Proverbs 3:1-20
They are for you, young believing friend, these words full of love from your heavenly Father: "My son, do not forget . . ." This expression "my son" is repeated fourteen times in chapters 1 to 7. The apostle, quoting from vv. 11 and 12 to the Hebrews, says to them: "Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children". Let us then weigh up carefully the warnings in these chapters, remembering who it is that speaks to us (Hebrews 12:5; Hebrews 12:25).
Mercy and truth are inseparable. They reflect the nature of the God of love and light, whose children we are. May they be engraved on our hearts (v. 3).
As we have seen in ch. 2, there is understanding to be sought by prayer, this understanding by which the Holy Spirit causes us to enter into God’s thoughts. Happy are those who find this (v. 13). By contrast, there is another way which I should absolutely mistrust: my own understanding (v. 5). I cannot at the same time lean on that and trust in the Lord with all my heart. I cannot follow at one and the same time my own reasonings . . . and the instructions from above. "Be not wise in your own conceits" we are exhorted in Romans 12:16, in accordance with v. 7 of our chapter.