Proverbs 3 Verses 5 to 8 Surrender Your Trust July 28, 2024

Proverbs 3 Verses 5 to 8 Surrender Your Trust July 28, 2024

Lesson #4 The Search for Wisdom Series Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) 6 But without faith it isimpossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

· Luke 17:6-7 (NKJV) 6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? at He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

· Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

· Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV) 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

· Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Main Idea:

· The object of your trust is more important than the amount of your trust.

Study Aim:

· To understand that real surrender is acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus over every area of your life.

Create Interest:

· WHY ARE WE STUDYING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?

o Because we need more than ethical principles.

o We need new hearts.

o We need wisdom deep within, at an intuitive level, as we hurry from one complex decision to the next, moment by moment, in the concrete realities of our daily lives.

· Without God’s wisdom, many difficulties in life will remain confusing and threatening.

· With God’s wisdom entering our hearts, we get the hang of how life really works, and we come alive more and more.

o Irenaeus, the early Christian theologian, famously said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Last week we learned that the first condition for receiving God’s guidance is that we learn God’s truth (vv. 1–4).

· The will of God is revealed in the Word of God (Col. 1:9–10), and the only way to know His will is to study His Word and obey it.

o By receiving the Word within our hearts, we experience growth in godly character so that mercy and truth (“love and faithfulness,” NIV) become beautiful ornaments in our lives (Prov. 3:3; 1:9).

o It isn’t enough for believers to carry the Bible in their hands; they must let the Holy Spirit write it on their hearts (3:3; 7:3; 2 Cor. 3:1–3).

§ Obedience to the Word can add years to your life and life to your years.

· This week we learn that the second condition for receiving God’s guidance is that we must obey God’s will (vv. 5–8). “He shall direct your paths” (v. 6, NKJV) is the promise, but the fulfillment of that promise is predicated on our obedience to the Lord.

o We must trust Him with all our heart and obey Him in all our ways. That means total commitment to Him (Rom. 12:1–2).

o The word translated “trust” in verse 5 means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.

· The danger, of course, is that we lean on our own understanding and thereby miss God’s will.

o This warning doesn’t suggest that God’s children turn off their brains and ignore their intelligence and common sense.

o Note: It simply cautions us not to depend on our own wisdom and experience or the wisdom and experience of others. Abraham did this when he went to Egypt (Gen. 12:10–20) and so did Joshua when he attacked the little town of Ai (Josh. 7). When we become “wise in [our] own eyes” (Prov. 3:7), then we’re heading for trouble.[2]

· Specifically, it’s about trust in Yahweh. You could say that these early chapters of Proverbs are about trust in wisdom, not about trust in Yahweh, but the wisdom that they urge is Yahweh’s wisdom, and paying attention to wisdom is Proverbs’ equivalent to paying attention to Yahweh—Moses speaks of paying attention to Torahand the Prophets speak of paying attention to Yahweh’s word, and they are all referring to the same thing.

· The Torah and the Prophets would agree that the opposite of trusting Yahweh is trusting in oneself or leaning on one’s own understanding. The Hebrew word for “lean” can refer to someone literally or metaphorically leaning on someone else’s hand or arm.

o Proverbs invites us to lean on the arm of Yahweh that grasps us.

· To put it another way, trusting in one’s own understanding is to be wise in one’s own eyes. Proverbs 26:12will declare that making this mistake puts someone into a worse situation than simply being a fool. Admittedly, one may not realize that one is falling into this trap. The phrase refers to people who have acquired a little wisdom, and know it, and think they have arrived. There’s at least the possibility that a fool may “come to his senses,” as we say, and seek wisdom, but someone who thinks that they have already found it may have less chance to do so.

· The chapter refers twice more to trust.

o It declares that people who pay attention to wisdom will go their way with trust. Their trust will not turn out to have been misplaced; their foot will not trip.

o It makes the same point in different words when it promises that Yahweh will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

§ The Hebrew word for “confidence” is also one of the words for being stupid—it’s related to the word for “fools” in the last line.

📷 Trust in God can look stupid, but actually it’s the most sensible thing in the world.

§ Trusting in yourself and following your hunches can seem sensible, but it may be stupid.

