Proverbs 3:7 (KJV 1900) — 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
Refusing to think we are wise. When we begin to think we are wise, we have taken the first step to deception. We must never put confidence in our own ability. Instead, we must keep walking in the fear of the Lord and keep departing from evil.
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Proverbs 3:6 (KJV 1900) — 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
How to have God direct our paths. We should acknowledge God in all our ways. Instead of falling for the myth that life can be divided into the secular and the sacred, we should submit every area of life to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Reminder: These brief devotions are excerpted from my book Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World: Proverbs, which is available at http://www.pentecostalpublishing.com. It can also be purchased as a Kindle download at amazon.com.
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Proverbs 3:5 (KJV 1900) — 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
Which way do we lean? We will either “lean” on the Lord by trusting Him with all our heart, or we will lean on our own understanding. There is no middle ground. We must reject humanism and we must not walk by our feelings, or by what seems right to us.
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV 1900) — 12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
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Proverbs 3:4 (KJV 1900) — 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding In the sight of God and man.
The approval of God is our utmost concern. Even the study of the Scriptures must be approached from the balanced position of mercy and truth. God cannot approve a deficiency in either area. The result of a balance in mercy and truth is that both God and man will be favorable toward those who have found that balance.
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Proverbs 3:3 (KJV 1900) — 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the table of thine heart:
Mercy and truth, in that order: Mercy without truth would have no standards within which to operate. Truth without mercy is hard and unbending.
Psalm 57:3 (KJV 1900) — 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me From the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
Psalm 61:7 (KJV 1900) — 7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
Psalm 85:10 (KJV 1900) — 10 Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Even judgment must be tempered by mercy.
James 2:13 (KJV 1900) — 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Mercy and truth must balance and complement each other. They must be so closely held as to be “bound” around one’s neck or “written” on one’s heart.
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Proverbs 3:2 (KJV 1900) — 2 For length of days, and long life, And peace, shall they add to thee.
Three benefits of obedience: The first blessing of obedience is length of days, which seems to speak of the quality of life. The second blessing is long life. The third blessing is peace. People attempt to obtain these blessings by counterfeit currency, but they can be obtained only by careful attention and obedience.
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Proverbs 3:1 (KJV 1900) — 1 My son, forget not my law; But let thine heart keep my commandments:
An appeal to remember: In order to not forget, study and memorization is necessary. Keeping commandments in one’s heart alludes to meditation.
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Proverbs 2:20–22 (KJV 1900) — 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, And the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Only through wisdom and knowledge (see Proverbs 2:10) can a person walk with good people and keep to the right paths. Though circumstances may temporarily indicate otherwise, we may be certain that, in the final analysis, the upright will receive the promises of God and the wicked will be rejected by Him.
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Proverbs 2:18–19 (KJV 1900) — 18 For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return again, Neither take they hold of the paths of life.
The man who visits a strange woman has taken the first step downward to death and destruction. Her house is on an incline. To walk to her house, he must leave the paths of righteousness. The paths that lead to and from her house are deadly paths.
Proverbs 6:32–35 (KJV 1900) — 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Nothing short of a miracle from God can redeem an individual who yields to the temptation of a strange woman. It is not within human power to break the vise-like grip of moral impurity. The man who walks on the paths of death finds it quite impossible to step over into the paths of life. Only the miracle of redemption can help him.
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Proverbs 2:17 (KJV 1900) — 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God.
The second characteristic of the strange woman is that she forsakes the guide of her youth. This may be the husband she married while young.
Her third characteristic is that she forgets the covenant she made with God earlier in her life. At some point she made a covenant with God to remain pure, to live according to God’s principles. Marriage is certainly a holy covenant. When a woman forgets her marriage covenant and forsakes the godly training she had when young, she becomes a “strange woman.”
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