Written on the Tablet of Our Heart

“My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.”

~Proverbs 3:1-4

Here Solomon is urging all believers not to forget his words of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs.

In Proverbs chapter 1 verses 1-6, this wise man lays out the goals for his book. He shows us what reading and studying this book will accomplish in our lives. He says we will gain wisdom and instruction; we will be given justice, judgment, and equity. The simpleminded will be granted prudence and the wise will increase in learning. Who does not want blessings like this? All we have to do is what Solomon laid out for us in Proverbs 3:1, “My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commandments.”

“Beyond getting more wisdom, who cares about Scripture memorization?” you may ask.

The answer to this is in the next verse, where it promises, “Length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.”  This verse provides extra support for the other verses we have been looking at like Deuteronomy 32:47.  When we obey God’s command to memorize Scripture, we will like long lives spiritually and physically because of the peace His Word brings.  No longer need we stress about our next deadline, for we know, “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

We remember to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Verses like these give us peace, even in the hardest of times. When we face trying or difficult situations, the Lord can use the verses we have memorized to comfort and encourage us.

Solomon encourages us to “Let not mercy and truth forsake you.”  Matthew Henry examines this verse with insightful thoughts:

“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; God's mercy in promising, and his truth in performing: live up to them, keep up thine interest in them, and take the comfort of them. We must trust in the Lord with all our hearts, believing he is able and wise to do what is best. Those who know themselves, find their own understandings a broken reed, which, if they lean upon, will fail.”

Again, in verse three we are reminded to bind God’s law around our neck and to write it on our hearts. Let us not take this command lightly, for when we are obedient, blessings flow out of the throne room, like this one: “And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” 

Do you like to hang around someone who lacks the fruit of peace? One who listens to the message of the world that promotes selfishness?  Or do you prefer to spend time with someone who displays “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” and a joyful spirit?  One who is obedient to God’s command to love selflessly?  As we allow God’s Word to transform us from the inside out, people will not be turned away by our presence.  We will have a greater opportunity to encourage and bless them.

Not only will we increase in “Favor and high esteem in the sight of man” but also, in the sight of God.  As we hide His words to us in our heart, we become even more like Him.  As we memorize His commands to live like Jesus, He uses those to bring glory to Himself.  Look at Moses and Joshua.  Because they were obedient to the Lord in this area, He was pleased with them and used them to begin a new nation.  He has great plans in mind for us too, as we bind his instructions about our neck and write them on the tablet of our heart.

[An excerpt from my book about the value and benefits of Scripture memorization.]