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The Benefits of Wisdom: Proverbs 3:1-18 (Thomas Schreiner)

One of my favorite novels is David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Is there anyone better than Dickens at filling a novel with fascinating and unforgettable characters: from the hypocritical Uriah Heep to the incompetent but likable Mr. Micawber? When my son, Daniel, had a literature class at Western Kentucky University, the professor said that no one has ever captured better what it is like to grow up young and abused than Dickens in David Copperfield.

When David is young, he is savagely mistreated by his step-father, Mr. Murdstone. The abuse Mr. and Mrs. Murdstone pour out on David makes them some of the most hateful people in literature. Dickens captures well the torment children feel when they are raised by adults that are vicious, selfish, and heartless. You feel David’s pain as he endures devilish cruelty from Mr. and Mrs. Murdstone. And yet David ends up being a person of virtue and wisdom. All the abuse he endures doesn’t scar him. He remains a person who is loving and caring, and so he ends up having a blessed life.

I am not arguing that David Copperfield is a Christian novel, for David never recognizes and repents of his own sin. In fact, this is a problem in almost all of Dickens’s novels. Those who are good in his novels are innocent and virtually without sin. His novels at one level have an astonishingly low view of sin. On the other hand, Dickens recognizes that those who are wise are virtuous and that virtue brings happiness. Yes, he leaves the biggest piece of the puzzle out, but he sees part of the picture. He sees that righteousness leads to a blessing. And that is one of the main truths in the book of Proverbs.

The wise enjoy life, here and hereafter

I see four truths about those who are wise in Proverbs 3:1-18. First, those who are wise enjoy both this life and the next (vv 1-4, 13-18). I see this in both vv 1-4 and vv 13-18. Let’s look at vv 1-4. The father urges his son in v. 1: “don’t forget my teaching.” He says, “let your heart keep my commands.” He isn’t calling for outward obedience. He is looking for obedience of the heart.

Children may obey their parents two different ways. They may obey them gladly, or they may do what they say sullenly, by pouting and frowning and saying, “Well ok, I’ll do it.” True obedience comes from the heart. It is genuine and glad-hearted. In the same way, we see in v. 3 that the son is to embrace “steadfast love and faithfulness.” If we are wise, we will be characterized by covenant faithfulness. These qualities should be written on the tablets of our hearts.

What the father says here reminds us of the 10 commandments. For they were written on tablets. But the father’s commands are to be on the tablets of the heart. The word for “teaching” in v. 1 is the word Torah, and the word “commands” reminds us of the laws given by Moses. We find very similar words in Proverbs 7:1-3. “My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Why is this important? We learn that wisdom and Torah belong together. Those who are wise keep the Torah; those who are wise keep God’s law. Wisdom and the law are not enemies but friends. Those who are wise observe God’s law. They do his will.

Of course, there is discontinuity between the OT and the NT. Believers are not under the law given by Moses. But we read in Jeremiah 31 that the law will be written on the heart of God’s new covenant people. What Proverbs calls for is fulfilled in the new covenant! And we read in Ezekiel 36 that those who have the Holy Spirit will keep God’s law. Praise God for his gracious work in our lives if we are Christians. We have had a heart transplant.

This is one sign that you are really a Christian. Now God’s law is inscribed on our hearts. You love God, and you love Jesus Christ, and so you enjoy doing his will. Believers in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit do God’s will. We don’t keep it perfectly of course. We all stumble in many ways as James says. But we are new people. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4, we have been taught by God to love one another, and then he encourages us to do so even more.

So, how can we show love to one another in the context of the local church? Whom can you invest in as a friend and colleague or as a mentor? Ask God to direct you so that you express your love by ministering to and caring for others. And don’t think that only those who have been to seminary can minister to you. Realize that God has given spiritual wisdom to many who haven’t had any formal education. They may have far more practical and biblical wisdom than one who has studied. If we think that only those who are at the seminary can minister to us, we are guilty of a worldly and secular way of thinking.

Solomon emphasizes the benefits given to those who pursue wisdom. We read in v. 2, “for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” Verse 4 says the wise “find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” Or, consider vv 16-17. “Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.” And we read in v 17 “her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”

There are exceptions to what is said here. Some who are wise die young. And 1 Peter tells us that unbelievers may be impressed with our godliness but still persecute us. Still, generally speaking those who follow God’s ways live longer and live happier. There is a peace and joy in godly homes that you don’t find in unbelieving homes. What blessings God gives us. Our home wasn’t perfect of course, but I look back on our years of marriage and our years of raising children, and I think of the peace, and joy, and great blessings God has given us. When we follow the Lord, we see his goodness, and we recognize that he pours his goodness upon us. Let us not forget to thank God for how he has blessed us in so many ways. Let us praise him for his mercies that are new every morning. Let us thank him for showering us with his goodness and grace.

