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Happy Tuesday, {{first_name| everyone}}!
It’s time to put this proverb into context and notice the fatherly advice it holds!
If you missed yesterday's email, you can read it here.
In today's email…
📜 The father-to-son appeal these two verses are tucked inside
📖 Read the passage around the verse, plus one question to sit with
📊 Trivia to test your knowledge on our memory verse…
MEMORIZE 🧠
_____ in the LORD with all your _____, and do not ____ on your own _____________. In all your ways ___________ him, and he will make straight your _____.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Want to memorize in your favorite translation? Try our new iPhone app here.
CONTEXT 📕
Yesterday we saw how King Solomon obtained his wisdom: He humbly asked God for the wisdom needed to lead God’s people well.
God gave Solomon what he asked for and blessed him with unmatched wisdom.
The passage around our memory verses tell us what Solomon did with this wisdom…He passed it on!
Proverbs 3 has the phrase “my son” repeating three times.
In light of Scripture, this can be faithfully interpreted in three ways:
King Solomon was teaching his actual son, Rehoboam.
As the introduction to the Proverbs notes, these wise sayings are for anyone seeking wisdom. The reader (or hearer) is the “son.”
The wisdom comes from God, who is like a father to all of his children (Proverbs 3:12, 1 John 3:1).
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
This Proverb is God the Father speaking to his people through King Solomon, the father.
Which begs the question: what version of a father comes to mind when you think of God as your Heavenly Father?
Christian writer and preacher A.W. Tozer famously said:
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
C.S. Lewis had a famous rebuttal, arguing that it’s infinitely more important what God thinks of us.
I would suggest taking both points seriously and combining them into this:
What comes into our minds when we think about God as our Father should be informed by what God thinks of us.
For many, trusting in the Lord as Father can feel hard.
Especially if your earthly father has hurt or disappointed you.
But God is compassionate and kind (Psalm 103:8), a good and generous father (James 1:17), who offers help (Isaiah 30:21) to make our paths straight.
Jesus describes God’s character as a Father to his disciples:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, it was given to him, and Solomon passed that on as a father to his son.
As we continue to dwell on this verse, let’s read it as instruction from our loving Father who gives good gifts.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
📖 Read: Proverbs 3:1-12 and notice the words “my son.”
The passage surrounding verses 5-6 color in the picture some more.
👂️ Reflect:
How does seeing yourself as God’s child and hearing these verses from your good Father change their impact?
🙏 Pray
Father, thank you for your kindness and compassion toward me that never runs out. You are a good father. You want to help me and guide me at every turn in the road. Help me to listen to you and obey your voice. Amen.
TRIVIA 📊
Click one of the options below to choose your answer. Let's see how you do…
In Proverbs 3, wisdom is compared to what for those who take hold of her?
ANSWER KEY ✅
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Tomorrow, we’ll dig into 3 central words in verses 5 and 6 and what they mean: trust, lean and acknowledge.
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Eljoh is a South African writer, editor, and artist with a Master’s in Practical Theology. She creates resources to help believers of all ages abide in Christ and grow in faith. Explore more free resources and creative tools at Vine Creative Studio.
Kieran is a husband and father living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
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Try our iPhone app 📱
Want to go even deeper with memorizing Scripture and learning its context?
Our iPhone app, Within allows you to:
Memorize 1 verse every single week and learn its context through daily devotionals you can read (or listen to)
Memorize any verse you want in your favorite bible translation
Store all of your previously memorized verses in one place (and review them regularly with interactive games)
And much more!
What are the differences between Within and Malachi Daily?
Malachi Daily 📧 | Within 📱 | |
|---|---|---|
Type of tool | Email newsletter | iOS mobile app |
Cost | Free | 7-day free trial, then $5.99/mo or $49.99/year |
# of verses | 4 verses per month as a community | 4 verses per month as a community + unlimited for any verse you want |
Who chooses the verse | We choose | We choose AND you can memorize any verse you want, anytime |
Bible translation(s) | ESV | ESV, NIV, NLT, KJV, and NASB |
Reviewing previously memorized verses | You do this on your own | Use the built-in memory bank |
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