Proverbs 3:13-26

Wisdom and the Happy State of Being

So for this evening, if you would open your Bibles and we will return back to the third chapter of the book of Proverbs. It's been a while since we've been together in the book of Proverbs. If you do remember We have looked at up to this point the first 12 verses in chapter 3 and and I would like to continue on tonight verses 13 through 26 and then Lord willing next week to finish the chapter verses 27 to 35.

I'm going to ask us to read from verse 13 through verse 26 and then just make a brief comment about what went on in our thoughts before but not spend too much time because Sometimes you have a tendency to try to go back and bring everybody up to speed and by the time you get Everybody back up to speed.

It's the end of your time. So you just kind of don't get anywhere. So Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 13. Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding. For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire cannot be compared with her and Length of days are in her right hand and in her left riches and honor and Her ways are the ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.

And she is a tree of life to those Mm-hmm who take hold of her and happy are they Who retain her. The Lord by wisdom Founded the earth and by understanding he established the heavens and by his knowledge The depths were broken up and clouds dropped down the dew my son.

Let them not depart from your eyes keep sound wisdom and discretion. So they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck and then you will walk safely in your way and your foot. Will not stumble when you lie down.

You will not be afraid. Yes, when you lie down and you sleep and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden sudden terror. Nor trouble from the wicked when it comes for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being Caught.

Let's just ask God's blessing again Our father in God again as we come to you word, we realize that without you we can do nothing. That you are the God of your own word that you have disclosed yourself.

This is your revelation your truth help us tonight Holy Spirit to enter into your truth to be taught by you and to Have our lives Transformed and changed by the power of your word through our Lord Jesus Christ by the power Put us in a way that only you can.

May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable in your sight for You alone are our great rock and our Redeemer in Jesus name. Amen. I'm learning to swallow my pride a little bit as I Find myself I have to pick up my Bible.

And I don't want to do that. I want to be able to read it, but I have to bring it close and so God is the great teacher of humility is he not so. Okay. So what I'd like to do is just to remind you Just go back to this to the opening verse in this chapter because if you remember Well when we did look at the first 12 verses I set this before you where in verse 1 He says my son do not forget my law.

But let your heart keep my commandments that I sought to set before us that Solomon To this point and actually continually through the book of Proverbs it has this great desire that His hearers would keep God's law that that we would not only be People who profess to walk by God's Word But people who truly do walk by God's Word that we would indeed Keep God's Word and if you remember I I tried to show you how in these first 12 verses there's these these couplings if you will of truths and and they come more in a way of Don't do this and if you don't do this, this will be the yield if you do this This will be the yield and if you were to read through those verses, I hope you will see that How it speaks about how we are Being encouraged to constantly keep God's law and constantly Bind his word on our minds in our hearts.

And again Simple as it might seem if we do not know God's Word, it seems impossible to be able to keep God's Word and many will Say that, you know, they don't necessarily need to read to understand God's truth in my response to that is That's not really true in order to know God's Word in order to meditate on God's Word you have to be Saturated if you will Immense immersed in the Word of God.

So I sought to show us that in in the first 12 verses now in verse 13 through 26 Which I hope to get through this evening. What I want to do is now Take the next Thought and the thought is that in the first 12 verses he speaks about how we ought to keep God's law and how we ought to Be mindful of at all times in verse 13 through verse 26.

What he then moves to is the state of being if you will that comes to those who follow God's commands. And even as you look at the first word in verse 13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom and and now he moves not only from the thought of keeping God's command But what it yields in other words the state of being that comes from being one who is again as I said to you will continue his state that There are only two kinds of people in the book of Proverbs because there's only two kinds of people in the book of of Genesis.

There's only two kinds of people in all the Word of God there are the wise and the diligent who keep God's Word and they are blessed and then there are those who are The Bible calls fools and they despise and they are so lazy that they won't even Give any attention to the Word of God and therefore they suffer the consequences and so this is drawn out.

I believe in these verses that we are looking at tonight that the state of being is really for those and only those who are The wise those being those who believe and trust and press on in this most holy faith but it's interesting how he moves from the the instruction of Keeping God's law to the the state of being that comes you could just see it in the words if you will look at in Verse 13.

