Chapter 3

Proverbs 3 (Kent)

"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

Mercy and truth are presented as virtues with the human ability to forsake us.

To prevent this we are instructed to "bind" them around our neck and "write" them on our heart so they cannot get away or be forgotten. Of course it is us who forsake mercy and truth. So difficult is it to overcome the flesh and show mercy at every opportunity and always be truthful that it is not adequate to have these virtues on a shelf or in a drawer or pocket somewhere in our house. We must aggressively remember them as if we were holding on to something trying to get away.

In verse 4 we see that although man's ways are not God's ways we will find favor and high esteem from both man and God by demonstrating mercy and truth. God's ways are indeed for this life. They work and come with a lifetime plus eternity guarantee!