First I would like to briefly mention what we went over last time in our study. We covered the scriptures Proverbs 3:1-6, and we learned that God wants us to keep His commandments and that in return He would add years to our life and peace.
 We also learned about trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. We learned from the dictionary’s definition, trust is “assured reliance”. Assured = no doubt. Total reliance from “faith” that God will not fail you. With that assured reliance we must not trust in our own understanding. Things don’t always make sense to us, but if we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will direct us.
 Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
 We should not lean on our own wisdom. I think a good example of this is to look at children. They reason things by their “wisdom”. Wisdom? we say. They have a lack of maturity. Well in Christ, we are children. We lack spiritual maturity. God, our Father, is teaching us and leading us. He knows what is best for us. He knows where our paths will lead us. Will we obey our Father?
  Proverbs 3:8 --  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
 If we fear the Lord, shun evil, follow God’s ways,.... it will be health to our bodies.  Luke 13:11 --  And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. In this scripture we find a woman who is very sick.
  Luke 13:16 --  And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? Now the point I want to point out here is “whom Satan hath bound”
 Satan causes sickness. He is also the Father of sin. Does that mean that all sickness is a result of sin? I don’t think so.
  John 11:4 --  When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
 In this case sickness was used for a higher purpose. May I be so bold as to say a witness to others. I think sickness is for many purposes. One is a witness to our Lord as healer. Another, yes, I believe a result of sin. The woman's sickness was caused by satan himself. But satan has no rule over us but what the Lord allows or what WE allow.
  Psalms 119:71 --  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
 Sickness is also used for learning and the author of this verse sees his affliction as a good thing. He recognized that it was a time of learning for him.
  Psalms 23:3 --  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
 Psalms 23:4 --  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
 In verse 3 we see restoration and leading toward righteousness. God is leading us to a righteous path.
 Verse 4, Shows us that even through the low times in our life, God will not leave us. “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The rod represents correction and the staff leading and directing. God corrects us and directs us. The writer refers to these as a comfort. I have pondered over this. Ok I could except the directing as comfort, but who wants to be corrected. Well after thinking it over decided that, yes correction is not fun but it teaches us not where to go. Then God directs us to the right way. If we are obedient, we can’t get much easier. With correction comes redirection. Kind of like God saying “Nope not that way, come this way, it will be much better.”
 Isn’t that a loving Father?
  Proverbs 3:9 --  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase:
 This is speaking of tithing. Numbers 18:26 -- Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.
 Nehemiah 10:38 --  And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.
 To tithe is a command of God.
 Malachi 3:8 --  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
 YIKES! Not only are we commanded to give to God a tenth of the “first fruits” which means we give to him first before everything else, but if we don’t .... we are robbing God! How is it that we are robbing Him you may ask? Well without God we would have nothing. All we have is His, given to us. He asks us to give Him back one tenth of what is given us. Thus to not give Him what was His to begin with is robbing God. Wow.
 There is a good part to this though.
 Proverbs 3:10 --  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
 There is a reward for obedience in tithing. God will bless your giving as stated in verse 10.
  Proverbs 3:11 --  My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
 Proverbs 3:12 --  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
 God corrects us because He loves us and wants what is good for us. So verse 11 says don’t hate the correcting, embrace it. Verse 12, --  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth. God loves us !!!!!!
 And lastly:
 Proverbs 3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.