What The Wise Believe

Introduction Whenever the name of King Solomon is mentioned, people immediately associate it with two things: Great wealth and Great wisdom. Many will probably take a greater interest in his wealth. Under his reign, Israel enjoyed a Golden age – a time when it overflowed with gold. It is estimated that over a 30-year period, Solomon amassed about 500 metric tons of gold! But for those who live with eternity’s values in view, Solomon’s golden wisdom is of far greater value than his golden wealth. Solomon himself testified of this in Proverbs 16:16 – “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather be chosen than silver!”

Solomon’s wisdom was quite unique – It is seen in the many wise sayings that he composed in the Book of Proverbs. It is seen in his philosophical forays, as described in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is also seen in the difficult legal cases he was able to solve. I am sure that we would all like have the wisdom of King Solomon.

Wisdom is more than the ability to make good decisions. Wisdom is about making godly decisions about what to do, about what not to do, about what to say, about what not to say, about when to take action, and how to take action. The only way to do that is to give our entire heart to God and Him alone and to practice the presence of God living in me every moment of my life. The student of wisdom learns to have confidence that living for God is the most reasonable thing to do, and this will be proved as God makes our path straight. We must trust God fully and have a healthy distrust of self and acknowledges that we do not know what is best for us. Our natural tendency is not toward wisdom, it is toward selfishness. We are not capable of effectively guiding ourselves. The wise understand this completely. They humbly recognize how often their ways have failed. Our series this month is "A Season of Wisdom." We have looked at What the wise do (Seek to learn & Live God's ways) and Where the wise go (to God's Word). So today we continue our season with "What The Wise Believe?" Bible Passage Proverbs 3:5-10 (ESV - English Standard Version) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,  and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes;  fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh  and refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth  and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,  and your vats will be bursting with wine. Scriptural Analysis V5-7 Verse 5 is really a description of a worshiping heart. “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 your paths straight.” The point is that if I am completely focused on God, He’s going to guard my life, He’s going to straighten my path.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart: Trust means to rely on, depend on, and have confidence in. Trust with God as the goal or object means to regard him as the source of wisdom and power in all things and therefore worthy of your entire confidence. Trust God entirely, ‘with all your heart’ (v. 5a). God demands an undivided commitment to himself. In Solomon's experience too often Israel had divided loyalty between the Lord and other false gods. We can be tempted to trust the wisdom of the world rather than rely upon divine revelation.

You must trust God with all your thinking. In all your ways acknowledge him: Your ways refer to your undertakings, everything you do. Acknowledge him is to know him, have an intimate acquaintance with him, and be aware of him. In the present context, it is not simply an intellectual awareness of God’s existence but acceptance of God’s presence to guide and direct your life. We are not merely to acknowledge God’s lordship over our religious life; we are to bring God’s truth to bear on every aspect of our life.

V8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones: It points back to verse 7. This line introduces a consequence. Healing is probably to be understood as “health” but that is more the physical health. Trusting God and acknowledging him in our ways is a medicine that will keep you in good health and keep you refreshed emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Health naturally proceeds from the peaceful and well-ordered life that is submitted to God.

V9-10 The last admonitions (3:9–10) stand out from the others; not only are they more specific, but they can also be traced to the rules for worship in Israel in the giving of first fruits. The practice of offering a portion of one’s means to God acknowledges God as the source and provider. If there is any area in which people of every age are tempted to trust their own way, it is in the fantasy that wealth is a product of their own competence and work and nothing more. This teaching answers such a fantasy by pointing to barns of grain and vats of grapes, agricultural products of human labor that in the end are beyond human control. Honor the Lord with your substance: To Honor means to hold in high esteem, to recognize someone as being great and worthy. In relation to the Lord, it means to give respect or to speak highly of. In some languages, this is expressed as “Show that the Lord is great,” “Show that the Lord is wonderful,” or “Show how much you respect the Lord.”

