Wisdom and its blessings in Decision-making: Wisdom Blesses the Man Mentally – As wisdom will teach us how to prosper in our relationships in Pro 3:3-4, wisdom will teach us how to find God’s purpose and will for our lives as we learn to trust Him in every area of our lives. These two verses are telling us to renew our minds with the Word of God so that we will be able to make wise decisions. We are to find God’s will in everything that we do so that He can prosper us exceedingly.

Rom 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

3Jn 1:2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth .”

Sowing in the Mental Realm Pro 3:31-32 serves as an illustration of Pro 3:5 by telling us not to follow the path of the oppressor, but to find the secret counsel of the Lord when making decisions.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart” – Word Study on “Trust” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “trust” ( ) (H982) means, “to confide in, to set one’s hope and confidence upon any one, to be secure, to fear nothing for oneself.” Strong says that it literally means, “to hide for refuge,” thus, it means, “to trust, to be confident, to be sure.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 120 times in the Old Testament Scriptures. being translated in the KJV as, “ trust 103, confidence 4, secure 4, confident 2, bold 1, careless 1, hope 1, hoped 1, ones 1, sure 1, women 1.”

Comments – How can you trust in the Lord if you do not know Him? For example, if you met a stranger on the street and he promises you something, how can you have much confidence in that? You cannot. This is why God’s Word must be in you, working in your life causes you to confidently put your trust in Him. This is why Pro 3:1-4 precede this verse, because they talk about knowing God’s Word. Also note that Pro 22:17-19 follows the same pattern.

Pro 22:17-19, “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD , I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.”

How trustworthy is God’s Word? See:

Num 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

1Sa 15:29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”

Mal 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

2Ti 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

Tit 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

Heb 6:17-18, “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:”

Jas 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Illustration – We do not really trust someone whom we do not know. Illustration: Someone once walked in off the street into Jack Emerson’s mechanic shop and said that if Jack would give him so much money then he would bring him so many pounds shrimp later did Jack do it. No!

Scripture Reference Note:

Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

Pro 3:5 “lean not unto thine own understanding” Word Study on “lean” Strong says the Hebrew word “lean” “shawan” ( ) (H8172) literally means, “to support one’s self.”

Illustration – In 2Ch 13:1-22, Abijah was out numbered 2-1, yet he trusted in the Lord (He leaned upon God in Pro 3:18).

2Ch 13:18, “Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers .”

Other illustrations:

2Ki 18:5, “ He trusted in the LORD God of Israel ; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.”

1Ch 5:20, “And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him .”

2Ch 14:11, “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee , and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.”

2Ch 16:7, “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God , therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.”

Word Study on “understanding” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “understanding” ( ) (H998) means, “understanding, intelligence, insight.” Strong says it means, “understanding,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H995), which means, “to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understand,” which is the same verb used in this verse that is translated, “to perceive.” Holladay says it means, “insight, perception.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 38 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “understanding 32, Wisdom 2, knowledge 1, meaning 1, perfectly 1, understand 1.” This Hebrew word is used 14 times in the book of Proverbs.

Comments – The idea is to not trust in oneself (Jeremiah 23-24).

Jer 9:23-24, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches : But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

As Jer 9:23-24 says, the world trusts in itself: in its wealth, in its strength and in its wisdom. For example, on September 11, 2003, terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The World Trade Center was a building that represented America’s wealth. The Pentagon was a building that represented American’s strength. In early 2003, the Colombia space shuttle blew apart over Texas. The space shuttle represented America’s wisdom and ingenuity. We are to trust in the Lord.

Pro 3:5 Comments – Note a similar verse in 2Co 5:7, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Pro 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge Him” Word Study on “ways” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “ways” “derek” ( ) (H1870) means, “a going, a journey, a way, a path.” Strong says it means, “a course of life, or a mode of action.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 627 times in the Old Testament.

Comments – It refers to the opportunities that we face each day to make a decision that is right or wrong.

Word Study on “acknowledge” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “know” ( ) (H3045) means, “to see,” hence, “to perceive, to acquire knowledge, to know, to be acquainted.” Strong says it is a primitive root meaning, “to know, to ascertain by seeing.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 947 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “know 645, known 105, knowledge 19, perceive 18, shew 17, tell 8, wist 7, understand 7, certainly 7, acknowledge 6, acquaintance 6, consider 6, declare 6, teach 5, misc 85.” This Hebrew word is used 35 times in the book of Proverbs.

Comments – This Hebrew word is used here in the imperative mood. It carries the meaning of knowing intimately, or by personal experience. So, this verse says, “Learn to know His ways by getting to know Him personally, so that He can direct your daily activities and decisions into a righteous lifestyle.” This means we are to walk in personal fellowship with the Lord if we are to make wise decisions. There is not short cut to wisdom. We cannot circumvent our fellowship with God.

Illustration – Ezra acknowledged that God was at work in his life.

Ezr 7:6, “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him .”

Also, Ezr 7:9; Ezr 7:28; Ezr 8:18; Ezr 8:22; Ezr 8:31 and Neh 2:8 say, “the hand of the Lord was upon him.”

Scripture References – Note similar verses in the New Testament:

Col 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Col 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

1Co 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Php 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Pro 3:6 “and he shall direct thy paths” Word Study on “direct” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “direct” ( ) (H3474) means, “to be straight, to be even, level.” Strong says it literally means, “to be straight or even, and figuratively, it means, “to be right, pleasant, or prosperous.” In this passage, it means to make straight, or right. We see this same Hebrew verb in Isa 40:3 being literally translated “make straight.”

