Proverbs 16:20 Whoever is prudent and circumspect with the word will find and attain good, and the one who trusts in the LORD, how happy and blessed he is!
Trusting in Yahweh and in his word or instruction allows individuals to find and attain good. The Hebrew word tov implies that which is pleasant and agreeable to the senses. It carries ideas of fruitfulness and prosperity, kindness and ethical goodness, beneficial and valuable things.
When these things are realized through thoughtful consideration of his instruction or his word, then esher or happiness and blessedness results.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 – The person who trusts in Yahweh, whose confidence indeed is Yahweh, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.
Notice that drought may come, but the one trusting in Yahweh has a source of water (strength and nourishment) that is not readily available to others. There is no need to worry about what others worry about.
The words of Yeshua echo this sentiment of Jeremiah:
Matthew 6:31-33 – “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ‘ or ‘What will we drink? ‘ or ‘What will we wear? ‘ “For those of the nations eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
When we are truly trusting in Yahweh, we are seeking his kingdom to be expressed on this earth. This provides both an objective and a place of safety, a refuge from which to operate.
Psalm 34:8-10 – Taste and see that Yahweh is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! You who are his holy ones, fear Yahweh, for those who fear him lack nothing. Villages may lack food and go hungry, but those who seek Yahweh will not lack any good.
To fear Yahweh is to trust him; it is an expression of respect, awe, and appropriate reverence for the power and might of the one true God. The psalmist encourages people to “taste,” that is, to perceive with the senses, to see. Trusting in Yahweh is not just a belief or exercise of the mind, but an ongoing act that involves all that we do and say. Trusting in Yahweh means we recognize, act, and abide by the authority of his word. It is not just a head full of abstract beliefs, but a heart from which actions spring with the understanding and wisdom he provides.
Proverbs 16:20 strikes me as addressing one of the deepest desires of mankind: to attain tov or good which brings true happiness and blessedness. The things in this world that we seek to fill that void are vain shadows of this attainable reality. It is up to us to “taste and see,” that is, trust in Yahweh to genuinely experience the goodness and happiness that only he provides.
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