The picture presented in this line is of wine vats or presses running over because they cannot contain the abundance. The abundance of grain and wine is a symbol of prosperity throughout the Old Testament. We give to the Lord’s work, not because he needs our help, but to honor and worship him. Giving is an act of faith. When you give generously, you are expressing confidence that God will meet your needs and that you won’t regret your charity.

TODAY'S KEY TRUTH The Wise Believe God is Lord of All Application A French soldier who had served ably in Napoleon’s army lay dying of a wound received in battle. As they probed his shattered ribs to find the fatal bullet, he said, "Dig a little deeper, and you will find the emperor." If we dug deep enough, would we find Christ in our hearts? That’s a question we all must ask ourselves. By nature, we are inclined to foolishly rely upon our own inclinations, desires, and wants. Scripture says, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way’ (Isa. 53:6). Many people make crucial life decisions in areas such as marriage, finances, and vocation not based upon God’s revealed Word but their feelings. Later in chapters that follow, Proverbs tells us that our feelings are unreliable: ‘There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death’ (14:12); ‘he who trusts in his own heart is a fool’ (28:26a).

Proverbs says we are to trust him in how we run our families, our education, our careers, our finances, and our friendships. He is Lord of all or not at all! Abraham Kuyper said, ‘In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which Christ does not declare, “That is mine!” The wise person is characterized by continuous contemplation of God and a ready observance of his will, not only in the great issues of life but also in the day-to-day routine. No matter is too small for God’s attention. It is self-idolatry to think we can carry on even the most ordinary matters without his counsel and direction. God blesses those who trust him: ‘He will make your paths straight’ (v. 6b). The person who trusts God entirely, exclusively, and extensively will enjoy the blessings of life.

As Sir Walter Raleigh was about to be executed, he was asked which way he preferred to lay his head on the block. He replied, "So the heart be right, it is no matter which way the head lies." Every thought, affection, and desire must be given over to God’s direction. The more completely we trust, the more surely will God guide us.

Verse 5 shows us we are to trust God's heart, not our own. — Trust in the LORD with all your heart Verse 5 also shows us to trust God's mind, not our own. — lean not unto your own understanding Verse 6 shows us to trust God's ways, not our own. — In all your ways acknowledge him Verses 9-10 show us to trust God's provisions, not our own. —  Honor the LORD with your substance

The Wise Believe God is Lord of All

Each decision, each thought, and each motivating idea we have should be in conjunction with our thinking of the Lord and His will for us. Our minds should be used to seek out and glorify the Lord. Our thinking should be centered on the Lord.  Everything we do, everything say, everything we think should be from a foundational thought of the Lord.

We sometimes pray for God’s guidance insincerely. We want him to guide us but in our own way. His guidance is useless when we go the same way with or without it. All reliance on our own understanding alone must be forever relinquished and replaced by a total trust in his ability to make a straight and profitable path for us. All the wisdom and education a person can acquire can never replace the need for full trust in the Lord. Paul wrote, "Let his mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

As a person trusts in the Lord and acknowledges Him in all his ways, he finds that God makes his paths straight. This means more than guidance; it means God removes the obstacles keeping you from your purpose in life. Acknowledge the Lord, seek out His way, and watch your life become more purposeful, meaningful, and peaceful. There is peace, purpose, and safety in being in the center of God’s will and walking in His ways.

The Wise Believe God is Lord of All

Our scripture says, “Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil. It shall be health to your flesh.” In the Bible, the concept of Sight, seeing is often applied to spiritual insight and the exercise of judgment. It is said that people are blind to the truth because their heart has become dark. Too frequently we base our decisions, our actions on what we can see or feel or hear. We forget the Lord and end up in a world of trouble. Too often we rely on ourselves. We think we have all the answers and are so proud of ourselves when we think we solved our own problems. Our conceit puts us on “hold” as far as divine guidance is concerned. When we fear the Lord and depart from evil, it means “all systems go.” It spells health to the body and strength to the bones.

