of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and therefore must follow Providence and not force it. That often proves best which was least our own doing.

From: The Matthew Henry Commentary on Proverbs, at the Blue Letter Bible

Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.

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WISDOM PROJECT: For this month, I will supply links to both the NIV and ESV versions of the chapter each day (Feb. 1 = Proverbs 1, etc.) in the post—both of which contain the audio.

And in the month of February a unique feature for the WP will be Commentaries on selected passages/verses from within the chapter for the day. And for the most part, these comments will be from links in the Online Bible Study Resources feature here on the 3 John 8 blog (scroll down in the column to the right to find the links).

Note to Proverbs class participants: this is the place where you should post your application comments for the day.

30 comments:

Unknown said...

In contrast to the devious in 32a, verse 32b in the NASB says, "But He is 'intimate' with the upright". In the NIV the phrase is 'but takes the upright into His council". In both the Steveson and MacArthur commentaries the phrase is described as 'secret council' from the Lord, which means He "discloses Himself and His truth to the upright". I am thankful for a God who diligently puts time and council into me daily.

Unknown said...

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." Verses 3 & 4 really reminded me Jesus. I felt like this was what He was saying in John 14, where He told the disciples He was giving them a "new" command to love one another as He has loved them. This love would show others that they belonged to Christ. I need to meditate and focus on God's love, and apply it to my life daily. Sometimes I get caught up in the theology and study of God's word, but I forget that I need to just embrace His love through faith. I also need to display this love and faith through my personal testimony.

Carrie L. said...

I liked verses 21 thru 26. Solomon tells his son to preserve sound judgement and discernment for they will be his life line. With them he will not stumble and his sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster.......for the Lord will be your confidence.
I need to remember to bind wisdom around my neck and write the fear of the Lord on my heart that I may serve the Lord with my entire being. When I put my trust in the Lord he will guide my steps and will be my confidence so that I don't have to be afraid.

Unknown said...

In ESV v4 uses “good success” as product of the proper use of “steadfast love and faithfulness”. This brought to my mind Joshua 1:8 (KJV) where “good success” is also mentioned as a product of being in the Word of God, in Christ, meditating and observing and doing “all that is written therein”.
Proverbs 3 has much to say re: one’s health, and that a firm foundation in God and of the fear of the LORD will benefit man physically. Verse 8 tells of the resulting healthy body, and nourished bones; v22 indicates life for the pursuer of wisdom, and in v24 – who can resist the temptation of a good night’s sleep? Of course – for the right reasons – a genuine, reverential fear of the LORD will help produce much sought-after rest by the weary. With all the additional reading of Scripture for my two current classes, I feel more exhausted when I finally lay down at the appointed time, but the sleep is much sweeter and I do feel much better when I awake. Mike T.

Anonymous said...

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

Learning to love the things of God is not hard. The son is counseled to bind God’s wisdom around his neck and never let go of it. This reminds me of what the Lord said in Matt. 11:30
Mat 11:30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.
John Erbentraut

Jilli Bair said...

Every time I read Proverbs 3, verses 11-12 strike a cord with me. "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him who he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights". Sometimes it is so hard to see the positive side of hardships and discipline, but these verses always help me re-focus on the purpose of trials in my life. The Lord is allowing these things to happen in order to strengthen me, and to show His glory to the world. It is an encouraging reminder.

julee said...

I'm not to withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in my power to do it. How does the idea of not letting people take advantage of me fit in with this verse (unless "to whom it is due" and "when it is in my power" help to make that more clear)?

Tim K. said...

Verses 5 and seven remind me that I need to recognize that I may not know what is best for me, but God does. What seems like the right path for me may not always be God's will, because it is not what is best for me or how I will bring God the most glory in my life. I need to be willing to trust His leading and not my own wisdom even if my way seems more logical.

Krista Harrison said...

Honor the Lord with your wealth...I'm not wealthy but I do know that God has given me plenty. I need to turn that around and find a way to give back. "My son do not lose sight of these, keep sound wisdom and discernment and they will be life for your soul. When walking by faith its crucial to focus on developing wisdom and discernment.

Sarah said...

Verse 24 caught my attention, because it is talking about that when a man lie's down he will not be afraid and will have sweet dreams, if he knows and trust that the Lord brings him wisdom. If he does not do as the Lord says, then he will always be afraid and how dreams will be nightmares.

mdungan said...

" Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."

This is somthing I really need to practice. I am not always the most kind person and greceful. When reading this God really convicted me of I really need to take hold of kindness and truth and write it in my heart and grab hold of it and instill deep within me. So this is somthing I will really be practicing in times to come.

mdungan said...

" Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."

This is somthing I really need to practice. I am not always the most kind person and greceful. When reading this God really convicted me of I really need to take hold of kindness and truth and write it in my heart and grab hold of it and instill deep within me. So this is somthing I will really be practicing in times to come.

Danyelle Steckiel said...

I love how everything in this chapter just flows from each other and continues to echo the same thought throughout. First it tells us to trust in the Lord and that we are supposed to fear the Lord and shun evil. Fearing the Lord allows us to know who we are compared to Him. It puts us in our place. When we do this we naturally follow His ways and become wise. The more we fear and know our God the more we trust Him and the wiser we become.

Renee said...