📷 Urging people to trust in a crucified Jew looks really stupid, but it’s the most sensible thing in the world,

📷 whereas the world’s wisdom is actually stupid (so Paul will note, nuancing Proverbs’ point).[3]

Bible Study:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

· In preaching “trust in God” the moralist anticipates the teaching that man is justified by faith.

o To confide in God’s will, the secret of all true greatness, is to rise out of all our anxieties and plans and fears when we think of ourselves as the mediators of our own fortunes, and so “lean to our own understanding.[4]

· As anticipated by the rest of the Old Testament, Proverbs recognizes the need for inward-out transformation, not behavior modification.

o Proverbs isn’t exhorting us to behavior first and foremost; it’s advocating our need for regeneration before these things can be followed.

· How does this happen? Verses 5 and 7 say you should trust the Lord instead of trusting yourself. One could boil the whole of Proverbs down to this truth.

· Obedience to the law starts with faith. This is the key to wisdom, as 1:7already stated.

o Trust in Yahweh with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding.

o Trust God, not yourself. Foolishness is trusting in your own mind and heart (28:26). Wisdom starts with recognizing that you don’t have it and looking to God in humility for it. The way that seems right to humans ends in death. We think that what is best for us is autonomy and the power to choose what to do with our own lives, but Proverbs says that is suicidal. What seems right to us usually ends up wrecking us.[5]

· To trust in the Lord wholeheartedly means one should not rely (lean) on his understanding, for human insights are never enough.

o God’s ways are incomprehensible (Isa. 55:8–9; Rom. 11:33–34); yet He is trustworthy.

o All the wisdom a person may acquire can never replace the need for full trust in God’s superior ways.

o Heart in Hebrew refers to one’s emotions (Prov. 12:25; 13:12; 14:10, 13) but more often to his intellect (such as understanding, 10:8; discernment, 15:14; reflection, 15:28), or will (5:12).

· As a person trusts in the Lord and acknowledges Him (this is not a nod of recognition but an intimate knowledge of God) in all his ways (cf. all yourheart, 3:5), he finds that God makes his paths straight.

o This means more than guidance; it means God removes the obstacles, making a smooth path or way of life, or perhaps better, bringing one to the appointed goal. (On ways and paths, cf. v. 17 and see comments on 2:13, 15.)

o Proverbs teaches that those who follow wisdom have an easier, less problematic life (e.g., 3:10, 16, 24–25).[6]

· Human wisdom is inadequate, but divine wisdom is sufficient guidance for life. The assurance is that God will direct(Vs. 6) our lives and enable us to reach our destination. Moffatt says: “He will clear the road for you.” The reference is to removing the obstacles in laying a highway (Isa. 40:3; 45:13).[7]

Now that we have a good overview of verses 5 and 6, let’s dig deeper and light God’s light shine brighter to us

Trust God entirely, ‘with all your heart’ (v. 5a).

· God demands an undivided commitment to himself. Too often Israel had a loyalty divided between the Lord and the false gods of the nations. We can be tempted to trust the wisdom of the world rather than rely upon divine revelation.

· The psalmist says, ‘I hate those who are double-minded’ (Ps. 119:113).

· Jesus said, ‘No one can serve two masters’ (Matt. 6:24a), and he taught that the greatest commandment is to ‘love the Lordyour God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30).

Trust God exclusively, and ‘do not lean on your own understanding’ (v. 5b).

· By nature we are inclined to foolishly rely upon our own inclinations and desires: ‘All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way’ (Isa. 53:6).

o Many people make crucial life decisions in areas such as marriage, finances, and vocation not based upon God’s revealed Word but their feelings.

o 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).

§ A man may feel that he would be happier if he were to divorce his wife.

§ A mother may not feel like using the rod of discipline on her children.

§ In their quest to grow, churches may be tempted to resort to worldly methodologies that compromise biblical principles.

📷 The wise man does not lean on his own understanding but trusts that God’s way is best.

o The one who chooses his own way arrogantly claims that he knows better than God.

· Proverbs also warns us against being improperly influenced by other people: ‘The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted’ (29:25).

o We must evaluate the counsel and influence of friends, family members, and worldly experts against the Word of God, and we must have the courage to risk their disapproval when Scripture directs us otherwise. Discuss!

o The command to trust God also brings to mind the way of salvation. Conversion takes place when we repent of trusting in our own goodness and wisdom and put our faith in what God has done for us in Christ (Eph. 2:8–9).

o

Trust God extensively: ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him’ (v. 6a).

