Loving Favour Prov 22:1 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Prov 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
According to this verse, loving favour is better than silver and gold. Well, most people wouldn’t turn down a little silver and gold. My memory from banking is that most people spent a great deal of time chasing a buck. But they didn’t spend much time cultivating favor with God. Solomon said that loving favour was better than silver and gold.
One of the outstanding characteristics of some of the most notable figures in the Bible is that they obtained favor with God. Look at this list:
- Jesus – Lk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
- Mary – Lk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
- David – Acts 7:46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
- Daniel – Dan 1:9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
- Abraham – Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
- Samuel – 1 Sam 2:26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
A man obtains loving favour with the Lord by:
Righteousness – Ps 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Righteousness is not so much finding out what the Lord wants you to do (i.e. what’s the right thing among several good choices); it is doing the right thing versus the wrong thing. When you do right and turn from wickedness, you will definitely find favor with the Lord because the righteous Lord loves righteousness.
Mercy and Truth – Prov 3:3-4 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. To have favor with God, we need to extend mercy to others [Eph 4:32; with the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, 2 Sam 22:26] and we need to be truthful. Not false witnesses, not exaggerators, not liars, not one who withholds truth. We need to be true with God, with ourselves, with our family, friends and acquaintances [1 Tim 2:7, I speak the truth in Christ and lie not].
Wisdom – Prov 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. Wisdom comes from fear of the Lord and it is impossible to obtain apart from the words of God. Wisdom also comes from good counsel. Thus we need to spend time in the Bible and we need to have friends upon whom we can rely for good counsel. Both of these will keep us in good favor with God.
Understanding – Prov 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. Understanding comes from the time of applying wisdom. A person can have the wisdom to know that suffering accompanies fellowship with God. But until you have lived it, you don’t understand it.
Goodness – Prov 11:27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. This favor comes from seeking good. God is good, his judgments are good, his ways are good, his words are good, his provisions are good, his people are good [a lover of good men].
Marriage – Prov 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. This is true when you marry according to God’s will and especially not true when you marry contrary to the Lord’s will. Finding a wife indicates that the fellow is careful in his pursuit and choice in this matter.