Proverbs Chapter 6 – Part 3

Pro 6:20-35″ Take Heed to Thyself“

[Study Aired Dec 26, 2024]

This last section of Proverbs chapter six is primarily about the benefit that is given to those who are blessed to read, hear, and keep the sayings of the prophecy of God’s word in this age (Rev 1:3).

We may not always think of the book of Proverbs as a form of prophecy, but all of God’s words are prophetic words, and when we understand what they are saying to us with the gift of eyes that see, and ears that hear (Luk 8:10 , Eph 2:8), they become profitable in how they can edify, exhort, and comfort those who are drawn to its spiritual message, which is an eternal message that does not change (2Ti 3:16-17 , 2Ti 2:20-22 , 1Co 14:3 , Joh 6:63 , Joh 17:3 , Joh 6:68).

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent [Joh 20:21 , Joh 3:17].

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.[Isa 55:11]

Taking heed to ourselves, is a lifelong endeavor that requires an ongoing miracle that is being accomplished in the body of Christ, who are given to die daily and keep under ourselves, so that God’s word does not return void in this age, but rather brings forth much fruit by the grace of God, that requires that we water and plant, labour in the word, and wait on the Lord to give the increase that comes from him alone (Mat 13:8-9 , Joh 3:30 , 1Co 3:6-7).

Mat 13:8  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 
Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

1Co 3:6   I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Pro 6:20  My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 6:21  Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Pro 6:22  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

These first three opening verses of our study remind us that our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1Co 15:57-58). Our father’s commandment that we are to keep and the law of thy mother, is referring to the commandments of God and the order that He establishes in the church, for our good (Jerusalem above the mother of us all), through the manifest knowledge that is foundational in what it is first doing in our lives (Mat 16:18), and ultimately what it will do for the rest of humanity who will come to know God and Christ through the church (Eph 3:10).

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

The first commandment with promise, spoken of in (Eph 6:1-3), is speaking to God’s elect who come out of Babylon in this age, that is likened unto a mother of harlots (Rev 17:5) and Satan who is the god of this world and our first father (Joh 8:44) whose lies we reject, as sons of God (1Jn 3:1) in this age who have been promised that blessing of being in the first resurrection, being given that extended period of time or life with our Father and Christ and Jerusalem above the mother of us all (Gal 4:26) before the rest of the world (Rev 20:6).

Eph 6:1  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Knowing these promises are true and that God is going to destroy the physical realm, we really have nothing to hold onto in this life, and nothing should compare to that which God has set before his people who are blessed to be bound to the altar, meaning we are living by the faith of Christ (Psa 118:27 , Gal 2:20), therefore we are given great incentive to “Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck“. The “them” is the merciful and truthful words of God (Pro 3:3) that, if we continue in them, they will set us free in this life (Joh 8:35-36). The heart represents where our desire comes from (Mat 6:21 , 1Th 2:19-20), and the neck is what we are burdened with, and Christ’s ways are a joyful burden that we bear for each other (Gal 6:2). The apostle Paul was beloved and at the end of his ministry he was kissed on his neck, as a symbol of the body’s appreciation for all that God gave him to suffer and bear for the body’s sake (Act 20:37).

Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
1Th 2:20 For ye are our glory and joy.[“where your treasure is, there will your heart be also“]

Act 20:37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,

“When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee“, is telling us that the comforter will lead us into all truth (Joh 16:13). The spirit of God will bear witness that we are His in this life (Rom 8:14-17) and when we lie down and rise up, and walk through this life we don’t lose heart (Luk 18:1), as we pray without ceasing and learn that our Creator who we serve is faithful and merciful and will never leave or forsake His own in this life (Heb 13:5 , Php 1:6). It is through the fervent continual prayers of the saints that availeth much that the importunate widow learns that “the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear”(Isa 59:1 , Mat 7:11).

Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Pro 6:24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
Pro 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
Pro 6:26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Pro 6:27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Pro 6:28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
Pro 6:29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Pro 29:18) and that vision comes from the word of God, from his commandments which are “a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life“. What the light of God’s word does specifically for us is “To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman“. This strange woman is Babylon, which we are called out of by the grace and faith of God (Eph 2:8). The admonition for God’s elect is to remember Lot’s wife (Luk 17:32) and don’t look back, “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids“. Rather we need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ (Rom 12:1-2) and the promises that tell us we will be more than conquerors through Him (Rom 8:37).

If it were possible, Satan would deceive the very elect (Mat 24:24), and how would he, or how does he go about trying to do that, is explained in this verse, “by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: (Heb 12:16-17) and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life“.

Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Contrast this careless spirit of Esau, with that of Moses, one chapter earlier, who typifies the elect of God who are blessed to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness in this life (Heb 11:26 , Mat 5:6).

Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Can we taste of the heavenly things of God (Heb 6:4-8) and then go back into the harlotries of this world and expect to not be burnt by such actions? This is what God’s word reveals on that matter, “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.” This fire that burns a man who goes into it, is speaking of the strange fire, that is the unholy things that defile a man (Lev 10:1-2), as opposed to the coals from the altar that represent God’s words that sanctify and purify us in this life (Isa 6:7).

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Pro 6:30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
Pro 6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
Pro 6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
Pro 6:33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
Pro 6:34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
Pro 6:35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

The thief being talked about here is the one that goes “in to his neighbour’s wife” in the previous verse (v 29), which represents a church that they go into, after they have been in a relationship of fidelity with the body of Christ (2Ti 4:10).

2Ti 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Loving this present world has the unfaithful going toward “Thessalonica, Galatia, Dalmatia“, places of Asia which represent the world! Another way of telling us that these were men who started in the spirit, but would conclude their life in the letter is (Gal 3:3-4), trying to be perfected in the law, in the world, being part of the whole Babylonian system once again that have forsaken God’s word (Rev 1:11 , 2Ti 1:15).

Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Gal 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

We are told to not despise this thieving spirit whose actions parallel with that of Esau whose pleasures of sin for a season (Heb 11:25) was more important than his birthright, which would require that he suffer in this life (Heb 12:16-17 , Heb 11:25).

Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

We’re not to think that this thief is not in us, because he is being destroyed day by day as we die daily, and but for the grace of God go we, as we’re permitted by God’s mercy to continue to be apprehended by Christ who gives us the power to forget what is behind us, and press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in Him (Php 3:13-14). We are apprehending because we have been apprehended of God through Christ the fit man (Lev 16:21), giving us no reason to despise others who have left us for one reason or another, “do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry“.

That man who satisfies his soul, lacks understanding, and his soul is destroyed in this life as a result of his ignorance, and in this life that dishonour that he gets, and that reproach, shall not be wiped away as mentioned earlier; and this is all being accomplished for the elect’s sake, to remind us of the severity of God, and the goodness of God that He has extended to the body of Christ, if we continue in His goodness (Heb 6:3-8 , Num 16:2-3 , Rom 11:22 , Rom 2:4-6).

Num 16:2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Rom 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity [the 250 men of renown]; but toward thee, goodness [God’s judgements that destroys those 250 men of renown within us (25×10) or (5x5x10)], if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

God is a jealous God (Exo 20:5) and he is the man being spoken of in verse 34, “For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance“. He will have his vengeance on all such who are found in the lake of fire. And when those who are resurrected in the second resurrection say, ‘haven’t we done many wonderful works?’ (Mat 7:22), in other words, ‘why are you judging me, I’m an outstanding citizen’, God will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts“, to the point that even what they thought they had, will be taken away (Mat 25:29 , Rom 11:22 , Heb 12:25).

Mat 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Our prayer for each other is that our Father will give us the strength to endure His chastening grace today, so that we are received in this age through His judgements upon us, which will burn out the spirit that thinks we’ve somehow contributed to our salvation, or the salvation of others, when it fact it was all a work of God within us that made it possible for each joint to supply in love, to the building up and edifying of the church (Heb 12:6-7 , Php 2:12-13 , Eph 4:16 , Psa 127:1).

