“The Rewards Of Wisdom”

Proverbs chapter 3 mainly consists of wise sayings addressed to “my son” (Proverbs 3:1). These could be the words of a sage to a younger man or a father to his son, except for the reference to divine law and commandments (Proverbs 3:1: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments”). This now leads to the conclusion that it is God talking, until we see God referred to in the third person, as in verses ‘5–’6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” In verse ’15’ we begin to see references to a personified “wisdom”, today generally called Lady Wisdom. It is not entirely clear at this point, but the personified wisdom is probably the narrator in this chapter, as she is in much of the Book of Proverbs.

The core of this chapter is adoration of Wisdom: Happy is the many who finds Wisdom…She is more precious than rubies…Length of days [your age at death] is in her right hand…Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace…

There are numerous other mentions of ‘Lady Wisdom’ (Hebrew: ‘Hokmah’, Greek: ‘Sophia’), both in the Bible and in the Apocrypha. W. F. Albright and others compared the figure of Wisdom to the goddess Asherah, whereas R. N. Whybray (‘The social world of the wisdom writers’, published in The World of Ancient Israel (edited by R. E. Clements) cites B. Lang (Wisdom and the Book of Proverbs: An Israelite Goddess Redefined) as believing that she was the early Israelite goddess of wisdom and patroness of learning. The books mix texts about Lady Wisdom with those about philosophical wisdom, obscuring the existence of the goddess, and often using the uncapitalized ‘wisdom’ in English translations when Lady Wisdom is clearly intended. Wisdom also appears in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7:35: “But Wisdom is justified of all her children” and Luke 11:49: “Therefore, the Wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute”). (The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Luke 11:31) ( Matthew 12:42-The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here) Proverbs 3:1-12 is an exhortation from Solomon to his son, urging him to heed his teaching and trust wholeheartedly in the Lord. He cites some of the valuable results of obedience and trust. This section builds on the counsel Solomon gave in Proverbs 2.
Themes in Proverbs 3. ALL. … Proverbs 3:35. The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor. Exaltation » Of men (promotion) » Of unworthy men {Fools} » Come to shame. {Glory » Eternal » Inherited by saints Glory » Who shall receive glory}
Proverbs Chapter 3:1-35
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he corrected; even as a father the son in whom he delighted. Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her. The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou lies down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward (Difficult to deal with) is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous. The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesses the habitation of the just. Surely he scorns the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Father God, I love You, thank You and praise You that You know all things and that I can trust myself, my family, my friends, my work, my home, my finances, my relationships, my need and necessities into Your hands as all these are a gift from You. I trust You Father God. I trust in Your faithful guidance in my life. If there is anyone out there who don’t know You. I am believing for them to share this prayer with me. Dear Father God, in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You, that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. Guide me to a church where I can learn more of Your righteousness and Your love for me, I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins , so that I may have eternal life with You in Jesus Precious Name Amen.