Bible Lessons

From: Messages of God's Love: 1932

Proverbs 3:11-35¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: ¹²For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. ¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. ¹⁴For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. ¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. ¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. ¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. ¹⁹The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. ²⁰By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. ²¹My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. ²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. ²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. ²⁶For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. ²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. ²⁸Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. ²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. ³¹Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. ³²For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. ³³The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. ³⁴Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. ³⁵The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. (Proverbs 3:11‑35).

The word "chastening" in verse 11 is perhaps better translated "instruction"; it means also warning, correction or discipline, and "correction" at the end of the verse is rather "reproof." To "despise" the instruction or correction of the Lord, is not to make little of it, as though it were something of no account and contemptible, but the word used here has the sense of loathing, rejecting with abhorrence. The believer is not to refuse the Lord's instruction, nor be weary of His reproof. Obedience is a hard lesson for some of us to learn, and by nature we are disobedient. (See Psalm 32:8, 9⁸I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. ⁹Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (Psalm 32:8‑9)).

Whom He loves, He chastens, and of this the Hebrew Christians had to be reminded (Hebrews 12:5-13⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ¹²Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; ¹³And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5‑13)), and so do we in this day who know Christ as our Saviour. It is the son in whom He delighteth that the father corrects.

We may compare this with the interest of the Father in the fruit bearing branches in John 15: 2, for the Father now judges His children; by and by the Son will judge the world.

Turning back to our key verse, chapter 1, verse 7, we see the meaning of verse 13,

"Happy (or blessed) is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."

It is not the wisdom spoken of in 1 Corinthians 1:17, 19, 20, 22, 26¹⁷For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (1 Corinthians 1:17)
¹⁹For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ²⁰Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Corinthians 1:19‑20)
²²For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (1 Corinthians 1:22)
²⁶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: (1 Corinthians 1:26); but that of verse 30 in that chapter. The gain of this wisdom and understanding is better than the precious things of this world for which men and women strive so hard all their lives (verses 14, 15).

How alluring the description of this heavenly wisdom is in verses 15 to 18. "All the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her" (wisdom looked at here as a person), and all that makes for happiness and life—even everlasting life (verse 18) is found in her.

Shame on us who have confessed with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believed in our heart that God bath raised Him from the dead, that we do not value nearly as much as we should this true wisdom. The people of this world are far more in earnest about the things the world has to give them, than the children of God are in seeking the things that concern Him (See 2 Peter 3:18¹⁸But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)).

God by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the deeps were broken up (see Genesis 7:11¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:11)), and the skies drop down the dew. This sound wisdom and discretion, garnered from the Bible, God's written Word, is the safeguard of the believer as he passes through a wicked world.

What security, what calmness, in such a troubled scene, is confidently assured to those who trust in Him, in verses 23-26!

Verses 27 to 31 speak of our relationships with men, for the knowledge of a Saviour God teaches us right ways toward our fellowmen as well as toward God.

God has a perfect judgment concerning the wicked; they are an abomination to Him (verse 32). His secret is however with the upright (see Psalm 25:14¹⁴The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)); they know Him and what pleases Him.

God distinguishes those that fear Him, and He blesses them, and gives grace to the lowly.