HEALED AND REFRESHED
Proverbs 3:5-8
The wisdom of Proverbs is not abstract or detached, but deeply rooted in the Torah and the Old Testament narratives. It helps believers in Christ to live wisely in daily life. The main themes include trusting and fearing the LORD, turning away from evil, living wisely, taming the tongue, relationships, and community.
Trust Him and Not the Self
To trust in the LORD with all your heart means placing your full confidence in the covenant-keeping God who redeemed Israel from Egypt and who saves us through Christ Jesus. It is trusting who He is and trusting His Word, both His commands and His promises.
Proverbs 3:5, ESV: Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
To trust in the LORD is to refuse self-reliance. Though God gives wisdom, we must remain humble, trusting not human brilliance, plans, or emotional impulses, but submitting every decision to the guidance of God’s Word.
Straight Paths
Wisdom calls people to acknowledge Him in all their ways. In the Jewish context, it means remembering, respecting, and obeying the covenant. For believers in Christ, it is remembering, believing, and obeying the new covenant in all that they do.
Proverbs 3:6: In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
The wise person acknowledges the LORD, which means refusing to lean on one’s own understanding. The promise of the straight path is not easy, but God’s guidance into a life ordered by righteousness and aligned with His will.
Biblical Wisdom
Biblical wisdom is defined by humility rather than self-confidence: fearing the LORD and turning from evil stands opposed to being wise in one’s own eyes. The promise of healing and refreshment shows that reverent obedience leads to life and wholeness, as living in submission to God’s order brings true well-being.
Proverbs 3:7-8: Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Humility before the LORD is set against self-made wisdom, echoing the law’s call to fear God and walk in His ways (Dt. 10:12). Israel’s history shows that pride leads to ruin, while reverent obedience brings life and blessing. Thus, fearing the LORD and turning from evil aligns the whole person with God’s will.
Application
1. Let us fully trust the Triune God; let us believe and obey the Word. Our hope and salvation are in Christ’s gospel alone. As we fear and turn away from evil, may our paths be straight and bodies be healed.
2. Let us also reject false forms of enlightenment: pseudo-intellectualism, modern gnostic thinking, crank confidence, the Dunning-Kruger effect, confirmation bias, parrot thinking, messianic self-importance, and self-taught arrogance. Instead, let us humbly submit to God’s Word.
3. Let us also not trust emotional impulses such as self-pity, euphoria, despair, envy, anxiety, anger, fear, blame, or withdrawal from God’s people. Instead, let us bring our emotions under the authority of God’s Word and learn to respond in faith rather than impulse.
Poem
Healed and Refreshed
by Ed Pilapil Jr
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Is that easy or is that hard?
Unless I surrender, it’s hard
Thus, I surrender my whole heart
Don’t turn to your understanding
Break free from natural leaning
False enlightenment, stop leaning
Lean on Scripture understanding
I do not trust the plans I made
Traced by confidence, neatly laid
I will trust in the plans He laid
I trust the path that God has made
I turn from false enlightenment
Why be deceived by fallen men?
We should now walk with godly men
From His word is enlightenment
Fear God, O my soul, fear Him
Turn away from evil and sin
In Christ is forgiveness of sin
Therefore, I shall believe in Him
Our paths will be righteous and straight
Let’s remove the self-righteous state
We remember our fallen state
By grace, we walk the road that’s straight
O my bones, be healed and refreshed
Trust in Him, He will give you rest
Yes, the soul and body shall rest
O my soul, be healed and refreshed
Study Guide
1. What does it practically look like to trust the LORD with all your heart, and in what ways are you tempted to lean on your own understanding: intellectually, emotionally, or strategically?
2. How does acknowledging the LORD in all your ways reshape your decision-making, and how does the promise of a “straight path” differ from simply expecting an easy outcome?
3. How does being “wise in your own eyes” show up subtly in your life, and how does fearing the LORD and turning from evil lead to the kind of wholeness and renewal described in these verses?
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