Isa 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

The noun (H3476) that is derived from this verb means “straightness, what is right” ( Gesenius). This same Hebrew noun is used in Pro 2:13; Pro 4:11.

Pro 2:13, “Who leave the paths of uprightness , to walk in the ways of darkness;”

Pro 4:11, “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.”

Comments – We see this idea in Psa 23:3, “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake .” The paths that we take represent the decisions we make. Every choice we make in life will put us on the path of wisdom, or the path of the wicked.

Scripture References – Note other similar verses:

Psa 25:4, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.”

Pro 2:8, “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.”

Pro 2:13, “Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;”

Pro 2:20, “That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.”

Pro 4:11, “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.”

Pro 8:20, “I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:”

Isa 2:3, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

Jer 6:16, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls . But they said, We will not walk therein.”

Pro 3:6 Comments – In other words, seek God in all your choices and decisions in life! Note similar verses:

Pro 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

1Sa 23:4, “Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.” See also 1Sa 23:11-12; 1Sa 30:8.

1Ch 28:9, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father , and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”

It is the office of the Holy Spirit to lead and to guide our steps, and not the office of man. We are not to be guided by man’s voice, although we are to seek counsel from the wise. Frances J. Roberts writes, “My child, hear My voice, and give no heed to the voice of the stranger. My paths are straight, and they are narrow, but ye shall have no difficulty in finding them if ye watch Me. I am guiding thee. Ye need not look to man for direction. Ye may learn much by fellowship with the saints, but never allow any to take the part that is rightfully Mine to direct thy steps . As it is written, ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord ’ not by the preacher, not by some Christian worker, but by the Lord.” [61]

[61] Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 15.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

Pro 3:5. And lean not, &c. Or, Rest not upon, &c. God demands that we love him, that we believe in him, that we trust in him, that we seek for him with all our heart: he would have nothing of us by halves: and surely he deserves that we should put our whole confidence in him; full of goodness as he is to protect, great in power as he is to defend. What can our wisdom, our industry, do without him?Yet he does not forbid us to use our own prudence or understanding, but not to lean or rest upon it; as if every thing should depend upon that, exclusive of him. See Calmet.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

DISCOURSE: 757
CONFIDENCE IN GOD ENCOURAGED

Pro 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him; and he shall direct thy paths.

THE book of Proverbs is not so much designed to open to us the way of salvation, as it is to regulate our conduct after we have attained the knowledge of the truth. It abounds with maxims admirably calculated to assist us in our intercourse with men, and with instructions also relative to our walk before God. Of this latter kind is the advice given us in the words which we have just read: wherein we see,

I.

The confidence which God requires of us

As creatures, we are of necessity dependent on Him who first gave us our existence: for in him we live, and move, and have our being. But it is by no means sufficient for us to acknowledge this as a truth which we cannot controvert: we must acquiesce in it as a state that we approve, and glory in it as our highest privilege. Our confidence in God must be co-extensive with our necessities: it must be

1.

Entire

[We must trust in the Lord with all our heart. There must be no aversion to such an appointment as unnecessary, no distrust of it as insufficient. We should view ourselves as utterly incapable of ensuring our own happiness: and we should regard God as engaged to order every thing for our good. We should not for a moment doubt his wisdom to discern what shall eventually prove best for us, nor his power to execute it, however great or numerous the difficulties may be which appear to obstruct its accomplishment. Nay, we must be persuaded, that his love delights in caring for us, and that his truth and faithfulness will perform all that in his unbounded mercy he has undertaken in our behalf. From this conviction we must commit all our concerns to him. to be ordered and overruled as he in his infinite wisdom shall see best. There must be an actual transfer of them if we may so speak into his hands, and a full conviction of mind that he is able to keep, and will assuredly keep, what we have so committed to him, so as to bring all our affairs to a blessed and successful issue [Note: Psa 37:5. with 2Ti 1:12.].]

2.

Exclusive

[We must not lean to our own understanding. so as to rely on it for any thing. We are to use our understanding indeed, but not to transfer to it any measure of that dependence which should be placed on God only. We know not what would be the ultimate issue of any one thing. We are ready to suppose, that whatever obstructs our wishes for a time, will endanger their final accomplishment: whereas God often makes those very events subservient to his own gracious purposes, and uses them as means whereby his ends shall be fulfilled. This was remarkably the case with Joseph, in all his trials: and there is no true believer who will not acknowledge, that in his own experience many things which have been desired by him would have proved injurious, and many things which have been deprecated by him have been overruled for his welfare. From a full conviction that a mans way is not in himself, and that it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps [Note: Jer 10:23.], we must renounce all idea of planning for ourselves, any further than in an entire dependence on the divine guidance and direction. We are doubtless to use all proper means for attaining what on the whole appears most desirable: but the relying on our own devices, as calculated of themselves to ensure success, is the thing which God has marked with his strongest disapprobation [Note: Isa 22:8-11. See also Isa 30:1-3; Isa 31:1-3.] The doing of this demonstrates our folly [Note: Pro 28:26.], and exposes us to the heaviest curse [Note: Jer 17:5-6.]. We must therefore altogether cease from our own wisdom [Note: Pro 23:4.].]

3.

