My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands;
for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:1-4
Solomon tells his son not to forget his teaching, but this means more than cognitive amnesia: “but let your heart keep my commandments” (v. 2). To “remember” in this full sense means to have your priorities line up with God’s. If you dishonor your parents, it’s not because you forget the 5th Commandment exists–”Oh that’s right, I forgot God told me to honor my mom.” We let sinful desires take over and boot the good desires that ought to be present in our hearts.
Notice the outcome of keeping the commandments (father’s and God’s): “for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you” (v. 3). This reminds us of the 5th Commandment where children who honor their parents will live long in the land (Ex. 20:12), quoted by Paul to say the same for Gentile kids who will live long and well in the earth (Eph. 6:3). Don’t forget your parents’ instructions. Don’t let mercy and truth get away, but tie them around your neck and write them on your heart and find favor with God and man.