Proverbs 3:1-12, For Your Good Health

Posted on Posted in Devotions Tagged with ,

January 29, Proverbs 3:1-12

Rom. 8:1-4; 12:16; 1 Tim. 4:8 Enroll in the Divine Health Plan today!

For Your Good Health

The Bible reminds us that we are in God’s hands, that in Him alone we live and move and have our being. We cannot escape His gaze or His grasp.

  1. The Recipe has three vital ingredients (v.7). a. Resist Pride: Verse 5 warned against leaning on our own understanding. Now we must have a humble estimate of our own wisdom. A book entitled, Your God is Too Small appeared some years ago. Truly, for most of us, our God is too small and our heads too big! New converts can quickly become puffed up and unteachable. They are instant theologians, biblical experts! Such are fools and self-deluded into the bargain. O proud little man, remember “all pride is idolatry” (J. Wesley)! Only great grace can resist such pride. The Bible underscores this much-neglected truth from beginning to end. b. Respect God: Begin with true humility, and let that be replaced by the fear of the Lord. This means a “reverential awe” that is without torments or regrets. This fear is at its purest when faith is at its strongest. “There is no such magnet to draw men from sin as the happy fear of God” (Maclaren). The happy fear of God, what a lovely thought! Matthew Henry calls this, “A Delightful Subjection.” c. Reject Wrong: Depart from evil. If the first and second commands are heeded, this one will follow. A devout life and a pure life are inseparable. “A holy person looks upon his sins as the crucifiers of his Saviour” (Brooks). There is a striking connection between the fear of God and the fear of sin. Where God is honoured, sin must be hated.
  2. The Result: Arnot entitles these verses The Health of Holiness, the result of so faithfully following the recipe. The meaning of navel and marrow (v.8) are not so evident to us. Navel may be understood as a figure for the body, the lifeline. Marrow (marg. Moisture) is the freshness of a well-nourished body. a. God Repairs: The word health here signifies sewing together. Imagine heaven’s sewing machine mending hearts, homes, churches, and nations rent by sin. It also signifies medicine (Jer. 30:13). There is only one Medicine and only one Physician for this sin-sick soul (Jer. 46:11). Many doctors recognise the important link between spiritual and physical health. Holiness blesses; sinfulness blights. b. God Renews: Marrow to thy bones is a figure for renewing, reviving, refreshing our whole being. How the saints have longed and prayed for those promised “showers of blessing.” A recent survey in a Canadian University showed that students who had strong religious faith were healthier and happier than their non-religious counterparts. This caught the sociologists by surprise, but why? It should be obvious that when one has a true assessment of oneself, and genuine trust in God, greater health, peace and contentment should result. “He who makes holiness happy in heaven, makes holiness healthful on earth” (Arnot). Are you subscribing to God’s Health Plan?

Thought: This is Heaven’s Recipe for your Eternal Good Health.

Prayer: O Lord, give me that ‘happy fear’ and ‘delightful subjection’ to Thee.