PROVERBS: MAKING A GOOD NAME FOR YOURSELF
By Ivan Maddox
Atlanta, GA


The third chapter of Proverbs opens with a repeat of one of the very first lessons on wisdom given in this book: Listen to your parents!

Proverbs 3:1-4.
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Something very important is implied in this commandment that we cannot afford to forget -- especially if we are parents: It is presumed that the parent’s teaching and commandments are the same as God’s teaching and commandments! Only to the extent that our words and example and teaching are in agreement with God’s Word can we impart “the wisdom that is from above” to our children.

As parents, we hold a delegated and limited authority over our children. It is delegated to us by God. Our children do not have to obey us simply because we are their parents, or even because we are bigger and stronger than they are. It is God who holds the ultimate authority over them. They are required to obey Him, because He is their Maker, their God, their ultimate Sovereign. He has delegated authority to us to raise them and train them. They are to obey us because God has commanded them to. By obeying us, they are obeying God. We, in turn, are to train them because God has commanded us to.

But our authority is limited. We are not to train them any old way we choose. If we know God, we are obligated to teach them His commandments and His ways, so that once they are away from us and on their own, they will be obedient to God.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [1]
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

If we, as parents, are faithful to teach our children God’s commandments and God’s ways, and if they are faithful to hold fast to God’s commandments and ways, they will reap the benefits of obedience to God by way of obedience to one’s parents.

Exodus 20:12.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

The commandment to “honor your father and mother” is called in Ephesians 6 “the first commandment with promise.” The promise that accompanies this commandment is an extended life. This is the promise that is repeated and expanded in Proverbs 3:2.

2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

The word translated “prosperity” in verse 2 is SHALOM. Its primary meaning is “peace”, but it can also mean “safety, bodily wholeness, well being, or prosperity.”

In verse 17 of this same chapter we are told of wisdom:

17Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

Clearly those who choose to walk in “the wisdom that is from above” have a distinct advantage over those who don’t. They tend to live longer, and to travel a much less bumpy road in life!

In verse 3 we are warned to tie love and faithfulness to us. The picture we’re given is that they have a tendency to get away from us if we don’t take proper precautions. It is interesting that both of these are listed among the “fruit of the spirit” in Galatians 5. God expected to find them in His people even under the Law. This points out to us that the goal of keeping God’s commandments was not mere outward conformity, but godly character. We are to hold on tight to that which builds good character in our lives -- lovingkindness and faithfulness -- to tie them to ourselves if necessary.

What are the benefits of developing godly character?

Proverbs 3:4.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Godly character is highly prized in both God and man. This does not mean that everybody will like you. But it does mean that you will have a good reputation, both in heaven and on earth, and that you will find yourself the recipient of favor, or grace, from God and from men.

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Created 6/15/97, by Ivan Maddox