It is rare that a parent does not want what is best for their child, and God is no exception. He is the best of fathers and he desires our flourishing. Through Solomon, God imparted some of the best training and teaching that a father can give to his children. This instruction is not merely a set of rules to be checked off a list, but a guide for the soul. When a father speaks to his son in the scriptures, we are hearing the heart of God reaching out to his people, calling them away from the dangers of self will and toward the quiet waters of his grace. It is a call to listen, to learn, and to lean on a wisdom that far exceeds our own limited perspective.
The Foundation of Peace
Solomon starts out with a warning: “My son, do not forget my teaching.” Isn’t that the way of children, forgetting their parent’s commandments? And then they wonder how they ended up in so much trouble. We often treat the memory as a leaky bucket, letting the most important truths slip through the cracks while we retain the trivialities of the world. But the call here is for a deep remembering that changes the way we walk. This is about more than just data; it is about the orientation of our lives toward the one who made us. When we remember his word, we are reminding ourselves of who he is and who we are in relation to him.
The promise attached to this remembrance is beautiful. We are told that these commandments will add length of days and peace to our lives. In our modern age, we are obsessed with longevity, yet we often lack the peace that makes a long life worth living. True peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God. It is a quiet confidence that the soul is anchored in the sovereignty of a loving Father, regardless of the storm outside. This peace is a fruit of walking in his ways, a joy that bubbles up when we realize that his burden is light and his yoke is easy. By keeping his commandments in the center of our hearts, we are choosing the path of life. We are essentially agreeing with God that his way of living is the most satisfying way to exist.
The Tablet of the Heart
All of this starts with love and faithfulness. Solomon tells us this in verse 3, but Paul also repeats it in 1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV): “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” When we have love for God and love for man, favor and good success abounds! These two virtues, love and faithfulness, are the primary colors of the Christian life. They are meant to be the outward sign of an inward grace. If we lack these, all our religious activity is nothing more than a noisy gong. They must be more than just occasional actions; they must be the very fabric of our character.
To bind these virtues around our necks is to make them a constant companion, visible to all and always within reach. To write them on the tablet of our hearts is a deeper work still. It speaks of souls that have been softened by the Holy Spirit so that the character of God can be etched into them permanently. This is the work of a lifetime. As we walk with Jesus, we will find that our old desires for selfishness are replaced by a steadfast love for others. This kind of life naturally finds favor because it reflects the light of Christ. There is a profound joy in being used by God to show his faithfulness to a world that often feels abandoned. When the heart is a tablet for God’s word, our reactions to life’s pressures begin to look more like the reactions of Christ himself.
Trusting Beyond Understanding
Of course, sometimes this is quite hard. Who wants to love that nasty neighbor who is always shouting at his wife and letting the dandelions go to seed? Who wants to love that person who betrayed you with your best friend? But Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:39 (ESV): “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Jesus forgave those who crucified him, which is a much worse punishment than most of us are ever likely to face. Let’s lean on his understanding and follow his example by forgiving those who hurt us.
When we do this, we will be able to take the straight road, right into the arms of Jesus. Our own understanding is a broken compass. It points us toward self preservation and pride, telling us that we have the right to be angry or the right to demand our own way. But when we trust in the Lord with all our heart, we are admitting that he knows the way better than we do. To acknowledge him in all our ways means to invite him into the mundane and the monumental alike. It is the simple act of saying, your will be done, not mine. In that surrender, we find that he clears the path before us, making our crooked ways straight and our heavy hearts light with joy. It is a relief to stop trying to be the sovereign of our own lives and to let the true King take the lead.
Healing and Refreshment
When we let go of worldly views of revenge, gain, and success and turn to God’s ways, then we will find healing and wholeness. It is only when we fully embrace the ways of Jesus that we will find refreshment. The world tells us to be wise in our own eyes, to be the masters of our own fate and the captains of our own souls. But that path only leads to exhaustion. We were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. True wisdom acknowledges that our own sight is often dim and our own strength is often small.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it puts us in our proper place before a holy God. When we turn away from evil, we are not just avoiding bad behavior; we are turning toward the source of life. This brings a literal healing to our flesh and a refreshment to our bones. There is a spiritual vitality that comes from living in the truth. When we stop trying to justify our sins and instead bring them to the light of his mercy, the tension of hiding melts away. We find ourselves refreshed by the grace that covers all our failures and the love that refuses to let us go. This spiritual health often results in a physical lightness of heart that sustains us through the most grueling days.
Honoring the Provider
When we use our wealth for good, giving God the first of it, even when we are unsure if more will be coming, God will reward us. The world tells us that we should cheat our way to the top, but when justice comes, we will have far to fall. However, when we work our way to the top through righteous means, that is when we stay there. Sometimes we will appear to have not enough, but God always provides exactly what we need, when we need it. If we don’t get it, we probably didn’t need it. Stewardship is an act of trust in the one who holds all things.
Giving the firstfruits is an act of worship that declares God as the owner of everything we have. He deserves the first and best of whatever we produce! It is easy to give from the leftovers, but it takes a heart of faith to give from the beginning. This posture of generosity breaks the power that money can have over us. There is a unique joy in being a conduit of God’s provision for others. When we trust him with our resources, we will find that he is more than able to fill our barns. The image of vats bursting with wine is one of abundance and celebration. It reminds us that our God is a lavish provider who delights in giving good gifts to his children when they prioritize his kingdom.
The Discipline of Love
And when we stumble in our walk of righteousness, God might meet out some discipline, but this is only for our good. Just as a parent might put a stop to certain behaviors so that the child will grow into a kind and loving adult, God needs to put a stop to some of our behaviors. It is out of love, not meanness! We often mistake his correction for anger, but it is actually a sign of his deep commitment to our holiness. He does not leave us to our own devices because he cares too much for our souls.
A father who does not discipline his child is a father who does not care about that child’s future. Because God is the best of fathers, he will not leave us in our mess. He uses the trials of life and the convictions of his word to shape us into the image of Christ. We should not be weary of his reproof, because it is proof that we belong to him. He only prunes the branches that he wants to see bear more fruit. There is peace to be found even in the midst of discipline, knowing that it is being administered by a hand that was pierced for our transgressions. Our failures are not the final word because his grace is greater than our sin.
God delights in us. Let’s delight in him! He has provided the way, the truth, and the life through his son, and he invites us to walk in that light every single day. Whether we are in a season of bursting vats or a season of fatherly reproof, his love remains the constant foundation of our lives. Let us move forward with hearts full of trust, knowing that he is leading us home. There is a deep, abiding joy in knowing that we are loved, cared for, and directed by the King of kings.
Reflection Questions
- How does the idea of God as a loving father change how you hear his commandments?
- Is there an area of your life where you have been leaning on your own understanding lately?
- What would it look like to practically write love and faithfulness on the tablet of your heart this week?
- How can we find joy even when God is using discipline to correct our path?
- In what way can you give God the firstfruits of your time or resources tomorrow?
Reflective Prayer
Consider using these verses to pray using the ACTS method: Adoration, Confession, Thankfulness, and Supplication:
- Adoration: Praise God. Do these verses bring any specific characteristics of God to mind?
- Confession: Tell God that you are sorry for specific sins. Do these verses bring any specific sins to mind?
- Thankfulness: Show gratitude towards God. Does anything from these verses inspire gratitude?
- Supplication: Make requests for yourself and for others. Does anything from these verses inspire a prayer?
If helpful, you can use a prayer journal template.
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English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
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