Uniform

[In all our ways we must acknowledge him; not in those only which seem to be of greater importance, but in all without exception. It is not in the rise and fall of empires only that Gods hand is to be viewed, but in the falling of a sparrow, or in any event equally insignificant. We are apt to consider some things as important, and others as unimportant; but the truth is, that in Gods sight nothing is important (except as it may advance his glory); nor is there any thing unimportant as it relates to us. Many things which in their effects and consequences have been of the greatest imaginable importance, may in their origin be traced to the slightest possible occurrence. If we look into the book of Esther, we shall see this observation confirmed in its utmost extent. Nor is God to be acknowledged only in those events which would be deemed small, but in those also which are casual, or, as we call them, accidental: the lot (than which nothing is more casual) is cast into the lap, but the whole disposal thereof is of the Lord. In every thing therefore, whether great or small, painful or pleasant, concerted or fortuitous, God must be acknowledged as having sent it, if past, and as having the entire disposal of it, if future.]
To place this entire confidence in God will be found our truest wisdom, if we consider,

II.

The encouragement he gives us to trust in him

Wonderful is the promise here given for our encouragement; He will direct our paths. But how will he direct us? Will he speak to us in dreams, or visions, or by Urim and Thummim, or by an audible voice? Or will he go before us in the pillar and the cloud, as he did before his people in the wilderness; or answer us, as he did David, in reference to the men of Keilah, and the Amalekites [Note: 1Sa 23:4; 1Sa 11:12; 1Sa 30:8.]? No: we are not authorized to expect any thing of the kind: yet will he direct us sufficiently to preserve us from any material error,

1.

By his Spirit

[To open the eyes of our understanding is one of the most important offices of the Spirit: and, in doing this, he will purge away from our eyes that film which obstructs our sight. Pride, passion, interest, and a thousand other things, incapacitate us for a clear and perfect discovery of our duty: and, till these be mortified, we are constantly exposed to the most awful delusions: we are ready at all times to call good evil, and evil good: to put darkness for light, and light for darkness. But, when our minds are duly enlightened, we see things in their proper colours. On different occasions, when the apostles would have called fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan village, and when they contended with each other who should be the greatest, our blessed Lord instructed them better: and so will he do with us, bringing to our remembrance some portion of Gods word which bears upon the point in hand. Thus he fulfils that blessed promise, that we shall hear a word behind us, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it: when we should otherwise have turned either to the right hand or to the left [Note: Isa 30:21.]. We say not, that the Holy Spirit does not sometimes effect this without the word: we are inclined to think he does; and that too by a kind of impression on the mind deterring us from evil and guiding us to good [Note: Psa 73:24. 1Jn 2:20; 1Jn 2:27.]: but he never does it contrary to the word. Suffice it to say, that whether with or without the word, he will guide us into all truth, so far as shall be necessary for the rectifying of our views, and the regulating of our conduct.]

2.

By his Providence

[God often interposes for men in a most wonderful manner, to preserve them from evil, and to guide them into that which is good. Even a wicked Balaam was obstructed in his way by Gods appointment, in order to awaken him to a just sense of his duty. A remarkable instance of such an interposition occurs in the life of David. He, being incensed against Nabal for the contemptuous manner in which he had treated his messengers, and for his ungrateful refusal to administer to his necessities [Note: 1Sa 25:4-11.], had determined to avenge himself upon him and all that belonged to him. But God put it into the heart of Abigail to go to meet him, and by mild representations to pacify his wrath [Note: 1Sa 25:18-31.]. Thus were the greatest impieties prevented through the intervention of this prudent female [Note: 1Sa 25:32-34.]. And in this way God often directs the ways of his people, either sending a friend perhaps, or a minister, to suggest such considerations as shall influence their minds: or by some particular occurrence raising, as it were, a hedge, or building a wall, to keep them in the path of duty [Note: Hos 2:6-7.]. It may be, that the occurrence may occasion much grief at the time; but God knows how to accomplish his own purposes, and will constrain us all in due time to acknowledge that he doeth all things well.]

We will add a few words,
1.

To direct your exertions

[Do not imagine that confidence in God is to supersede your own personal exertions. You are to labour, as much as if every thing depended on yourselves; and then to trust in God, as if nothing had been done by you. You must also expressly commit your concerns to God in fervent and continual prayer. The Psalmist particularly combines this with confidence in God: Trust in God at all times, ye people; pour out your hearts before him [Note: Psa 62:8.]. The confidence that is unaccompanied with prayer and diligence is mere presumption. We have a beautiful pattern in Jacob, when he was about to meet his brother Esau. He disposed every thing in a way most suited to pacify his brothers anger, or, in the event of not succeeding in that attempt, to secure that part of his family who were most dear to him: but, whilst he acted thus, he committed himself wholly to the Lord, and looked for success from him alone [Note: Gen 32:9-32.]. Thus let there be no want of prudence or of diligence on your part; and then you may be assured that God will not suffer you to be disappointed of your hope.]

2.

To regulate your expectations

[Though God promises to direct your paths, he will not so direct you as to keep you from every degree of error. The apostles themselves, though in what they declared to be the will of God they were inspired to utter nothing but what was true, were not infallible in their own personal conduct. Peter greatly erred on one occasion, in his conduct towards the Gentiles; as Paul also did in reviling Gods high priest. You must not therefore conceive that you are certainly and altogether right, because you have prayed to God for direction: God may have many wise and gracious purposes to answer by leaving you still under some measure of darkness and ignorance: if it be only to humble you still more, and to shew you the blindness of your minds and the deceitfulness of Your hearts, it is a good and gracious end, for which you will in the issue see reason to be thankful. Be modest then, and diffident in your conclusions: and instead of assuming infallibility to yourselves, be always ready to suspect that your way is still far from perfect; and to the latest hour of your lives be proving to God to lead you in a right path, and to fulfil to you that gracious promise. The meek he will guide in judgment; the meek he will teach his way.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Here is a divine precept, and a divine promise sweetly blended. And in many other parts of scripture we find the same confirmed. Isa 42:16 ; Psa 55:22 ; 1Pe 5:7 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Ver. 5. Trust in the Lord. ] To trust in God is to be unbottomed of thyself, and of every creature, and so to lean upon God, that if he fail thee thou sinkest. Confidence is the least, and yet the best we can render to the Lord, for hereby we acknowledge his sovereignty, and set the crown upon his head, as it were. See Jdg 9:15 .

