by Ken Cayce
© Ken Cayce All rights reserved.
Copyright
Title: The title in the Hebrew Bible is "The Proverbs of Solomon" (1:1), as also in the Greek Septuagint (LXX). Proverbs pulls together the most important 513 of the over 3,000 proverbs pondered by Solomon (1 Kings 4:32; Eccl. 12:9), along with some proverbs of others whom Solomon likely influenced. The word "proverb" means "to be like", thus Proverbs is a book of comparisons between common, concrete images and life's most profound truths. Proverbs are simple, moral statements (or illustrations), that highlight and teach fundamental realities about life. Solomon sought God's wisdom (2 Chron. 1:8-12), and offered "pithy sayings" designed to make men contemplate:
(1) The fear of God; and
(2) Living by His wisdom (1:7; 9:10).
The sum of this wisdom is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:30).
Authorship - Date: The phrase "Proverbs of Solomon" is more a title than an absolute statement of authorship (1:1). While King Solomon, who ruled Israel from 971 - 931 B.C. and was granted great wisdom by God (see 1 Kings 4:29-34), is the author of the didactic section (chapters 1-9), and the proverbs of (10:1 - 22:16), he is likely only the compiler of the "sayings of the wise" (in 22:17 - 24:34), which are of an uncertain date before Solomon's reign. The collection (in chapters 25-29), was originally composed by Solomon (25:1), but copied and included later by Judah's king Hezekiah (ca. 715 - 686 B.C.).
Proverbs was not assembled in its final form until Hezekiah's day or after. Solomon authored his proverbs before his heart was turned away from God (1 Kings 11:1-11), since the book reveals a godly perspective and is addressed to the "naïve" and "young" who need to learn the fear of God. Solomon also wrote Psalms 72 and 127, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
Though Solomon's name is traditionally attached to the entire book, it is clear for 22:17; 24:23; 30:1 and 31:1), that unidentified wise men, as well as two who are identified (Augur and Lemuel), also shared in the composition of the book. There are three Solomonic collections in the book (1:1; 10:1; 25:1). Since Solomon authored most of the book, the attachment of his name to it is warranted.
Because most of the book was authored by Solomon, its contents should be dated in the middle of the tenth century B.C. On the other hand, the book's final form could not have existed earlier than the time of Hezekiah (ca. 700 B.C.), since Solomon's proverbs were still being collected at that time (25:1).
Background - Setting: The book reflects a 3-fold setting as:
(1) General wisdom literature;
(2) Insights from the royal court; and
(3) Instruction offered in the tender relationship of a father and mother with their children, all designed to produce meditation on God.
Since Proverbs is Wisdom literature, by nature it is sometimes difficult to understand (1:6). Wisdom literature is part of the whole of Old Testament truth; the Priest gave the law, the Prophet gave a Word from the Lord, and the Sage (or wise man), gave his wise Counsel (Jer. 18:18; Ezek. 7:26). In proverbs, Solomon the Sage gives insight into the "knotty" issues of life (1:6), which are not directly addressed in the Law or the Prophets. Though it is practical, Proverbs is not superficial or external because it contains moral and ethical elements stressing upright living which flow out of a right relationship with God. In 4:1-4, Solomon connected 3 generations as he entrusted to his son Rehoboam what he learned at the feet of David and Bath-sheba. Proverbs is both a pattern for the tender impartation of truth from generation to generation, as well as a vast resource for the content of the truth to be imparted. Proverbs contains the principle and applications of Scripture which the godly characters of the Bible illustrate in their lives.
Historical - Theological themes: Solomon came to the throne with great promise, privilege and opportunity. God had granted his request for understanding (1 Kings 3:9-12; 2 Chron. 1:10-12), and his wisdom exceeded all others (1 Kings 4:29-31). However, the shocking reality is that he failed to live out the truth that he knew and even taught his son Rehoboam (1 Kings 11:1, 4, 6; 7-11), who subsequently rejected his father's teaching (1 Kings 12:6-11).
Proverbs contains a gold mine of biblical theology, reflecting themes of Scripture brought to the level of practical righteousness (1:3), by addressing man's ethical choices, calling into question how he thinks, lives, and manages his daily life in light of divine truth. More specifically, Proverbs calls man to live as the Creator intended him to live when He made man (Psalms 90:1-2, 12).
The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (the righteous who obey God), live longer (9:11), prosper 2:20-22), experience joy (3:13-18), and the goodness of God temporally (12:21), while fools suffer shame (3:35), and death (10:21). On the other hand, it must be remembered that this general principle is balanced by the reality that the wicked sometimes prosper (Psalms 73:3, 12), though only temporarily (Psalm 73:17-19). Job illustrates that there are occasions when the godly wise are struck with disaster and suffering.
The two major themes which are interwoven and overlapping throughout Proverbs are wisdom and folly. Wisdom, which includes knowledge, understanding, instruction, discretion, and obedience, is built on the fear of the Lord and the Word of God. Folly is everything opposite to wisdom.
Interpretation - Purpose: The purpose of the book is clearly to show the reader how to live life wisely or skillfully. As a matter of fact, the entire structure of the book is arranged to carry out this purpose. In the Introductions (1:1-7), the title, purpose, and motto of the book are clearly spelled out. Beginning (in 1:8), there are 10 consecutive exhortations or homilies, each beginning with the words "my son". In this series of exhortations, the father sets before the son what might well be called "the theology of the two ways": the way of wisdom and the way of folly. These passages do not contain individual proverbs, but consist of brief, logically argued treatises that serve to whet the son's appetite to apply the actual proverbs (which begin at 10:1). The juxtaposition of such discourses in the same book with the two-line saying is common in the ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. In (10:1 - 22:6), there are 375 proverbs of Solomon, each of which represents in some way the choice to be made between wisdom and folly. The remaining 284 verses are divided among several authors, but they likewise carry on the same theme.
There is an ordered flow of thought in the first nine chapters of the book, but this is not true (beginning at 10:1). The best way to study the latter section is by topics. A simple perusal of the subjects covered leaves the distinct impression that wisdom is prerequisite to skillful dealing in every area of life. Indeed, this is the very aim of the authors! These topics include: the family, death, life, discretion, eating, enemies, the fear of the Lord, the fool, friendship, God, the heart (or mind), the home, the king, knowledge, labor, law, lazy people, love, neighbors, peace, poverty, prayer, pride, riches, righteousness, sex, shame, sin, sleep, soul, spirit, the tongue, trust, the wicked, wine, wisdom, women and words. If one inculcates into his life the moral discipline commanded (in chapters 1-9), and masters the practical application of wisdom expressed (in chapters 10-31), he will truly have an abundant and successful life.
The book of proverbs has been known as the book of wisdom from the very beginning. Most of the writing of Proverbs has been credited to the pen of Solomon. God has given Solomon the wisdom to rule his people fairly. Proverbs is actually a book of instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God and how to be more peaceful with all of mankind. It is a wonderful book for people of all ages to study how to live moral, peaceful lives. The purpose of the book is for moral instructions on everyday living.
The main topic is the fear of the Lord. In fact, the "Fear of the Lord" is mentioned fourteen times. Solomon's instructions were very good. He would have been better off if he had heeded his own instructions. Solomon, in his later life strayed from his own teaching.
A "proverb" is a wise saying. It is similar to a parable in fact it bears a hidden message.
Proverbs 1:1 "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;"
We see that these wise sayings are of Solomon, who is the second son of David and Bath-sheba. David and Solomon were each king of Israel for forty years.
The basic meaning of the Hebrew word for proverb is "comparison," but it came to stand for a wide range of wise pronouncements including the byword lament and thought provoking sayings. In the Book of Proverbs, the word is used to refer to an aphorism or concise statement of a principle or to a discourse.
The word aphorism (literally "distinction" or "definition", from the Greek: "from-to bound") denotes an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and easily memorable form.
Laconic means: brief and to the point; effectively cut short; "a crisp retort"; "a response so curt as to be almost rude"; "the laconic reply; yes".
The proverbs are short pithy sayings which express timeless truth and wisdom. They arrest one's thoughts, causing the reader to reflect on how one might apply divine principles to life situations. Proverbs contains insight both in poetry and prose; yet, at the same time, it includes commands to be obeyed. God's proverbs are not limited to this book alone.
As Solomon became king of Israel, he sought and received wisdom and knowledge from the Lord which led him to wealth, honor and fame.
In verses 2-6 the two fold purpose of the book is produce the skill of godly living by wisdom and instruction (verse 2a), which is then expanded (in verses 3 and 4); and then to develop discernment (verse 2b), which is expanded (in verse 5).
Proverbs 1:2 "To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;"
Wisdom is the key word of the book and basically means "skill in living." It is used in the Old Testament to refer to a physical skill such as tailoring, metalwork and woodwork, spinning, engraving and designing, and warfare. Used metaphorically (as in Proverbs), it refers to the skill to live life successfully.
Instruction refers to moral discipline of one's life, not to classroom instruction. It refers to the discipline of a moral nature.
Understanding means the capability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most, and what does not matter at all. To the Hebrew mind, wisdom was not knowledge alone, but the skill of living a godly life as God intended man to live. This word looks at the mental discipline which matures one for spiritual discernment.
Solomon came to the throne with great promise, privilege and opportunity. God had granted his request for understanding and his wisdom exceeded all others. However the shocking reality is that he failed to live out the truth that he knew and even taught his son Rehoboam, who subsequently rejected his father's teaching.
Proverbs contains a gold mine of biblical theology, reflecting themes of Scripture brought to the lever of practical righteousness, by addressing man's ethical choices, calling into question how he thinks, lives and manages his daily life in light of divine truth. More specifically, Proverbs calls man to live as the Creator intended him to live when He made man.
The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (those of righteousness who obey God), live longer, prosper, and experience joy and the goodness of God temporally, while fools suffer shame and death. On the other hand, it must be remembered that this general principle is balanced by the reality that the wicked sometimes prosper, though only temporarily. Job illustrates that there are occasions when the godly wise are struck with disaster and suffering.
Proverbs 1:3 "To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;"
Expanding the purpose and terms (of verse 2a), Proverbs engages in a process of schooling a son in the disciplines of
(1) Wisdom (a different Hebrew word from that in verse 2), which means discreet counsel or the ability to govern oneself by choice;
(2) Justice, the ability to conform to the will and standard of God; a practical righteousness that matches one's positional righteousness;
(3) Judgment, the application of true righteousness in dealing with others; and
(4) Equity, the living of life in a fair, pleasing way.
Proverbs 1:4 "To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."
"Wisdom" is the ultimate goal, so we see it mentioned here. "Instruction" can flow out from the greatest teacher of all time and still we will be no more the wiser. The point made here is to receive the instruction into your being and in so doing become the wiser. We have to receive the instructions for it to help us. We must open up "perceive" our understanding. The "equity", "judgment", and "justice" are the fruits of wisdom. A wise man will be just, etc.
To give "subtlety to the simple": The purpose is to impart discernment to the naive and the ignorant. The root of "simple" is a word meaning "an open door," and apt description of the undiscerning, who do not know what to keep in or out of their minds.
To the young, knowledge and discretion is to make one ponder before sinning, thus to make a responsible choice.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak is a very good way of learning. A man of understanding will want to be counseled by older, wiser men. They will be quick to be instructed by someone who has already experienced the same thing. These wise counsels can save many mistakes.
The wise believer will have the ability to guide or govern others with truth.
Jesus said that now we look through a dark glass. We cannot understand the secrets of proverbs and parables now. We understand them to the extent that the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Even the disciples had Jesus interpret his parables. The Holy Spirit, working as a teacher, helps us interpret the hidden meanings.
Proverbs seeks to sharpen the mind by schooling one in "parabolic speech" and "dark sayings" that need reflection and interpretation. Study of the scriptures is sufficient to provide the wisdom for the perplexities of life.