He says happy is the man and then He talks about the proceeds in verse 14 that come to that man and then in verse 15 He says he talks about how precious it is and the preciousness of it. And then again, he goes on and he talks about all the things that come to us as As a result of it and he says in verse 17 her ways are ways of pleasantness.

And then again in verse 18, he goes back to and happy. So really is a state of being that he's addressing and he's addressing it to those again who? Keep God's law, which is really what wisdom is. It's the application of Truth in our lives and of keeping in it's a it's a It's a state of being I really think that we Sometimes think of it as well.

It's this law and this command and this statute and this testimony but it really is the the state of being that we are to have and to possess and that that yields us A state of being and that state of being is as I said all the things that he comes and lays out before him.

That's what really we need to consider if you think about it think about what but the Apostle says he says that Godliness is What great gain right? Godliness with contentment is great gain, but if that is true is not the opposite true.

Then I look ungodliness has to be what great loss again there's this dichotomy that that continually is presented in the Word of God and it's not only as far as the eternal state which of course we know to be true the Division of the sheep and the goats and those on his right hand and those on his left hand and those that shall be with Him forevermore and those that shall be separated forevermore, but there's also a reality and even in this life which is full of troubles and miseries and and complexities and trials and tribulations that that we can still possess a Happy state of being and I want to as we move along address that a little bit over what really that means to be happy.

And what that state of being is and some some thoughts on that because that is a very misunderstood or misused Thought that many people will Speak about so I do want to make a side note and I guess probably because of recently and and I've been talking about the Keith and brother Mike about it and been reading and just trying to Establish my mind more and more on on the law of God particularly in the area of New Covenant theology and New Covenant thinking and so this this thought came to and I just want to to set it out for it just as a Something for you to think about how that Even though there is differences among the brethren of Which law we are under if you if you know anything about Some of the discussions that are going on today There's this this and it's been going on for a long time centuries and centuries.

Are we under the law of Moses? Are we under the law of Christ? And and there's a lot of reasons for that kind of a discussion and that's not my intent right now but I did want to mention that regardless of how you present that That there's a an agreement above among all that in order for us to have this happy state of being We have to keep the law of God.

We have to keep God's law. We have to bind it on our hearts again, and then we have to have it out working in our lives and so whether you want to look at it from the reality of the we're still under the law of Moses and and As it's presented that that Moses leads us to Christ and then Christ sends us back to Moses, which I totally Disagree with but but nevertheless, there is still agreement that you and I are under law and that that law I believe ultimately to be the law of the Lord Jesus Christ as he gives it to us in the New Testament because he is In that sense the one who holds preeminence not only in his person but in his words but I did want to make that that point that You and I have to think about if we're ever going to have a happy state of being then we have to be those who are keeping God's law and therefore Enjoying the promises that come from keeping God's law.

And again, I am not trying to talk about Work for salvation a work salvation in any manner or of any sort what I am saying and what I will continue to say and what I believe Solomon continues to teach us as we go through the book of Proverbs is that Although salvation is of the Lord our enjoyment of that salvation many times is Based on our walk with the Lord and I believe I could certainly defend that from the scriptures Salvation is of the Lord no doubt.

And we cannot lose it we couldn't gain it so therefore we could not lose it. No man can pluck us out of our father's hands Jesus said out of his father's hands but but the reality is this if we are going to possess a happy state of being and if we are going to Enjoy Our salvation which God certainly intends for us to do that you and I are going to have to realize that there is a Responsibility on our part to walk Intimately with God and so again, I think that would answer Some of the discussions that could be had with some people will say you know, I Just I just am NOT happy.

Well if anybody Should be happy. It ought to be the children of God Again, unless you misunderstand what happy is. But as the as we look through Proverbs here and as I hope to show us rather quickly that Happiness is not just a a feeling or emotion it's a state of being and that therefore you and I need to pay attention to it and and and seek it and as he will show us here because it's worth more than anything else and That you and I would press on in that direction.

