Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl - Tuesday, July 5, 2022: Proverbs 3:1-12

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Proverbs 3:1-12

[1] My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

[2] for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

[3] Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

[4] So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

[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.

[11] My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

[12] for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights. (ESV)

Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart

Wisdom grants the blessings of understanding and life in both this world and the world to come. In this third address of a father to his son, we begin with six commands followed by promises. These are not rules to follow that merit a reward for their keeping but rather good works which flow naturally from knowledge and fear of the Lord – in other words, faith. They are gifts from God, received by His grace which is worked through the believer by the Holy Spirit. They, in turn, grant increased knowledge of Christ. What a beautiful cycle this is! Place God at the center of your life, and peace will follow. Use the wisdom and talents you have been given to benefit your neighbor rather than yourself, and more will be given to you to do more for others. This should remind you of the Parable of the Talents, where more was given to the servant to whom much was entrusted and who produced much profit. We demonstrate the benefits of wisdom in our lives as our hearts respond to the Gospel in faith.

This shows us also the power of God's Law. How? Remember the three uses of the Law: curb, mirror, and guide. The curb is the natural Law written in men's hearts, which prevents the world from descending into total chaos. The mirror shows your inability to keep the Law and convicts you that you are a sinner. Here, we are speaking of the third use - the guide – which shows us what a God-pleasing life looks like. It is a life that keeps the commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and minds, and your neighbor as yourself.

All of the promises attached to these six commands paint just this picture of a life lived in faith: long life, health, success, and wealth. Is this a Gospel of prosperity, then? Absolutely not. Experience alone tells us that even the most faithful believer does not encounter such things. Even the most pious Christian may have a life filled with hardship and trial. Jesus tells us that picking up the cross is difficult and carrying it even more difficult. Solomon will illustrate that piety will not invariably lead to benefits in this life (15:16–17; 16:8, 19; 17:1; 19:22; 22:1; 28:6). No, these promises are only partially realized in our life on earth. They will be manifested in their completeness on the last day and our everlasting lives in God's eternal kingdom.

It is simply that the world’s perceptions about wisdom and blessing are the opposite of God’s (e.g., Mt 5:3–12; 11:19; 1 Cor 1:18–31).1 Also, mark this well: None of us, from the most faithful and pious on down, follows the advice of these commands remotely perfectly. The third use of the Law for all believers always turns back into the second use – the guide becomes the mirror – showing us once again that we are sinners in need of repentance and a Savior. We cannot expect the full benefit of these promises when we cannot fulfill the promises in this life. Therefore we cannot claim the promises by our own merit. We also fail to recognize the extent of our blessings in this life, especially when we try to compare ourselves to others who may have more than we do. Yet we also know that all God’s promises are yes in Christ (2 Cor 1:20), and we who are heirs of those promises shall receive their benefits in full on the Last Day.

1Andrew E. Steinmann, Proverbs, Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 114–117.