Proverbs 3:3-4; 3:9-12 (KJV) (Part 4 – The Fruit of Wisdom)
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:
Bind them about thy neck;
Write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding
In the sight of God and man.”
“Honour the Lord with thy substance,
And with the firstfruits 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 correcteth;
Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Mercy or ” Hesed” is the Hebrew for kindness, faithfulness, loving kindness, etc., which are all traits that are the core makeup of God. And Truth, “Met,” is often paired up with “Hesed,” and it means truth. We speak the truth, and we live lives of truth (transparent), because we have nothing to hide. At least, that should be each believer’s goal. To me, a truthful person is more than not telling a lie. It is someone who is approachable, transparent, easy to talk with, sincere, and not perfect, yet is not afraid to let others see his or her imperfections. They are comfortable in their own skin, because their confidence is no longer in themselves to conquer their monsters. Their confidence is in The Lord, who is able to change them and who has changed them. And most importantly, they are transparent before the Lord—not that we could hide anything if we wanted to, but it is living in the awareness that The Lord sees all and has my permission to touch, take, and/or change that which He sees as a hindrance to our relationship with Him. A truthful person is also a hopeful person, because he or she knows that living in the day-to-day reality of Christ as Lord is the absolute strongest, most secure place to be. There is no stronger point of reference for life.
And Hesed is a necessary addition to living a truthful life. There are those who are ” truthful” but their words cut. They speak without compassion or consideration of how their words will affect the other person. The truthfulness of The Lord always has the betterment of the other person in mind. Some things can be received, and some things cannot be received and are better left to prayer. To feel that we need to “dump this message of truth” upon someone, not considering whether they can receive it or not, is not living in Hesed. And if we do not live in Hesed, it is doubtful that we are representing God’s “Met.” Often, we spiritualize our true motives, making them seem “righteous,” where in reality, it is more about us and how their actions or habits bug us. It is not because we really want to help them. Now that is being truthful!
“…Bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:” “Qasar, “to bind,” literally means to fasten; to secure an object to another object. And it has its figurative meanings as well, such as in I Samuel 18:1: “Jonathan’s soul was bound (or knit) to the soul of David.” It is also used as in binding someone in a conspiracy, an entrapment. The trap is so set that there is no escaping—they are bound, whether they are truly guilty or not. It is a strong word, and the definition that best speaks to me is “to knit.” The concept is, as I mature in my walk with the Lord and expose my soul to His Word, the Holy Spirit “knits” His truths to me—much like the work of knitting different color threads to the tapestry of a blanket. The colors form the “character” of the blanket. Whether it looks contemporary or western, etc., God’s Word forms our character into His sons and daughters. The instruction in 1 Samuel about raising children is exactly like this. You talk to them “in the way” (figurative for life) teaching a line here and a line there…”For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” As their soul is growing, we are knitting God’s truth to them, so that when they are “old, they do not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6), because the truth has become a part of them.
At times, we read sentences as these, “bind them about thy neck…,” and we read it as if it is simply poetical and hence optional. It is not optional if one wants to experience the blessing: “So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” A great example of this verse is the life of Joseph: “And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed — thee — all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” I believe God wants all of us to be a Joseph in our area of influence and to speak and represent God’s wisdom as we “go in the way.”
When we do not follow God’s commands, things do not go well, at least not as God would have it. One of the first fallouts is seen in our relationships, be it husband and wife, employer and employee, or neighbor to neighbor. We wonder why we are having these problems. We need to connect the dots and understand that the fruitfulness of our life in all its facets is directly related to our commitment to our relationship with God. (God have patience with us!). When fear, insecurity, or “me-first” attitudes govern these relationships instead of God’s truth, it is no wonder we have problems. These attitudes of fear, insecurity and me-first tear relationships down—they do not build them up. How important it is to “find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” The fullness and fruitfulness of our life depends on it.
Father God,
Thank you for this short devotional. May its impact be meaningful, refining us more into your sons and daughters. Thank you and Amen.
Arthur Navarrette