And lean not to thine own understanding. ] Which, because men do, hence it is, many times, that the fairest blossoms of their endeavours wither, and the unprobablest things do come to pass. God loves to confute men in their confidences, as he did the Philistines in their champion Goliath. We must not, therefore, trust – no, not trust itself – but God, on whom it relies, who is therefore called our trust. They trust not God at all that do it not alone. He that stands with one foot on a rock, and another foot upon a quicksand, will sink and perish as certainly as he that stands with both feet on a quicksand. “Lord, lead me to a rock that is higher than I,” saith David. Whither, when he was once got, then he sat and sang, “The Lord is my rock and my salvation.” Psa 27:1 Surely, as one said of general councils, they seldom were successful, because men came with confidence, leaning to their own understanding, and seeking for victory rather than verity. So it holds as true in other like cases.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Trust = Confide. Hebrew. batah. App-69.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

with all thine heart. Illustrations: Abraham (Gen 24:1-8; compare Pro 19:14); Eleazar (Gen 24:12-27); Jephthah (Jdg 11:11); David (1Sa 30:6-8); Asa (2Ch 14:9-15); Hezekiah (2Ki 18:4-7; 2Ki 19:14-37); Nehemiah (Pro 1:4-11; Pro 2:4-8).

understanding = discernment. Hebrew. binah. See note on “wisdom” (Pro 1:2), No. 2.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

trust

(See Scofield “Psa 2:12”)

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,

And lean not upon thine own understanding:

In all thy ways acknowledge him,

And he shall direct thy paths.Pro 3:5-6

There are two ways in which people pass through life. They pass through it remembering God, or they pass through it forgetting Him. They go through it with Him in their minds, though they cannot see Him; or they go through it as if they had nothing to do with Him. They live as if this world were all they had to think about, or they remember that another life is coming, though they know they have to die in this world. And, of course, in what they do, this great difference shows itself. If people have not God and eternity in their thoughts, how is it possible that they should do anything as if they had? How can they try to please God, whom they never think of? And how can they give themselves any trouble to be prepared for eternity, when eternity is nothing but a mere word and sound to them, meaning nothing? But if they really have the greatness and mercy and judgment of God continually in their minds, they must either be openly rebelling against the light, or else they cannot help shaping their lives by the awful truths they believe, and living as those who must soon pass away from here to meet the Judge and Saviour of the quick and the dead. Either they are wise in their own eyesthat is, they trust themselves and the present world for everything they wish and work for, and feel no want of God, nor care for what He promisesor they acknowledge Him in all their ways; they think of His eye, His will, His hand, to uphold or cast down, to guide or to chastise, in all that they undertake through their life. Either they lean upon their own understanding; they are satisfied with what they see and have learnt about the ways and wisdom and good things of this present world, and will not listen even to God, when He tells them a different story about what men think so much of here; or they trust in the Lord with all their heart, knowing that it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, and that it would profit a man nothing if he were to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.

I

A Prohibition

Lean not upon thine own understanding.

1. These words presuppose the existence of sin, of actual disorder, of want of harmony between fallen man and the moral universe. Were it not so, they could have neither meaning nor propriety, and would certainly never have been written. To write the former part, Trust in the Lord, would have been unnecessary; to write the latter, Lean not upon thine own understanding, would have been improper. It is quite natural for a sinless being to lean upon his own understanding; it is indeed a positive virtue in him to do so; it is, in fact, but one form of trusting in God. For who gave us our understanding? Who endowed us in the beginning with the light of reason? Who conferred upon us those intellectual faculties which make us differ from the brute creation? It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. He gave us understanding for a purpose: that it might be our unfailing guide throughout the journey of life. To doubt the credibility of the understandingthe understanding unadulterated by sinwould therefore be a reflection upon Gods wisdom and goodness. The understanding in man is analogous to instinct in inferior animals. In following instinct, the animal obeys God; for instinct is Gods law implanted in its nature, and compliance with it is invariably attended with beneficial results. To man, however, in his present statesinful, polluted, degraded as he isno advice can be more appropriate than this: Lean not upon thine own understanding.

If I had to single out any particular verses in the Bible which I am conscious of having influenced me moat it would be those which were taught me when a boy and which I long afterwards saw on the wall in General Gordons room in Southampton: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.1 [Note: W. T. Stead, in Books Which Have Influenced Me, 41.]

When the prophet Jeremiah expressed himself thus, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, he spoke words which we must all feel to be true, each one of his own self. Now, there is an uncertainty, a want of fixed purpose, a hesitation, a going backwards and forwards, an openness to any crafty temptation, an unsettled, infirm condition of mind, a wrong choice of objects, when a man leans upon his own understanding, and is wise in his own eyes. His steps are uncertain, his ways crooked, his principles shifting with the world in which, and for which, he lives: his whole course of action is measured out to him by the opinions of others as unsettled as himself: he is like a wave of the sea, tossed to and fro, at the mercy of every breath of ridicule and temptation that passes over him.2 [Note: W. T. Vernon.]

