Proverbs 3:1-5

“My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.
Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.” NRSV

How do we keep His commands? How are we loyal and faithful to Him? The writer gives us a number of characteristics of the believer who accomplishes this, but ends with: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight.”

We only trust when we throw ourselves upon that thing, without any safety net. If we see a bridge, we can talk about it all we want, but we only trust it when we go across. We trust what we surrender our life to.

It’s interesting that the writer compares trusting the Lord with not relying on our own insight. The fact is, does something have to make sense to us first? Or can we simply trust the Lord and know that, based on His character, we are safe? I think that sometimes our sin (I know this is true in my case) is caused by the fact that I simply don’t trust God to fully protect me in a situation. I’m not talking about the kind of foolishness that just jumps and says, “God will protect me.” I’m talking about walking in the Spirit in opposition to common sense when we know this is what the Lord wants us to do . . . giving our last dime to someone in greater need, graciously bowing out of a promotion because we know the other person needs it more than we do, giving up an argument in love rather than hurting someone’s faith.

The foundation for all of this isn’t blind, childish faith, but rather the kind of mature faith that comes from knowing God’s commands. The writer tells us to:

• Bind them around your neck
• Write them on the tablet of your heart

For me, these are two descriptions about the outward and inward person. A binding around my neck is an outward sign (like a necklace) and the tablet of my heart is an inward sign (like my emotions). God’s commands should direct both the outward and inward “me.” And in all things, I should be loyal and faithful to His commands.

The Lord promises good things to those who are faithful to His Word:

• length of days and years of life
• abundant welfare
• favor and good repute with others
• favor and good repute with God

Does that mean that I will live to be a hundred years old? No. I think rather it is the foreshadowing of the promise of eternal life and all the abundance that goes with it. Personally, I don’t want to live forever . . . here. But I’m looking forward to living forever . . . there, with Him.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).