What Does Proverbs 3:5–6 Mean?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. (Prov. 3:5–6)

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon wants to teach his son “to know wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:2). What is wisdom? Where is it found? What does wisdom look like on a day-to-day basis? Solomon’s display of wisdom begins with the character and works of the Lord (Prov. 2:6–12). When we enter Proverbs 3, we see two paths in seeking wisdom: trust in ourselves or trust in the Lord. Solomon demonstrates assurances found in trusting in the Lord that cannot be found when we rely on ourselves.

A Positive Command

Trust communicates a form of reliability, confidence, or strength in something or someone. This trust affects how we work, how we think, and how we engage others. The object of our trust is paramount, especially when we consider matters of life, purpose, and meaning. In this passage, Solomon calls his son to trust in the surest safeguard: Only the Lord provides the kind of strength, reliability, and confidence we need to act in ways that ultimately lead us to life.

Solomon begins by calling for a comprehensive trust. He says that we need to trust in the Lord with “all our heart.” The heart is the operational control system that shapes what we believe, desire, and act upon. To trust with the whole of one’s heart is a full and total dependence on the object of that trust. It is a reliance on the Lord, not simply a half-hearted acknowledgment of Him and His works. His works in the gospel reveal a full and total Savior calling for a full and total trust.

A Negative Command

Solomon states the first command positively: “Trust in the Lord,” He states the second command negatively: “And do not lean on your own understanding.” In context, Solomon is not saying it is wrong to have understanding or to seek understanding through experience or learning. Rather, Solomon reveals that trust in the Lord is the kind of understanding that reveals our purpose and interprets our experiences.

It is important to note that Solomon connects this “understanding” with wisdom and with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7; 2:5). When we seek any kind of understanding, we are reminded of our limits. Solomon also says,

There is a way that seems right to man
but its end is the way to death. (Prov. 16:25)

The negative command in Proverbs 3:5, “Do not lean on your own understanding,” points us to the crossroads of dependence. When our understanding conflicts with the revealed will of the Lord, which one directs us? It is at this crossroads that Solomon says, “Trust in the Lord.”

There are no shortcuts in the Christian life. Either we trust in the Lord, or we trust in ourselves. Trusting in ourselves might be evidenced by looking to the ways of the world, indifference to the ways of the Lord, or even in listening to others so as to seek their approval more than the Lord’s. When Solomon says, “Do not lean on your own understanding,” he includes dependence on anything other than the Lord. Solomon says that only One provides an assurance of straight paths.

An Assurance

Lastly, we are given a principle of assurance. Solomon is not teaching us to have a “blind” trust. Rather, when we trust in the Lord instead of ourselves, the assurance is that the Lord will make our paths straight. In view here is the whole of life. He says, “In all your ways,” which means our trust in the Lord is not a fragmented or isolated trust, but it covers the whole of our life, throughout our life.

Solomon says we can have the assurance of a straight path as we acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. What does it mean to acknowledge the Lord? To acknowledge the Lord is to recognize that many things change, but the Word of God stands forever (Isa. 40:8). It is God who directs us and keeps us straight. Therefore, to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways is to look to and lean on the Word of God. This is the wisdom that Solomon is giving his son. To be secure and not stumble is to trust in the Lord, and we do that when we rely on the Word of God.

Now, this is not an assurance of an easy life or a life that is without hardship and suffering. But we are told that the direction is straight—and that direction leads to life (Prov. 12:28). The psalmist reminds us that what provides the straight path is none other than the Word of God, for it is the lamp for our feet and the light to our path (Ps. 119:105). This is a great encouragement from Solomon not only in its assurance but also in its application.

Conclusion

To trust in the Lord and not lean on your own understanding is to believe the Bible in all of its truth. When we take the Bible apart and give attention only to the parts that we agree with, then we lean on our understanding. Augustine wrote: “You ought to say plainly that you do not believe the gospel of Christ. For to believe what you please, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves, and not the gospel.” To trust in the Lord is to trust in the Word of the Lord.

Solomon instructs in part—and Jesus reminds us in full—that trusting in the Lord is the way to life. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and we are told not to let our hearts be troubled but to trust in Him (John 14:1–6). Moreover, Jesus offers us the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in all truth (John 16:13). What joy, what peace, what comfort we have when we trust in the Lord with the assurance that His Word leads us straight to Him.