It has been estimated that fear, sorrow, envy, resentment, hatred, guilt, and other emotional stresses account for over 60% of our illnesses. Add to that the terrible physical health toll taken by drugs and immorality, then we realize that “he shall direct your paths” is more literal and his guidance is surely included in the promise. When we acknowledge the Lord and follow His ways, our lives can see a dramatic change in our spiritual, emotional, and even physical health. When we seek the Lord’s will, the Lord’s way in our lives, we become healthy in many different senses.

The Wise Believe God is Lord of All

Adolphe Monod wrote, “There is no portion of our time that is our time, and the rest God’s; there is no portion of money that is our money, and the rest God’s money. It is all his; he made it all, gives it all, and he has simply trusted it to us for his service.” One way in which we can honor the Lordship of Christ is in our stewardship of possessions. All we have belongs to Him. We are stewards, responsible for its management. The generous Jew in the OT was promised bulging barns and overflowing vats of wine. Even though our blessings may be of a more spiritual and emotional nature, it is still true that we cannot out-give the Lord. It is our duty to serve God with our possessions. We must honor him, not only with our bodies and spirits, which are his but with our possessions too, for they also are his: we and all our accessories must be devoted to his glory. It is our duty to make our worldly possessions serviceable to our belief in God, to use them and the interest we have from them for the promoting of our faith, to do good to the poor, and the bringing of glory to God. The Wise Believe God is Lord of All Conclusion The question is your heart, his heart? Is your mind His mind? Are your ways His way? Are your possessions His possessions? If these conditions are being met, the Lord promises to guide and direct your ways to life in fullness. In other words, He will guide us to the fulfilling life he has for us and bless us in ways we never thought of if He is lord of all. The life God has planned for you is a life full of love, grace, and blessings. The Lord has much for those who will use it to glorify Him. Take a minute and really focus on what it means for God to be Lord of all. Every action, every thought, every word, every decision, every vote, every comment in person and online, every dime spent, every moment we are alive, everything goes through the filter called God. That filter changes how we see everything. What guides us in those moments? Is it our thoughts? Our feelings? Our wisdom? Our wants? Our personal preferences? Or is He Lord of all? If He isn't Lord of all, He is just another influencer we occasionally follow. In all decisions, in every difficulty, in all distress, in every danger, let the Lord be ever before you, turn to Him and trust His ways, not your own.

You go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce and whose degrees you have never verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never met. He gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill according to the instructions on the bottle. You trust these people.

You have Noah building a boat in the middle of the desert without a drop of water in sight. And can you imagine how the neighborhood mocked him for 40 years? Nobody understood what he was doing, not even his family, and not even Noah. He simply trusted in God and did what God gave him to do. And because of his trust, he and his family were saved from the flood. He is Lord of all or not at all. Can you imagine the thoughts of Joshua’s army when the battle plan to destroy Jericho was to simply march around the city and blow horns? I can imagine by the third day of doing this, many probably thought that Joshua had been out in the sun too long because of their own wisdom and understanding. But on that seventh day, they marched around that city and blew their horns, and then he gave the command to shout, and the city fell inward and the city was theirs. Joshua didn’t understand but simply trusted in God. He is Lord of all or not at all. And that is what King Solomon, the wisest person to ever live, is telling us: The Wise Believe God is Lord of All.

Trust in God, don’t lean on what you think is best. Just obey Him and do as He says. There might be times in our lives that don’t make sense, and we don’t understand, but we must simply trust God. The Wise Believe God is Lord of All.

As we close today, I want you to think about this fact. Every one of us will give an accounting to Christ for the things He has entrusted to us. Is your heart his heart? Is your mind His mind? Are your ways His way? Are your possessions His possessions? if so then on that accounting day will Christ say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of the Lord.” The Wise Believe God is Lord of All