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The Mantle of the Lord

Bill Alderson
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The Mantle of the Lord

Elijah the Tishbite is one of the most notable and accomplished prophets of the Old Testament. He appears on the scene seemingly from nowhere in 1 Kings 17 to be a severe thorn in the side of King Ahab & Queen Jezebel of the Northern Kingdom and their introduction of Baal worship. Elijah was at the center of God’s display of power in opposing the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. In the midst of his public ministry, he found Elisha, the son of Shaphat while Elisha was plowing and “threw his mantle on him” (1Kings 19:19). What was the significance of Elijah’s mantle?

The Hebrew word for mantle is adderet meaning a sheepskin cloak or robe, but also has reference to glory. It was some form of outerwear in the physical realm, but it signified the glory of Elijah’s ministry, the anointing that God had placed on Elijah. God used Elijah to confront not only Ahab, but also his son, King Ahaziah and also King Jehoram, Ahab’s son-in-law. Through Elijah, the Lord would continually press these evil kings to remind them of His ultimate authority and power. Elisha understood by this display of Elijah’s mantle that he was being raised up to take Elijah’s place, to take his mantle. Elisha began by having a ministry to Elijah.

2 Kings 2:7-14

7 Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

In this passage, Elijah’s earthly ministry comes to an end as he is taken up to heaven on a chariot of fire. The power of Elijah’s mantle is also on display as Jordan’s waters are divided to allow its crossing. Before Elijah is taken up, Elisha asks him for a “double portion of your spirit be upon me.” The proof that the mantle still had its power is realized when Elisha uses it to cross over the Jordan again. As it turns out, Elisha would be responsible for twice as many miracles as Elijah to fulfill Elisha’s request.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

We have a similar event take place with larger ramifications in Acts 1. The Risen Lord has spent 40 days ministering to His disciples and all that is left is His final words and then His ascension. He tells those in His presence, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (verse 8). The commissioning of those who would take Jesus’s place required the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God’s power to fulfill. Just like Elisha needed Elijah’s mantle to complete his ministry, so the disciples needed the mantle of the Lord, His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).

Just as Elisha watched Elijah be raised up in the chariot of fire, the disciples watched as Jesus was lifted up “and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (verse 9). And just as Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, the disciples were promised that “he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12). And Jesus also told them that it was necessary that He should go away so that the Holy Spirit would come upon them (John 16:7). The disciples of Jesus, not only the ones who walked with Him, would receive the extraordinary ability of the Holy Spirit to accomplish more that what Jesus did while walking the earth 2,000 years ago.

In Acts 19:11-12, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.” Consider how much more God can accomplish with multiple disciples like Paul, equipped with God’s Spirit since the ascension of Christ. And this ability of God, the Mantle of the Lord resides in each one of us who believe!

5 Meaningful Ways to Encourage a Pastor

Yaneke Lewis
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5 Meaningful Ways to Encourage a Pastor

There is an old Jamaican saying that ‘Encouragement sweeten layba’. Translation: Encouragement sweetens labour! In other words, no matter how hard a task is, being encouraged by someone else makes the task seem easier, and gives a greater willingness to complete it. There is no other field where this is more true than in the work of the ministry. Spiritual warfare, financial strains, betrayal and as Paul put it, ‘the care of all the churches’ (2 Corinthians 11:28) are just a few of the many reasons a pastor will need some external motivation from time to time. But how can you make a difference? Well, boosting the morale of a pastor may not be as hard as you think!

Here are five practical things you can do to add your bit of encouragement to any pastor’s life.

1. Don’t just think it, say it!

Have you ever admired something about your pastor or any other true man of God? Is there something he does that really impresses you? Maybe he always smiles. Or perhaps he works very well with the children. Maybe you admire his simplicity, or his prayer life, or how he treats his wife. Whatever it is, stop thinking about it, and don’t just tell someone else either. Go to your pastor directly, or send him an email or give him a phone call, or write it in a greeting card. Whatever your method of choice to encourage your pastor, just let him know. It might do him more good than you can imagine.

2. Call with no demands

We all know that pastors are called to serve. But anyone will feel the strain of simply being overworked, even in serving others. When you add up all the counseling sessions, the home visits, the hospital visits, and the telephone prayers, it really amounts to a lot. Some pastors go the extra mile by even allowing their members to call them at any time. Think of it as being on-call! When there is a spiritual emergency, these pastors want to ensure that their members can always get the deliverance and ministry they need–and that’s great! Isn’t that why we think that they are good pastors anyway?

