Proverbs 7:1-5

Hey, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. It's so good to have you here today. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow and have love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, it's so good to have you.
We are at Proverbs chapter 7, just the first five verses. Well, we'll go ahead and have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. God, we pray that we would hear your word today, and that we would actually do it. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, Proverbs chapter 7, the first five verses. my Son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you, keep my commandments, and live, and my law as the apple of your eye, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart, say to wisdom, you are my sister, and call to understanding your nearest kin that they may keep you from the immoral woman from the seductress who flatters with her words well we need to ask ourselves a what is this about b what's the best person c what are we called to do in response to this so a what is this about Listen, right, this is a father saying to his son, listen, listen to my commandments. But we hear the prophetic cry of this also.
This reminds us of the Shema, Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 4 through 9, where God says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. But then he talks about how God's word was to be bound around their hands and as a front lip between their eyes. They were to write the law upon their heart. Here the writer of Solomon is writing to his son, but it's clear that this is speaking not just of human commandments and laws, but the commandments he had received from the Lord that his son needed to take heed of.
And so as he says this, my son, keep my words and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live. And my law is the apple of your eye. And then you hear it. Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, You are my sister. This is to be acquainted.
What is the beginning of wisdom? But the fear of the Lord. You cannot separate God's law from the wisdom literature. Indeed, the wisdom literature needs God's law. You need to understand the context of God's word, his commandments, how gracious they were to his people. Yes, now, the book of Galatians is true. Death came by. The law came by Moses, but life came by Jesus Christ.
But see, in biblical theology, especially in the Reformed world, we see that there are three uses of the law. The first use of the law is that it convicts us of our sin. The second use of the law is that it restrains sin. The third use of the law, though, is for those of us who are in Christ, it's a means of sanctification. So when we now, as new covenant believers, hear these words, and we're also to tune in our ears, not because somehow we think that this saves us.
Indeed, it was only Jesus Christ who held these words perfectly. It was only Jesus Christ who had these written upon his heart that he might never transgress. It was only Jesus Christ who worked and walked in perfect wisdom. But now we walk as Christ.
Now we are slaves to righteousness and no longer slaves to sin. And so as we follow after Christ, our great shepherd, our elder brother, the one who has given us his Holy Spirit, we walk in holiness. And so it's right that we turn our ears now, that we listen to our Father in heaven, that we have these words written upon the tablets of our heart, that we might not sin against him. We were not saved by works, but we were saved for holiness.
God has saved you. If you are in Christ, God has saved you. that you might walk in his ways, that you might walk as a child of the light, that you might, as he says here, that his law might keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters you with her words. It's God's law that will guard your feet. It's God's law, right?
This is what he says in Psalm 119, verses nine and 11. How shall a young man keep his way pure? By taking heed according to your word. Your word I have written. are treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you. Meditate on God's law. That's what you're called to do today. Meditate on God's word. Treasure it. Bind it upon your heart. Know it. Seek him out and follow after him.
Bask in his grace and his goodness to you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for the grace you have shown us in Jesus Christ. God, we pray that we would follow after you with all of our hearts. Please, Lord, care for us. Watch over us in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in joy and peace, and I'll see you on Monday. Bye.