My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
Summary: Solomon demonstrates the wisdom that God has given him by modeling excellent communication techniques in these two verses.
What is Solomon doing here? Have you noticed what it is? Read over today’s passage again and see if you can spot it.
Solomon is the king of Israel. He is the most powerful person in the country. Considering God’s blessings on Solomon’s reign, we could consider him the most powerful person in the world at that time. He is also a father to the children he is writing to. In those days, that meant the child was to do what his father said no matter what. Cursing your father was a death sentence under Levitical Law (Leviticus 20:9). Given all the power and authority Solomon had, it seems like Solomon could have simply said, “Son, do what I tell you.”
He does not do that. Instead, he reaches out to his sons and speaks to them one-on-one. He begins, “My son…”
With hundreds of “sons,” it would be easy to depersonalize the message. He could have said, “All of you better remember what I am telling you!” but he does not do that. His approach is soft and gentle. To my ear, it sounds loving.
The whole point of this passage is “Don’t forget!” The way he conveys it sounds more like, “I want you to have a good life.” And that is what I see in this passage.
Solomon is not commanding us to listen, he is encouraging us to listen. Why should we listen? Because if you remember what he is teaching us, if you treat his words as if they come from God himself, they will provide you with three great gifts; long life, peace, and prosperity.
What a wonderful example of good communication!
Solomon starts his words with a personal appeal. “My son…” means that we have a relationship. “My son… “ means that he cares about you and me. If he were writing today he might say, “My child…” because our roles in society are different now than they were three thousand years ago. Then he tells us what he wants us to do and tells us why.
This is not a power play by Solomon. He sincerely wants the best for his children and all who read his words. Everything he writes points us back to God (Proverbs 1:7). It is almost as if he is pleading with us to take his words to heart.
What can we learn here?
First, the obvious. We need to remember what Solomon is teaching us. More than simply remembering, we need to take his commands to heart. We need to live them.
Second, when we are trying to teach our own children, or our neighbor or friend, we need to start with caring. It helps to have a relationship, and it is best if the relationship is a caring one.
Third, our words should reflect godly principles. What we teach or share must be based on biblical teachings.
Fourth, we need to explain why the teaching is important. What is the benefit?
If you come to me hoping to help me, it helps if I know you and it helps even more if I know you care about me. What you tell me needs to make sense in two ways. One is that it has to align with my sense of right and wrong. If I am a believer, that means it must align with God’s Word. Second, there needs to be a benefit, a reason to do what you are asking. Maybe the reason is emotional. Perhaps it is an appeal to duty or pride. It can even be a call to self-improvement, as with today’s passage.
A caring relationship, a clear message, and a reason why are the makings of good communication.
Application: Compare your own communication with Solomon’s model. Is there room for improvement?
Food for Thought: How does keeping Solomon’s commands make your life longer?
How does keeping Solomon’s commands make your life longer?
Well it is in the bible and it is Gods word. 2 Timothy 3:15–17
Following the word of God leads you to so much more life, a life worth living, with purpose. Also your life become eternal. John 3:16.
Tim,
Your answer shines with confidence and truth! Well said.
How does keeping Solomon’s commands make your life longer?
Just from my own personal experience I can say that my walk with the Lord has enabled me to live a more peaceful life. It’s not that I don’t have frustrations or tribulations, it’s that those frustrations and tribulations don’t affect me like they used to. I don’t have elevated heartbeat, or need to turn to alcohol to cope with life. Just that alone I would say gives me some potential for a longer life. Its obviously up to the Lord when he calls me home. I will also say that a life lived seeking pleasure historically has been short. There is a famous list of entertainers that lived a life of excess and died at the age of 27.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Chris,
Thank you. In this case a longer life is the result of turning away from things that shorten life.
Thank you for sharing how God has been working in you!
When we have trust in Him, even only having faith the size of a mustard seed (Luke 17:6), we can live in peace because we know He’s got this. There is nothing too big or too small that He cannot walk us through. He’s already seen the other side.
It’s like that bumper sticker I used to see a long time ago: “No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace.”
I’d like to share a short story of how I have personally encountered and finally recognized this concept. Prior to truly knowing Jesus, I would constantly worry about everything – even more so after becoming a single mom without warning. I was working FT, managing two kids, and beginning to care for aging parents. A few years ago, I remember sitting on the hospital floor, waiting for the doctors. My mom was once again in the ER and we had no idea what was going on. With my head buried into my knees as a result of exhaustion, I suddenly realized despite everything going on, I had a sense of peace within me. I was not frazzled. I was not worried about “what next.” I remember thinking, “It’s okay. God’s got this.” And you know what, He totally did.
Whenever I start to go down the rabbit hole of worry, I am reminded of that time in the hospital and these two verses:
Phil 4:7 ““And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
Darla,
Bumper sticker messages are some of the best! Pithy and to the point. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story of the hospital, too. That is incredibly encouraging to me.
Great comments all.
If we are talking about physical life on this earth, Solomon’s proverbs give us the type of lifestyle that is healthy and tends toward a healthier, longer life. It is proverbial. We can all think of nice people of integrity who died way too young. But in general, the principles of the Proverbs lead to a healthier, longer life if they are applied.
Of course, we could also look toward the quality of life, impact of a life on others, and eternal life. The fear of the Lord seen in the proverbs is instrumental to faith and trusting in God’s provision of the cross and a fruitful life that makes an eternal impact.
Rich,
Thank you for using the word “proverbial.” That made me smile! 🙂
Pointing us to quality of life and focusing on our eternal prospects are very helpful.
02-01-2022, Proverbs 3:1-2, How does keeping Solomon’s commands make your life longer?
Great question and comments!
Jesus, Joseph, Job, Micaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Stephen, and all of the Apostles are examples of physical suffering and early death by those living in obedience to God. So I have some difficulty seeing this as always meaning physical life, it must be something bigger.
We are taught, God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” The Bible is written as food for our spiritual growth. All scripture is inspired, authored by God through men by the Holy Spirit.
John 4:24, 2 Timothy 3:16
To see the truths in Gods word, which includes Solomons commands, we need to occasionally get out of our skin and study as the eternal spiritual beings we are. Secondly we study all the Bible, including Solomons writings in their context or in this case the remainder of Chapter 3 provides the meaning of verses 1&2.
Living as Solomon teaches in verses 3:3-35 is pleasing to God and allows us to live our eternal life in His presence now.
Ron,
I like the concept of getting “out of our skin” to study the Word as an eternal being. Thank you!
My first thought on this passage is a sad one… It seems like the first thing his son did after his death was seek counsel and then do the exact opposite, and Israel and Judah divided from each other. He did not keep his commands and his peace and prosperity were most certainly diminished.
As for your question Jeff, I think T hit the nail on the head. It is not because Solomon calls it wise that we pay attention, it’s because God calls his teachings wise.
Whoops, didn’t actually post after typing this morning 😆.
Thank you A,
I am glad you remembered to post your thoughts today!