Too often though, many believers reserve calling their pastors just for the time when they have a need. Beyond that, the dear men of God will not hear from such members. The pastor can often predict the tone of a phone call based on the name or number that shows on his telephone screen. Humbly, and according to his calling, the pastor will still give of his time and anointing selflessly. But here is a fresh idea. If you are used to calling your spiritual leader only when you have an emergency, give him a well-needed and refreshing surprise–pick up your phone and call him with no demands, not even for a recommendation letter! Turn it into a habit, and you will have just become an encourager!

3. Be a blessing with your offering

Now I know when it comes to giving money to ministers, a lot of us get touchy. Truth be told, that’s very understandable, what with the ‘prosperity gospel’ being promoted and all the ‘sow-a-seed’ frenzies going on. But no amount of exposure to greed and falsehood should rob us of the benefit of the truth. That means pastors do have a right to receive offerings. This is especially true of those who give themselves to ministry full time. Either way, all pastors are scripturally in line to live of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). Some fellowships stick to a tithing principle, and that’s ok. But I personally subscribe to Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where each person gives as he purposes in his heart.

Whatever approach you take, your financial offerings make a huge difference in the quality of life a pastor and his family experience. It can also affect the quality of service he is able to provide to his members. If financial support is insufficient or even nonexistent, an already hard road is made much harder. When that happens, the enemy is often able to use it as an open door to frustration. So, yes, this kind of encouragement helps to ‘sweeten labour’ too.

4. Obey and submit

Watching over a soul is a serious responsibility, and all by itself, it is an immense burden to bear. In fact, Paul put the care of all the churches on the same level as prisons, death, stripes, shipwreck and perils! (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). (I used to tell my husband jokingly that I’m not the pastor, I’m just the pastor’s wife!) But what can a congregant do to somehow give even the slightest ease of this great pastoral burden? Hebrews 13:17 expresses an admonition from which every congregant can learn. Here, we are taught to obey and submit to those who oversee us in the faith. Why? So that they may do it with joy, and not with grief!

Your own spiritual growth and maturity are a great way to motivate your pastor. Even when he comes under spiritual attack, and even if his finances aren’t the way he would want, every true pastor is profoundly encouraged to stay in the ministry when his members are submissive to his leadership, and are growing in the Lord. What you may not be able to give materially is more than compensated for by obedience and Christlikeness. So, motivate your pastor with the joy of seeing you grow in obedience and submissiveness.

5. Pray earnestly

All the points I have shared thus far have been practical and visible things we can do to encourage our pastors. This next point however, highlights something we all can and need to do, even when our spiritual leaders can’t see it. That is, pray. Earnestly. Too often, we are so used to the pastor being the one praying for us, ministering to us, and giving us the word, that we forget his own need for our prayers. Let us not be unwise and selfish in thinking that someone who is so watchful and spiritual has everything locked. His health needs to be covered. His marriage needs prayer. His children need to be watched over too. Maybe he works otherwise, so he will need coverage in that too. Prayer invokes the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to go where we can’t go, touching what no human can touch and resolving the struggles that we may never know about.

Every now and again, God may even give you a dream about him. I advise you to wisely and discreetly, pray about it. Never take it for granted that your pastor is superhuman. Never brush off an unpleasant dream about your pastor because ‘that could never happen’! Dare not ignore your own duty to pray for him, understanding that, like Elijah, your pastor is a man with like passions as us (James 5:17).

Dear reader, do your pastor a secret favor and pray for his strength, his zeal, his joy and his steadfastness. That will be his greatest source of encouragement of all, because that’s the encouragement that will come straight from the Throne Room!

The Three Coats of a Believer

Bill Alderson
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The Three Coats of a Believer

The life of Joseph, Jacob’s eleventh son, gives us insight into the journey a believer takes to find the victorious life in Christ. It is best demonstrated by Joseph’s three coats or garments. These three coats represent three different critical times in the life of a believer in his pursuit of getting to know God and experience His blessings. New Testament believers can benefit greatly from a close look at Joseph’s life.

The first coat to consider is found in Genesis 37 and Jacob’s gift to his son of a coat of many colors. In verses 3-4, it says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic [coat]. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms”. The Hebrew word passim means richly ornamented and made with many colors, a highly esteemed garment. The fact that Jacob gave it only to Joseph created all kinds of jealousy among his brothers and caused a severe reaction that would affect Joseph’s entire future.

