Proverbs 3:21-35
To obey the instructions of Wisdom is necessary in the first place for the welfare of my soul. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). It will be at the same time an ornament of grace in the sight of others (v. 22; Proverbs 1:9; Proverbs 4:9). My walk will be strengthened by it during the day, and in the night I shall lie down in safety. My sleep will be sweet (v. 24). What is the reason for those moments of hesitation and errors of judgment which often cause me to stumble during the course of the day? Is it the fears and inward torments which sometimes assail me even during the night? They stem from the fact that I have lost sight of the instructions of the Lord, and of my simple trust in Him (v. 26), to reason things out in my own thoughts.
God, who knows my selfish heart, then reminds me of what I owe my neighbour (v. 27; Luke 6:30). And because I am His child, He expects from me absolute honesty, without the slightest compromise, in my deeds, my words and my purposes. He also expects Christian gentleness, which does not insist on its rights (vv. 30, 31). Besides, is it not in this way that we obtain "more grace", as James has promised in quoting verse 34? (James 4:6).