Psa 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Proverbs 3:13-35 – “Christ the tree of life”

[Study Aired Nov 21, 2024]

In this section of Proverbs we are being shown what fruit will be given to those who are granted to lay hold on wisdom (Christ): “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her”. Christ of course is represented by that “tree of life” that very few are drawn unto in this age and able to “retaineth her” (Joh 6:44, Mat 22:14, Joh 8:31-32). The manifest knowledge of God is made known by the church through Christ (Eph 3:10) and therefore wisdom is connected to the feminine “She is a tree of life” and happy “is every one that retaineth her”, the church being represented by a woman whose head is Christ.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word (“lay hold…retaineth her (Rev 1:3)”), then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Christ did not lay down his life so we could be preserved in our flesh, he laid down his life so that we could have true life which comes from the tree of life that we all initially reject by laying hold onto Christ in a way that seems right to us (Joh 6:53, Pro 14:12, Gen 3:6, 1Jn 2:16).

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Redemption comes through Christ and His Christ as we are like Him in this world (1Jn 4:17, Joh 3:17, Joh 20:21, Oba 1:21), needing to lose our life that we may gain it (Mat 16:25), being strengthened to do so as we partake of the tree of life that will make it possible for us to be “quickened by the Spirit” (Rev 11:3  Joh 6:63) with the goal of enduring unto the end of this age (Mat 24:13), being blessed to fulfill God’s purpose in the next. The ark is preparing today by “filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24, 1Pe 3:18-20).

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust [- and so must God’s elect- ], that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh (Gal 2:20), but quickened by the Spirit: (Joh 6:33, Joh 6:51-55, Joh 3:16-17, Eph 5:30, Joh 20:21, Psa 107:20, Oba 1:21)
1Pe 3:19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah (Mat 24:37), while the ark was a preparing, wherein few (Mat 22:14), that is, eight souls (the new man) were saved by water (Eph 5:26, Rom 6:3-4).

Pro 3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Pro 3:15  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

We did not find wisdom, rather we were dragged to wisdom which resulted in our getting understanding (Gal 4:9).

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Our Father dragged us to Christ (Joh 6:44) so we could experience joy and happiness in this life, with persecutions (Mar 10:30-31, 3Jn 1:2). Christ’s life in us is better than anything we can obtain in the physical, and although we all start off in the natural circumstances of the riches of Egypt like Moses (Heb 11:25-26, Eph 2:1-2), if God is working with us our appreciation for the spiritual is going to grow and our priorities in life are going to reflect that blessed change of heart (Heb 11:25-26, Mat 6:33, Eze 36:26-27).

Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt (Mat 10:31): for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Notice what God deems as precious and invaluable, and it is always the relationship that we have with Him through Christ, which exists because of the life of Christ within us, our hope of glory (Rom 8:9, Col 1:27). God sees the firstfruit of His creation, His workmanship, for what they are, a starting point that will bring forth many children, and therefore the few at this time are more precious than the many spoken of in (Mat 10:31).

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

It is the few who will be used to save the world, and redeem His banished (2Sa 14:14). ‘The few’ are the weak of the world who have the life of Christ in them now, and that life is what is being spoken of in terms of its value when we read, “She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (“the church”).

