The wise (2)

[Proverbs 3:1-10]

                The wise keep God's command (Prov. 3:1, 3) because he loves God.  And as he obeys the word of God, he experiences God's love more and more deeply.  In addition, the wise man obeys the word of God's truth, so he lives a more truthful life before God and people.  The wise trusts in God with all his heart (vv. 5-6).  The wise doesn’t lean on his own understanding.  Rather, he relies on God with a simple heart like a child.  The wise turns away from evil because he fears God (v. 7).  He turns away from evil of considering himself wise.  He honors God with his wealth (v. 9).  What are the blessings of God to the wise who obey God's command, trust in Him with all his heart and fear God, and honor Him with his wealth?  Proverbs 3:1-10 says four things:

First, the blessings enjoyed by the wise are longevity, peace, favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.

Look at Proverbs 3:2, 4 – “For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you.  …  So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.”  When I think of the blessing of longevity, I think of Ephesians 6:1-3.  The Bible says that the blessings God gives when we obey and honor our parents in the Lord is that it may be well with us and may live long on the earth.  Even in Proverbs 3, the Bible says that the children must keep their parents’ teaching and commandments (v. 1) and honor God with wealth (v. 9).  In that case, the blessing God gives us is that the length of days and years will be added to us (v. 2).  And God also gives the blessing of peace to the wise who obey God's word (v. 2).  As we obey God's word, God gives us the blessing of peace when we engrave God's lovingkindness and truth on the plate of our hearts.  However, the fool doesn’t have peace in his heart because he disobeys the word of God.  How can we enjoy peace while disobeying His word?  Rather, when we disobey God's word, we cannot enjoy peace in conscience piercing and guilt.  However, the wise man enjoys peace that the world cannot give because he obeys the commands of God.  We must become wise and obey God's commands.  As we keep the word of God and live a life of love and truth, we will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man (v. 4).

            Second, the blessing that the wise enjoys is that God makes his paths straight.

                Look at Proverbs 3:6b – “…  And He will make your paths straight.”  The wise man not only obeys the word of God, but he trusts in Him with all his heart and acknowledges Him in all his ways.  The wise never leans on his own understanding.  As a result, the blessing that God gives to the wise is that He makes his paths straight.  We should not lean on our own understanding but acknowledge God in all our ways.  In doing so, God will make our paths straight.  What a contrast with the paths of the fool?  In Proverbs 2:15, the Bible says that the paths of the wicked and the man who speaks perverse things (v. 12) are crooked (v. 15). The paths of the fool are crooked.  The path of the fool who disobeys God's word and who leans on his own understanding is crooked.  But the Bible, in contrast, says that God will make the paths of the wise straight.  We must be wise. We must trust God with all our hearts like a child who has simple heart.  In doing so, God will make our paths straight.  Then we can walk the right path.  God will not let us turn left or right, but will guide us to walk the right path.

Third, the blessing that the wise enjoys is health.

Look at Proverbs 3:8 – “It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.”  When we read the Old Testament, we often see God using disease as a tool in punishing the Israelites for their unrepentant sins.  For example, in Deuteronomy 28:59, the Bible says: “then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.”  However, when the Israelites feared God and turned away from evil and obeyed God's commandments completely, God gave them this promise: “And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”  The Bible says that when we listen to God's word and obey it, God will not bring any disease on us.  However, if we don’t enjoy fearing God but rather rejoicing in evil (Prov. 2:14), we are bound to get sick because of our sins.  Look at King David.  When he committed adultery with Bathsheba and didn’t repent of his sins, he said, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer” (Ps. 32:3-4) (MacArthur).  Dr. Park Yun-sun said: ‘Many diseases are caused by not trusting in God.  In the psychology of unbelief, there are so many doubt, anxiety, hatred, envy, and worry and so on.  These things are harmful to human life.  Most of gastrointestinal diseases are caused by anxiety and worry’ (Park).  We must fear God and turn away from evil.  Then God will bless us with health.

            Fourth and last, the blessing that the wise enjoys is wealth.

Look at Proverbs 3:10 – “So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.”  The wise honors God with the firstfruits of his wealth and produce (v. 9).  He honors Him by giving back what the Lord has given him because he knows that God has given him the power to obtain wealth (Deut. 8:18) and that he has obtained wealth and products.  Why does he do that?  The reason is because he loves God.  And the wise who loves God fears Him and keep His commandments.  To such a person, God blesses him with wealth (Ps. 112:1-3).  And God allows him to enjoy the blessing of wealth (Eccl. 5:19).

We must be wise.  The wise keep God's commands.  The wise doesn’t lean on his own understanding, but trust in God with all his hearts.  He turns away from evil because he fears God.  And he honors God with his wealth.  Then there are blessings that the wise enjoys.  It is longevity, peace, favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.  And God will make his paths straight.  God will bless him with health.  And the blessing that the wise also enjoys is wealth, that is, the blessing of material things.  I hope and pray that we can become wise in God's sight and enjoy the blessings that God gives.