“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:7-8 (NASB)

What are our thoughts abought those who seem overly confident in their own knowledge or wisdom? “Just another ‘know-it-all’ might be a fitting description? Perhaps they have placed a bit too much importance and confidence in their alleged expertise? Certainly we need some measure of confidence that we are capable of doing what we are called to do. Be we are never called to do it on our own resources, with our own understanding. Today we have “Another warning against self-confidence! and who needs it not? So natural is it to idolize our own devices! Yet self-wisdom is self-delusion. True wisdom is its opposite—the Fear of God and the fear of sin[1]”  God calls us in today’s verse to Fear Him. The ‘fear of the Lord’ occurs 11 times in Proverbs and ‘fear the Lord’ occurs 4 times. In Psalm 19:9 we learn that “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;” God is promising physical well-being for those who live wisely according to His will[2] Humility and lowliness, abhorred by the world is blessed by our dependence on God. (Romans 12:16)

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1 Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs, (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1865), 23.

2 John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Proverbs 3:8.