2. Yet this prohibition must have its limits. To live in utter disregard of our understanding, to allow our mental powers to be atrophied through want of exercise, would lead to the most disastrous consequences. Such a life would be the life of an idiot or a madmandreary, mean, and purposeless. Every step by which we impair our understanding is a step in the direction of idiocy and madness; every chance of cultivating our intellect we let slip is a lost opportunity of perfecting our manhood. True, human nature can no longer boast of the exquisite harmony, beauty, and perfection which belonged to it in its primeval state; still, it is glorious in its fall, it is grand in its ruin; there yet linger about its shattered powers traces of the Divine image which sin has so miserably effaced. Our supreme desire, then, should be salvationthe salvation of the body, of the soul, of the entire manthe restoration of our nature to its original wonderful greatness. That man is engaged in the noblest occupation who, being awakened to a sense of his own dignity through the regenerating influence of Gods Spirit, eagerly devotes himself to the pursuit of truth and the cultivation of his understanding. Ignorance can never be bliss; much less can ignorance be the mother of godliness. It is knowledge of the truth that brings freedom, and a cultivated understanding is a Godlike possession.

As the late Dean Church, himself a Dante student, says of Hooker, we may say of Dante, that he found, as the guide of human conduct, a rule derived not from one alone, but from all the sources of light and truth with which man finds himself encompassed. And again: His whole theory rests on the principle that the paramount and supreme guide, both of the world and of human action, is reason. The concurrence and co-operation, each in its due place, of all possible means of knowledge for mans direction. Conceiving of law as reason under another name, he conceived of God Himself as working under a law, which is His supreme reason, and appointing to all His works the law by which they are to work out their possible perfection. Law is that which binds the whole creation, in all its ranks and subordinations, to the perfect goodness and reason of God. Every law of God is a law of reason, and every law of reason is a law of God.1 [Note: H. B. Garrod, Dante, Goethes Faust, and other Lectures, 75.]

II

A Precept

1. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. This is a remarkable anticipation of New Testament teaching: We walk by faith, not by sight. Without faith it is impossible to please God. The trust we should repose in God admits of no limit or modification. This reminds us of the great commandment in the law, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Thus, whatever we do in reference to God, whether we love Him, trust Him, or serve Him, it must be done with a heartiness, a reality, an earnestness which cannot for a moment be doubted.

It takes a long time to learn to trust in the Lord, and to acknowledge Him in all our ways. Those who try most to do so, who wish most to leave themselves, and all that belongs to them, to His manifest orderingwho have most reason to hope that they have given up trusting to their own understanding and wisdom in what concerns this life hereare reminded to the last how imperfectly they have learnt the lesson; how often, without knowing it, they are setting their will before Gods will, and fancying that they know better than God what is best for them. And if this is so with those who try to leave themselves in Gods hands, how shall they who never seriously try at all be able to do so when the time of trouble comes?

Faith is not mere belief; but such belief as leads us to have confidence in Godconfidence in what He is to us, and does for us, and asks of us, with the necessary implication of a response on our part. And when we speak of a living, or lively faith, we mean a faith by which we live in conscious response to Gods love and its demands upon us; trusting Him for to-morrow because we know that we are obeying Him to-day.1 [Note: J. R. Illingworth, Christian Character.]

Faith is that temper of sympathetic and immediate response to Anothers will which belongs to a recognized relationship of vital communion. It is the spirit of confident surrender, which can only be justified by an inner identification of the life. Unless this inner relationship be a fact, faith could not account for itself: but if it be a fact, it must constitute a fixed and necessary demand upon all men. All are, equally, children of God; and the answer to the question, Why should I believe? must be, for ever and for all, valid: because you are a child of God. Faith itself lies deeper than all the capacities of which it makes use: it is, itself, the primal act of the elemental self, there at the root of life, where the being is yet whole and entire, a single personal individuality, unbroken and undivided. Faith, which is the germinal act of our love for God, is an act of the whole self, there where it is one, before it has parted off into what we can roughly describe as separate and distinguishable faculties.2 [Note: H. S. Holland in Lux Mundi.]

2. In all thy ways acknowledge him. Here we have a sample of the almost untranslatable pregnancy and power of Hebrew speech. The English word acknowledge represents only one of the many meanings which are to be found in the original term. This word, originally meaning to see, came to signify that which results from sight, unless the sense be imperfect or the understanding impaired, namely, knowledge. It exhibits knowledge at all its stages of growth. It stands for a knowledge of isolated facts, and for a knowledge of facts in their largest combinations. It describes a mere act of perception, an unsuspected discovery, a stern experience inflicted upon the dull understanding; it pictures casual acquaintance and the closest possible intimacy; it is used of knowledge by name and of knowledge face to face. It is used of the moral sense recognizing moral good or moral evil, and of the affections gaining knowledge of their object through being exercised on it. It depicts the movements, not merely of the heart and the intellect, but also of the will. It thus represents sometimes the watchful, active care of Gods loving Providence, sometimes the prostrate adoration of a soul, in which knowledge of its Divine Object has passed into the highest stage, and is practically inseparable from worship. As used in the passage before us, it describes nothing less comprehensive than the whole action of mans spiritual being when face to face with the Eternal God. To know God in truth is to believe in Him, to fear Him, and to love Him, with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the mind, and with all the strength; to worship Him, to give Him thanks, to put our whole trust in Him, to call upon Him, to honour His holy Name and His Word, and to serve Him truly.

