PROVERBS 3 (KING JAMES VERSION)

PROVERBS 3  (KJV)

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 tablet 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.

8)  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9)  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10)  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

11)  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction:

12)  For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

13)  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

14)  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

15)  She is more precious than rubies:  and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16)  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17)  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18)  She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:  and happy is every one that retaineth her.

19)  The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He established the heavens.
20)  By His knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

21)  My son, let not them depart from thine eyes:  keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22)  So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23)  Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24)  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:  yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

25)  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26)  For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

27)  Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28)  Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29)  Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30)  Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

31)  Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32)  For the froward is abomination to the LORD:  but His secret is with the righteous.

33)  The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked:  but He blesseth the habitation of the just.
34)  Surely He scorneth the scorners:  but He giveth grace unto the lowly.
35)  The wise shall inherit glory:  but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

COMMENTARY

   The definition of the word "froward" as defined on wiktionary.org:  disobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.

   Verse 1, 2:  understand that Commandments are not suggestions or recommendations; but these are laws, not to be broken.  When we obey the laws, we receive the blessings of peace and long life.   In the Old Testament, they lived under The Dispensation of The Law.  Mankind is not perfect, so there was a system put in place to have their sins "forgiven".  Today, we live under The Dispensation of Grace".  While we are to keep God's laws, we are continually forgiven for our short-comings as we ask God's forgiveness through the sacrifice of the Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ and we repent of our sins.  When we live in obedience, our conscience is clear and we have peace and joy.

   Here is something that I have discovered and I have been studying the Proverbs at least for four years:  John Phillips is quoted this way in his commentary, "Exploring Proverbs":  "The book of Proverbs takes the Mosaic law and breaks it up into its glowing primeval colors, as a prism divides a ray of light.  The 613 commandments in the law covered all aspects of life, including the simply prosaic and pragmatic matters of fact.  In Proverbs those commandments are transformed into poetry, flashing and scintillating with color."  Did you know that these were the Mosaic law in a different form?

   Verses 5 - 8:  We are to trust in the Lord with everything we have.  That statement is funny because we really don't have anything but our free will.  Everything is from God, for God, it is all His.  But trusting with anything less that all we have is as if we don't trust Him with anything.  He is in full control of all things.

   We are not to lean on our own understanding.  Can you imagine where Israel would have been if Moses, a learned man of great intellect would have come to the Red Sea and, knowing how deep it was, would have stopped Israel and surrendered to Pharaoh?   But he trusted in God and stepped out in faith only to have the waters part and allow Israel safe passage across!  We do that today.  We see impossible situations and just give up when we should be on our knees to God asking Him for direction and believing Him when He gives it.

  I research a lot for this ministry, so with that said, let me say something about the "health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones" part of this:  

   The navel is closely related to the solar plexus, or celiac plexus.  This is found just above the navel and contains a dense cluster of nerve cells and supporting tissue.  The function is to transmit visceral sensory impulses (like pain or reflexes) from the foregut and midgut.  It increases gland secretion and promotes peristalsis and digestion with its parasympathetic division.  The sympathetic division inhibits peristalsis, constricts blood vessels, and redirects blood to skeletal muscles.  It is also known as the second brain of our body.  (Medsensehealth.com and Kenhub.com) 

  We all know that blood is generated in the marrow of the bones.  Red blood cells are filled with the hemoglobin that picks up oxygen in the lungs and brings it to cells around the body.  White blood cells fight disease and infection.  Platelets help blood to clot and stop bleeding.  (aamds.org)

   When we fear The LORD and depart from evil, we are blessed with good health.

    Verses 16, 17:  Look at what the Inerrant Word of God says here, which I cannot argue with.  God says that Wisdom has length of days in her right hand, which assures us of a long life.  This does not necessarily mean that the Wise will live to be more than a hundred years old.  There is more to "age" than years.   Only Wisdom can guarantee us a triumphant climax to life.  Wisdom provides a prosperous life, a pleasant life, and a peaceful life.  Who doesn't want this?  Count me in!  Let me encourage you to stay in God's Word, obey His commands, and write His laws on your heart.

Tell me, where are you going to spend eternity?  Do you know Jesus, Who is the only way to Heaven?  Please visit our "Pathway to Salvation" page by clicking here:  https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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