· 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 life.

o We trust him in how we run our families, our education, our careers, our finances, and our friendships. He is Lord of all!

o Abraham Kuyper said, ‘In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, “That is mine!” ’

o 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 day-to-day routine.

o No matter is too small for God’s attention.

§ To paraphrase one commentator, it is self-idolatry to think we can carry on even the most ordinary matters without his counsel.8

· 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 success in life.[8]

o 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 (NKJV) 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

o 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NKJV) 9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORDsearches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

Proverbs 3:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

· Do not be wise in your own eyes: We can regard this as an explanation of what it means to lean on one’s own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). It is to regard our wisdom and better and greater than God’s.

o “Be not puffed up with vain conceit of thine own wisdom, as if that were sufficient for the conduct of all thine affairs without direction or assistance from God, or without the advice of others.” (Poole)[9]

· Vs. 7: This is the central thought and defining theme of this chapter.

o Remember, the fear of the Lord is a relationship with God that results in submissive obedience to Him.

o Depart (sur) means to turn aside from or shun. Shunning evil is synonymous with fearing God. Job is the great Old Testament example of this command. He was known and described by God as a man who feared the Lordand eschewed or shunned evil:[10]

· Vs. 8: God’s commands are for the well-being of His children in every dimension of life—the physical, the spiritual, and the emotional.

o People who fear the Lord and shun evil will reap physical benefits in their health (v.8).

o Sin often carries physical consequences. It saps our strength (Ps. 32:3–4) and sometimes is the root of illness (Jas. 5:14–15; 1 Co. 11:30.

o The word health (riph’uth) is derived from the word for heal (rapha) and is used only here in the Old Testament.

o The motive clause of v. 8 promises physical health. Health naturally proceeds from the peaceful and well-ordered life that is submitted to God.[11]

§ The image here in Proverbs is of the health-giving nourishment and strength that flow from the mother’s body through the umbilical cord into her preborn baby’s body.

§ The fear of the Lordis a healing flow into our sin-sick souls. It is the marrow or nourishment—drink, refreshment—for our bones.

Thoughts to Soak on:

· God is necessarily so much to men, men are necessarily so completely bereft without Him, that clear vision and strong action are utterly impossible apart from a humble dependence upon Him.

o The beginning of all wisdom is, as we have seen, in the recognition of God, in personal submission to Him, in diligent obedience to all His directions.

o This appears, before we reflect, to be a mere truism; when we have reflected, it proves to be a great revelation.

§ We do not at first see what is meant by trusting in the Lord with all our heart; we confuse it with that tepid, conventional relation to God which too frequently passes current for faith.

§ We do not readily apprehend what is implied in acknowledging God in all our ways; we suppose that it only means a general professing and calling ourselves Christians.

§ Consequently, many of us who believe that we trust in the Lord, yet lean habitually and confidently upon our own understanding, and are even proud of doing so; we are wise in our own eyes long after our folly has become apparent to every one else; we resent with a vehemence of righteous indignation any imputation upon the soundness of our judgment. The very tone of mock humility in which we say, “I may be wrong, but—” shows that we are putting a case which seems to us practically impossible.

· Consequently, while we think that we are acknowledging God in all our ways, He does not direct our paths; indeed, we never gave Him an opportunity. From first to last we directed them ourselves.

· Brace yourselves! Now……………..

o Let us frankly acknowledge that we do not really believe in God’s detailed concern with the affairs of the individual life;

o that we do not, therefore, commit our way with an absolute surrender into His hand;

o that we do not think of submitting to His disposal the choice of our profession, the choice of our partner in life, the choice of our place of residence, the choice of our style of living, the choice of our field of public service, the choice of our scale of giving.

§ Let us confess that we might have settled all or some these things in implicit and unquestioning reliance upon our own understanding.[12] Discuss.

§ Let us also determine to do better as we go forward😊.

As we study Proverbs, we hopefully will develop five “attitudes” that will prove beneficial in our lives as we occupy this earth looking forward to Heaven. John E. Goldingay submits these for your “soaking” consideration.

· Five specific attitudes are then urged on us.

o First, we are to be steadfast in our commitment (Vs. 3–4; cf. Dt. 6:8; 11:18).

§ Love and faithfulness are a key OT word pair suggesting the making and keeping of commitments. Such characteristics belong to God, and constitute aims for the human response to God and to other people (e.g.14:22; 16:6; 20:28; Pss. 25:10; 40:10–11).

o Secondly, we are to be dependent in our thinking (Vs. 5–6).

