Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
My son do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
– Proverbs 3:1-4
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
– Proverbs 3:9-10
Devotion
People can often misunderstand the proverbs of Solomon. Unlike other books of scripture, proverbs are meant to be general life principles to live by, not life absolutes. These are not promises that should be “taken to the bank”, but rather principles that generally tend to hold true.
Jesus kept the precepts and commandments of God perfectly. He not only followed the Mosaic law, he also was perfect in every way including in his judgments, love, justice, and truth. While we do not know a lot about his financial situation, there is no indication that Jesus had barns filled with plenty while on earth, or even proper living conditions (Luke 9:58). His perfect teaching created fear and jealousy in the religious leaders of the day, leading them to make false charges against him and have him executed. While Jesus was perfect in regards to the above proverbs, one may have difficulty concluding that Jesus’ actions increased his number of days on earth, provided him with vast financial prosperity, or gave him favor and success with men.
The Big Question
Why didn’t Jesus receive riches, long life or favor with all men if he followed all of the wisdom of the proverbs? Are there verses of scripture that you have taken out of their intended context or genre and tried to apply to your life as an absolute promise? What does this mean about how you should interpret the generalities of the proverbs?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what you have learned.