Six Rules, One Savior—Proverbs 3:1-12

Finally, we've gotten to some proverbs! After two chapters convincing his son to seek wisdom, the father starts to deliver some of those practical pieces of advice we all love. (He isn't done praising wisdom, though. We'll get more of that in the next section.)

This passage gives us six rules to live by. Here they are: (1) Remember these teachings, (2) be faithful in love, (3) trust the Lord, (4) don't be arrogant, (5) give to the Lord, and (6) accept the Lord's discipline. All of the rules except one come with a promise attached. The last one doesn't come with a promise, but it comes with a truth that's just as good.

If you look closely, you'll see that all of these rules have something to do with God himself. The teaching we have to remember is God's word. We should be faithful like God himself, and if we are, God will favor us. It's God we must trust. We shouldn't be wise in our own eyes, because that's not the fear of the Lord. It's the Lord we make offerings to, and it's the Lord who disciplines us. These may be six different rules, but they aren't random, disconnected pieces of advice. They are like six different roadsigns in six different places, but all pointing to one central location, which is the Lord himself. The basic message is: trust the Lord, and he will bless you.

Now, our instinct might be to jump right to figuring out how to follow each of these rules ourselves, so that we can get the reward that comes from them. But the truth is, we can't keep these rules on our own. On our own, we don't have the wisdom not to trust ourselves, and we won't do it no matter how much we're told! So I suggest that we take another route, and first think about how Jesus Christ kept each of these rules. Let's first learn from God's Son what it looks like to trust God.

Jesus kept rule #1: He remembered the word of God. When he faced the devil himself in the wilderness, he fought him with God's word: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." This means that Jesus was entitled to the blessing of rule #1: "length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you."

Jesus also kept rule #2. Jesus was faithful in love. Indeed, he was as faithful as anyone can be: faithful to the end. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." So Jesus was entitled to the reward of rule #2: "So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man."

Jesus also kept rule #3. Jesus trusted in the Lord with all his heart. Jesus' desire was not to die on the cross. But he prayed, "Not my will, but yours be done." That's what it looks like to lean on God's understanding. So Jesus had a right to the blessing of rule #3: "He will make straight your paths."

Jesus kept rule #4. Jesus was not wise in his own eyes. As the Son of God, he had all wisdom. But as a little boy, he had to grow in wisdom -- he didn't act like he had all the answers. And as a man, he was "gentle and lowly," not rude and proud. The promise that goes with this rule says, "It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

Jesus kept rule #5. He honored the Lord with his wealth. He did this by becoming poor for us, and giving his all on the cross. So he had a right to the reward of rule #5: "Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

And Jesus kept rule #6. He accepted discipline from God. The book of Hebrews says that he learned discipline by what he suffered -- even though he had done no wrong. And what he suffered was death on the cross. He didn't receive on this earth all those rewards he had a right to: long life, favor and success, straight paths, healing and refreshment, grain and wine. Instead, he received the cross, because he came to take the place of sinners and fools. That's the wonderful and surprising wisdom of God.

But after the cross, Jesus stepped into the inheritance of the rewards of Proverbs 3 on a grander scale. He rose from the dead, and entered into life, not long life, but eternal life. He received the ultimate success and favor, and after the crooked roads he walked on earth, enjoyed the straight path to God's right hand. All his ills were healed, and he received the rich joys of heaven to share with his people.

When we look at Jesus, we can see that the promises of Proverbs 3 are true: wisdom is rewarded in the end. And if you don't have wisdom, here's more good news: Jesus leads the way for us to trust in God. He gives his Spirit to all his people, and his Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom, who helps us to live like him. So, now that we have seen what this wisdom looks like in Jesus, let's go back to these rules and see what it looks like for us to keep them, by the wisdom of Christ in us.

Rule #1 says to remember the teaching. This includes the book of Proverbs, but all of the Bible too. Listen to it. Read it. Memorize it. Believe it. And, of course, obey it. If you do, you will live forever. That's the promise, of course, of John 3:16: "...that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Rule #2 says to love. You may have heard of the Hebrew word chesed. It's not sentimentality, it's faithful love that's willing to sacrifice. It means loving like Jesus loved when he gave his life for us. If you love like that, you can be sure that God will be pleased, and even some of your neighbors on earth will acknowledge that you're living rightly.

Rule #3 says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. This is kind of the summary of all six rules, and almost a summary of all the Bible's commands. Trust in him, and all will go well. Trust in your sinful self, and it's game over. "Lean not on your own understanding" doesn't mean to turn your brain off. On the contrary, use your brain to the fullest by filling it with the Scriptures. Use your mind as it was made to be used by believing the word of God. Do that, and your path will be straight -- not free of suffering, but headed in exactly the right direction, toward the glory God has prepared for you.

Rule #4: Don't be wise in your own eyes. You can imagine your mind as a royal throne room. If you are on the throne, then Christ isn't. What could be more offensive and ridiculous than a sinful human being bragging about his own wisdom in the presence of God? But if, instead, you fear God, if you enthrone Christ in the throne room of your mind, then you will be healed and refreshed: healed in this life of some of the cruel anxiety from which we suffer when we think we have to know it all, and healed ultimately in the new creation, where God will wipe away every tear.

Rule #5: Honor the Lord with your wealth. All that you have comes from God, and you should use it all for God's glory. One very concrete and important way to do this is to give to the church to support the spread of the gospel and the care of the needy. The Apostle Paul calls the Philippians' gift to him "a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." Do this, and you will get rich -- not in the way the prosperity gospel preachers claim. You probably won't get a bursting bank account in this life. But if you give from a heart of faith, God will give you contentment with what you have now, he'll give you a loving family in the church, and he will welcome you to the wedding feast of the Lamb when Christ returns. Those are true riches.

Lastly, rule #6: Accept the Lord's discipline. If there's anything we like less than parting with our money, it's pain and suffering. But Proverbs says that when Christians suffer, it's actually a good sign. It's a sign of God's fatherly love for us. He uses our sufferings for our good, to turn us from sin and make us more like Christ. And it's an honor to suffer for Christ, who suffered for us.

To summarize: Jesus gives his Spirit to all who trust in him, so that we, like him, may live by wisdom's rules. Jesus kept the six rules of wisdom, but he suffered the punishment deserved by fools to save us from our sin. Now he is risen from the dead, and he shares his Spirit of wisdom with us. That Spirit gives us the wisdom to keep the rules ourselves. And the rewards we receive are greater even than the rewards listed in Proverbs, because Jesus has led the way into a greater inheritance.

Pastor Nate Jeffries