Coat of Salvation

What is the significance of this magnificent coat? The coat of many colors signifies the salvation of an individual and the ramifications of that choice. In Zechariah 3:1-5, we have the account of Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord (most likely an appearance of Jesus) with Satan accusing him, “clothed with filthy garments”. Jesus says, “Remove the filthy garments from him”. Jesus then says, “I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes”. This is a clear reference to the gospel of salvation available to believers in the New Covenant.

In Revelation 3:18, Jesus’s letter to the church at Laodicea advises them to “buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments [garments of salvation] so that you may clothe yourself”. The fact that Joseph was rejected by his brothers on account of his coat is also the way the world can treat new believers in Christ. In Joseph’s case, his brothers had him sold into slavery.

Coat of Injustice

As a slave, Joseph was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, and brought to his house to be his servant in Genesis 39. Joseph was highly successful as Potiphar’s overseer since “the Lord was with Joseph”, to the point that Potiphar, “left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate” (verse 6). The second coat/garment is found in verse 12, when Joseph tries to get away from Potiphar’s wife, who wants Joseph to “lie with me”. When he refuses, she grabs his garment and then accuses him of trying to lie with her. Joseph spent at least two years in jail because he was falsely accused. The second coat is the coat of injustice.

There are many difficulties one faces in the course of life that can be characterized as unjust and undeserved. Learning how to face these injustices is part of the maturity process. The believer is taught that “’vengeance is mine, I will repay’, says the Lord”; God will deal with it so he should let it ride. This requires real intestinal fortitude, real faith in God. In James 1:12, the Bible says, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him”. Spiritual maturity requires coming to accept injustices in life as a part of a larger master plan by the God in Whom “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). This dynamic may also be referred to as His sovereignty. In Psalm 115:3, God does whatever He pleases. Are we willing to accept that?

Coat of the Overcomer

The account of Joseph’s third coat is found in Genesis 41:38-44. It comes about as a result of Joseph’s perseverance with injustice. He has spent many years in jail, but does not by all accounts react, but accepts it and is able to find peace in the midst of the greatest trials. As a result, God uses him greatly. He is able to get out of jail when God gives him the interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream when none of his reliable leaders could provide the answer. In verse 38, “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?’” Pharaoh concluded that since Joseph accomplished this, he was discerning and wise and Pharaoh would elevate Joseph to be his second in command. In verse 42, “Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck”.

To the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:21, Jesus says, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne”. Just like Joseph would assist Pharaoh in reigning over Egypt, so the overcomer sits down with the Father on His throne. Those present at the marriage supper of the lamb will be clothed with fine linen which speaks about the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:7-8). Ultimately, God wants those who endure to reign with Him.

Reigning in Life

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” Romans 5:17. The ones who endure are the ones who receive, accept, “the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness”.

A Reconciled Mind

Bill Alderson
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A Reconciled Mind

When Jesus made his famous statement on the cross, “It is finished” in John 19:30, He was saying more than His work on earth was completed. The finished work of Christ addresses the full scope of God’s justice in directly dealing with the matter separating man from his God–sin! The Greek word katallasso is translated “reconciled” and basically means that God has taken upon Himself the work and has become an atonement. It possesses the idea of a total change not dependent on the receiver. The sense is that God has laid aside or withdrawn His wrath so that man no longer has to worry that the wrath may be restored at some later date based on his failure. “It is finished!”

To experience reconciliation is to believe on and trust in the atoning work of Christ, that Jesus is God and that His work was enough. In Romans 5:10-11, Paul writes, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation”. If I am to live in the full (much more) effect of reconciliation, my mind must accept the reality that my previous, current or future failures cannot revive the wrath of God toward me. My position is secure.

The constant reminders of my shortcomings in daily life can cause me to doubt God’s promises so I need a renewal of mind (the organ of mental perception and apprehension). Paul refers to this process in Romans 12:1-2 when he urges us to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice” as an integral part of our worship. He continues by recommending separation from this world’s influences by keeping on being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, representing a total change in thinking. In the process, the believer proves by testing the will of God.

So long as one remains square in the middle of the influences of this world, his mind will be being conformed to its value system. Again, Paul teaches that sanctification, a willingness to be separated from the world for God’s purposes is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:3). If one is to come to “know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor” (verse 4), he must prioritize purity as a path of life. The world says that a life of purity is either strange or impossible. In Colossians 1:21-22, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” Reconciliation is the avenue through which we are seen by God as above reproach. Purity does not happen by accident.