(1) In order to acknowledge God truly there must be a real conviction that God rules the world.An atheist, who believes that no God exists, or a theist, who believes in His existence but not in His active government of earthly things, or a fatalist, who dreams that all things proceed by an iron necessity which nothing can changenot one of these men can really acknowledge God as the text requires. It is presupposed that we believe in the existence of an almighty, free, intelligent Spirit, from whom all things have sprung, and on whom all things depend; that He fills the whole universe with His presence, or illumines it with His smile; that He is guiding, controlling, and disposing all its affairs for the consummation of holy and glorious purposes; that He cares for the well-being of all His creatures, from the highest seraph who flames before His throne down to the little sparrow which cannot fall to the ground until He permits it; that He has special care for the dignity and well-being of men, and most of all for those who fear Him or who hope in His mercy. A settled conviction of all this is essential to a right acknowledgment of God. If there be no God, it is unreasonable to acknowledge any. If God be not a free or almighty intelligence, but a blind or necessary force, we may as well do homage to the storm that lays waste our fields, or to the earthquake that converts our home into ruins. If God has no care for the concerns of this lower world, to acknowledge Him is useless; if He acts in all things quite independently of our conduct, acknowledging Him is an impertinence. If He is not graciously disposed to accept our prayer and our trust, we may as well give them to the winds. In a word, in order to yield any acknowledgment of God which is worthy of the name, there must be that state of mind described by the Apostle as the condition of all acceptable coming to Godthe belief that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

(2) It follows that we must have communion with Him.It is impossible that any one can really be acknowledging Godcan be thinking of anything but worldly thingswho does not pray by himself in secret, and pray every day regularly. Therefore, if any one knows that he does not take care to say his private prayers to God daily, there is at once a proof and a warning to him that he is not acknowledging God, that he is living without God in the world. He may be as industrious and quiet and respectable and kind-hearted as possible, but he is living without religion, as one who has only this life to pass through, and has no everlasting state waiting for him after he is dead. Private, secret prayer, offered to God daily and regularly, is the one great proof whether we believe and trust in God. If this proof is not there, then it is certain that, whatever we may say or do, we do not in our hearts believe God, or fear Him.

(3) Then, to acknowledge God in all our ways is honestly to admit to Him in each particular case that the matter is in His hands, and that it is to be ordered as He may see fit. We are presumed to feel that God is actively present in all the concerns of this world, from the least to the greatest. Our own concerns, therefore, are neither too vast nor too trifling to engage His attention. Small as things may be in themselves, they are still parts of the great whole, links in the chain which girds the world and reaches up into the hand of God. The breath which stirs the seared leaf is a part of the mighty force which wheels the planets in their courses; and He who keeps the spheres moving in measured harmony numbers the hairs of our heads. Thus, to acknowledge God in all our ways is just to tell Him all this, it is just to advert emphatically to His presence as with us, to regard each interest of our lives as placed in His hands, to view every event in the light that streams from His throne, always to feel, wherever we are or whatever we are doing, that we are in closest connexion with God, and to make a solemn acknowledgment of this.

(4) Along with all this there is to be a sincere dependence upon God for direction and help.This is the practical bearing of our conscious reference to God. In the absence of this it is useless to believe in His supreme rule, or to advert to His universal presence. A devout regard to God, indeed, cannot but be pleasing in His sight, and it is a healthy state of soul. Whatever is right in itself cannot fail to be practically useful. But such a devout regard implies humble reliance upon His guidance. It is a kind of faith spread like a leaf of gold over our whole life; or, to change the figure, it is to live and breathe in the very atmosphere of prayer, though no formal petition may escape our lips. To acknowledge God in all our ways is to acknowledge His goodness and wisdom in guarding our interests; and the very thought cannot but inspire us with a humble, trustful reliance, and call forth now and then earnest entreaty from the depth of the soul. To acknowledge God is not to recognize His presence and remain blind to His perfections; it is not to mark the working of His hand and forget the goodness of His heart; or to believe that He is ever surrounding us as a watchful friend, and yet not yield Him our confidence or utter to Him our prayer. Acknowledgment of such a Being must, in the nature of things, include faith, and without this it would be only a lifeless forma skeleton of religion without its soul.

I am often tempted to trust too much to you; not, I think, to believe your wisdom, and gentleness, and patience, and faith to be greater than they are, but to think too much that I was to trust to them in you, instead of in God, because I have not felt Him to be an ever-present guide, not only into the mysteries of His own Love, not only into the meaning of past wants, but into the grounds of all right and all wise action. This and this only has confused me; all has been ordered to teach me, all to strengthen me; and I alone am wrong. Only with these thoughts others mingle; I must not, in order to recover faith in a Director, give up the direction He places in my way; I must not mistake self-will for conscience, nor impatience for honesty. No one on earth can distinguish them for me; but He will. It so often seems to me as if two different courses of action were right or might be right; and this is what puzzles me, even though it is a blessing as binding me to people of widely different opinions.1 [Note: Life of Octavia Hill, 155.]

