Proverbs 3
v.5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
“Trust” (GK 1053) carries the force of relying on someone for security; the confidence is to be in the Lord and not in human understanding. Such trust must be characterized by total commitment—“with all your heart,” “in all your ways.” “Understanding” (GK 1069) is now cast in a sinful mode (cf. 1:2, 6); so there is to be a difference between the understanding that wisdom brings and the natural understanding that undermines faith. When obedient faith is present, the Lord will guide the believer along life’s paths in spite of difficulties and hindrances.
v.7-8
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
The healing that the fear of the Lord and avoidance of evil brings is first and foremost spiritual. Scripture often uses the physical body to describe inner spiritual or psychical feelings.
v.9-10
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
v.11-12
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Wisdom literature knows that the righteous do not receive uninterrupted blessing; suffering remains a problem for everyone, and this text records one of their solutions. This motivation recalls the language of the Davidic covenant (2Sa 7:14; Ps 89:32-33), which mentions discipline in love. Indeed, it is the father-son relationship that provides insight into the nature of that discipline (cf. Heb 12:5-6).
v.13
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,
v.25-26
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
v.27
Do not withold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
v.34
He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.
Also v.5.