Proverbs 3:1-35

¹ My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; ² For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. ³ Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, ⁴ And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. ⁸ It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. ⁹ Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; ¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. ¹¹ My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; ¹² For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. ¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; ¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. ¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. ¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. ¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her. ¹⁹ The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; ²⁰ By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew. ²¹ My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion; ²² So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. ²³ Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. ²⁴ When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. ²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; ²⁶ For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. ²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you. ²⁹ Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for safety’s sake. ³⁰ Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. ³¹ Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; ³² For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. ³³ The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just. ³⁴ Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. ³⁵ The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

 Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹ My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; ² For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

The appeal here is coming from a loving Father looking out for his son’s welfare. And in this chapter the benefits of following God’s wisdom are made plain and clear. Consider then verse two, “For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you”, meaning both personal wellness and length of life, along with peace, are just some of the benefits of embracing God’s wisdom, of following His counsels which always has positive impacts on one’s person and life, as opposed to following a sinful self-destructive course of life, that by its very nature, always sets oneself against Him and His Word. And yet God does not want anyone to choose that course of life, which only leads to one’s own ruin, which is why He has given us these proverbs through His servant Solomon to lead us out of sins darkness and into His Son Jesus Christ’s glorious light. To show us a course of life that is in accord with Jesus Christ Himself; who is both God’s Person and Wisdom Incarnate in the flesh. And it is His Will for us that is also revealed through these same proverbs. For God is longsuffering towards us all, not wanting any to perish, but that all might come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), because there is a soon coming a Day when He will Judge the World in Righteousness and He has given assurance of this to all by raising the Man Jesus Christ whom He has chosen to be judge of all, from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). Therefore, God’s grace is now offered to us, so that we might all have the opportunity to turn from our sins and transgressions, before they ruin us, and turn to Him to be healed and made right by Him in His sight by our faith in His Son. Because it is Jesus Christ alone who has provided the Atonement for all of our sins and transgressions, so that God can now not only justify us in His sight, (that is declare us righteous in His sight), but He by His Spirit now also sanctifies and changes us, making us new creations in Christ, because nobody can fundamentally change who they are, only God can, and this He does for everyone who believes in His Son, by His Holy Spirit, renewing and regenerating each and every one of us who believe in Him! For us then who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ these Proverbs go hand in hand with our new nature and our new desires for His righteousness and His truth that He has given us, because His life is now in us.

Vs. 3-4 ³ Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, ⁴ And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. 

Mercy and truth then are virtues or traits that are fully in accord with the grace of God, of Jesus Christ’s Person, who has brought these to us (consider John 1:16). Therefore, we as disciples of Christ are not to forsake them, for one can have law, but not have love. That is not show any mercy or compassion, but just coldly apply the letter of the law as the Pharisees and Sadducees so were apt at doing. Similarly, one can have “love” but not have law (that is no rules or moral restraints) which only leads to chaos and ruin. Therefore, we are to bind both of them around our necks as one would a golden chain or an ornament, so that they are on display through our persons and lives so that all can see them. Similarly, we are to write them on the tablet of heart, that is just as the law of God was engraved on stones by the finger of God, indicating its permanence for the people of God, we ourselves also are to write these two virtues on the tablets of our hearts as being foundational to both our beliefs and our practices. For in doing so one will not only find favor in the sight of God but also man as well. For all people everywhere inherently hold in high esteem those who hold to the truth while still knowing how to show mercy, and thus do justly and show mercy as each individual situation requires, for when you do you are following Christ (Jer. 9:23-24; Micah 6:8; John 8:1-11). 