Take a look at the Hebrew nation in Exodus 14. God had initiated 10 plagues to finally get Pharaoh to let the people go. Now He is leading them to a place that requires a supernatural result to complete the process. Moses brings them to the edge of the Red Sea and the Egyptian army is in view, coming after them. The people start complaining that this will be the end of them, that being back in bondage in Egypt would have been better. But God was showing them that He wanted to separate them from their past bondages to a new place. In verses 13-14, Moses said, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” The sea parted, the people crossed over, and Pharaoh’s army was destroyed. A reconciled mind sees the promised land and the divine future in front and the bondages of the past in the rearview mirror. He now can see clearly the purity of an ordained life since God did it supernaturally.

15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. (Titus 1:15-16)

The reconciled mind is secure because of what Christ did and recognizes that purity is not only an option for living, but more importantly the best option. By the power of God’s presence in one’s life, he can devote himself to God’s will and find that pure pathway that is able to face his current failures (sin) without discouragement. The serpent who deceived Eve is also at work to remove believers from the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). There is a simplicity in purity.

The end result of a reconciled mind is the ministry that God has for us to affect others’ lives. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” Verse 18 speaks of a ministry to the world and defined by God’s work to reconcile the world to Himself. The ministry that God has had to us becomes our ministry to others. And it is all possible through a reconciled mind.

Mastering Sin

Bill Alderson
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Mastering Sin

We are introduced to the concept of sin early in the Scriptures, in Genesis 3 with the fall of Adam and Eve. Their reaction to their sin was to hide (verse 8). Then in chapter 4, Cain has a face-to-face run-in with sin and his reaction is anger. The Lord warned him that “sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you.”

Sin is everything in the disposition and purpose and conduct of God’s moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of God. It represents the central struggle of man. As a result, there are many manifestations of sin, as many as there are people. And according to Genesis 4, it has an energy unto itself with some type of agenda. In this case, sin wants to master Cain, so the Lord encourages Cain that, “you must master it”. Although it was not directly stated, it was understood that any offering to God had to be “firstlings”, meaning that God deserves our best. When Abel offered his best while Cain’s offering was “the fruit of the ground”, the Lord had regard for Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Cain’s response was to kill his brother out of jealousy.

This condition of sin is something we all wrestle with and it cannot be hidden for long. In fact, it says in Numbers 32:23, “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.” And then there is Proverbs 13:21, which says, “Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.”

This wild animal (sin nature) that we have to face and manage creates all kinds of havoc in our lives. This defilement also has major consequences in the way we approach God. When God was speaking to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:5, God tells him to “remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Removal of sandals was the means by which the individual would confess personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in His presence. Approaching God requires the recognition of not only His holiness, but also a man’s sinfulness. David spoke of his need to acknowledge his sin before God in Psalm 32. In verse 3, his body wasted away through groanings when he kept silent about his sin. In verse 5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

It was God’s intention right from the beginning, before the foundation of the world that Jesus Christ would solve that problem (Revelation 13:8). Paul explains in Romans 6:4-7 how we receive the provision of that work so as to be delivered from the power of sin, that is the sin nature that wishes to make us slaves:

4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this [experientially], that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with [made inoperative], so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

So how do we as those living in the 21st century become united with Christ in his death? I have a personal experience that may illustrate the answer.

My uncle Maurice Belanger was a Marine airplane mechanic on Midway Island in June, 1942, when the Japanese struck by surprise, killing many servicemen and civilians, my uncle included. It is noteworthy that many historians believe that the Battle of Midway Island was the turning point in America’s fight to win the war against the Japanese. The day after my uncle died, American dive bombers took on Japanese aircraft carriers and aircraft and stopped them from taking control of the island. Maurice Belanger, along with thousands of other servicemen who lost their lives in the fight for liberty, are heroes. We celebrate their sacrifice.

Although I never knew him, I am connected to my Uncle Maurice by DNA. I celebrate his sacrifice and what he stood for. My grandparents received a memorium from FDR in recognition of their loss and it included these words:

HE STANDS IN THE UNBROKEN LINE OF PATRIOTS WHO HAVE DARED TO
DIE THAT FREEDOM MIGHT LIVE, AND GROW, AND INCREASE ITS BLESSINGS.
FREEDOM LIVES AND THROUGH IT HE LIVES-
IN A WAY THAT HUMBLES THE UNDERTAKINGS OF MOST MEN.

We are connected to the death and therefore resurrection of Christ through our spiritual DNA, working in us through faith in His Person and work. Paul recognizes in Romans 6:6 that we know by our spiritual experience that “our old self was crucified with Him” so that we no longer need to be slaves to that sinful nature. Paul summarizes this treatise in verse 17 and 18 when he says, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Obedience from the heart to what we have been taught is the standard for our freedom from the power of the sinful nature. Then we become slaves of righteousness!

