Proverb 3: 5-8.

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own insight.
6
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8
It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body. NRSV
“Being rooted in God”
Introduction
Proverb comes under the “wisdom books” of the canonical Bible. The term "proverb" is often
used in this context to refer to short, wise sayings, and instructive statements which contains
wisdom. Proverb is also an important communication tool that is employed by the writers for
communication to the subject. Many scholars believe that social setting of the Proverb is
royal court. The writers must probably be a wise men and court official, so they are highly
educated and wise people. So, they used Proverb to impart the wisdom’s teaching and
instruction about moral ethical life, to trust God and fear God, and so forth, to the Israelites in
their day-to-day life. And, these verses are a teaching and instruction about the important of
trusting God, fearing God and the well-being that God provides. Therefore, this morning I
entitle my sermon as “Being rooted in God” basing on the text Proverb 3: 5-8.
Illustration
In the present context, we can see people have trusted more and have their confidence on
their knowledge, their skills, their wisdom, and their power. We see now the western
countries; they have emphasized their trust on their own knowledge, on their wisdom and
education they have. As science and technology is advancing- more people believe in facts
and knowledge and become atheist too, whereby they prioritize knowledge over God, even to
the extent of challenging God and proclaiming there is no God. I don’t know where their
societies are going ahead to. People are thinking what they know is the ultimate truth, and
they don’t care about what other people are saying, the pride and ego is engulfing their hearts
and minds. It is very sad, what even more sad is, it is penetrating even to our society, our
church and our life. We give so much importance to the knowledge; we started discriminating
those who don’t have much education and knowledge. We might be one too. It is hard for us
to accept others person’s opinion. we have started to think what we know is right and only
truth. In such situation. Let us see what the scripture says to us.
Context of the text
Father or teacher is instructing his son/pupil to keep the laws and commandments in his
hearts. And to keep the quality such as mercy and truth in him. After this, father instructed his
son to trust God, acknowledge God and fear God as the essential steps in one’s life in order to
know God and live according to its will. And warn his son not to trust in his knowledge,
strength and power.
Therefore, this morning I will divide my sermon into three points.
1. Trust God (v5)
Trust: in Hebrew is batah, which mean to trust or rely wholly to something as a support with
everything and for the security. It has two connotations: positive and negative. Negative
connotation comes when we trust something other than God, which at the end faced
disappointment, whereas, positive connotation is when we trust in God alone. Here, in this
verse it uses the positive meaning to picturize the reliability which is found only in God.
And God: to Delitzsch, a scholar, God is portrayed as true prosperity (holistically), true help.
God knows the right way to the right ends. God knows what could benefits us and what can
harm us. Thus, it our duty to rely on God.
and we should rely on God with our whole heart. Whole heart: in Old Testament, as we
know it was a pre-scientific society, they couldn’t differentiate much between psychical and
physical activities, so they give more emphasize on heart than flesh and soul because it plays
a vital role as a life-sustaining organ. By which, heart is considered as central seat of all
spiritual soul-strength and that heart governs our intellectuals, emotions, and physical of the
inner person; so to love God with our whole heart is to concentrate the whole aspects of our
life on the active contemplation or understanding of God, and ready to observes God’s will.
and the writer explicitly warns us not to rely on our Own insight: own insight can be
understood in many ways, in present context, when knowledge is considered to be power, and
equivalent our status to God. The writers warns us not to easily deceive and rely on the
power, wealth and knowledge of one’s which is fragile and limited and which brings
disappointment later on. The writer wants us to realize the human’s limitation. And not to
trust in the human’s strength at all. But trust God exclusively without depending in anything
but God.
In my BD journey and even before that, my parents, uncle, aunties and especially
grandparent whenever I met them the words coming out from them will be “lairik pawo”
means study. It’s not a single time occurrence, whenever I go if I accidentally meet them, go
and study! That is the words that comes out from their mouth. It is very rare to hear Read
bible! I don’t blame them for not saying that I am supposed to read bible and pray, if I were
really considered that I believe in God. I used to think that if I study and if I equip myself with
knowledge and passed the exams. That is enough and everything will be settled. The
prioritization I gave to. To be honest, there was time a in my theological journey that forget
about reading bible I didn’t even pray for several weeks. The notion that knowledge is
everything in post-modern word can easily trapped us in its net but we must not forget what
the Psalmist writer says.
2. Acknowledge God (v6)
In my second point, acknowledge him means “in all your ways know him.” Acknowledge
can be taken as to confess and also, to recognize the Lord’s rights and authority. Here the
acknowledge means to have personal knowledge of God or intimate relationship and
experience with God. Even prophet Jeremiah equates knowing the Lord with keeping the
commandments and laws written upon one’s heart.
