Proverbs 3:5-7
Notes
Transcript
Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord
What is trust? Why should we trust?
What does it look like to trust in the Lord?
The Proverbs are collected for this purpose. The best life you can possibly have doesn’t have anything to do with finances, family, friends, or fame. It doesn’t have to do with success or station; acclaim or acumen.
Life—a good and happy life—has to do with trust in the lord.
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man— let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance— for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Nature of the Heart
Nature of the Heart
But here in the same verse is the problem. We have to trust in the Lord with all our heart.
The heart is the proverbs’ way of saying your essence or being. Your very essence needs to trust in the Lord.
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?
Romans 3:11 (CSB)
There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.
The heart, according to the Bible, is wicked. There is no man that seeks God. Everyone everywhere has inherited a nature and environment that is broken and bent toward sin.
Understanding
Understanding
The second line doesn’t help us. What sort of understanding can we have if it isn’t our own? We rely on our own perception to do things, abilities to accomplish things, relationships to advance in life. . .what do you mean don’t rely on your own understanding?
This is typical Jewish form. The two lines are designed to add clarity to the concept.
Trust in the Lord is positive, the opposite is in a negative in the second line: do not rely on your own understanding. The “trusting in the Lord” we are supposed to do is “relying on the Lord’s understanding” rather than our own.
In fact, other passages show how this line helps us answer the question of how we are to do the seemingly impossible task of rejecting our own nature.
Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,
Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth.
We have to “find” or “get” understanding, and then “remember” not to turn aside from it.
This “understanding” has to come from OUTSIDE of us. We can’t conjure it up. We don’t inherit it. We have to go get it from somewhere.
That somewhere is explicitly stated in v.6
in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.
In all your ways (paths, actions, etc.) know him or acknowledge him. He will make straight your ways.
The idea is that considering God and his teaching in all things will lead all things to be under his control.
Philosophy in practice! Theology, then theopraxy.
So, a summary so far:
Trust in the Lord (command)
You can’t trust in the Lord (heart is wicked/sin)
You need understanding to be able to trust in the Lord
That understanding Comes From The Lord!
Wise in your Own Eyes
Wise in your Own Eyes
Have you met someone wise in their own eyes?
They talk a big game, pretend to know everything, are dishonest to appear better than they are, etc. That man is me! I have been in this place. I can still tend this direction.
The real issue at play here is this: they are trying to justify themselves.
This is a covenant of works to appeal to the people by our own merit. And we do the same thing with God.
We approach him with inability and wicked hearts, and pretend to be better than we are. We lie to ourselves about how wicked we are. We believe we are basically good, not basically evil. We are functional pagans!
Fear the Lord/Trust in the Lord
Fear the Lord/Trust in the Lord
But we come full circle. The fear of the Lord is the solution to this. Humility and trust in the Lord AS HE IS without our own understanding is the solution. Going to the scriptures as our guide for living is the solution.
Salvation is by grace alone.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.
If you want free of trying to justify yourself, you need something other than a covenant of works. The Law will never justify; it will only condemn.
You need the Gospel.
The Gospel is a covenant of grace to those who believe. We don’t keep any laws to attain it. We don’t attain it by academia or hard work. We don’t gain it by our own faith even. We gain salvation BY GRACE! and that grace comes to us through the conduit of faith, which is itself a gift
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father.”
You can’t impress God: he is no respecter of persons.
You must come to him, rejecting your desire to work for salvation, and submit wholly to his will.
This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. Christians forget that they are saved by grace and try to justify themselves. This is folly! You cannot work enough to please God or man. You need grace. It is impossible to please God, but God accomplishes the impossible. You are imperfect and unable, but Christ took your inability, your sin, your imperfection to the cross. He gave you his perfect righteousness and obedience by grace. Take it! Live in it!
If you do, (read verse 8) then healing and strength
If you do, (read verse 8) then healing and strength
This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.