Vs. 5-6 ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

Some of the simplest and yet greatest counsel is given us all right here. But in order to receive it one must be willing to admit one’s own inabilities to guide one’s own life and affairs apart from and without God guiding them (Jer. 10:23). Thus, we must begin with trusting God with all of our hearts and not just for our salvation through Christ, but also our lives with Christ. For there are many things in this sojourn of ours down here that will come our way that won’t make sense to us, that we will rightly or wrongly want Him to immediately take away, correct, or change. And so, during these times, and all times, we are to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding, because we cannot understand all things as He does, and ultimately, He is working all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28). Thus, trusting God begins by acknowledging God, that He is God, and He is Sovereign over the affairs of this world and our lives. And in doing so we yield our will to Him, for we do not need to be in control of anything or anyone other than ourselves, which again we have yielded to Him so that He might guide our footsteps and enlighten our paths, for that is the Scriptures promise that will God guide everyone who trusts and waits for Him.

Vs. 7-8 ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. ⁸ It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. 

Arrogance is always the mark of the sinful and self-deceived, of those who do not believe in God, or do not see their own need for Him. Therefore, we are warned not to be such people. Rather we are to fear the Lord and depart from evil, for this will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.

Vs. 9-10 ⁹ Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; ¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Honoring God by giving Him the firstfruits of one’s increases means that one will be assured they will always have an abundance of more than enough (consider 2 Cor. 9:8, also Haggai 1:9-11; Malachi 3:8-12).

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹ My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; ¹² For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

One of the hardest things to properly understand is the chastening of the Lord in our lives, for this does not just come to disobedient people, but to everyone who believes in Him (consider Heb. 12:3-11; Rev. 3:19). The Lord’s chastening us then is never done to harm or humiliate us, but is born out of His love and concern for us, so as to remove from us those undesirable traits or characteristics that we as fallen people (with a sin nature) have learned and acquired throughout our lives. Now sometimes these negative qualities and traits within us are unknown to us, and were born out of self-defense mechanisms that we have built up to protect ourselves from further harm from others etc. and sometimes they were born out of our own pride and “independence”. Whatever the origins, or whatever the issues, God our Father when He through His Son Jesus Christ saved us, not only committed Himself to saving our souls, but also, He is committed to transforming our individual persons, character, and lives. To making us more and more like His Son Jesus Christ until the Day we are perfected in Him. And at times the only way to do that will be to bring correction to our persons and lives. And in this He may allow or bring into our lives those things which we find most unsettling. Now His correcting us is not His merely punishing us, it is His teaching and training us to become His people of righteousness, and thus partakers of His holiness. For His chastisement of us always takes into account our whole person, along with His desired result. And so, God who knows us all individually, like no one else does, alone knows what is the best course of action to take when the chastisement of our person becomes necessary to bring change. Therefore, as His redeemed children we are not to despise the chastening of the Lord, for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father does the son in whom He delights.

Vs. 13-18 ¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; ¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. ¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. ¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. ¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Now as to the benefits of having God’s Wisdom, first of all is happiness, that is a soul satisfying rest and peace and joy that comes through no one or nothing else other than knowing Jesus Christ who brings true everlasting joy to everyone who believes in Him. For He is God’s Wisdom Personified in the flesh and finding Him and keeping His Word is the pathway to everlasting life and peace. Consider then what a person will give for their own soul is way more valuable than any treasure when they are faced with eternity, (Mark 8:36-38). And so here wisdom is to be valued by us more than the profits of silver and fine gold, more than rubies and any other precious thing which one desires (vs. 14-15). Because not just are its benefits known in eternity, but more specifically as the Word of God makes clear here wisdoms benefits are known here and now by all who gain her. For no abundance of treasures or wealth can lengthen one’s days (vs. 16), nor can the pursuit of wealth and treasures guide one’s way into a life of prosperity, peace, and pleasantness. Nor can wealth give anyone wisdom, discernment, or understanding, all which are critical for walking through the perils and away from the perilous people of this life. For truly the riches of Christ, of having God’s wisdom here and now cannot be measured here and now, nor in eternity, but they can be had by anyone who repents and believes in His Son, and sets their heart and life on knowing Him and obeying Him. For pursuing and having wealth promises absolutely nothing that lasts or satisfies. For though one may have all those “riches” down here yet their souls maybe totally impoverished and their own lives and relationships only filled with emptiness, shallowness, and vanity, as the love of mammon (covetousness) is a consuming entity, it always takes away the life of its owner. While wisdom is a tree of life, whose roots run deep into the soil of God’s Word, and so she is always giving and bringing more life to those who have her (vs. 17-18). Therefore, getting and keeping God’s Wisdom is the only way to having peace and prosperity and true meaning in this life, and in eternity. Now she is available to all who seek her, but its up to each and everyone of us to hold on to her, which is what we do when take these Proverbs to heart and apply them to our own lives.