Pro 3:16  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Pro 3:17  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Pro 3:18  She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

With this understanding that wisdom is Christ who is manifested in the church, we can then understand that “Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour” is again referring to the life of Christ within the church. Length of days is something that will be obtained by enduring to the end by the power of God’s holy spirit, which power is represented by the right hand. The left hand represents the “riches and honour” that God will bestow upon those who have been given the mind of Christ and acknowledge that all that we’ve been given, including our salvation, is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) and of which we contribute nothing. Our left hands work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is Christ’s spirit giving us the power to overcome and accomplish these labours in the earth (Tit 3:8) that were ordained from the foundation of the world (Php 2:12-13, Joh 15:15-16).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Tit 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

How good and how pleasant it is to dwell with the family of God in harmony (Psa 133:1), and to receive peace that passes all understanding (Php 4:7). This peace is obtained by cleaving unto our husband who is the tree of life, who we lay hold on, not neglecting so great a salvation (Heb 2:3, Heb 10:25-26). Retaining and continuing in the truth will bring happiness and it will set us free from the bondage of sin that can so easily beset us in this life (Heb 12:1-4, Joh 8:36).

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Contrast these last two verses (Psa 133:1, Php 4:7) with these….(Heb 2:3, Heb 10:25-26)

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully [neglecting so great a salvation] after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [Heb 6:4-6]

Pro 3:19  The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Pro 3:20  By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

All of these words are talking about what the Lord does within the body of Christ (Pro 3:19-20). The earth symbolizes the church where we are baptized into Christ’s death (Jer 22:29, Rom 6:3-4) and the earth is founded upon the Rock Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18), via a process of judgement (“O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD”). It is Christ who establishes the understanding in our heavens, “established the heavens”, with better sacrifices than these as we read in (Heb 9:23-24).

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

God’s word is like a hammer (Jer 23:29) and it breaks up the depths of our faulty earthly foundation, “By his knowledge the depths are broken up”, so that living waters can spring forth (Gen 7:11-13).

Gen 7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened (Isa 45:8, Rev 3:8, Rev 3:12, Rev 3:20).
Gen 7:12  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (Act 14:22)
Gen 7:13  In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

The manifest knowledge of God is made known through the church (Eph 3:10), through the great cloud of witness (Heb 12:1) that drops down the dew that represents the words of God, “the clouds drop down the dew”, that sustain the body of Christ in this life while the ark is preparing (Psa 103:13, Hos 14:5-6, Gal 6:16).

Pro 3:21  My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Pro 3:22  So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
Pro 3:23  Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
Pro 3:24  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

If the rain water had not been collected during the time that Noah and his family were on the ark they would have had no drinkable water, and the same is true spiritually for the body of Christ who must gather the manna, or rain, that represents God’s word (Christ), daily, and so we read, “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.”

Sweet is the sleep of the labourer who labours for the meat that shall not perish (Joh 6:27), and God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Heb 11:6), and that spiritual reward and accompanying physical blessing is explained with these verses (Php 4:19, Mat 6:33, 3Jn 1:2). “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

Pro 3:25  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Pro 3:26  For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Christ tells us not to fear the wars and rumours of wars in this life that we will hear of (Mat 24:6), because these events symbolize for our sakes (2Co 4:15) the desolation of the wicked within us. The LORD will be our confidence in the midst of our chastening and scourging experiences that we all must be partakers of (Heb 12:6-8), and He shall be our confidence as He takes away the confidence that we have in our own flesh through the fiery trials of this life (Php 3:3), resulting in our being able to stand in the Lord, and not think we’re standing by our own might or power. This is what it means, “and shall keep thy foot from being taken” (1Co 10:12-14).

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry (the idolatry of our hearts that tells us we have free moral agency and can stand by our own might and power independent of God Php 2:12-13, 2Th 2:3-4).

Pro 3:27  Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Pro 3:28  Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

As God’s elect we are to do good unto all, especially unto the household of faith (Gal 6:10, Luk 16:9-11).

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity (Pro 3:27), let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Luk  16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
Luk 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luk 16:11  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [by not fulfilling Gal 6:10], who will commit to your trust the true riches?

The way we conduct ourselves in this age as God’s ambassadors (2Co 5:20) is of the utmost importance to God (1Pe 2:12-13).

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us (Rom 12:1): we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works [fulfilling Gal 6:10], which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

[eg: David’s friendship toward Jonathan who protected David from Jonathan’s father Saul typifies our making “to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations” (Luk 16:9, 1Sa 18:25, 1Sa 20:33-42)].

