Proverbs 3:3-4
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
Favor in the sight of God and man… I often wonder if my life is worthy of this description. So what is favor in the sight of God?
In Genesis 6:8, we’re told that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord and verse 9 goes on to say that “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” The outcome of this favor was deliverance from the flood that destroyed the entire earth.
Luke 1:30 gives the account of an angel coming to Mary, the mother of Jesus, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary was a part of all of this because she found favor with God.
And finally, our last and best example of favor is found in Luke 2:52. It states, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Jesus came to this earth out of obedience to the Father for the salvation of all mankind and, we are told that He has been seated at the right hand of God.
The Word gives us a powerful lineage of people who have learned the value of favor with God. They have experienced the hand of the Creator pouring out blessing on their lives because they have lived for Him.
The instruction here appears so simple. “Do not let kindness and truth leave you… So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man” but the exercise proves to be much more problematic. This is a concept the author understood. His instruction is to do whatever it takes to keep kindness and truth, even if it means tying them around your neck!
Kindness and truth are both powerful attributes of our God and I can’t help but wonder if we come to learn the essence of our God, we will gain favor in His eyes. What is the place of kindness and truth in your life? Do you hold to them tightly? Do you carve them on your heart?