Proverbs Chapter 3
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil
Brothers And Sisters I enjoyed Church today and the sermon was from The Book of Proverbs Chapter 3, Verses 1-6 which The wisest king to rule Israel, King Solomon wrote most of the proverbs.
I took notes and the sermon was about how to live a life of communion with God; and without controversy great is this mystery of godliness, and of great consequence to us, and, as is here shown, will be of unspeakable advantage.
I. We must have a continual regard to God’s precepts, We must, Fix God’s law, and his commandments, in our hearts as our rule, by which we will in every thing be ruled and to which we will yield obedience.
2. We must acquaint ourselves with them; for we cannot be said to forget that which we never knew.
3. We must remember them so that they may be ready to us whenever we have occasion to use them.
4. Our wills and affections must be subject to them and must in every thing conform to them. Not only our heads, but our hearts, must keep God’s commandments; in them, as in the ark of the testimony, both the tables of the law must be deposited.
Also, To encourage us to submit ourselves to all the restraints and injunctions of the divine law, we are assured (v. 2) that it is the certain way to long life and prosperity.
It is the way to be long-lived. God’s commandments shall add to us length of days; to a good useful life on earth, they shall add an eternal life in heaven, length of days for ever and ever, Ps. 21:4 . God shall be our life and the length of our days, and that will be indeed long life, with an addition. But, because length of days may possibly become a burden and a trouble, it is promised.
That it shall prove the way to be easy too, so that even the days of old age shall not be evil days, but days in which thou shalt have pleasure: Peace shall they be continually adding to thee. As grace increases, peace shall increase; and of the increase of Christ’s government and peace, in the heart as well as in the world, there shall be no end. Great and growing peace have those that love the law. II. We must have a continual regard to God’s promises, which go along with his precepts, and are to be received, and retained, with them.
(v. 3): "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, God’s mercy in promising, and his truth in performing. Do not forfeit these, but live up to them, and preserve thy interest in them; do not forget these, but live upon them, and take the comfort of them. Bind them about thy neck, as the most graceful ornament.’’ It is the greatest honor we are capable of in this world to have an interest in the mercy and truth of God. "Write to them upon the table of thy heart, as dear to thee, thy portion, and most delightful entertainment; take a pleasure in applying them and thinking them over.’’ Or it may be meant of the mercy and truth which are our duty, piety and sincerity, charity towards men, fidelity towards God. Let these be fixed and commanding principles in thee. To encourage us to do this we are assured
(v. 4) that this is the way to recommend ourselves both to our Creator and fellow-creatures: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding. A good man seeks the favor of God in the first place, is ambitious of the honor of being accepted of the Lord, and he shall find that favor, and with it a good understanding; God will make the best of him, and put a favorable construction upon what he says and does. He shall be owned as one of Wisdom’s children, and shall have praise with God, as one having that good understanding which is ascribed to all those that do his commandments.
(v. 5); we must believe that he is able to do what he will, wise to do what is best, and good, according to his promise, to do what is best for us, if we love him, and serve him. We must, with an entire submission and satisfaction, depend upon him to perform all things for us, and not lean to our own understanding, as if we could, by any forecast of our own, without God, help ourselves, and bring our affairs to a good issue. Those who know themselves cannot but find their own understanding to be a broken reed, which, if they lean to, will certainly fail them. In all our conduct we must be diffident of our own judgment, and confident of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and therefore must follow Providence and not force it. That often proves best which was least our own doing.
(v. 6) (v. 6): In all thy ways acknowledge God. We must not only in our judgment believe that there is an over-ruling hand of God ordering and disposing of us and all our affairs, but we must solemnly own it, and address ourselves to him accordingly. We must ask his leave, and not design any thing but what we are sure is lawful. We must ask his advice and beg direction from him, not only when the case is difficult (when we know not what to do, no thanks to us that we have our eyes up to him), but in every case, be it ever so plain, We must ask success of him, as those who know the race is not to the swift. We must refer ourselves to him as one from whom our judgment proceeds, and patiently, and with a holy indifferency, wait his award. In all our ways that prove direct, and fair, and pleasant, in which we gain our point to our satisfaction, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove cross and uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge God with submission.
Our eye must be ever towards God; to him we must, in every thing, make our requests known, as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Jdg. 11:11 .
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Sunday, September 30th 2018 at 6:30PM
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