“My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
Proverbs 3:1-20 NLT
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.”
Solomon wants to impress two things on his son. The first is that he should learn from his Father’s ways. The second is that he should trust in God. Throughout Proverbs, we find these two things to be inextricably linked to each other. It should be no wonder that they are constantly being torn apart in our culture. It should be of great interest that Solomon’s child is told to “write these words in your heart.” And a moment late told to “trust in the Lord with all of your heart.” It is our tendency to discard the words of our parents, disconnect them from God and eventually discard both our parents and God. We do this in favor of fulfilling the bias that our hearts are in no need of being taught. Children are taught to lean on their own understanding. Adults are now being taught to affirm whatever that immature understanding may be. But scripture is clear that the way to become a healthy fulfilled and mature human is to lean “not on your own understanding.” This type of understanding is not tried and true. It is myopic in nature and doesn’t consider anything beyond the moment. It is a folly for the finite. We should instead allow ourselves to be blessed by the hard earned knowledge of our parents and the stability of the infinite God.
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