Luk 16:9  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

1Sa 18:25  And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

1Sa 20:33  And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
1Sa 20:34  So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

1Sa 20:41  And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

Pro 3:29  Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Pro 3:30  Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Pro 3:31  Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32  For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Pro 3:33  The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

We are hidden in Christ (Col 3:3) not hiding from the world, but rather being a light in this dark world (Mat 5:14-16), by ‘being in the world and not of it’ which means we “Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee”.

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The high standard that Christ sets for the elect is to “Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm, Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways”. Why?, because “the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous” and “The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just”. In other words, we are not to measure the court in this life (Rev 11:2). That is not our calling to be entangled with the affairs of this world (2Ti 2:4, 2Co 6:17). Rather, we are to be at peace with the truth that the Lord knows all men’s hearts, and can cause each man to stand and fall as His workmanship, whichever fold the Lord has anyone in (Rom 14:4, Joh 10:16, Rev 11:2).

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Pro 3:34  Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Pro 3:35  The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

We’re living in an age where scorners are everywhere saying ‘where is the promise of his coming?’ (2Pe 3:4). That is what Christ prophesied would happen at the end of the age, that iniquity would abound and the love of many would wax cold (Mat 24:12). The Lord scorns the scorner within us and so we must be given His correction in our life in order to rule over that evil spirit and continue to be abased right until the return of our Lord (1Pe 5:6-9).

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

If God will permit us that grace and the ability to stand in the day of adversity, it will not be by our might or power but by the abundance of His holy spirit (Zec 4:6), the free gift that He will give the body of Christ who will narrowly escape (1Pe 4:18): “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Mal 3:17-18).

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Lord help us in our unbelief (Mar 9:24), and grant us the faith to commit our lives unto you “as unto a faithful Creator”, the tree of life!

Proverbs 3:1-12 – For Whom The Lord Loves

[Study Aired Nov 14, 2024]

Proverb’s chapter one reminds us that Christ is our wisdom (1Co 1:27-31, Pro 1:1-7) and that there is an order to how God gives the body of Christ that wisdom through the church being guided by our head Jesus Christ.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 
1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1Co 2:3  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 
1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 

Chapter two makes it clear that there must be a strong desire and ongoing resolve in the heart of the believer to continue to abide in the truth as we pursue after wisdom whose value is greater than anything we can compare her to in the earth, “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” and, “Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path“.

Pro 2:1  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 
Pro 2:2  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 
Pro 2:3  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 
Pro 2:4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 
Pro 2:5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 
Pro 2:6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 
Pro 2:7  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 
Pro 2:8  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 
Pro 2:9  Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

A main theme being  brought out in chapter three is how we are to pursue wisdom in order to learn the benefit and blessing that will result in the lives of those who continue to cleave unto Christ who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30).

The reward for God’s elect who are blessed in this age to be dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44) is to learn of the mind of him who is the way, the truth and the life (Joh 14:6, 1Co 2:16) to ultimately be in that blessed and holy first resurrection, which is what this 35th verse points to, “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Pro 3:35, 2Co 3:18, Rom 2:7).

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 

Pro 3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 
Pro 3:2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 

We can all learn the law of God and then forget it, or hear it and not be a doer of it (Jas 1:22-25), also not benefitting us in any way; but to the one who is granted to have a heart that keeps God’s commandments and continue in them (Joh 8:31-32) as doers of the word, he shall find “length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee“. The promise of “length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee” refers to the life of Christ within us who is our length of days (“you have the words of eternal life“(Joh 6:68)), our life (Joh 14:6), and the one who gives us peace that passes all understanding as we are justified through the ongoing relationship that we have with Him and His body (Php 4:7, 1Jn 1:7, Eph 5:8).

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 
Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 
Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 
Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 
Jas 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 
Jas 3:18  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  

Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy (Mic 6:8) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 

The next time we see the expression “bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart“ is in (Pro 6:20-21), which is in the midst of these verses, (Pro 6:16-19), that talk about the six things that God hates and the seventh which is an abomination unto Him, and can only be replaced by mercy and truth being formed in the inner man (Eph 3:16).

