Updated 1/18 20:13: "Additions to Prove 3:7-8 & Psalm 119:36" Hello--warm wishes for a fine day in God's favor! Let's consider the opening verses of Proverbs 3, then begin the normal consideration of Stanzas 5-8 of Psalm 119, beginning with 5A.

Proverbs 3:1-8:

"1 My son, do not forget my teaching, And may your heart observe my commandments, 2 Because they will add many days And years of life and peace to you. 3 Do not let loyal love and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; Write them on the tablet of your heart; 4 Then you will find favor and good insight In the eyes of God and man. 5 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad. 8 It will be a healing to your body And refreshment for your bones."

"1 My son, do not forget my teaching, And may your heart observe my commandments, 2 Because they will add many days And years of life and peace to you."

Prove 3:1-2: Notice we're to observe God's commandments with our heart. What a good reminder that we can take information into our mind, but to truly benefit, we must ponder how we can truly use it to benefit others and ourselves to make it a part of us, to reach our heart. We should see the rewards, good consequences of observing God's commands, perhaps also the sadness and distress caused by one disobeying God, that we may hate what is bad. Here a general reward is mentioned for obeying God, doing so adds "many days and years of life and peace."

"3 Do not let loyal love and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; Write them on the tablet of your heart; 4 Then you will find favor and good insight In the eyes of God and man."

Prove 3:3-4: Next, loyal love and faithfulness are to affect everything we say, and are to be written on our hearts, affecting our very motives in all we do. Faithfulness inspires us to be persons of integrity, practicing God's righteousness, being true to Him under trial and test, recalling that "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation He will make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it." (1Corinthians 10:13). Proverbs 20:6 says "Many men proclaim their loyal love, but who can find a faithful man?" Let's appreciate both: true loyal love and faithfulness, to God and others. One reward is you "will find favor and good insight in the eyes of God and man."

"5 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight."

Prove 3:5-6: A favorite verse of many. Look for God's direction, through his word and prayer, not simply relying on our past experience or our own understanding of things. We should be ready to adjust our thinking when we see good reason for doing so, especially when the truth from God's word corrects us. Jehovah, by his word, can make our paths straight, helping us remain on the road of eternal life, without turning to the right or left. In 'all of our ways,' or in everything we do, we are to humbly seek God's direction, His way of doing things. How we benefit from God's wise guidance!

"7 Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad. 8 It will be a healing to your body And refreshment for your bones."

PSALM 119

As we learned in the first verse of Psalm 119, true happiness belongs to those "who walk in the law of Jehovah." This requires faith, or deep trust, in God. As we learn God's laws and ways, our faith, like that of Abraham, can be 'counted to us as righteousness,' based on the ransom of Christ. (James 2:23). Our obedience can be shown to improve and endure over time.

Stanza 5A, verses 33-36, says this: "33 Teach me, O Jehovah, the way of your regulations, And I will follow it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, So that I may observe your law And keep it with my whole heart. 35 Guide me in the pathway of your commandments, For in it I take delight. 36 Incline my heart to your reminders, Not to selfish gain."

Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O Jehovah, the way of your [instructions], And I will follow it to the end.

"FOLLOW IT TO THE END." Evidently, even the detailed instructions and procedures of God's law the psalmist was eager to learn from God, so as to obey Him fully. He was determined to keep God's instructions "to the end," possibly meaning "to the last detail." The psalmist may even have had a double-meaning in mind here, as AMP adds "[steadfastly]." Regardless, we should value even detailed instructions from God, realizing their valued contribution to His purpose. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) puts it this way: "Point our your rules, LORD, and I won't disobey even one of them." May we thus likewise seek an obedient heart. Of course, these are God's rules the psalmist is referring to--rules formulated by humans should carefully take God's word into consideration, lest they become unduly cumbersome, or violate right standards, or even common sense! We should still aim to respect even man-made rules that do not conflict with God's word, where we perceive they are properly authorized or made with good intentions and that they're conceived for good reasons. Later, the psalmist mentions keeping God's law "forever and ever." May we likewise look long-term, comprehending God's eternal purpose, to have right-hearted worshippers happily and peaceably loving Him and one another throughout His universe. This requires that all acknowledge Jehovah's just, fair, and right standards for living.

Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, So that I may observe your law And keep it with my whole heart.

UNDERSTANDING NEEDED. The psalmist recognizes the importance of the quality of understanding, when it comes to learning to fully obey Jehovah. Understanding involves seeing the big picture, along with all the individual pieces that make it up, and how they all interconnect to make the whole. This is vital, for instance, when learning to operate a motor vehicle. There are many principles and traffic laws that must be learned, that together make it possible to safely navigate the roadways among fellow drivers. Without understanding how these many laws work together, there would be chaos and confusion. God is honored by our respect for such laws. We should also learn such laws, not only for our own benefit, but out of love and respect for our neighbors, with interest in their safety. With such motives, it is possible to observe God's law with our "whole heart." Such laws will then most likely affect our actions and reactions, as we truly seek to obey and honor God from the heart.

Psalm 119:35 Guide me in the pathway of your commandments, For in it I take delight.

GOD'S COMMANDMENTS A PATH TO FOLLOW. The psalmist again pleads to be instructed to remain on the path of life, the roadway leading to eternal life. He 'takes delight' in God's ways, and in His commandments, which, according to Psalm 19:8 are "pure and bright, enlightening the eyes." (AMP). God's commandments thus help us maintain purity, clean worship, which helps us maintain our keen spiritual vision, seeing the truth as it should be seen. This helps us deal with problems head on, finding workable solutions in our dealings and relationships with God and others, rather than blindly being led astray. How we should delight in God's commandments, and the privilege of maintaining pure worship to God, alongside fellow worshippers.

Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your reminders, Not to selfish gain.

GOD'S REMINDERS PROMOTE UNSELFISHNESS. As we are reminded of God's good guidance in life, we are helped to maintain an obedient course, in harmony with God's laws and standards. We are able to do this with a proper motive of genuine love for God and neighbor. Evidently, as a future king, the psalmist would eventually be in charge of much wealth, yet he refused to focus on "selfish gain," rather using whatever resources he had unselfishly to God's honor and purpose. How important to maintain clean and pure motives, and avoid even misusing other people or raising them up above God in some way for some purpose out of harmony with God's will. Jesus warned against devotion to Riches, or really any other God-dishonoring Master, saying at Matthew 6:24 "“No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches." The psalmist thus chooses to worship and slave for God, Jehovah, still often rewarded materially, rather than seeking only selfish gain by Riches, an often harsh master. (Prove 3:10; 8:21).