Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4 (NKJV)
I have been reading my Bible in New International Version (NIV) lately. The above verse is translated as follows:
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3: 3-4 (NIV)
The NIV translates “truth” into “faithfulness”, which is another meaning for that word according to the root Hebrew word as indicated below.
Definition of truth: (Hebrew H 571): firmness, faithfulness, sureness, reliability, stability, continuance.
In the past, I have tried to be loving and faithful, and at times, I have failed because my heart was not in a right relationship with the Lord. Sometimes, I did a poor job being loving and faithful, and at other times, I did it grudgingly.
Depending on how we interpret and apply the above scripture, it can lead some of us to try to do it in our own strength and self-effort. This eventually gets very exhausting and discouraging. When we find ourselves working hard at being loving and faithful, we should dig a little deeper by examining the foundation that this scripture is built upon.
I used to think that the above scripture tells me that it’s my responsibility to be loving and faithful, and this would win the favor of God and man. Today, the Lord gave me a deeper understanding of this scripture. He revealed to me that in order for me to be able to live out this verse, I need to always remember God’s love and faithfulness towards me. I should wear them around my neck and never allow those truths to leave my heart. That gives me the foundation, the backbone, and the confidence to love and be faithful towards God and others.
If we just seek after having favor with God and with man, we miss the point. Having the favor of God and man is the byproduct of our heart condition before God. There are many who seek the favor of man, but their hearts are bent on self-interest and selfish ambition. The above verse shows us the foundation and the process that takes us there. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