I Thought about what Jesus said, you remember when Jesus said that if we know his commandments Happy are we what? If we do them, right again, there's a great difference between head knowledge and heart reality, there's a great difference between professing Christ and possessing Christ right and and certainly the scriptures make a very great Give us a great amount of instruction in that area.

But the reality is as the Lord Jesus said that happy are we if we do them again? Is that is that saying if we don't do we're gonna lose our salvation? No, not necessarily but what he is saying is is the reality is if we've been changed if we've been renewed if we've been Created a new in Christ and and we are to enjoy that that salvation That's been so freely and fully given to us.

Then there's a responsibility on our part and That responsibility is to walk in wisdom and in order to walk in wisdom We have to keep God's law in order to keep God's law. We gotta know God's law. Again, we could have all the discussion Around exactly which law that is.

I Thought about this verse in Psalm 144, you know have to turn to it. It says happy are the people who are in such a state happy are the people whose God is The Lord again the thought not just being The God of our salvation, but but our Lord and our master happy is that people?

Happy is that people and again if you wanted to flip it the negative would be very unhappy. Are those people who do not have the Lord? Would explain much of what we see in the world today in Proverbs it says happy is he who keeps the law?

Happy is he who keeps the law? And I think it's important for us to to really try to drill down just a little bit on what that means to be Happy is it is it just a feeling? Is it just? Something that comes upon us and then and then we lose it.

Good because many times that's all it is to people. It's a it's an emotional feeling. And those feelings come and they go like the weather don't they? The Sun comes out and then the clouds come out and then We're somewhere in between and then the Sun comes out and the clouds come out and the rain and it goes on and on and on.

And on is that the way we ought to be? Is that what God intended us to be up one minute down another minute sideways this minute straight the next minute? No, God would have us to be his His children and that we would have a happy state of being and again.

That's why I say to you that I believe the true happiness is not necessarily a feeling or an emotion. But it is a state of being and it's a state of being that only comes from walking Humbly with our God and that if we find ourselves Unhappy.

Perhaps we need to look inward before we start looking upward. Or maybe to say it this way. We need to look upward. Because if we look upward and and then look in response to that inward. Then we would see that the deficiencies were in us.

It certainly isn't in our God. Certainly it is not in the one who has given us life and has created us for his own glory. I Thought about what Jesus said even in the sense of this is this is what life is.

No, would you said this is life eternal. What? To know you. To know you to know who you are. To know who I am because of who you are and again. Many times we are just. Well, I'll show you to you as we go through this how we contrast how many people in this world Seek to find happiness in the things that he goes on and speaks of.

Let's look what he says in verse 13 happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. And then he begins in a set of contrasts again To to draw this out to us for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver her gain Truth is better than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire Cannot be compared with her. She's more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire Cannot be compared to her. And then he goes on and you listen for us some of them lent the days are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor and her ways or ways of Pleasantness and all our paths of peace and she is a tree of life.

To those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain. Again by contrast he lays this out for us and he and he tells us that the things of this world that Cause our eyes to twinkle and and and and cause our senses to be Alerted that in reality, they will never bring us to a state of happiness.

They might bring us to an emotional happiness or they might even be extended over a period of time. But in reality, they are worthless. Aren't they is that not the reason that Jesus said for which all the profit of man?

What's all the price if you think about that if there was any profit to it Certainly to Jesus would have told us wouldn't he? If there was profit to the things the rubies and the gold and the silver if that really was that which was going to give Us happiness that he would have instructed us on it.

Then the the the Pharaohs are right I'm trying to take all their toys across the veil, but of course they couldn't. So when you and I think about and we think about what Solomon is saying, and if there's anyone who had Tested that truth it was Solomon, right?

Remember what he says in in in in Ecclesiastes. He said I didn't keep anything back from myself. He said I had man savings man servants and maidservants and I had Gold and silver and houses and he said that I did it all I Tried mirth.

I tried this I tried that ultimately friends if we are going to have this happy state of being then we're going to have to Give up the very things that the world says brings true happiness. It's interesting how you very seldom will hear Anybody in this world That has those things come forward and say well those things really don't make me happy.

