Blessing and Submission (Condensed Notes)

Text—these are the very words of God

Proverbs 3:1–10 ESV

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. 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. 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.

Context

Back in Proverbs—picking up where we left off after Chapter 2

Proverbs has 7 collections

Collection 1 = Proverbs 1-9

It contains ten heart-to-hearts between Solomon and his son

Within these there is wisdom for all of us—not just Solomon’s offspring

This is heart-to-heart #3.

Big Idea

God blesses those who submit themselves to His wisdom.

Outline

1. Any of God’s blessings that belong to God’s people, belong to them through Christ.

2. God’s blessings come to us by way of our submission to God’s wisdom.

3. Our submission to God’s wisdom is motivated by God’s blessings.

1. Any of God’s blessings that belong to God’s people, belong to them through Christ.

Important we handle a passage like this rightly due to false teachers having a field day with it

The text does not give us permission to treat God like a vending machine

v. 9-10 example

Earthly Blessings in the OT (Come and See Religion)

In the Old Testament, God’s people were:

Generally located in one physical region

Had one physical temple

Had one physical city that would be pilgrimaged to at various times

And had physical priests that you went through in order to get to God

OT —> “Come and See” Showcase Religion

1 Kings 10:4–5 ESV

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

This is why the Old Testament is more focused on physical blessing.

Left the nations breathless at how God had been faithful to His people

Kingdom Blessings in the NT (Go and Tell Religion)

We have no Geographic focal point on this earth

The church is spread throughout the world

We have no physical temple

The church is the spiritual house, made up of living stones

We have no city that we pilgrimage to

The church gathers in kingdom outposts called local churches

We have no physical priests we go through to get to God

Except the One Man Jesus Christ

No longer “Come and see” religion, but “Go and Tell” religion

GO on authority of the King

TELL the Kingdom message to the world

We are willing to renounce this world to:

Lay our hand on the Kingdom

Tell others of the King so they can lay their hands on the Kingdom

We go as disciples who deny ourselves to take up the Cross

Luke 14:33 ESV

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

This is why the NT is less focused on physical blessing—we renounce the physical in order display God’s faithfulness

We give up everything for the Kingdom’s sake

We give up everything to proclaim the Kingdom

This leaves the nations breathless at God’s faithfulness

Proper Study Approach

Physical Blessings May Not Be Ultimately Fulfilled Until After Christ Returns

In light of this, MUST read OT in light of NT (ALWAYS)

Wherever physical blessing is promised to accompany spiritual blessing, we should understand we may not experience it in this life

Verses 1-2 as an Example:

Generally speaking, it may be true that those who don’t forget wisdom and keep commandments in the heart will experience longer life with less trouble than those who choose to ignore God and sin rebelliously...

...But not always.

Fritz Urbe

German Farmer in 1500’s

Refused to baptize his children

Imprisoned in a hole by the Lutherans

Died in 1548

Life filled with trouble and cut short despite being submitted to God’s Word

Yet, Urbe and all believers will have long years with no trouble in the age to come!

Keep in mind as we study that while there are blessings we should expect to receive when we submit to God, we may not receive them in this age.

Anything we do receive now is just the fringes of what is to come on the New Earth

All the Promises Come Through Christ

BUT...what we can confidently say this morning is that ANY blessing that EVER comes to God’s people...

...whether it is under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant...

...Whether it is in this age or in the age to come...

...comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

If a promise of God is fulfilled, it is fulfilled in and through Christ.

All the snowballing anticipations throughout the OT of a coming redeemer have been decisively and irreversibly clinched in the outwardly unimpressive carpenter from Nazareth.

Dane Ortlund

Jesus = Physical Proof God keeps His Word

And through Jesus, the One through whom God has kept His promises, comes all the blessings for God’s people:

Ephesians 1:3 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

If anyone has submitted to God and repented of sin and trusted in Jesus Christ, all of the promises of God will come true for them—if now, then certainly when the trumpet sounds.

