Scripture: “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:” (3:3)
Observation: Solomon writes about following the laws of God and the wonderful things that happen to those who do. He also mentions that even the chastening of the Lord is a good thing because that happens when God loves the person (v. 11-12). Lastly, Solomon cautions about God’s actions against the wicked.
Application: Keeping mercy and truth in one’s heart comes from repeatedly studying the Word of God. As I get older, I find memorization of Scripture more difficult than I thought it would be, but not impossible! Perhaps I just got out of practice, so I am challenging myself with memorizing short sections of the Bible. My first two attempts have been very encouraging… Psalm 23 and 100. It’s taking quite a bit of time to commit these passages to memory, but hopefully by exercising my brain, I’ll get better at it.
Why is this so important to me? According to Proverbs 3:3, I need to commit Scripture to memory and “let thine heart keep my commandments…” (3:1). If I don’t know the Scriptures, I can’t keep them in my heart. It is vital for me to read the Bible for remembrance… not as simply a daily chore to check off my “to do” list. One of the benefits of memorizing verses is that it will help me refrain from sinning against God as stated in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” It doesn’t make me less of a sinner, but it helps me recognize sin when it rears its ugly head and empowers me to fight against it.
This chapter also reminds me that God’s ways are infinitely higher than mine, and He knows what is good and right. Keeping God’s precepts is the application of godly wisdom in my life, and it comes with amazing benefits! It helps me recognize and avoid sin (v. 7), maintain a healthier lifestyle (v. 8), and receive the blessings of God (v. 10, 33-35). Lastly, when I think of the infinite mercy and grace God gives to me, my heart is filled to overflowing with unspeakable joy and eternal gratitude! Thank You, Jesus!!
Prayer: Dearest Lord, how great Thou art! How wonderful to have Your Word available to me for teaching, correction, and most importantly, introducing me to my precious Saviour, Jesus! Help me to never take the Bible for granted. It is so precious to me! Help me to memorize more and more of it, hiding it in my heart, and helping me to become more aligned with that which is good and right in Your sight. Thank You for Philippians 4:13 that tells me that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
(from “Wonderful Words of Life” by P.P. Bliss)
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“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” – Psalm 12:6