Ultimately perhaps at the end they realized the vanity of it and the temporary status of it but but those people who seek to acquire these things rubies and riches and and Abundance they think That that's what it's going to take to get them to this state of being.

And if you read through some of the biographies of some of the richest people they died some of the most miserable lives. Right, I think of Howard Hughes. Right, he died a month. How could you have that much money and die a miser?

Locked up into your to your own self. It's the Word of God is so true friends. It works out in in in lives over and over and over again so so that's that's the thought for us about this state of being of happiness and how we are to to get to that point and what it takes on our behalf to Seek after real wisdom and understanding and then the more we gain in wisdom the more our state of being will be one of happiness and Contentment and intimacy and fellowship and communion with God.

But there again, we have to ask ourselves. Where's our treasure? Is that what we really want? Is what you and I really do we really want? To just be Happy in in the reality of knowing God and being known by God.

Or do we want that plus we want all the toys too and I'm not saying they're in and of themselves wrong. Again if I have my choice to die a rich Christian and a book or a poor Christian I'll die a rich Christian as long as I'm a Christian in the truest of senses.

The Wisdom of God in Creation and Providence

Now I want to say I want to say something about the next few verses. Because as you read through these these words that we just read and he's talking about wisdom. He's talking about instruction. He's talking about God's law.

He's talking about keeping it and he's talking about the things that come from it. If you look at verse 19 and 20 at first blush, it almost might seem out of place. Look at it because after that he's going to go right back to this thought of of the yield of wisdom.

What wisdom brings and you could see it it says. In verse 21 it says let it not depart from your eyes and keep sound wisdom and Discretion and there'll be life to your soul and great and grace to your neck and they will then you will walk said he goes Back into what he started in verse 13 but verse 19 and 20 might seem out of place because look what it says the Lord by wisdom founded there and by Understanding he established the heavens and by his knowledge the depths were broken up and clouds dropped down to do.

It's almost as if Solomon stops and And now he's going to cause us to take a step back from thinking about all the things that he had just said and he brings into focus the wisdom of God and how God is the The true wisdom the only wisdom and that in order for us listen brothers and sisters in order for us to really have true wisdom that Wisdom can only come from the all-wise God.

Right. And again, that's the great error. That's so many people fall into is they seek for wisdom just as much as they seek for happiness. In in they seek for happiness and something that will never give him happiness and they seek for wisdom in Someone or something that will never really bring them true wisdom.

And so Solomon in my mind he stops here and he brings into into focus if you will of God's wisdom of God's creative power of God's Infinite wisdom not just the wisdom of the world or not just the wisdom of men.

But the wisdom of one who is the embodiment of wisdom. God is the embodiment of wisdom and that's what it says, right? The Lord by wisdom Founded the earth by understanding he established the heavens by his Knowledge the depths were broken up and the clouds dropped to do.

Do we do we not really grab that? Do we not fully understand that that that not only does the heavens declared a glory of God the heavens declared a wisdom of God. That's why I so like to him. This is my father's world.

It wanted to stand as all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres that even nature itself Just just continually cries out of the wisdom of God and of how he is the one Who is worthy of all honor?

For that wisdom as much as the one who builds the house is considered greater than the house itself. Right, and so you and I have to think about that and ask ourselves if we truly are seeking after wisdom.

Is that not in many ways with synonymous with seeking after God that everything is of him through him to him and for him. And again how everything Speaks to that the thought of God speaking the world into creation it boggles the mind think that God Spoke the world as it says in Hebrews what out of?

Nothing. I asked myself this question. So I'm gonna ask you if I give you a handful of nothing and Tell you to make something. You're gonna tell me that I'm crazy because you see you and I cannot even understand nothing.

Give me a definition of nothing and yet God in his wisdom spoke everything into existence out of nothing in his infinite mind wisdom. He made everything Out of things that never existed before and that's why I believe Solomon in the middle of this Teaching if you will about how you and I are to pursue wisdom.