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

Pro 6:20  My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 
Pro 6:21  Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 
Pro 6:17 1 A proud look, 2 a lying tongue, and 3 hands that shed innocent blood, 
Pro 6:18  4 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, 5 feet that be swift in running to mischief, 
Pro 6:19  6 A false witness that speaketh lies, and 7 he that soweth discord among brethren. 

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

We will find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man when we don’t forsake mercy or truth by continually binding them upon the table of our heart. Binding mercy and truth is what happens when we “keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother”(Pro 6:20, 1Jn 5:2).

None of this would be possible unless we were bound to the altar which is the cross (Psa 118:27-29), so we are being admonished in these sections of proverbs (Pro 3:3, Pro 6:21) to recognize who we are (1Co 3:16-17) and to understand that as that temple of God there is an ongoing cleansing work that is unfolding for God’s children, that Christ is performing within us (Php 2:12-13).

Psa 118:27  God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 
Psa 118:28  Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 
Psa 118:29  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 
Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 

The way that we are going to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” is by putting off our flesh which can only happen through judgement (1Pe 4:17). It is then that we can acknowledge God in all our ways so that he can direct our steps. Our thoughts are brought into subjection unto God through Christ’s judgement in our heavens (2Co 10:5, 2Co 1:9). Then the action of our being led by the spirit of God will follow, bearing witness that we are His children (Rom 8:14-15). We are either going to acknowledge God so that he can direct our paths, or be wise in our own eyes and not depart from evil, and it will be by God’s chastening grace that His elect sons and daughters will go in a direction that our flesh does not want to go, a way that is precious unto God because it tries our faith and puts to death our old man (Heb 12:6, Joh 21:18, Psa 116:15).

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

Psa 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

The rich reward of being led by God’s spirit shall be spiritual health, spoken of in these terms, “health to thy navel” and “marrow to thy bones“, meaning the center of our spiritual strength, typified by our physical core, as it’s called in modern terminology, as well as the core of our bones that needs to be healthy which is where the marrow is formed that is used to produce the blood cells for the body. That healthy production of blood represents our being in the word and nourished together as a many-membered body of Christ, each joint supplying in love and not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (Heb 10:25) believing in the spiritual nourishment that God will provide for those who abide in the midst of ‘Jerusalem above the mother of us all’ (Luk 24:49), the spiritual umbilical cord for the manchild that we are (Gal 4:26, Rev 12:5).

Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 
Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Everything we have belongs to God and as God’s firstfruits we present our lives as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2) which is how we “Honour the LORD with thy substance“, acknowledging that He is the one who gives us the power to plant and water, as well as give us “all thine increase” (1Co 3:7-8).

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 
1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 

Our barns being filled “with plenty“, and our presses that “burst out with new wine” symbolize the treasure laid up in earthen vessels that God gives us through Christ (2Co 4:7, Col 1:27, Mat 6:19-21) as we present all our lives a living sacrifice, so we can lay up store in His garners (Mal 3:6-12).

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,(Col 1:27) that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 
Mal 3:7  Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 
Mal 3:8  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 
Mal 3:9  Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 
Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse [“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase“], that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven (Mat 6:19-21), and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 
Mal 3:11  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field [“So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine“], saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:12  And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Pro 3:11  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 
Pro 3:12  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 

These last two verses we are looking at tonight explain what must occur in the lives of God’s elect in order to bring forth fruit, and again it is centered around the loving hand of our spiritual Father who receives His children through grace that chastens us, teaching us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust in this age (Tit 2:11-13) so that we can lay up treasure in heaven (Heb 12:5-10).

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: [“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction“]
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth [“For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth“]. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?[Pro 24:10] 
Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 
Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?(Rom 8:18-19, 2Co 4:17-18, 1Co 10:13) 
Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 
2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.