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

Not all kinds of wisdom are worth pursuing. Only the wisdom that comes from fearing the Lord is true wisdom. Being wise in the world's standards has no real lasting value and is meaningless. I need to change my focus from the world onto the Lord.

Rachel said...

Proverbs 3:11-12 To be chastened by the Lord, to receive just reproof when we sin and fall away, is proof of His love for us and proof of our progressive sanctification. It's a beautiful truth that God disciplines His children out of love and a desire for holiness.

Nate said...

Vs 11-12- My son do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves as a father the son in whom he delights. I found this verse very interesting because it brings up an important question. How do we know if we are being corrected or disciplined by God? What is the difference between correction and just life circumstances? Is reproof talking about "spanking" discipline or "teaching" discipline. If it is the painful type of discipline then how do I know if I am receiving that and for what reason? If it is the teaching type I need to be constantly asking myself if I am willing to accept this discipline. None the less I know that God disciplines those whom he loves and I can rest in that.

Lisa Griffiths said...

Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
I know for a college student this is one of the hardest things for me. Sometimes I think how can I give to God when all that I have i'm giving to my school bill, or car bill, or phone bill. Christ so easily reminds me here that He is number one. Not the other things I have in my life.

Jim Morrison said...

Verses 11 and 12 remind me that the Lord sometimes needs to correct me, not because He wishes to see me endure hardships but because He loves me and wants me to learn from His correction. As a father of two children I know that my love for my children has required me to have to correct them at times. I am thankful that God loves me enough to also correct me when necessary.

Cody F said...

I'm thankful for God's discipline. In verses 11-12 it talks about how God reproves us because He loves us. I'm thankful that He cares enough to punish me when I'm wrong, even though I don't like it, I know in the end it will make me more like Him.

Danielle Cummings said...

what does it mean to truely trust God with all your heart? To allow him to handle the situations in your life, control your actions and words, and never worry? Its hard for me to conpletely trust in someone/something you cant physcially see. We must fully believe that God has every circumstance in his hands and he never lets anything/anyone slip through. Why is it so hard to trust in the one who is higher than anyone else? I wake up each morning choosing to trust him. It makes the day's trials seem alot smoother.

Ashlie said...

Every time that I read Proverbs 3 verses 5&6 always stand out to me. I am one who in many ways likes to not trust in God to provide or show the way. These two verses are encouragement and a reminder that I am suppose to trust in the LORD and lean on Him for understanding. Because without His knowledge and understanding I will be lost.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 3:9
"Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;"
- There really were a lot of applicable verses in this chapter so I picked one that was a little out of the norm. To me this particular part has to do with how I handle my personal finances. Specifically in how I give back to the Lord, if I spend my money and then give him what is left over or if I intentionally put apart what I know is His and then budget my life around what I have left. This at times is harder than it seems and yet it is such a simple common sense thing of basic obedience that too many times I fall short of.

Unknown said...

“Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow’— when you now have it with you” (v.28). This verse really touched me personally. I’ve learned that if you owe somebody something, do not hesitate to repay them if you are able to. I try not to say “I’ll give it tomorrow,” because tomorrow is not something that is guaranteed.

Chris Howard said...

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you," these words really hit home for me right now. It is so easy when working in the ministry to not want to love sone people or say to God ya know what, I don't feel like serving you today. But being reminded that He will always be there to make yours ways straight if you just follow Him is so comforting.

Jessica said...

vs 5-7, even though its a common verse that is used and recited all the time is a great encouragement and reminder to me. We need to trust in the Lord and if we do he will guide us and make our paths straight. We can't be wise in our selves, we need to fear the Lord

Mandi said...

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.
I no this is the cop out verse in this proverbs but it really hit me tonight. I need to trust in the Lord in EVERYTHING that i do! God is in control and knows what is going on! I need to fully trust in Him cause He always knows what He is doing! :) i love this verse!

Unknown said...

Todays Proverb is pretty much summing up my life right about now. Proverbs 3:5-6 are verses I have heard over and over again. Its been on my dad's voicemail since I was a kid and even still is.

Unknown said...

Todays Proverb is pretty much summing up my life right about now. Proverbs 3:5-6 are verses I have heard over and over again. Its been on my dad's voicemail since I was a kid and even still is. However this has been a principle in my life that I've failed time and time again to follow. The idea of ME not being in control? Never really clicked with me. Funny thing about it though, whenever I am in control, I screw it up but whenever I happened to let things be somehow they always worked themselves out. This is something that I am really being challenged with lately. Its harder everyday but God's teaching me especially through those couple verses to just let go. Being broken is not a pleasant feeling but I will say that I am learning the point of it all. I also appreciated verse 11 and 12. Being "disciplined" by God is very challenging at times. Sometimes, check that, most of the time I can become bitter towards Him and ask the dumb questions of how or why now? Questions I have no right of asking. Its a tough thing to think about being disciplined out of love. But I'm learning to trust God through it all that he is doing something in my life to make me into the man that He wants me to be. This is something I really want to work on this year.

TWash said...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..." It does no matter how many times I read this, it still rocks me. In so many ways I tend to fight God with decisions and bringing my plan to him instead of asking his will. I tend to think that I know better, when he is the God of the universe, I would say that he sees the big picture! That truly is foolish!

Erin said...

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart..." This has been my life verse for quite sometime. It helped me realize that God is the only one that I should put my complete trust in. This helps me keep my eyes and heart toward him in times of confusion and doubt.