And if you are young, give yourself to God and be wise, for we see in vv 13-18 as well that those are wise know God’s favor. “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.” Wisdom is better than being wealthy. This assumes, by the way, that being wealthy is a good thing, that being wealthy is a blessing. There are many spiritual dangers from wealth, and Jesus warns us about those dangers. Still, wealth in itself is a blessing. But wisdom is better than wealth. Those who are wise are happier than those who are rich.

I think the most amazing verse is v. 15, where the author says about wisdom. “She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Whenever I read this verse, it stops me in my tracks. It takes my breath away. I try to take it in. I pray that I will be able to grasp what is said here. Most of all, I pray that I will be able to believe what is said here. I pray that it will shape my whole life. “Nothing you desire can compare with her.” Isn’t that stunning?

One thing I want, one thing you want, is to be happy. We want to soar on wings with joy. And we are promised here that wisdom will bring such joy. So, I want wisdom. I want it ever so much because I want joy. And the NT tells us that Jesus is the wisdom of God. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1:18ff we are taught that the message of Christ crucified is the message of God’s wisdom. So, knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified is the way to wisdom.

Wisdom realizes that the path to joy comes in admitting that we are broken. We find life by admitting that apart from God we are spiritually dead. We find life when we realize that apart from Christ we face final and eternal judgment. So, we turn to Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. We see in the crucified Christ the wisdom of God. And we find our joy in the cross where forgiveness was purchased for us. Another way of putting it is that when we turn to wisdom, when we turn to Christ, we gain life. And when we gain life we gain joy.

Verese 18 says that wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. But what does Proverbs mean by this phrase, tree of life? Naturally, we think of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9; 3:17, 22, 24) where the tree of life almost certainly refers to eternal life. Proverbs speaks of the “tree of life” four times (Prov. 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4). It seems in Proverbs that flourishing in this life is included, for “a gentle tongue is a tree of life” (15:4), and even the fulfillment of a desire is said to be a “tree of life” (13:12). But as we continue searching we find that life in Proverbs is more than physical life. There are hints that life refers to something that transcends this life.

Let’s consider some verses in Proverbs that speak of life. Wisdom says, “whoever finds me finds life” (8:35). Life is also the fruit of wisdom (11:30).  We read in 4:13 that “wisdom” “is your life.”  One who turns aside to an unfaithful woman “sinks down to death” and will not “regain the paths of life” (2:18-19; cf. 5:5-6; 6:26; 7:23).  Solomon often says that righteousness leads to life (12:28; 16:31; 21:21). The fear of the Lord brings great blessing, “for by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life” (9:11; cf. 10:27; 14:27; 19:23; 22:4). The focus in these texts is on a long life on earth, a fruitful productive life during one’s earthly sojourn. But there are hints that “eternal life” may also be in view. Bruce Waltke says that some verses in Proverbs refer “to abundant life in fellowship with God, a living relationship that is never envisioned as ending in clinical death in contrast to the wicked’s eternal death.” Proverbs 14:32 seems to be especially significant, for “the righteous finds refuge in his death.” How do the righteous find refuge in death unless there is a promise of life after death? And 15:24 seems to promise that the prudent will not experience Sheol. “The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.” In any case, the NT picks up the theme of life typologically and relates it to an eternal future, to life that never ends.

What is the application for us? Isn’t it amazing how people in our culture cling so fiercely to life? They are so fearful of dying. No wonder. They have no hope for the future. It reminds me of the Peggy Lee song. She sings, “Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s bring out the booze and have a ball. If that’s all there is.” But as Christians we are different. We know that we are looking forward to something far better than this life. We want to live for the sake of our loved ones and friends. But there is also a part of us that longs to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. We have no fear of death. We don’t worship life in this world. We are ready to be with Jesus. We don’t make this world our heaven.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       How easy it is to spend so much time thinking about things in this world: how can I decorate where I live, how can I fix up the house, what car should I drive, etc.? Now those things are not necessarily wrong. But we can invest our energy into this life and forget about the world to come. That isn’t wisdom. That leads us naturally to the next point.

The wise are generous

Second, those who are wise are generous. We read in vv 9-10. “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Part of what is said here is tied to old covenant realities. Earthly blessings were promised to those who gave generously. Even in the old covenant, there were exceptions to what is stated here. Not everyone who gave generously was blessed with prosperity. Furthermore, in applying this to today we have to think of the political system and economy in which people live today. It is harder to be wealthy in Haiti than it is in the US. Financial returns aren’t promised to all regardless of the circumstances.