On reflection I felt that I was going to make a grand fiasco in Berlin, and compromise a career which, tolerably brilliant at the outset, had already brought on me much resentment, as well as calumnies and attacks of which I have not ceased to be proud. The idea was unbearable, and I felt that, in the interest of The Times, as well as in my own interests, it would be better for me not to go to the Congress. Just then my young friend was announced. I had not seen him for a long time, and had positively allowed him to slip my memory. Here I must confess that I have a theory which will, perhaps, be ridiculed, but which has governed my whole life. I believe in the constant intervention of a Supreme Power, directing not only our destiny in general, but such actions of ours as influence our destiny. When I see that nothing in Nature is left to chance, that immutable laws govern every movement, that the faintest spark that glimmers in the firmament disappears and reappears with strict punctuality, I cannot suppose that anything to do with mankind goes by chance, and that every individuality composing it is not governed by a definite and inflexible plan. The great men whose names escape oblivion are like the planets which we know by name, and which stand out from among the multitude of stars without names. We know their motions and destinies. We know at what time the comet moving in infinite space will reappear, and that the smallest stars, whose existence escapes us, obey the fixed law which governs the universe. Everything moves by a fixed law, and man is master of his own destiny only because he can accept or refuse, by his own intervention and action, the place he should fill and the path traced out for him by the general decree which regulates the movements of every creature. By virtue of this theory it will be easily understood that I have always endeavoured to divine the intentions and designs of the Supreme Will which directs us. I have always sought not to thwart that ubiquitous guidance, but to enter on the path which it seemed to point out to me. As, at the very time that the idea of going to Berlin plunged me in despair, my door opened and I saw my young friend enter, it struck me that he was destined to assist me in the accomplishment of the task devolving on me in Berlin. At the very hour on the 13th of July when the treaty of 1878 was signed in Berlin, a London telegram announced that The Times had published the preamble and sixty-four articles, with an English translation appended.1 [Note: H. S. De Blowitz, My Memoirs, 132.]

III

A Promise

He shall direct thy paths.

1. This is not a mere arbitrary promise. If we trust God with all our heart, and acknowledge Him in all our ways, we have within us the guarantee of sure guidance. God has placed mans happiness in his own keeping; and by true submission to the Divine will man is able to lay hold on eternal life. The Kingdom of God is within. It comes not with observation. Its rewards are the continued extension of the souls capacities; its treasures are incorruptible, laid up beyond the power of rust or robber. Surrendering ourselves, not to a blind destiny, but to the guidance of holy and eternal principles, we are unconcerned about the future. Precisely what that future may bring forth we know not; but the unknown is to us neither mysterious nor terrible. Our delight being in the Lord, that is, in the integrity and holiness of His will, we know that He will give us the desires of our heart. Waiting patiently for Him, and committing our ways unto Him, we know that He shall bring it to pass. Clouds and darkness may befall us, but we know that He, the eternal Sun, is above the clouds, and will, sooner or later, shine upon us.

O end to which our currents tend,

Inevitable sea,

To which we flow, what do we know,

What can we guess of thee?

A roar we hear upon thy shore,

As we our course fulfil;

And we divine a sun will shine,

And be above us still.

Mr. Gladstones speech on the second reading of the Reform Bill of 1866, as a whole, ranks among the greatest of his performances. The party danger, the political theme, the new responsibility of command, the joy of battle, all seemed to transfigure the orator before the vision of the House, as if he were the Greek hero sent forth to combat by Pallas Athene, with flame streaming from head and shoulders, from helmet and shield, like the star of summer rising effulgent from the sea. The closing sentences became memorable:You cannot fight against the future, he exclaimed with a thrilling gesture, time is on our side. The great social forces which move onwards in their might and majesty, and which the tumult of our debates does not for a moment impede or disturbthose great social forces are against you; they are marshalled on our side; and the banner which we now carry in this fight, though perhaps at some moment it may droop over our sinking heads, yet it soon again will float in the eye of Heaven, and it will be borne by the firm hands of the united people of the three kingdoms, perhaps not to an easy, but to a certain and to a not far distant victory.1 [Note: Morley, Life of Gladstone, ii. 203.]

2. How will this direction be effected? Not by an audible voice from heaven, not by the sudden appearance of angelic messengers to point the way, not even by any undefinable and irresistible persuasion, arising unaccountably within the mind, that a certain path and no other is to be taken. Of miraculous interposition there is no need, and the time has gone by for superstition. No, God will guide men that acknowledge Him through the working of their own minds and the counsels of others, by opening new paths and placing fresh aids within their reach, by influencing their souls through the teachings of His Spirit, and preserving them from false signs by which they were wont to be led astray.

(1) God sometimes leads us, and we know not how; we cannot say by what means it is. We are in the midst of difficulties, our way seems hedged up, foes are on every side, snares are spread for our feet, and darkness is on our prospects. No human help is nigh, and possibly, if it were, it could not effect our deliverance. We acknowledge God, and in the course of a short time all these difficulties clear away as of themselves, the whole scene changes, everything seems to fall into its right place, and we walk again at large as free men. We cannot tell how the change is effected. It appears as if the shadows of night had given place to the realities of day. We are like them that dream, our mouth is filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. The Lord hath done great things for us. Such events as these are to be found in all Christian experience. We cannot tell how God directs our paths, but the direction itself is so real and so marvellously brought about as to illustrate to our wondering eyes His infinite wisdom and power.

On one of the Irish lakes there is a particular spot where there appears no possible means of exit; you may be within twenty yards of the right course, and yet beat about for hours without finding it. But the experienced boatman can make his way to it in a few minutes. So it is often in human affairs. Your frail bark may be tossed about for days upon the cold waters; you are surrounded by hills which form an enclosed prison, and all escape seems cut off, but acknowledge God, and the path before hidden gleams up in brightness before you, and you wonder that you had not seen it before.1 [Note: J. M. Charlton.]