Proverbs 3: Dynamics of the Spiritual Life

Bill Alderson
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Proverbs 3: Dynamics of the Spiritual Life

“1 My son, do not forget my teaching [torah – direction, instruction], but let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness [lovingkindness] and truth [faithfulness] leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:1-12)

If you were to ask ten believers what it takes to live the spiritual life, you would most likely get ten different answers. To find the answer to this question, a close look at the Scriptures gives insight into those dynamics. One passage that provides some perspective is found in the first few verses in Proverbs 3. God’s gift of wisdom to Solomon is on display in much of the book of Proverbs.

Divine Instruction

So much of Proverbs focuses on the importance of wisdom and understanding and this chapter is no different. But before it gets there, it has some important ground to cover. In verses 1-2, the key to length of days (quality) and years of life (quantity) is the way one treats God’s laws, His instruction, Bible doctrine. The Hebrew word torah is the means by which one can reach a goal or ideal. Solomon says that it is a matter of the heart. According to Jesus, the heart is where your treasure is, where values are determined (Matthew 6:21). When one’s priorities are governed by God’s priorities (torah), great things take place. David found out that when his heart was filled with God’s directions, he was delighting to do His will (Psalm 40:8). In Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”

Lovingkindness and Truth

Verses 3-4 address the benefits of wearing lovingkindness (hesed) and truth, faithfulness. These benefits are represented by favor or acceptance or grace (unmerited favor) as well as a good reputation and the Scripture says these are “in the sight of God and man”. It means that both God and man will recognize the believer as having a good understanding. So how does this take place? Verse 3 says that we should bind them around our neck, to be viewed by others like a necklace and write them on our hearts, making them our highest priorities. Hesed, many times translated lovingkindness or mercy, can also mean loyalty. So this verse speaks to the believer being loyal and faithful to God and being kind and truthful to men. We see these 2 aspects of the matter in the following verses:

“By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)

“Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land.” (Hosea 4:1)

Trust in the Lord

Looking at verses 5-6, the Hebrew word for trust is batah and Zodhiates says it means trust or confidence and “expresses the feeling of safety and security that is felt when one can rely on someone or something else”. The middle verse in the Bible is Psalm 118:8 and it says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” It is no coincidence that in the very middle of the Bible is a warning to trust in anyone other than God, even oneself. Putting one’s trust completely on God is to deny any real trust in self. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it”. Then there is Proverbs 26:12, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him”. The promise in Proverbs 3:6 is that God will make his paths straight. It means God removes the obstacles, making a smooth path or way of life, or perhaps better, bringing one to the appointed goal.

Fear of the Lord

Now we observe verses 7-8, which emphasizes “the fear of the Lord”. This Hebrew word for fear is yare and it has the sense of reverence and respect or awe. When the believer fears the Lord, he recognizes that, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). When one puts God in first place in his life (Colossians 1:18), the promise is that the believer will experience physical health benefits. In 3 John 2, John writes, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” John recognizes the relationship between spiritual health and physical health. In his search for meaning in life in Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon came to the conclusion, “fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

Giving

In verses 9-10, Solomon identifies the importance of giving to the Lord and the spiritual and temporal benefits associated with its practice. The Hebrew word for honor is kabed and it has the idea of something that weighs heavily and when referring to another person (the Lord) it means to honor, to place in high esteem. The Bible is filled with warnings of not honoring God and one prominent passage is found in Malachi 3:8-10 when the writer asks the question, “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” To dishonor God in our giving is to rob him! On the other hand, He promises that when the believer tests God by giving what God asks, he will receive “a blessing until it overflows”. One other biblical point about giving to the Lord: “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” Giving to the Lord includes our support to the needy.

Discipline

Finally, in verse 11-12, the matter of the Lord’s discipline is emphasized. If the believer is to find depth in his relationship with God, he must be brought there by God. This process involves reproof, correction, or even chastisement, depending on the situation. Verse 12 reminds us that discipline is for those whom God loves as sons; it is a form of instruction based on the particular need. Eliphaz says in Job 5:17 that, “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Hebrews 12 directly quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 and goes on to say that without discipline, one is considered an illegitimate child and not a son (verse 8). In verse 10, “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” Since the believer is never holy apart from God, this is our means of access in sharing His holiness.

“11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:11-14)

Spirituality does not happen to us by happenstance or all-of-a-sudden, but is the result of a pursuit for truth, for a meaningful relationship with God. Proverbs 3 can take us there.

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