Writer emphasized here again that knowing God will bring Straight/smooth path, straight
in Hebrew yasar meaning “right, honest, upright conduct that does not go astray.” The
meaning is that personally knowing him will benefits us, and it will make us honest and
righteous in our daily life. From a wider perspective from Ch. 3: 1-12, it talks about
abstaining doing evil things or refraining from evil ways and follow the God’s
commandments and laws. Likewise in this the writer is emphasizing that when we know God,
our life will be blessed with righteous life, and will have a prosperous in every part of our
life, and blameless life.
I think this message is really appropriate in all our life. We are living in an era where science
and technology is growing rapidly. In one way or other it frames our way of thinking and
behaving. in today’s society people are not racing to know more about God rather people are
racing to get more knowledges, which makes the life self-centred, individualistic life, where
there is no righteous, honest and blameless life anymore. I am not making a statement that
we should not pursue knowledge, it is against the scripture. No not like that, yes we should
pursue knowledge but keeping in mind that what Proverb 9: 10 “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” And our knowledge and
wisdom should lead us to only one place: God. And knowledge must be something to help us
to know more about God and not to go against God.
3. Fear God and turn away from evil (V7-8)
Coming to third point, fear God and turn away from evil. It is another admonition or
warning. And, it has ethical dimension too. It started by saying: do not be wise in your own
eyes. Own eyes can be understood as giving important to our understanding same to the v.5b
(second line) to our own subjective evaluation to the things disregarding other opinions.
Other can be understood as people and importantly it is someone higher judge that is God.
When we have too much pride and ego, it brings nothing but vagueness in our understanding
of God’s will in one’s life.
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil, fear the lord can be understood in two ways:
rational and non-rational aspects. In rational aspect, it is an objective revelation thus it is to be
obey: commandments, laws etc, whereas, in non-rational aspect, it is to do with emotional
love, fear and trust, fearing God doesn’t mean to be terror and frightening but in awe and
respect to its holiness and majesty, thus, fearing God eventually means turning away from
evil, and submitting & surrendering ourselves to God.
Then, it will be a healing for our flesh, and a refreshment for our body. Trust in the lord
and fear of the Lord is the concept which have same intention, that is to make the believers
being rooted in God, by turning away from the sinful nature and by which one eventually
experience spiritual, psychological and physical guidance and healing. thus, verse 8 is talking
about the over-all wellbeing of a person both physical and non-physical, but it does not mean
that we are invulnerable to any sickness and illness. But it is affirming the well-being and
happiness in one’s life after being rooted in God.
Reflection
Illustration: there was a young smart man, just like us a theological student, he is brilliant,
intelligent and bright student. Whenever, we asked something he knows what is it and he
gives the answer perfectly. However, there was something which is very sad to know that is
when he started to say that there is no God and he stopped pursuing his theological studies.
Now, he is busy with other things.
1. Temptation from within
So, you and I are not exception from this temptation. As a human being, there is time when
we prioritize and rely on our knowledge, wisdom and our ego. Even to the extent of saying
there is no God. Yes, we should question but it doesn’t mean that we should disbelief in
existence of God. As Proverb writer also remind us that do not rely on your understanding, or
on our own eyes. There is no problem you being acquiring knowledge, wisdom and skills, but
the problem comes when you started rooting yourself in those things instead of God who
gave all those.
There will be a time when we are going to be tempted like that young man, especially
theological trained students and teachers, as we are learning so much different things. It will
be easy for sometimes to say there is no God. But I would rather encourage that belittle
yourself and introspect and say I still can’t comprehend this. And be awe of how great our
God is.
2. Make God be the guider, not you
In time such as when are being tempted to lead your life and ministry by your own judgment,
ego, understanding; remember that God must lead our life. Especially final years, as we are
graduating and we will be involved in different ministry. I encouraged all of you to rely only
on God nothing else. And then, do your responsibility faithful according to God’s will.
And all of us as we have enter into the Christmas season, the birth of Jesus Christ. Some of us
will be in the Christmas program in our own churches. Christmas is not just the celebration of
Jesus Christ birth. But it is a remembrance for the birth of our saviour and one who will give
us new life. So, it is not just mean for remembrance but also for us to follow his ways in our
life. This morning let us examine ourselves that are we relying ourself on him, or are we
relying ourself to worldly things, and are we being led by Jesus Christ or by our own insights.
Let us ponder ourselves to these questions.
Conclusion
As God is someone who is reliable and trustworthy. The one who gives us the righteous life,
blameless life. And one who send his only son, Jesus Christ, out of love for his creatures. To
trust God and to fear God means to surrender our whole life unto him and rely upon him in
our day-to-day life. Not Following on our understanding and insight and not relying on
knowledge, power and worldly things. But follow what he commands us to follow: deny
ourselves and follow him (Luke 9: 23). Only then our ministry and our theological journey,
essentially in overall, our life will be fruitful and it will be according to his will. Therefore,
let us keep being rooted in God and live according to his will in our day-to-day life.