Proverbs 3 begins with a message from a father to a son.
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
Wisdom speaks as a father instructing his son to not forget all that he has been taught. This parallels well with the promise that God gives us in the 4th Commandment as recorded in Exodus 20: 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."Wisdom instructs, we His children, with the knowledge and understanding necessary to live a life well and for a good long time.
Moving further into the body of Proverbs 3, we are provided with examples of this wisdom.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
5 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.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
In these verses, we learn how we are to cling to the love and faithfulness of God and how that translates into the favor of our peers. We learn trusting in the Lord beats out reliance on our own foolish attempts at our own concepts of wisdom. We learn how to steward the blessings of God that He might bless us all the more. Finally, we are warned not to despise the discipline of the Lord, but rather to delight in it.
There is great value to be found in the Lord's Wisdom.
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are 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 lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
We then see that Wisdom was key to the very creation of the world.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
This suggests a connection between Wisdom and the Word of God, who we learn in John 1 is the incarnate second person of the Trinity, namely Christ Jesus.
Life can be difficult, but Wisdom when relied upon and clung to can provide us with the sure footing to see our way through.
21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of 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 your power to do it.
Finally, Wisdom, as a father figure to us, imparts a series of admonishments related to our interrelations with one another and how the Lord's Wisdom guides and shapes our connections and relationships with one another.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get disgrace.
Thanks be to God for His great gift of Wisdom.