He he sets before us the wisdom of God. Listen. Men are wise in this world there are people who are So wise in so many things. That's doctors and the lawyers and then the people in technology and and.

But I say this to you in absolute truth. And I hope you would agree with me you could take all the wisdom of all the men who have ever lived. Women who have ever lived who have ever walked on the face of this earth.

You can get all their wisdom put it all together and you couldn't put one drop in the ocean of God's infinite wisdom. Not only do I believe that but I believe he adds this because God's wisdom acts. In other words, God is not only infinitely wise.

God's wisdom brought everything to pass. And again, that's the way it should be with us. Our wisdom should not just be something we have. It should be something we we possess something. We are something that that comes out of us.

Even as it was In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, I I just love to quote. So i'm just going to quote i'm not going to tell you where so you don't stumble around trying to find it.

It says this and i'll tell you it's from job. Job says this. By the breath of God ice is given. And the broad waters are frozen. Also with moisture he saturates the thick clouds. He scatters his bright clouds and they swirl about being turned by his guidance.

That they may do whatever he commands them. And on the face of the whole earth, he causes it to come whether for correction or for judgment or for his mercy the all wise God. In wisdom, not only did he create but in wisdom He rules and judges.

He does whatsoever he will in the armies of heaven. And among the inhabitants of the earth and who could stay his hand and who could say to him? What are you doing? Job also said this he said God is wise and hard and mighty and strength and who has hardened himself Against him and prosper prospered.

He removes the mountains. And they do not know when he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place and its pillars tremble and he commands the sun and it does not rise. And he seals off the stars and he alone spreads out the heavens.

And treads on the ways of the sea. Is there any uh doubt in your mind of why paul said in first timothy Down to the king eternal immortal. Invisible to God who alone is wise be glory and honor forever and ever.

Brother Keith brought it up as he concluded Jude last week. Didn't he now to him is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless. Before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy who alone is wise.

Be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and forever. Amen. So you see I really believe that Solomon. It puts this in that position because We need to understand that that's that that's the stake in the ground that we have to to look to.

Not just look to our own wisdom not just look to worldly wisdom not just look to the things of this world. To possess a state of being but we are to look up. We are to look to him. We are to look to the only wise God.

Sound Wisdom, Discretion, and the Promises of Peace

Let me ask you to look a little bit further as we move through these last couple of verses. Verse 21. He says this my son. Let them not depart from your eyes. Now again, I believe he goes back to that that formula that he's been using.

Remember in verse 1 and I read it to you in verse 1. He was do not forget. And and then there was almost this thought of and we leave the sordid in prior chapter 1 it was an if and then situation. It was do this.

This will come do that that will come and again here. He presents this to us in that sense my son. Let that not depart from your eyes. Don't move away from it. Don't allow it to escape you. We must we must my friends we must always have in our mind and in our hearts.

To look to god for everything and in everything. We are to constantly Fill our minds our lives and our hearts with his truth. Now does that mean all you do is sit around the house 24 7 and read your bible?

Well. If you could do that, great. But none of us can right. But here's the reality if we If it's bound in our hearts and on our minds, it will follow us In our lives, right? And therefore we will be able to be in in a happy state of being.

Again, remember what paul says I can abound. I could suffer loss. I could have everything. I could have nothing. I've learned to be content. I think what he's really saying is he learned to be happy in the state he was in he learned that it was well with his soul because God was with him.

And paul had god's word constantly on his mind. It's interesting how he says this in the way of my son. Let it not depart from your eyes keep sound wisdom and discretion. Like I stopped for a minute and I asked myself.

What does that mean discretion? What does discretion mean. I and I in my own mind I came it's the ability to separate things in order to make right decisions. That discretion is the ability in wisdom to make the right decisions.

And that in making right decisions, there will be a state of happiness and well-being regardless of the outcome. See again, we sometimes many times are Tricked into thinking that the outcome Is is is what really makes us happy?

Is that really the answer? Or is it that we have in discretion? Walked before god according to his law and that that is the state of being that brings happiness regardless of the outcome. Do we really?

