Living Confidently: In the Lord

Introduction:

We recently learned of the great value of trusting in the Lord.

We also learned about the wondrous wisdom available to us.

Prov. 3:19-20.

Access to God’s wisdom does not lead to us doing the miraculous ourselves, instead, it results in obedience, security, and a trustworthy way of life.

What is stable in your world?

This week we learned of concerns over civil war in Israel.

We have our own, ongoing, national struggles.

Financial stability.

Personal trustworthiness?

Today we are going to see the importance of trusting the Lord, valuing access to His word, building a confident life.

We will also see, hopefully, how the Lord differs from “the gods.”

An Appeal to Guard

This is the last of this type of “my son” appeals in Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:21 looks like Prov. 1:15 and Prov. 3:11 in structure.

These are the verses that begin with “BeNi (not Prov. 3:11)” followed by “al” and the jussive.

The information from the previous sections carries over in:

My son do not let them depart from your eyes.

“Them” may either be anaphoric looking backwards to the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Lord, or they may be cataphoric looking ahead at the virtues mentioned at the end of the statement.

If these statements reinforce “wisdom and discretion.”

Jehovah’s wisdom is available, and it can be taught.

Access brings with it responsibility.

Having the ability to access something is different from knowing it, valuing it, and structuring your life upon it.

He calls upon his son not to avert his eyes from wisdom and discretion.

Here is the responsibility. It is not just a form of fatherly pleading with a son.

Corresponding to this is the notion of guarding wisdom and discretion.

Both of these statements imply access to the information and the responsibility of valuing them to such a degree that they are treasured.

See previous section.

God’s Divine Feeding of our Souls.

Here Solomon reminds his son of the beautification of the life that only a right relationship with God can produce.

We can know the Lord, and He has made his mind and character known to us.

His mind and character can nourish our own lives and feed our souls.

This does not depend on “plugging in” or some other mystical, pagan concept.

The power at work in our lives enables stability, peace, and godly holiness.

A Confident Life

Confidence is not arrogance, although our generation often mistakingly conflates the two.

Prov. 3:23: Then, you will walk your way in trust/confidence.

We all know people who struggle to make basic decisions. Then, even when they’ve made them, the agonize over whether or not they made the right decision. Or, someone might say something such as, “if I’d only known.”

The availability of the Lord’s wisdom, if it is valued and guarded responsibly can lead to confidence that one’s way is lived in pursuit of the right thing.

It is always right to pursue the knowledge of God and God’s knowledge.

A life focused on the Lord more than the self will not be a misled life. We can live with confidence that we are oriented toward the right things when our lives are lived in fear of Him.

This also makes us think back to Prov. 3:5 because of the repetition of the word “trust.”

In terms that remind us of Prov. 1, we are reminded (see Prov. 3:24) that in the Lord we have rest and nothing of which to be afraid.

We have little need to worry about the judgment of God, our own destructiveness, or any impending (perceived or otherwise) of self-destruction.

We are reminded of Jesus’ own teaching about God’s nature and the absence of anxiety.

See also Phil. 4.