Wise Counsel For Everyone

Introduction

Ann Landers died in 2002. She was one of the syndicated newspaper columnists of the U.S.A. For many years Ann Landers received about 10,000 letters a month - that’s more than 300 letters a day. People have been seeking her counsel and advice on everything from marriage to money to mental health.

Everyone needs counsel. Most everyone seeks counsel from some source. The best help that any of can ever find is in the Bible, God’s Holy Word. The Book of Proverbs is a book from Solomon, a man to whom God gave much wisdom. The third chapter in Proverbs is a great section on wise counsel. We find the counsel that everyone can benefit from in Proverbs 3:1-12.

I. God’s Counsel To Follow His Word

We have the counsel of following God’s Word. Verse 1 of this chapter says, "Forget not my law; …let your heart keep my commandments."

We are to believe God’s Word. We are to store up the Word of the Lord. We must remember and not forget the Scriptures.

The Bible as we know is the world’s unique book. No other writing can be compared to God’s Word. The Bible tells us where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. No other book has God’s message of love and redemption like the Bible. Thus we are to follow God’s Word.

John Adams, the sixth president of the United States, read the Bible one hour every day. President Eisenhower read the Bible every night. George Washington said that it is impossible to govern any nation in the right way without God and the Bible. We need God’s Book to be our guide.

As we follow God’s Word we may have a longer life. That’s what Proverbs 3:2 states, "For length of days and long life" is added to us because we follow God’s Word. That is a general principle. Of course, any of us may die at any time. Illness or accidents or war may claim the life of people. But the general principle is that when we follow God’s Word that an extended life will belong to us.

Solomon wrote the words of Proverbs. Solomon had a brother by the name of Absalom. Evidently Absalom did not follow God’s Word. He had not learned to "honor his father and his mother." He rebelled against his father David when David became king. As a result, Absalom died early in life. 2 Samuel 18:9-14 tells that when Absalom was on a horse and trying to get away from David’s soldiers, that Absalom’s long hair caught in the limbs of an oak tree. He was suspended in mid air. One of David’s men killed him before he could free himself from his tough predicament.

As we follow God’s Word we have peace within our own lives. Proverbs 3:2 states again that as we believe in and carry out God’s Word that we have "peace." David wrote in Psalms 119:165, "Great peace (not just a temporary peace, but great peace) have they that love God’s Word and nothing shall offend them." People spend a lot of money seeing doctors and other counselors. This may be a needed step at times. And yet, when we do what God tells us to do a lot of the unnecessary trips to counselors and others may not be necessary. God gives us "great peace" when we discover and do His will.

II. God’s Counsel Is To Show Mercy And Be Truthful

We are to show mercy and be truthful. Verse 3 almost jumps off the page at us. The words are: "Don’t let mercy and truth get away from you!"

Look at the word mercy. What does it mean and how can it be practiced? Mercy means showing kindness or compassion to others. This means that we don’t rush to get revenge or crush another person. We are to be on missions of help and rescue every day.

Jesus met people with all kinds of problems when He lived on this earth. Very frequently those who had physical needs cried out to Jesus, "Have mercy upon us." And Jesus never turned away from those who needed mercy. To the dying thief on the cross, Jesus said, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise."

When you were a child and did something wrong, you didn’t want your parents to whip you or give you what you deserve. You wanted mercy. You need to show mercy to the members of your Sunday School class or congregation when they fail. Don’t be anxious to "rip them apart." Be patience and kind and considerate. Remember the times when you have failed. Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." You may find ways to apply this truth every day. Do it and be merciful.

Look at the word truth. Are we full of truth? Do we lie or deceive others? Paul wrote in Ephesians that we are to "speak the truth in love." Are we truthful to our mates? To our parents? To our fellow Christians? Honesty is the best policy. We don’t need to go around and expose the faults of others. The Bible says, "Love covers a multitude of sins" (Proverbs and James). And at the same time we learn to be truthful.

We can decorate our lives with mercy and truth. These are good ornaments to wear. You may come with rings on your fingers, earrings, and bracelets or beautiful pearls around you neck. But the best ornaments are set forth by these verses.

In Old Testament years the priests and other religious leaders had God’s Word as "frontlets" over their eyes. They had little containers that hung around their necks with God’s Word in those containers. Sometimes they wore God’s Word attached to their arms. Proverbs 3:3 states that we ought to let "mercy and truth" be our decoration even to have these qualities of life written "on the table of your heart."

If we want to find favor and good understanding with God and man, then practice these qualities. Verse 4 states this fact. A spiritual revolution would take place in our churches and homes if we would live by this counsel. Are we doing it? Are we ready for the next word of counsel? Get prepared. Here comes "the heart" of all counsel.

III. God’s Counsel Is to Trust Him

We are to trust God. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to have confidence in God. That is, we are to believe Him, accept Him as the Lord of life, and follow Him. Look at this challenge.

We are to trust the Lord completely and fully. The words of the text say "with all your heart." That’s the message of Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 22. That is, "We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and being." We don’t lean upon ourselves, but upon the Lord. The song writer expressed the truth, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." We do this when we fully trust God.

We are to acknowledge God in all our ways. Look at the word "acknowledge. This means that we recognize the authority, rights, and status of another. In this case God is the one we recognize. We are to take notice of God’s sovereignty, His claim or right over our lives. To acknowledge God then is to be in agreement with God in that He is to have charge of our lives. This truth would stop a lot of us "dead in our tracts" if we believed and did it, wouldn’t it? Do we put life to the test when we are considering a new day, or a new decision? When we acknowledge God in "all our ways" we don’t leave anything outside the area of God’s control. He is the Lord over all.

