Category: Lessons from the Wise Guy
My son, do not forget my instruction but let your heart keep my commandments. Because length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. (Proverbs 3:1-2)
One of the most recognizable 'blessings' of the last 50 years is Spock's, "Live long and prosper." That the Vulcan would have this aphorism as his regular benediction is no surprise given the fact that the actor was of Jewish influence. It is, in fact, a simple summary of the promises held out to the Jewish people if they kept the covenant laws (see Deut. 28). Peace (Heb. shalom) involves far more than the absence of disturbance, it includes comprehensive well-being; every aspect of life reaches full bloom when true peace is accomplished. And living to a ripe old age was a sign of God's beneficence. Such were the basic desires of the Jewish people. Solomon reminds his son that the realization of these blessings would be his if only he will take to heart his wise counsel.
Under the New Covenant, we do not possess the same temporal, Near-Eastern promises (instead, we are promised the whole world); however, the general principles laid out in Proverbs are beneficial and good for wise living in all generations. Every Christian would do well to learn, memorize, and live out the instructions from this sage. We just might find ourselves experiencing a life of heavenly peace after all.