2. God’s blessings come to us by way of our submission to God’s wisdom.

In the 3rd “heart to heart” blessings are described

In each case, there is a stipulation of submission attached to each blessing

God’s blessings come through submitting to Him and His wisdom and commandments.

When the truth is remembered, there is the blessing of peaceful living (v. 1-2).

Solomon calls on his son to not forget his teaching.

Reminiscent of Proverbs 1:8

Proverbs 1:8 ESV

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Apparently he has remembered and now he must not forget

Heart is important in this entire passage and is key to verses 1-2.

Teaching won’t be forgotten if kept in the heart

The heart is referred to 46 different times in Proverbs and over 850 times in the Old Testament all together.

No English word that really communicates the Hebrew word for heart.

Refers to:

Mind

Desires

Will

The heart = Inner-Man/Inner-Self

Teaching and commandments must be kept in the heart if there is going to be wisdom

Matter of submission

Actively seeking remembrance

Intentionality required

Blessing: Long Life w/o Trouble

Promised blessing = Long Life w/ little trouble

This blessing may be seen in the lives of God’s people now

Promised to be the nature of life after the Resurrection

When steadfast love and faithfulness are kept, there is the blessing of favor with God and man (v. 3-4).

Favor and Good success (high esteem) with God and man is all the human conscience could ever want

Will get you to sleep at night

Proverbs 22:1 ESV

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

Blessing is for those who:

Don’t let steadfast love and faithfulness leave them

STEADFAST LOVE = Loyal Love

Unwavering, constant

This is the love God has shown in Christ

This is the love Christ wants His disciples to show one another/the world

FAITHFULNESS = Trueness/Trustworthiness

Two illustrations to show how Solomon’s son is not to lose love and faithfulness:

Bind them on neck like an ancient dignitary showing high standing

Etch them on the heart like a scribe on a tablet

Once more, the heart is involved.

Proverbs 3:27 show STEADFAST LOVE and FAITHFULNESS in action:

Proverbs 3:27 ESV

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Submission required.

Not naturally bent toward love but hate

Not naturally bent toward loyalty but treachery

The self must be denied to hold on to love and faithfulness

Blessing: Favor and Good Success

Favor and good success...

...Not always true in this life

If they hated Jesus, they will hate us

But this will be the state of the soul in heaven

Favor with God and every kingdom citizen

Even in this age, obedience to God may often draw the adoration of others and certainly it pleases the Lord

When the Lord is trusted, there is the blessing of divine direction (v. 5-6).

The heart is center stage again in v. 5.

God is to be trusted with the entirety of the heart...

...with all of who we are.

Those who put their full trust in the Lord do not trust themselves. (v. 5)

They do not lean on their own understanding. (v. 5)

In all that they do, they acknowledge God. (v. 6)

CSB = “know Him” in all your ways

Live your whole life through the lens of a relationship with God

Reject the broken crutches of the world...

...Put the full weight of the soul upon the Covenant-Keeping God

Blessing: Make Straight Your Paths

Blessing = God will “make straight your paths”

ESV —> No one talks that way/hard to understand

KJV = “Direct Thy Paths”

“Google Maps made my paths straight?”

“Google Maps directed my path”

What is promised is direction, not a life free from trouble

See—the blessing is not that by trusting the Lord you will have no troubles.

Blessing = Trust the Lord and He will direct your steps through the troubles or any other type of season you may face

This is how He makes our path straight

Not by removing the rocks, but by leading us to avoid tripping and falling on them.

When God is revered and sin is rejected, there is the blessing of total healing (v. 7-8).

v. 7-8 relate to key verse of Proverbs:

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Affectionate reverence for the Lord = the beginning of wisdom/knowledge

Wisdom starts with loving and obeying God

Rejecting “My Way” —sorry Sinatra (Be not wise in your own eyes)

Submitting to “HIS Way”

Submission to God also means turning away from evil

The team that wins the coin toss tonight can’t get heads without NOT getting tails.

If you get heads, you don’t get tails.

If you get tails, you don’t get heads.