Want to have discretion. Do we really want to Be considered as those who understand The way that we ought to go and it will not depart from our eyes. I thought about what jesus said. He said the lamp of the body is the eye if therefore your eye is good.

Your whole body is full of light. But if your eye is bad your whole body is full of darkness and if therefore the light in you is darkness. How great is that darkness. Just think about that? If our heart's full of wisdom then then everything that happens will be Able to bring us into this state of happiness and contentment.

Look what he also says he says that it's uh, verse 22. My son in verse 21, let it not depart from your eyes keep sound wisdom and discretion and look at it. So they will be life to your soul. And grace to your neck.

Life and grace. Life and grace, isn't that great. We desire eternal life with god. And god has given to us in his great mercy eternal life with him forever and ever. But but god desires we have life now also.

Listen, if we have grace is because we've been given life. And if we have life It it should be the result of god's grace life and grace. Isn't that what's seems to be. Uh so often missing in so much of the world we live in.

There's just so much uh, if you will deadness around us and gracelessness rather than grace. You and I would would really set our minds. What are we really seeking for. Is it just gold silver? And maybe we'll be so spiritual.

We'll say well, I that's not that's not what i'm looking for. I I just want to be at peace. Well. Would it be better to be? In a state of happiness before god if we understand what true happiness is even if we have to forsake peace.

We have to ask ourselves these things and so when he says this it will be life and grace. Uh life to your soul and grace to you to your neck. And now look as he finished this how he goes back and he and he begins to show us more of these great.

If you will these great promises and these these are great promises friends. These are the things that peter's remember. Peter says god has given them to us great and exceedingly precious promises. Look at it then.

There it is again. We had the if I mean then by the way, I know i'm weird and I study differently than maybe some other people do um but I went and I looked up in power of how many times the word if is spoken of because it seemed to me that as i've been thinking through this that that seems to be uh, one of the the ways in which solomon communicates Uh the truths that god has laid On him.

And I found it 25 times 25 times in the book of proverbs. It is set up in that sort of a framework of if and then. And as I said to you salvation is of the lord but but there is a great truth in the reality of If and then as far as our intimacy and our walk with the lord, but nevertheless, look what it says um Verse 20 then you will walk safely in your way.

And your foot will not stumble. These words are so comforting aren't they when you lie down you will not be afraid. You will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. And do not be afraid of the sudden terror nor trouble from the wicked when it comes for the lord will be your confidence.

And will keep your foot from being. Isn't that great. Aren't these aren't these promises that come. Not only great and precious promises, but but they're freely given to us. I'll often think of what I says thou will keep them in perfect.

Peace. What? Whose mind Is stayed on thee because he trusted me. You and I would think about these things especially. You know we live in this whole thing with this the the the war and the invasion and the misery and the human suffering and and if it doesn't affect you my friends, then Then I don't know what's wrong with you.

Because I don't care how you break it out. It's it's horrifying. It seems so so sorrowful and so terrible and so meaningless. To see people being destroyed and and Things being devastated over over someone's desire for more and yet god says that We don't have to be worried about that in that truth.

He says we can Um look to him and and that there will when we lie down we won't be afraid. I I think about this. I think about a lot. I saw someone again the other day walking down the street. There wasn't a person within.

I don't wasn't a person anywhere near to be found and they had two masks on. I saw someone this week. I was at the beach earlier in the week. And I saw someone jogging on the beach with a mask on and i'm thinking.

They're afraid of everything. What wisdom. Not only that worldly wisdom is involved in that kind of thinking. And yet that's the way it is we live in a world we're so afraid of this and we're so people are afraid of that.

And and inflation and crime and the border and all of a sudden and Here's the truth. You and I as the people of god doesn't mean we won't be affected by those things. Does it mean we won't even have to go through many of those things?

But here's the reality if if I in wisdom will walk with god that god promises me that. That I can lay my head down and know. That he is god that you and I can find rest and that's what he says to us. He says that that we will find rest.

And we will find quietness. That should be one of the characteristics of god's people. A sense of quietness that doesn't mean that you never talk but it means that there's a settled Reality in your soul and it manifests itself and it manifests itself in your life.