Read

God's Guidance

Proverbs 3:5-6

One of the oldest legacies in the Israelite redemption narrative is the legacy of guidance. The Hebrew slaves learned early on that the God who redeemed them was a God who would guide them. And they needed guiding. The slaves had never been out of Egypt and they were being taken to a new homeland in Canaan. Yes, Moses was there to lead them but even Moses needed to be shown the best way to get there (Exodus 13:17-18). So God led them in a unique way—with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:22; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:33).

Proverbs 3:5-6 may be the most often-quoted passage in the Bible on the subject of guidance. But it needs to be read in context. First, the context of covenant faithfulness. For faithful Israel, God promised to provide everything they needed and that would include guidance. Put in covenant formulary terms ("If . . . then"), the passage makes perfect sense: "[If you will] trust . . . and lean . . . [and] acknowledge Him, [then] He shall direct your paths."

Second, the context of Proverbs—God's book about acquiring wisdom. Guidance is about choosing between options in life, and choosing requires wisdom and knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:1-11 says that such wisdom is gained by seeking it as we would seek for silver and for hidden treasure. "Wisdom" means skill in the Hebrew language, and choosing between options in life requires skill. Like a craftsman who gets more skilled over time, we develop wisdom—the skill of choosing like God chooses—over a lifetime of seeking Him and His wisdom.

The father who is speaking to his son in the first 10 chapters of Proverbs is not giving him a verse to claim in an emergency, but an admonition for a lifetime: Live your life in close relationship to God, depending on Him and obeying Him, and He will guide you through life.

Back to Proverbs