The Directive Path of Wisdom

Intro / Recap

6 weeks ago we set out on a journey to answer the question “What does it mean to walk with God?”

We began this study with Joshua 22:5

Joshua 22:5 (KJV 1900)

5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

We began by examining this 7-fold admonition from Joshua to Israel on walking in all His ways

We then looked at Paul’s admonition when he says “If you are a child of the Light, walk like it!”

We then learned how to find the right path, stay on the right path and help others on the path as well

Next we went all the way back to the beginning and attempted to answer the question “What does it mean to walk with God?” by way of examining what the walk looked like in the beginning before sin entered into the world…

Last week we saw the protective path of wisdom

Today we look into the truth of the directive path of wisdom

Text:

Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV 1900)

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.

Everyone say “God has a will for my life!”

The key to walking with God is contained in the text…

The word we need to examine is the word “acknowledge”

The Jewish word for “Acknowledge” is “yada” which means a level of intimacy that is not sexual

What do we learn from this? God wants us to know Him intimately.

Merriam-Webster defines acknowledge as: To own or notice with particular regard ; to pay specific attention to

God gives a promise is verse 6 “…And he shall direct thy paths.”

This is the goal…

The theme text for our series on “Walking in His Ways” is:

Joshua 22:5 (KJV 1900)

5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Directive Path of Wisdom

How do we acknowledge God in all His ways?

1. Acknowledge Him in His Word

Proverbs 3:1 (KJV 1900)

1 My son, forget not my law;

But let thine heart keep my commandments:

This emphasizes the head and the heart…

It is not enough to have God’s Word in your head… You must have it in your heart

Deuteronomy 11:18 (KJV 1900)

18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

When the mind is engaged in an issue, the motive is, “I ought to”

When the will is engaged in an issue, the motive is, “I have to”

When the heart is engaged in an issue, the motive is, “I want to”

To “Forget” God’s law would indicate we weren’t walking with Him intimately…

We weren’t noticing Him with particular regard…

To will the will of God is to do more than give unprotesting consent to it; it is rather to choose God’s will with positive determination.1

A. W. Tozer

Deuteronomy 8 (KJV 1900)

1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.

We ignore God when:

We don’t pray

We don’t read our Bible

We don’t seek Him first

We don’t ask Him

We do our will over His

We don’t give Him the glory for the blessings in our lives

Jeremiah 10:23 (KJV 1900)

23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself:

It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

1 Thessalonians 3:11 (KJV 1900)

11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

Ecclesiastes 3:10 (KJV 1900)

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

Psalm 37:4–7 (KJV 1900)

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord;

And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord;

Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,

And thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,

Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

2. Acknowledge Him in Mercy and Truth

Proverbs 3:3 (KJV 1900)

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:

Bind them about thy neck;

Write them upon the table of thine heart:

There were 128 runners in the field for the cross country race at the 1993 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. As they set out on the 6.2 mile run, they were following a course that had been marked for them by the race officials. Toward the end of the course, one of the runners in the middle of the group realized something was wrong. Mike Delcavo of Western State College in Colorado saw that the main pack had missed the turn. “I was waving for them to follow me and yelling ‘This is the right way,’” he told an interviewer after the race.

It brings us to the promise:

Proverbs 3:4 (KJV 1900)

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding

In the sight of God and man.

3. Acknowledge Him in All Your Ways

Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV 1900)

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.

Back to understanding the word “Acknowledge”

That intimate relationship with God

That paying specific regard to HIs presence

Purposely, intentionally, recognizing His presence in your life

a.) Our God is dependable

“He will never let us go, never let us down, and never let us off.”

Proverbs 3:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

And lean not unto thine own understanding.

It is like what Moses told Israel is Exodus 14:13

Exodus 14:13 (KJV 1900)

13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

It was required of Moses when God told him in Exodus 14:15

Exodus 14:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

Forward meant drowning in the Red Sea according to my understanding

Sitting still meant being killed by the Egyptian army according to my understanding

Moses relied and trusted in God which was not the way that made sense…

When we enthrone God’s laws in our hearts, our priorities are dictated and our paths are directed.

We cannot always trace God’s hand but we can always trust God’s heart.

Charles Spurgeon