If you truly fear the Lord, you will truly turn away from evil

If you truly turn from evil, you will truly fear the Lord

Blessing: Healing/Refreshment

But when a person truly fears the Lord and rejects their own wisdom for His...

...turning away from evil in the process...

...then it will be healing to the flesh and refreshment to the bones (v. 8).

Flesh in v. 5 can also translate to navel

Jewish idiom for the whole body

Healing for the whole person

Goes as deep as possible—down to the bone

Down to the very marrow.

This blessing has both physical and spiritual aspects.

Fear God and turning from evil can bring physical refreshment and healing

Think of someone with an alcohol addiction.

Think of what the poison of alcohol does to their organs.

If they repent of that sin and turn away from the addiction, think of how those organs would be able to recover.

Repentance always has a spiritual impact

When we fear God and turn to Him, He saves us.

Down to the bone.

To the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

And for those saved to the uttermost, they will experience the full marriage of the physical and the spiritual when they receive their new resurrection bodies after Christ’s return.

Even if you are in chronic pain throughout your whole Christian walk, there is a promise of total healing for you in the end

When we give God our best, there is the blessing of abundance (v. 9-10).

Prosperity teachers have used and abused these verses

But we shouldn’t run from them—can’t let bad teaching on money keep us from studying what God has actually said

Bible has a lot to say about money

Money reveals the heart

v. 9-10 teach a principle of heavenly reciprocation

Two couplets in two verses

First line of each correspond with each other

Second line of each correspond with each other

If you honor God with your wealth, your barns will be filled with plenty.

Give to God from what you have and He will fill what you have back up.

If you honor God with the firstfruits of your produce, your vats will be bursting with wine.

If the farmer takes the firstfruits of the crops and consecrates them unto God, then God will respond by causing his wine vats to overflow with the best possible wine.

Most translations says “new wine”

Wine made from first juice dripping

Before the winepress was trodden

Overflowing vats of the best wine

Honor God with what you have —>Needs met plus abundance

This principle of reciprocation can be seen in other places in the Scriptures.

Most famously in Malachi 4:2

Malachi 3:10 ESV

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

This comes in a passage where God indicts His people for robbing Him.

Clearly God cares about our money.

God wants us to be generous for the sake of His Kingdom.

He wants us to honor Him with our best right off the top.

OT Jews = around 1/3 of total income/produce

NT Believer = no number

Cheerful and Willing

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV

The point is this: 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.

This sort of generosity is shown through the local church

NT pattern—giving through and to local churches to make more disciples and start more churches

Have you been obedient in this area?

You should be.

God commands it.

He wants you to trust Him with your money

You express that through giving

Promised Blessing but no guarantee of experiencing it in this age

Some Christians experience this in this life within their context

Most can testify to this on some level

All Christians will experience the blessing of plentiful barns and flowing new wine in the world to come

The poorest Christian in this life is the richest soul in the universe

Submission Before Blessing

So we have five blessings here in the passage:

The blessing of:

Peaceful Living

Favor with God and man

Divine Direction

Total Healing

Abundance

What we have seen in theses verses is that all of these blessings have a prerequisite of submission.

You want peaceful living? You must submit yourself to the discipline of remembering the wisdom of God.

You want favor with God and man? You must submit to a life of steadfast love and faithfulness.

You want divine direction? You must submit your life to God and trust Him.

You want total healing? Submit to the fear of the Lord.

You want abundance? Submit to honoring God with your wealth.

So what we are seeing is that submission is the gateway to blessing.

Submission to God = Being a beneficiary of His generosity

Denying ourselves = Grace upon Graced

Not Works Righteousness

NOT saying that by doing good works you earn salvation

That is every other religion on earth.

That is “works-righteousness.”

There is no way to earn salvation with God.

Good works can’t make sin disappear

You can do all the works, but your sin must be dealt with.

This is why Jesus had to come and die.

Only a PERFECT Savior can be a PERFECT Offering to PERFECTLY save us.

Only through faith in HIM can we find salvation with God

We are not contradicting the reality that salvation is in Christ alone based on the perfect work of Christ alone.