Vs. 19-20 ¹⁹ The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; ²⁰ By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew.

When the Lord created the earth, indeed all of creation, He did it by wisdom and by understanding, for He established the heavens, all the stars and planets and constellations and all of the laws gravity and physics that govern them and us all. Indeed, by His wisdom and through His Sovereign Providence He broke up the depths and set the limits of the seas. For it is by wisdom that He also established the means by which the seas and fresh waters rise to heavens to fall again down to the earth. All these things and so many more God created by wisdom and established by understanding. And so just as God employed wisdom to guide the affairs of all of creation so we should likewise employ wisdom to guide the affairs of our lives.

Vs. 21-22 ²¹ My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion; ²² So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck.

And so, the wisdom that brought forth and established creation is more than capable of guiding the affairs of our lives. Which is what is being exhorted here, that we keep sound wisdom and discretion, which is not philosophical speculation only born out of unregenerate hearts, souls, and minds. But sound wisdom and discretion which God gives to us through His Word which is from everlasting. For verse twenty-two promises they will be both life to our souls and grace to our necks, which is what the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ brings to everyone who believes in Him. Life to your soul and grace to your necks, that is eternal life to our soul and grace as a beautiful adornment around our necks, (thus beauty to your person and life) because we now have peace with God (Rom. 8:1). All which makes one’s person and life so much richer and better.

Vs. 23 “Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble.”

Having wisdoms counsels guide us then not only promises life and grace to our persons and lives, but also safety from the pitfalls of sin and all this worlds’ inducements towards the same self-destructive ways and lies. For a stumbling person is not steady on their feet, for though they walk in this life (as we all do) their pathway is neither straight nor true. And thus, they often stumble and fall into all kinds of troubles and evils. Wisdom then is the means to stay on a straight course of life, and not have to deal with all the consequences of stumbling around from one trouble or crises to the next.

Vs. 24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.”

Here wisdom promises a good night’s sleep; a life free of all the worries and fears and consequences that come with living wrong; for wisdom inherently brings with it a clear conscience and a well-ordered life. There are no shortcuts then in following wisdom, no scheming to get ahead. That all said many a wicked person sleeps well at night because their consciences as the Apostle Paul said have been seared with a hot iron (1 Tim 4:2; Eph. 4:19 etc.).

Vs. 25-26 ²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; ²⁶ For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

Many a righteous person has been the target of many Godless ones, in fact that is the Biblical record, of the righteous always coming under the wrath of the wicked (Prov. 29:27). Therefore, when they try to make us afraid, or try to trap us in one of their schemes so as to make us stumble and sin, as Sanballat tried to do to Nehemiah (see Neh. 6:1-14), we are not to be afraid of them, or yield to them, for the Lord who guards the paths of all His saints will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Vs. 27-28 ²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.

Here wisdoms tells us to be honest, just, and fair with others. To not withhold good from those to whom it is due. Now this maybe their wages for work rendered towards us, or this maybe keeping some promise we spoke to someone, or it may be as simple as helping someone who needs our assistance, or even lending something to our neighbor who needs to borrow something from us (vs. 27). Now verse twenty-eight is the flip side of the coin of that, of our having borrowed something from someone, or owing something to someone, we are not to turn them away when they come seeking it from us, rather we are to give it to them without a hassle or delay. It just makes common sense to be completely honest and fair with others, because not only is your name and reputation tied to your doing or not doing so, but God in heaven also watches everything that we do, or do not do, and will He not render to each one according to their deeds, yes, He will.

