Proverbs 16:3 Commentary and Bible Study

The word translated ‘commit’ is literally ‘roll’, or ‘roll away’. Something too heavy to lift must be rolled, and in this case it is rolled into the Lord’s hands, so that the translation ‘commit’ is exactly right. This is a secret work in the heart and no one can see what we do but ourselves and the Lord. To what extent do we utterly resign the decision into the Lord’s hands and allow his answer to determine the way we go? The temptation is to ask but to decide in advance what we are going to do. We ask because we know we ought to ask and because we want the Lord’s approval, but our hearts may be deceiving us. Although we want the Lord’s approval, we want him to approve what we have already decided to do. We have strings attached to the outcome and we have not really rolled the decision away from our own hands and entirely into his hands. We ask for his guidance, but the truth is that if he guides us in the way we do not want to go, then we will ignore what he says. This was the case with the remnant of the Jews left in Jerusalem when they came to Jeremiah to ask what they should do (Jeremiah 42). They were afraid in their present situation and this made them uncomfortable. They believed that Egypt would be a safer place for them, but they sensed that the Lord did not wish them to go. They thought they could deceive the Lord; they thought that God and his prophet could be flattered by their asking into giving them what they wanted which was permission to go down to Egypt where they would feel more secure. But the Lord’s will was entirely different. His will was that they should stay where they were, and that they should overcome their fears by trusting in him to keep them in their present situation. He saw the duplicity of the way in which they sought his guidance and Jeremiah said to them, ‘Ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it’ (Jeremiah 42:20). We should note that the proverb pronounces a blessing on a man’s thoughts, his secret plans and purposes rather than his ways, although by implication these will also be blessed. The point is that if our purposes are submitted to the Lord, then God will prosper the secret intentions of our hearts and cause them to lead to good outcomes.