Simply saying that within that unconditional covenant relationship, our increasing submission to Christ will see to it that there are increased blessings in our lives.

TWO CHRISTIANS TEENS GO OFF TO COLLEGE

One teenager gets there...

...spends the first year...

Remembering the Word they’ve been taught

Living out steadfast love and faithfulness

Trusting in the Lord daily

Fearing God

Practicing the discipline of giving to the local church.

The other teenager gets there...

...spends the first year...

Forgetting all they’ve been taught

Living for themselves

Trusting in themselves

Lacking fear in the Lord

Not even going to church, much less giving to it.

Both come home in the summer, go on a retreat with the church, come back with their lives CHANGED!

Praise God!

But let me ask you—Who experienced more of God’s blessing during that first semester at school?

Unquestionably it is the first student.

Both ended up walking with the Lord in the end, but the second student missed out on so many blessings during that time of rebellion.

Do you see how this works?

Disobedience and hard-heartedness toward God will often keep us from receiving blessings that He longs to pour out on us.

In fact, because God is a good Father, if we are not submitting to Him, He will give us the blessing of His discipline, which is why the very next verses say:

Proverbs 3:11–12 ESV

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.

Are you experiencing God’s blessings in your life?

No? Is your life submitted to God as it should be?

Where have you grown forgetful?

Where have you grown rebellious?

Where are you still trying to run the show?

Remember that only fools despise wisdom and destruction.

Fear the Lord again.

Submit to His Words

Enjoy His blessings

...even if you are waiting on some of them for the age to come—just the hope of them brings comfort and joy to the soul.

3. Our submission to God’s wisdom is motivated by God’s blessings.

Don’t You Want These Blessings?

All of God’s blessings come to God’s people through Christ.

God’s blessings come by way of submission to His wisdom

We have established these things.

As we finish, I want us to see how:

the blessings also serve as a compelling force to move us to submit to God!

Does your Christian heart leap at the promises of Proverbs 3:1-10?

Does your heart jump at the idea of having length of days without trouble?

Does it excite you to think about finding favor with God and man?

Does the idea of God directing your steps in all circumstances bring joy to your soul?

Do you long for healing to the flesh and refreshment to the bones?

Do you desire that God would bless you with abundance, whether it is in this life or the age to come?

Then submit yourself to God!

Your submission will bring you near to the throne of God...

...And there you will find blessings flowing from His right hand forevermore.

Submission Brings Blessing SO SUBMIT!

Faith brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of God.

John Calvin

Submission is the emptying.

Submission is part of faith.

To trust wholly in Christ is to trust wholly in nothing else.

Bow the knee to Christ and Christ alone

When a man is truly submitted to God like that, he will be more like God.

Rebelliousness leads to worldliness.

Sinning and mocking God.

Submission to God leads to godliness.

And the godly man is the blessed man.

Psalm 1:1 ESV

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Only a fool would choose curses over blessings

Do not be a fool.

Fear God.

Submit to Him.

Enjoy His blessings

Once talking with a Christian friend and he said that his old pastor always talked about the joy of obedience.

My friend said he hated that.

“Obedience reminds me of the Law. I find no joy in law-keeping!”

It made me sad for my friend.

It made me fear he had not realize the great secret to loving obedience...

...It is understanding that it does bring joy.

In fact, the joy motivates the obedience.

There is an enjoyment in the soul that comes with obeying Jesus and IT IS OKAY TO LOVE THAT AND PURSUE IT.

You cannot over-love the joy that comes from obeying God.

Let the joy motivate you TO obey!

It is the same thing with submission/blessings.

Just a different way to talk of the same dynamic.

It is a good thing to desire the blessings of God.

We serve Him because He is worthy

But part of what makes Him worthy is that He is faithful and loves to bless those who surrender to Him

So let a holy desire to taste God’s blessings and soak in God’s joy compel you to submit your heart to Him!

May the blessings you receive cause you to love and submit to Christ, who is the wisdom of God, all the more.