Vs. 29 “Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.”

Those who plot evil against their neighbors fail to see that having good neighborly relations with others makes for one’s own security and peace. Therefore, we are not to devise evil against our neighbors, that is seek and plot schemes against them, or set people against them, or plot revenge on them for some slight or wrong. For more than likely these sorts of acts are born out of one’s own envious or embittered heart, because they have something that one does not. Again, neighbors’ dwell by us for our safety’s sake, why then ruin what God has ordained as a protection for us all.

Vs. 30 “Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.”

Here wisdom counsels us against striving (i.e., fighting) with others who have done us no harm. For often these sorts of things are born out of people who are told something bad about someone, whether true or false, but more than likely false, and so they appoint themselves as the ones who are going to go and set it “right” or “deal” with the individual. And yet all they do is endanger themselves, and or expose themselves to all kinds of legal repercussions and ramifications when they do. Which is why we have lawful authority and a legal system to deal with all these matters. Therefore, do not make yourselves into a judge, or an avenger for someone else’s cause and complaint, lest the real Judge and Avenger judge you through His appointed lawful authority when you do. For though you maybe intending good, you very well maybe just a pawn in someone else’s evil plot and scheme, and you alone, not they, will suffer all the consequences of your doing so.

Vs. 31-32 ³¹ Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; ³² For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.

Here the oppressor is an underhanded or devious person, the one who prospers and gets gain for themselves by not by what is right. Who often uses force, coercion, or bullying tactics to get what they want. They may also be skillful manipulators who prey on people’s fears, drives, desires, or emotions to get what they want. Whatever the means they employ, they all share this, that all who do so are all an abomination to the Lord! Therefore, we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ must never choose to follow any of their ways! For the Scripture warns us all that, “…the perverse person (i.e., crocked, deceitful, scheming, devious, violent or vile person etc.) is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.” Therefore, don’t choose the path of temporary “gain” which only ends in eternal condemnation for all who reject God’s counsels and choose to follow their own (Ps. 25:14; John 17:17), choose the way of life, choose to live and walk uprightly, choose Christ!

Vs. 33 “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just.”

Most truly then the curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, for even when they are “prospering”, they are only storing up for themselves more and more wrath and judgment as God often allows the wicked to reach their sins fullness before He pulls the trigger as it were on their ways, and or their persons and lives (Psalm 37:12-13; 73:18-20). In contrast then to the temporary “success” or “prosperity” of the wicked, is the home of the just, which God always blesses (Prov. 10:6), always watches over, always preserves (Psalm 1; 31:23; 121; 145:20 etc.). For even when they experience great and severe troubles like Job did, who even had to endure being unjustly condemned as evil, as having done evil (when he had done none), therefore know this that it is God who is the God of justice, who watches over every just person’s affairs, who will do justly to and for all who suffer these same sorts of injustices, (injustices from the plots of scheming wicked and unbelieving people), and so everyone who repents and turns to Him will be restored to God, to our proper place with Him, just as he was (Job 42:12-17).

Vs. 34-35 “Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. ³⁵ The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.”

Though the scorner, who exalts themselves, or are exalted in this world and prosper in their arrogant godless ways for their season. Nonetheless it is God who always has the last Word, and so when their time comes, He too will scorn them before He renders His just judgment on them. In contrast to them then is the humble person, the one who turns from their sins and transgressions and turns to Him. For everyone who does so God gives grace, grace to the repented and believing who now trust and believe in Him, who now seek to obey Him through His Son Jesus Christ. For everyone who does so, no matter what they have previously done, when they humble themselves and turn to Him in faith, God gives us grace, because Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross makes God’s grace available to us all who believe in Him! Therefore, take hold of it while you can and forsake your own foolishness and live, for “The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.” ^{Vs. 35}

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.