§ Trust and lean both suggest the physical experience of supporting yourself on something or someone in total and helpless reliance and commitment.

o Thirdly, we are to be humble in our obedience (Vs. 7–8).

§ Wise in your own eyesdenotes not merely proud of your own wisdom but self-sufficient in it and therefore not feeling the need to refer things to God (no doubt a besetting temptation for people committed to finding wisdom).

o Fourthly, we are to be lavishly generous in our giving (Vs. 9–10; cf. Dt. 26). We will focus on these two verses in Lesson 5

o Fifthly, we are to be submissive in our experience of affliction (Vs. 11–12; cf. Dt. 8:5). We will touch on these verses in Lesson 5

§ We can “be” those things because they will bring us favor (Vs.4), direction (Vs.6), health (Vs.8), and prosperity (Vs.10), and because the one to whom we submit in these varying ways is our loving Father (Vs.12.[13]

In closing the following are two examples which demonstrate the focus of total and complete trust in God in our lesson on Wisdom

· Lean not unto thine own understanding,” adds Proverbs 3:5. But even Job faltered here. He spoiled his magnificent, magnanimous vow of total trust by adding, “But I will maintain mine own ways before him” (Job 13:15). Job’s statement has been paraphrased, “Though He slay me, I will wait for Him; and before Him my doings defend.” Indeed, most of the book of Job is the record of men defending their own doings. Read Job’s last speech in chapters 29–31 and count the number of times Job used the personal pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” in defending his doings; he talked about himself and his integrity no less than 195 times. He knew better, however, after God finished talking to him (Job 42:6).

· Moses is a more perfect example of trust. One trial of his faith took place after the Israelites packed their bags and marched out of their grim Goshen ghetto, the scene of their sufferings and fears. Pharaoh halted between two opinions, torn between fear and fury. His son was dead, his realm laid waste, and now he was losing the services of a vast army of slaves. Then he made up his mind. He mobilized and marched. Soon the rear guard of the Hebrews saw the chariots of Egypt maneuvering behind them and poising to strike. The Hebrews were terror-stricken. Behind them was the crack corps of the Egyptian army; before them was the deep water of the Red Sea. The Israelites were trapped.

o “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” says the proverb. Moses did just that. “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,” Moses told the people (Exodus 14:13). He did not know how they would escape, but he knew God.

o “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward,” God said (Exodus 14:15). The situation seemed hopeless. If the Israelites stood still, the Egyptian soldiers would get them. If the Israelites went forward, the Red Sea would drown them. Moses looked at that vast host of anxious moms and dads, terrified boys and girls. It made less sense to go forward than it did to stand still. Yet Moses, who possessed a giant intellect and had been trained in the best universities of Egypt, decided not to lean on his own understanding. He did what he was told. He trusted God in the dark, so to speak. He moved to the front of the people, beckoned them to follow, and rod in hand marched boldly toward the sea. Moses had his priorities right. He chose to trust God at all costs.

· The Lord is eminently worthy of our trust. When we enthrone God’s law in our hearts, our paths are directed at moments of crisis and in ordinary decisions.[14]

[1]Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., Preaching the Word: Proverbs—Wisdom That Works, ed. R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 59. [2]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Skillful, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 38–39. [3]John Goldingay, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs for Everyone, Old Testament for Everyone (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2014), 17–18. [4]Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, Lamentations & Ezekiel, ed. F. C. Cook and J. M. Fuller (London: John Murray, 1879), 20. [5]Jonathan Akin, Exalting Jesus in Proverbs, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 42–43. [6]Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 911. [7]Earl C. Wolf, “The Book of Proverbs,” in Job through Song of Solomon, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1967), Pr 3:1–10. [8]Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 59–61. [9]David Guzik, Proverbs, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2017), Pr 3:7–8. [10]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Proverbs, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2012), 71. [11]Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 14, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 81. [12]Robert F. Horton, “The Book of Proverbs,” in The Expositor’s Bible: Psalms to Isaiah, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, vol. 3, Expositor’s Bible (Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co., 1903), 359. [13]John E. Goldingay, “Proverbs,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 589. [14]John Phillips, Exploring Proverbs 1–19: An Expository Commentary, vol. 1, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Pr 3:5–6.