(2) God often directs us by obstacles and delays. We want to proceed in a certain direction, and to gain a certain point. We acknowledge God therein, and the only response is that He appears to cast up loftier barriers in our way, and to render our progress still more difficult and perplexing. How is this? For a time we are ready to faint in despair; but gradually it becomes clear, in the light of the events themselves, that these barriers were safeguards, breaks to check a too impetuous descent down the incline, or stepping stones to help us over a mountain elevation which could not otherwise have been scaled.

Two vessels may sail out from the same distant shore; the one, impatient to set sail, and to reach her destination as speedily as possible, departs some days before the other, but thereby encounters a storm, and is thrown some weeks behind. The gain of a little time in the one case proves a heavy loss; in the other, the loss of a little time at first proves an immense gain afterwards. Now, if the second vessel had been thus delayed awhile at first under the direction of one who clearly foresaw the coming storm, would not all men have said that the direction was most wise and good? So God often directs our paths. He holds us back from coming danger; He keeps us, as it were, in the harbour of safety until the storm has passed by, and though, during this time, we chafe and fret, as if our hopes were gone, by-and-by, under smiling skies, our vessel flies before the wind, leaps over the waves, and enters with flying colours the long-desired haven. Then at length are we filled with the assurance that Divine wisdom and goodness have guided our voyage.1 [Note: J. M. Charlton.]

(3) God sometimes seems to guide our way even by our very enemies. They come forth in power to oppose us, to ruin our plans, to thwart our objects, and the final result is that they promote their accomplishment, and that in a degree which could not otherwise have been attained. We and they may be alike blind to the real conditions of success; but God, who knows all the secret workings of causes, which are hidden from us, in this way most effectually secures our ends.

I cannot say what very quiet, relying comfort there is in doing everything quite openly and irrespective of the consequences. We are weak and uncomfortable when we act for mans view of things; it is humbugging God in reality, not man, and as surely as we do that we shall reap the reward. The things may be comparatively small, but a very immense principle is involved in them. It is most wonderful what power and strength are given to us by living for Gods view and not mans. I do many things which are wrong, and I can say truly that, thanks to God, I am comforted in all the troubles, because I do not conceal them from Him. He is my Master, and to Him alone am I accountable. If I own in my heart that I am culpable, I have such comfort that I do not care what my fellow-man says. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.2 [Note: General C. G. Gordon, Letters to His Sister, 23.]

Literature

Buckland (A. R.), Text Studies for a Year, 53.

Church (R. W.), Village Sermons, i. 172.

Howatt (J. R.), The Childrens Angel, 104.

Liddon (H. P.), University Sermons, i. 139.

McCheyne (R. M.), Additional Remains, 142.

Rowlands (D.), in Comradeship and Character, 237.

Stalker (J.), The New Song, 118.

Talmage (T. de W.), Sermons, vii. 176.

Voysey (C.), Sermons, xxvii. (1904), No. 7.

Christian World Pulpit, vii. 405 (F. Wagstaff); xvii. 324 (J. M. Charlton).

Church of England Magazine, xxxi. 128 (W. T. Vernon).

Fuente: The Great Texts of the Bible

Trust: Pro 22:19, Job 13:15, Psa 37:3, Psa 37:5, Psa 37:7, Psa 62:8, Psa 115:9-11, Psa 125:1, Psa 146:3-5, Isa 12:2, Isa 26:3, Isa 26:4, Jer 17:7, Jer 17:8, Eph 1:12

and: Pro 3:7, Pro 23:4, Pro 28:26, Jer 9:23, Jer 10:23, Rom 12:16, 1Co 3:18-20, 1Co 8:1, 1Co 8:2

Reciprocal: Gen 19:20 – this Gen 24:7 – angel Gen 24:48 – led me Num 9:8 – I will Num 9:22 – abode Num 27:5 – General Deu 6:6 – shall be Jos 9:14 – asked not Jdg 13:8 – teach us Jdg 20:28 – Shall I yet Jdg 21:25 – right 1Sa 23:2 – inquired 1Sa 27:1 – there is nothing 1Sa 30:8 – inquired 2Sa 2:1 – inquired 1Ki 17:5 – did according 1Ki 22:5 – Inquire 2Ch 1:7 – In that night Psa 5:8 – Lead Psa 25:9 – guide Psa 32:8 – I will guide Psa 43:3 – lead Psa 73:24 – Thou Psa 86:12 – with all Psa 143:8 – cause me Isa 30:21 – thine ears Jer 13:2 – according Dan 2:18 – they would Mat 1:20 – while Mat 2:20 – arise Luk 9:50 – Forbid Joh 2:8 – Draw Act 1:24 – they Rom 11:25 – lest Phi 3:15 – God Phi 4:6 – in 1Th 3:11 – our way Jam 1:5 – any

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Pro 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart Wholly and securely rely upon Gods wisdom, power, and goodness, and upon his providence and promises, for direction and help in all thine affairs and dangers. Lean not to thine own understanding Think not to accomplish thy designs by the strength of thine own understanding, without Gods blessing. Under this one kind of carnal confidence he understands all other kinds, such as confidence in bodily strength, wealth, or friends. In all thy ways Designs and undertakings, both respecting the things of this life and those of the life to come; acknowledge him Hebrew, , know him, namely, practically; or own him, his wisdom, by following his counsels; his power and goodness, by expecting success from him; his sovereignty, by managing all thy affairs in such a manner as to please and glorify him; and he shall direct thy steps So that thy ways shall be safe and good, and at last have a happy issue.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments