Proverbs 3:21-26

“My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.” NRSV

I belong to one of those Internet survey groups. Every now and then, they send along a survey about spending habits or communication or something. One of the recurring questions (for some reason) is whether or not I think that the Internet provides too much information to people.

I’m beginning to think so.

There is, I think, an innate desire to live in order and harmony. And while some people seem to like the stir the pot, I think that their “order” is that kind of fomented harried life. There is this desire to arrange things around us to our liking. If nothing else, most of us live with expectations . . . expectations of how things should work out, expectations of how people should behave, even expectations about what we should find as we travel life’s road. Maslow, a famous psychologist, developed these expectations into a hierarchy of basic needs which is accepted by many today as being true about human nature. When a need is lacking or challenged, the focus goes to that need. Anxiety and worry are created.

The Lord, having created us, knew that we would focus on the circumstances around us, rather than on His ability and willingness to care for us. This passage reminds us that we don’t need to focus on what worries us, but focus instead upon the Lord. I know that, for myself, I tend to be a control freak. Not so much out of a need to make everyone do things my way, but because I keep myself so busy and so obligated that I really can’t deal with a wrench in the gears. I need to learn how to let go and let God. Yes, it is important to be a woman of my word, to do what I promise to do. But it’s not so important that I trod over everyone around me in the attempt.

I like the words in this passage: “Do not be afraid of sudden panic.” Notice that it doesn’t say that we won’t be panicked. But rather, that we shouldn’t be afraid of that feeling. Rather than acting on it, we need to go to the Lord. We have the Lord to be our confidence, in Whom we can put our trust.

He is trustworthy.

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NRSV).

© 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).

Proverbs 3:13-18

“Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.” NRSV

I have some friends who made a horrible choice last year. He, a principal, she, a teacher. They fell in love. Unfortunately, they were married . . . and not to each other. It was further complicated by the fact that she was a pastor’s wife; he was the pastor’s friend. Fortunately, both families are still intact, living in other cities, trying to repair the damage.

We talking about it yesterday, another friend and I. How it is so easy to get caught up in the passions and emotions of the moment, only to find that it’s become almost impossible to extricate yourself, to find that the foment of the situation is ruling your choices, rather than your own sense of what is right, of what is good.

I think that we often (very often) take the short view of things. We make choices for the “now” rather than considering what is best over the long haul.

We are very short-sighted.

Jesus addressed this very issue in Luke:

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God’” (12:13-21 NRSV).

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

How often are we motivated by how much money we will make? Or the kind of house in which we will live? Or the newness of our car? Or the extravagance of our vacation? Or the style of our clothing? And yet, the fact is, we could likely make do (and happily so) with much less than we have.

I’m constantly astounded by how television shapes our culture and our own expectations. Like many, I enjoy watching HGTV. But it astonishes me that now we need to have homes with granite countertops when Formica did our moms just fine (and the new Formica is wonderful!), with three and four car garages (and we still can’t park our cars in them), with this and that and whatever. As if stuff mattered. As if stuff could make us happy.

This passage in Proverbs is interesting because it uses financial analogies:

“Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.”

Her income is better than silver.
Her revenue better than gold.

Wisdom produces in our lives. There is a result. If we are to believe scripture (and I do), an ongoing produce. And it’s one that’s better than silver, better than gold. Why? Because, I believe, it is eternal.

The fact is, there are things upon which we can spend our lives that are better than accumulating stuff. We can become more like Christ. We can become more dependent upon the Father. We can become more loving and giving and gracious and forgiving.

In the end, it’s not how much stuff we’ve accumulated that matters. In the end, it’s how many lives we touched, how many people we served through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the end, it’s how much we loved Jesus and did His will. That’s where true riches lie.

© 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).

Proverbs 3:11-12

“My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of His reproof,
for the Lord reproves the one He loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.” NRSV

There is an age-long discussion, even between the dearest of saints on whether or not God punishes His children. Included in that discussion is the idea that God might cause us to suffer if it is for our good. Or conversely, we suffer because of our own choices and God merely allows the consequences of our own actions to teach us.

I believe that God does use the suffering in the world—suffering which exists as a result of sin (ours or others)—to teach us, to mold us, to move us into His perfect will.

Joseph is a perfect example.

Joseph was the favored son of Isaac. His brothers, enraged by his preferred place in the family, threw him into a well and then sold him into slavery in Egypt, far away from his home and his culture. There, Joseph worked his best and lived an exemplary life. Only to be wrongly accused of rape and thrown into prison for an unknown number of years. In prison, Joseph determined to continue to do his best and was promoted to the prison scribe. Finally, he was freed—not because he wasn’t found guilty—but because God gave him supernatural knowledge that was needed by the Pharaoh. So Joseph, a former shepherd, former slave, a convicted rapist, and a foreigner, was raised to the position equivalent to Prime Minister in a culture where foreigners, shepherds, and slaves were disdained, lived out his life in ease . . . and very likely complete solitary.

Until his family came to Egypt.

Obviously, Joseph did nothing outwardly to warrant such a life. And yet, if we study Joseph, we see, in the beginning, a young man who has become arrogant and conceited because of his special place of love and his special prophetic abilities. The end of the story, however, is a far different picture. Joseph, now older but with the power to exert revenge on his mean brothers, says this:

“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good . . .” (Genesis 50:20 NRSV).

Joseph was able to look beyond what had happened to him. The events of his life changed him . . . through the Lord’s discipline.

Revelation 3:19: “I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent” (NRSV).

We all know that there are many things in our lives which need changing. Even if we are outwardly living a life that is “Christian,” our motivations are such that we need to still learn patience, love, humility. The Christian who stops learning, who stops aggressively looking at their own life, is the Christian who is heading down the wide path, something none of us want to do. We are either learning to excel in obedience or we are practicing sin. There is no middle ground. And the Lord is eager, in His love for us, to help us learn obedience and this through His discipline (His teaching). Unfortunately, I’m sometimes like that stubborn mule. It takes a good whack to get me to pay attention.

I’m glad that the Lord doesn’t give up on me nor lets me go my own way of rebellion, but rather thinks of me constantly and wants to bring good into my life, not the good as I define it, but the good of being a shalom-peace with Him:

“You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you” (Psalm 40:5a NRSV)

© 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).

Proverbs 3:9-10

“Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.” NRSV

The Pharisees had developed the practice of the tithe and had it down to a science. So much so that they tithed even spices. And while Jesus commended them for their diligence, He faulted them for refusing to understand the essence of God’s Law . . . that people are more important than practices (Matthew 23:23). These days, I believe that some in the Church have tried to convolute the idea of tithing into some kind of contractual arrangement with God: that if they tithe, then God is required to materially prosper them.

The Nelson Study Bible commentary says:

The promises in these verses describe general patterns, not rules that have no exceptions. These are the results that often follow a full commitment to God. The command to honor God with wealth and to give to Him from the firstfruits of all income is a part of what it means to worship God. In God’s covenant with Israel, fullness of barns and vats was God’s blessing, a part of God’s covenant promise. Yet these verses should not be taken as a formula for getting rich. They speak of what righteous people can reasonably expect in life, not what God promises to return on investments. (Radmacher, E. D. 1997. The Nelson study Bible : New King James Version. Includes index. (Pr 3:7). T. Nelson Publishers: Nashville).

So, when we reduce tithing to some kind of contract, I think we miss the point.

There is something special about this passage and it’s more than simply about tithing. It’s about the attitude we have about God and what we are willing to give to Him.

Of course, we all know that God doesn’t need anything from us. He is Creator and owns everything (including what we don’t want to give). It’s sort of like being a landlord. The landlord owns the house we live in. We may feel we have the “right” to keep him out of the house (and may even have a contract support our “right”), but the fact is, the house is his and nothing we do can change that. We don’t own it. He does.

Well, it’s the same with God. And the only reason He doesn’t simply take everything is because of His love for us. I think that’s important to remember. The very cells of our bodies, the very breaths we take, the very thoughts we think He owns! He allows us to participate in an interactive relationship with Him because of His love for us and His plan for our lives.

And part of having this relationship is understanding that we can’t be stingy if we want to have a relationship with God. He wasn’t. He gave His very best: His Son. The Lord sacrificed everything for us, gave everything for us, continues to give His all for us. He yearns for us to give back with that same kind of generosity, love, abandon.

It’s more than simply writing a check to a church organization. It’s about a lifestyle that wants to love as the Lord Jesus loves, that wants to give because that’s what He does, that wants to reach out because people are more important than stuff:

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’”(Matthew 25:34-40 NRSV).

I think that often we think of our church contributions as something that we do in order to get something in return. We give to keep our church organization running or to keep our pastor there (and we like his/her preaching) or to maintain the programming that we like (youth groups, children’s programs, monthly Bunco games). When, in fact, giving (or tithing) is much more about being like Christ than anything else. As trivialized as “What Would Jesus Do?” has become, the original message is still clear: Are we willing to live with the same kind of self-abandon and sacrifice that the Lord Jesus lived with when He walked the earth, even to the point of taking up our crosses, taking on His yoke? When we honor the Lord with our substance (our possessions, including our time, our efforts, and our own bodies), we are learning how to love Him in the same way (though never in the same degree) as He loves us.

© 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).

Proverbs 3:5-8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.” NRSV

We live in the mountains. Correction. We live on top of the mountain. And the only way down (to the city, to shopping, to see friends) is on one of three very curvy roads. One of the roads I like better than the others because the curves are minimized (only seven miles) and the remainder of the drive is fairly straight. The fact is, driving curves is exhausting and (if you’re like me) nauseating.

It makes me realize the true difference between having a “straight path” and a path that isn’t straight. Life throws curves, and these curves are emotionally, mentally, and often even physically exhausting. I know that I often wear myself out trying to straighten out the curves myself instead of relying on the Father to straighten them out for me.

Two things really hit me:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart
• In all your ways acknowledge Him

With me and the Lord, there is no part time, no part time, no “sort of.” It’s either all . . . or nothing. My trust extends to acknowledging Him. This word (for “acknowledge”), yada', is an interesting word. Vine’s (excerpted) says:

Essentially yada’ means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing. . . . Somewhat characteristically the heart plays an important role in knowing” (Vine, W. E. 1996. Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words. T. Nelson: Nashville). Again, for me, acknowledging God is more than intellectual assent; it has to do with actually putting my money where my mouth is. Stepping out into the darkness and trusting Him to be Who He has revealed Himself to be, trusting Him to be trust to the promises in His Word.

We don’t trust the bridge very much if we don’t walk across it. Similarly we can talk about trusting God all day long, but if we don’t step out in obedience to Him (when obedience makes absolutely no sense at all), then our trust is minor at best.

There are interesting comparisons on this passage:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart
• In all your ways acknowledge Him
• Fear the Lord

As compared to . . .

• Do not rely on your own insight
• Do not be wise in your own eyes
• Turn away from evil

I think that the writer is giving a very practical example of what it means to trust God as compared to trusting ourselves. Ultimately, trusting ourselves (instead of God) is doing evil . . . and we are commanded to turn away from that.

And like most things that God tells us, there are rewards for obedience:

• He will make straight your paths
• It will be a healing for your flesh
• [It will be] a refreshment for your body

Ultimately, the things for which we seek—peace, quiet, contentment, happiness, health, welfare—are found through trust in God and obedience to His commandments.

My prayer for everyone today? A straight path.

© 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).

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).

Proverbs 2:20-22

Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. NRSV

There are two ways to walk and only two ways: the way of the good or the way of the wicked. Our Lord Jesus talks about this in Matthew:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NRSV).

Just using these two passages (and there are others), we can see that the Lord has given us signposts or characteristics of the way we should walk:

• the way of the good
• the path of the just
• there are few who find it

I think that one of the things that has weakened us as Christians (certainly in America, if not in other places) has been our willingness to try to create a moral neutrality. In other words, we have decided that there are choices, behaviors, decisions that are neither good or bad. They are morally neutral. And if we choose these things, we aren’t sinning. The thing is, the Bible doesn’t ever talk about moral neutrality. In scripture, we either are good or we are wicked. We either enter through the narrow gate or walk the wide road. We either obey God or we rebel against Him. There is no middle ground.

I think that one of the reasons (and this is only one) that we can tried to create this “new” way of living (because it was not always so in the Christian Church) is because we want to reject the ideologies and traditions of our elders. Now, I’m not saying that everything our parents (and grandparents) did was right; they made plenty of mistakes. But the fact is, the Holy Spirit did raise up those who went before us who we can use as examples for our lives:

“ . . . that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:9 NRSV).

Paul talks about this over and over again. “Imitate me,” he says (1 Co. 4:16, 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thes. 1:6; 2 Thes. 3:7, 9).

Matthew Henry agrees: “We must not only choose our way in general by the good examples of the saints, but must also take directions from them in the choice of our particular paths; observe the track, and go forth by the footsteps of the flock” (Henry, M. 1996, c1991. Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Pr 2:10). Hendrickson: Peabody).

In other words, for those of us (like me) who have more difficulty learning something unless we see it in a practical way, God has provided examples through saints who went on before. I need only look for those examples and imitate them.

And there is an amazing promise contained in this scripture. “For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it” (v. 21). While the original writer likely meant the Promised Land, for all believers, the Promised Land is heaven. Hebrews 11 tells us:

“Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect” (v. 39-40 NRSV). Our Hope is our inheritance in Heaven, kept for us by the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 1:4). A place where everything is perfect and where we will live in perfect harmony with the Father and with each other. It is a prize worth reaching for.

Ultimately, we are called to imitate Christ, to become more and more like Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and through our willingness to submit our wills to Him. For me, it comes down a very practical application: Am I willing to change my “I want’s” to “I should’s”? It’s easy in our society to become entrenched with “I want this” or “I want that.” We have so much, are so blessed in earthly resources that actually very little is withheld from us. And yet, we often struggle with our walk with the Lord. Likely because we aren’t forced to trust Him for the basic needs of life.

At present, America is feeling a financial crunch dealing with the depressed housing market and the rising gasoline prices. All of us are having to adjust our lifestyles to accommodate these problems. And yet, most of us still eat well and live well. We have more blessings than we can even begin to number! There is going to be a tendency, during this time, to become less generous and more fearful. As Christians, we have the opportunity to trust the Lord, even when times get tough. For me, that is one part of the narrow way. I am excited about what the Lord is going to teach me about trusting 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).