This promise was given to those who lived under the Sinai covenant in Israel. Still, the command applies to us today. We are to honor the Lord with our money. The NT makes it very clear that we are to give generously and gladly. God loves a cheerful giver as 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” When we give cheerfully and generously, we acknowledge that God will supply our every need in Christ Jesus.

Typically God blesses those who are generous with more than enough to supply their needs. So, what about you? Are you honoring the Lord with your wealth? If you are a member, do you give generously and sacrificially to the needs of your local church? Do you invest in the gospel? This isn’t a call to give out of guilt. To give in a grudging way, to give because you have to, is not what scripture calls for. We are called upon to give gladly and sacrificially because God has been good to us. What we do with our money shows whether we are pursuing wisdom. What we do with our money shows whether God is our treasure, whether we truly delight in him.

The wise embrace discipline

Third, those who are wise embrace discipline. We read in vv 11-12. “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” We have seen in this text the lavish benefits the Lord promises those who love him. Still, that doesn’t mean life is bereft of pain.

The words quoted here are picked up in Hebrews 12 and applied to Christians. Those who know the Lord are disciplined and reproved by him. In Hebrews we see that he trains and disciplines believers by bringing suffering and persecution into our lives. Such discipline isn’t punishment. It isn’t because the Lord is angry at us. Indeed, the verses teach just the opposite.

Did you see v. 12? The Lord reproves us because he loves us. Just as a father disciplines a child he delights in, so the Lord disciplines us. Moms and Dads: reflect on how much you love your children. It seems like a love that has no end. I think of how much delight and joy I get from our children. And now I get that same delight every day with two of our grandchildren. Every day I get to see them. Every day I am filled with happiness when I see them. And our Father loves his children far more than I love my children or grandchildren, far more than you love your children or grandchildren. Christian, God has planned and ordained the pain that has come into your life. And he knows that pain is hard and difficult and a strain upon you. But remember this: God isn’t angry with you. He delights in you. He is a wise Father and he brings pain into your life because he knows what is best for you. Whatever stress is in your life is from the hand of God as your kind Father. And he is bringing it into your life to make you more like Christ. Embrace his love in your pain. Know that he is making you more like Jesus Christ.

The wise trust in the Lord

Fourth and finally, those who are wise trust in the Lord. We read in Proverbs 3:5-8.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

Since God is our wise Father and since he loves us, we are called upon to trust in him “with all our heart.” The word “heart” means that we are to trust in the Lord with our whole being: our minds, our emotions, and our wills. Trusting the Lord means that we don’t rely on our own understanding and worldview. We rely on God’s wisdom and perspective. We rely on God’s word instead of our own viewpoint.

There are many people who read the Bible today who say that the Bible has mistakes in it. I just read an author this week who claims to be a Christian, but he says at the same time that Jesus was wrong on some things. I have never met this man, but I know something about him. He is wise in his own eyes. He is arrogant and proud. He isn’t trusting in God. He is trusting in himself. This verse says our trust in God must be complete. We are to trust him with all our heart. We lean on him for everything.

Every day we say: I can’t bring glory to God in my own strength. I can’t preach a sermon w/o Christ. I can’t be a good father or mother without Christ. I can’t be a good husband without Christ. I can’t raise my children without Christ. I can’t be a good student without Christ. I can’t work well every day without Christ. I need him every moment. I need him every hour.

Charles Bridges says trust, “is a childlike, unwavering confidence in Our Father’s well-proved wisdom, faithfulness, and love” (26). We trust in God’s wisdom. He knows what we should do. We trust in his faithfulness. He will supply the strength we need. We trust in his love. He wants what is best for us. Our trust in God is not only complete but it also exclusive. We put our trust exclusively and only in the Lord, for we don’t put our trust in our own understanding. We acknowledge God in all our ways.

I can’t help but quote Bridges again here. He says, “Always make your plans in total dependence upon God” (27). And, “take all your difficulties to him. Before you consult your friends, consult God” (27). I think that is something I often haven’t done. How quick I am to talk to people about what is bothering me instead of bringing it to God. God wants us to bring our requests to him with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving. He wants us to know and experience that apart from him that we can’t do anything.

And that really brings us to the main point of these verses. When we acknowledge God, he will make our paths straight. That doesn’t mean life will always be easy. It means that God will guide us in the right and true and good way. And ultimately the right and good way brings joy. It brings refreshment and healing to our bones. It brings joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Thomas Schreiner is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Among his many books are RomansPaul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ, Magnifying God in Christ: A Summary of New Testament Theology, and Galatians.

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