We are to let God directs our steps. When we acknowledge God the result will be that He will direct our steps. He will show us the way through every wilderness. He can guide us in every area of life. God wants to do this.

Anyone who travels knows the importance of maps. We need road maps if we are traveling over country that’s unknown to us. The highway numbers help us find our way. The names of cities and states or counties are given. Maps are vital when we are in a new country. God’s direction is better than man-made maps. The Lord never leads us down a "dead end" street. He guides us in the right way. So take this counsel of trust in God.

IV. God’s Counsel Is To Watch How We Live

We are to keep watch over life. Even as we trust in the Lord we also have the job or responsibility of watching our steps, of being careful how we live. Proverbs 3:7 tells us the way we are to watch our lives.

We need to beware of pride. "Be not wise in your own eyes." In the English language the middle letter of sin is "I." The middle letter in pride is "I." We must be careful with self, with being "self- centered." We can’t be self-sufficient.

Aesop wrote a lot of fables. That man from Greece lived about 400 years before Christ. One story from Aesop is about a young lady who had gone to milk cows. As she came from the barn she put the bucket of milk on her head. She thought, "What am I going to do with this milk? Oh, I know I will sell the milk and buy some eggs. Then I will let the eggs hatch. When the chicks are grown I will sell the chickens. With that money I will buy cloth for a new dress. When there’s a party I will go to the party wearing my new dress. The boys will see me. Some will want to marry me when they see me in my beautiful dress. I will throw my head back and tell them ‘no’!" And she tossed her head back and the bucket of milk fell to the ground and all her dreams came to an end! Solomon says for us to  watch out for pride.

We are to keep the fear of the Lord in our lives. Don’t lose our reverence and esteem and fear of God. We are to see God with a sense of awe. After Job had a view of God, he said, "Now my eyes see you and I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes" (42:6). Remember the grandeur and splendor and glory of the Lord.

We are to turn away from evil. One way we watch is to "depart from evil" (3:7). When tornadoes, floods, fires, or hurricanes cross the country, we get out of their path. When diseases strike, we don’t go into the epidemic. We turn away from that wrong.

The blessing of good health is the heritage of those who don’t go down evil paths. Verse 8 states that when we turn away from the evil that we will have healthier bodies and good bones. This is good counsel!

V. God’s Counsel Is To Honor Him With Material Possessions

We need to honor the Lord with our material possessions. Proverbs 3:9-10 comes as a good reminder that everyone can contribute to the financial well-being of God’s kingdom work. Children can learn this truth. Those you have recently married and have very little income can learn this truth. The ones who make a lot of money (like the pastors in third world countries! No, these barely survive) and those who receive small salaries can learn the principle of giving to the Lord.

We can honor the Lord with our substance. Can God be honored with the little that we have? We remember the story about Jesus as He entered the temple of Jerusalem. He watched various leaders who put in their offerings. Finally he saw a poor woman who put in a couple of pennies… Jesus said that she had made a greater contribution than all the others had. And she did. God is honored by the little as well as the large offerings.

We can honor with Lord with our "first fruits." In O.T. days when wheat harvest began, the first heads of wheat that ripened were taken to the temple or tabernacle and offered to God. The farmers gave the first part of their income to the Lord, believing that God would give them a full harvest a little later.

All the priests in Israel came from the tribe of Levi. The first son born in each of those families that belonged to Levi’s tribe was dedicated to God. That young man became the "first fruits" that the family offered to God.

We may have income from a few sources or from many businesses. The text states that we are to honor God with "all our increase" (v. 9).

We do have a problem. What if we give to God’s cause? Will this mean then that my family and I will go hungry, that we will "come up short? The text states in verse 10 that God will fill up the barns and even the wine vats of those who are faithful in giving to the Lord. Now we don’t think that just because a person gives to God’s cause that such a person will become wealthy. God does say, however, that He will bless us, that He will meet our needs. We can’t out give God. He replenishes with abundance when we keep God’s kingdom cause in mind. We will be blessed by giving! Maybe the corn will be more productive in the field. Perhaps the hens will lay more eggs when we give some of those eggs to the Lord’s cause. Maybe our fingers will become more nimble when we work in the offices when we give back to God a part of our salary. God blesses!

VI. God’s Counsel Is To Accept His Chastening When We Do Wrong

We find counsel here that we are to accept God’s chastening when we do wrong. We don’t like this part of Proverbs. And yet, verses 11-12 says we must not despise or look down upon God’s chastening. We don’t become weary with God’s corrections.

God chastens those He loves. The Hebrews faced years of captivity because of their unfaithfulness to God. The Lord chastened them because of their sins. We do wrong and the Lord corrects us. He puts us back on the right track.

When a dog disobeys his owner, the dog may get a whipping. If a man tells his dog, "Turn loose of that pig’s ear." If the dog holds on to the pig and makes him squeal even more, the owner may take a stick and hit his dog and make him let go.

God sometimes has to strike us, to whip us, to chasten us. We learn by God’s chastening. But those corrections come because God loves us. Verse 12 states that even as a man chastens a son who most of the time gives him delight, so God chastens us. He does so because God loves us.

Not all the tough times come to us because we disobey God. The best people of God sometimes suffer illness or death or setbacks. God is not always chastening a person during those times. That difficulty may come from the outside world or from circumstances that we can’t control. And yet, we learn through trials and sorrows that God loves us and wants the best for us now and in eternity.

We all can agree that Proverbs chapter three offers excellent counsel for us. Are we ready to follow the counsel that God provides for us. We can make a commitment to follow the wise counsel that comes from God’s Word. Will we do that today?