1 My son, forget not my law; but
let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and
peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind
them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou
find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the
Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov 3:1-6)
Forgetfulness happens through a
careless regard for the importance of an event or thing; but remembrance
requires a conscious effort. God is not capable of failing through
forgetfulness, but He may choose to not remember. Though He assures His Elect
that He will not remember their sins, He would have us remember His Law and not
forget through careless disregard of it. 25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out
thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 26 Put me
in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be
justified. (Isaiah 43:25-26) Such remembrance requires Godly discipline and
diligence. And, so, Wisdom tells us: 1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine
heart keep my commandments If we have kept God’s Commandments in our hearts,
though we may fall short, our continual intention is to obey and respect our
heavenly Father by our obeisance. Such obedience conforms perfectly to that
transitory fifth Commandment (from the first Table, one through four outlining
our duties to God), and the second Table (outlining our duties to man)
(Commandments 5-10). The fifth Commandment requires us to honor our Father and
our mother. Forget not that god is our PRIMARY Father. Obedience to the fifth
Commandment promises long life. Certainly obedience to our earthly fathers will
gain for us many blessings of health and prosperity; but obedience to our
Heavenly Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ and His Grace, assures us of
life eternal.
The world may harshly misjudge
our motives, but it is the intentions of the heart that expresses our true
being. “…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. ” (1 Sam 16:7) So what profit
have we in keeping God’s perfect Law? 2 For length of days, and long life, and
peace, shall they add to thee. Does this not comport nicely with the promise of
the Fifth Commandment of God? The term “add” is crucial in understanding this
precept. We may not live to a sage old age even if we are loving and dedicated
Christians, but this does not preclude our short lives being extended through
the addition of days to our lives owing to obedience of the Law of God.
If TRUTH is every Word written
in Holy Scripture (and it certainly is), then knowing this Truth is not enough!
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them
upon the table of thine heart. Does mercy or truth ever truly forsake us? No,
they do not! But Truth and Mercy are gems of great worth. If they are handled
carelessly and not safeguarded, they may be lost. What is the value of Mercy?
It is most valuable for it has made it possible for your being forgiven of your
sins. Without Mercy, we would all alike perish. Yet, Mercy alone is not enough.
We must combine that quality with Truth. The Law of God (Truth) condemns us for
none are righteous; but Truth, tempered by Mercy, saves us. Christ actually
saved us through the terms of the Law. The penalty of the Law hung over our
heads as the Sword of Damocles. The required penalty for our sins was DEATH.
So, under the terms of the Law, Christ paid our penalty so that we may be
judged righteous before the Throne of Grace. Unlike Truth, Mercy is not visibly
written down, is it? It is indelibly and invisibly written down in the hidden
chambers of our hearts. But the foundation of that Mercy must be Truth and not
error. So we worship God, not in truth or spirit only, but in spirit and in
truth. We prevent Mercy and Truth from forsaking us by a constant study and
meditation on the Law of God and His infinite Mercy towards us. The righteous
man or woman does not dread that Law: But his delight is in the law of the
LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalms 1:2) Notice that
this delight is not a temporary or occasional delight such as once per day, or
once per week (Sunday), but every day and night! We bind mercy and truth about
our necks so that when we look out at the world, we behold them. We write them
on the Tables of our Hearts so that when we look inwardly to the depths of our
souls, we read them there.
4 So shalt thou find favor and
good understanding in the sight of God and man? Even though the men of the
world are full of malice and treachery, they will nonetheless trust their
treasures to men and women of Godly character for safe keeping. When they need
valuable advice, they do not seek out those of cunning avarice but those who
place truth and justice above all other considerations. God understands that
which is true; that which is beautiful. He will understand only the heart that
reflects His image of Mercy and Truth. Why do you suppose Mercy is listed
before Truth? I believe it is so for the purpose of softening our harsh
judgments and preventing a sudden flare of anger against violations of Truth.
Has not God done so for us?
5 Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. How much of your daily
heart belongs to the Lord? How often have you sought His Face just today only?
Have you trusted in His Word even once today? If not, ALL of your heart has not
trusted in the Lord. The purpose of God’s Wisdom is to give your heart
DIRECTION. It is our Chart and Compass on the stormy seas of life. If we ignore
the compass and begin to reason in the storm on our own knowledge and logic, we
shall shortly founder upon the rocks and shoals. Our lives then are
shipwrecked. Do you believe His Word? The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from
before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (Deut 33:27)
Do you honor God in the way of
Sunday worship? Good! But do you forsake your honoring of Him every other day
and hour of your life? 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths. OK, quick review, children! In how many ways are we to acknowledge
God? Is it in worship only; or in Bible reading only; or in word only? No, I
believe the verse insists on our acknowledging God in ALL our ways. If we pay
heed to the compass of our souls only on occasion, our drift from God may be
enormous when we finally return to that compass. But if we consult the Compass
of Wisdom, Truth and Mercy with constant commitment, our paths will be straight
and directed by God. When on the sea of life, our vision is limited to the
immediate vicinity of our ship. We cannot see through the stormy blasts those
rock and dangers just beyond our vision. But God, looking from on high, sees
and commands the entire oceans and seas. He knows the end from the beginning
for He made them. Should we not listen to the advice of the Great Engineer over
the weak advice of the single bricklayer?