There is very little left to say about this statement. We know the fear of anything other than God is lack of faith. This type of fear of God would cause reverent worship of him.
In James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
A fool does not even realize that instruction and wisdom will benefit him. He goes away ignorant as before, because he will not let anyone instruct him.
The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one's parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. The beginning does not mean that "the fear of the Lord" is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.
Proverbs 1:8 "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:"
The two people in the world who want you to have the best of everything are your mother and father. The instructions they are trying to get you to heed are to save you headache and troubles. They have your welfare at heart. Accept their instructions so that you can gain from their experience and not have to make the same mistakes they have already made. They wish you only good, not evil.
My son begins the first of 10 similar discourses in which the father appeals to the son to listen to his counsel and choose wisdom over folly. The mention of the Mother shows that the original setting of the book was the home, not the court or school.
Proverbs 1:9 "For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck."
The greatest gift a parent can give to a child is the gift of good moral teaching. This "grace" above, I believe, is just that. These parents have set high moral standards and passed them on to their children.
Chains about thy neck: refers to an adornment or thing of beauty in one's life.
Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."
You see, we are a free moral agent. We decide whether we will sin or not. Just because the crowd is sinning, is no reason to get involved. Use your own free will and say "no" to sin, even if it is inviting. In the long run, we are responsible for our own decisions.
Sinners is a term reserved in Scripture to describe unbelievers for whom sin is continual and who endeavor to persuade even believers to sin with them. The sins of murder and robbery are used as illustrations of such folly.
"Come with us". The intimidating force of peer pressure is often the way to entice those who lack wisdom.
The wicked devise a plot of deception in which the innocent are captured and victimized like one who is taken by death itself, as with Joseph (Gen. 37:20); Jeremiah (Jer. 38:6-13); and Daniel (Dan. 6:16-17).
"The Pit ... Sheol" is the place of death. For the wicked it is a place of no return (Job 7:9), darkness (Psalms 143:3) and torment (Isaiah 14:11).
This is the enlisting of the innocent without full disclosure of intent. Abundant spoil is promised by this outright robbery, which is made to appear easy and safe for the thieves and murderers.
Proverbs 1:15 "My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:"
This directly confronts the invitation of (verse 11). Sin must be rejected at the first temptation, by refusing even the association that can lead to sin. Avoid the beginnings of sin (see 4:14).
Proverbs 1:16 "For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood."
This is warning not to keep evil company. There is guilt by association. You may not be guilty of their sins; but if you are caught with them, you will pay the terrible penalty with them. Many a youngster has gotten into serious trouble because he wanted to be part of the gang. Children's favorite saying to parents is, "everyone is doing it". Sometimes peer pressure causes a youngster to join a gang. He probably has no idea they are stealing or killing when he joins; but the longer he stays, the more deeply involved he becomes. The only way to avoid this is just what the Scripture advises. Don't go with them in the first place. The time to say "no" is before you get in deep.
Proverbs 1:17 "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird."
As a bird flies into a net and is caught, so will the sinner get caught if he goes head long into sin. We know the net is there, but get into it anyway.
It would be ineffective to set up a net for catching a bird in full view of the bird. Taken with (verse 18), this analogy means that the sinner sets up his trap for the innocent in secret, but in the end the trap is sprung on him (verse 19). This greed entraps him. Stupid sinners rush to their own ruin.
Proverbs 1:18 "And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives."
A person laying in wait to kill someone else is actually sealing their own doom.
Greed for things that do not belong to you is certainly the cause of most sin toward your fellow man.
Verses 20-33: From this section of scripture (from verses 20-33), wisdom is personified as a prophetess calling in public places to everyone to come to her and learn. Three groups are especially singled out in the appeal: the simple ones, or untaught: the scorners, or scoffers; and the fools, or morally dull. The consequences of rejecting wisdom are immense as we see (in verses 26-28).
Similar personifications of wisdom occur later in this book (see 3:14-18; 8:1-36; and 9:1-12).
While enticement is covert and secret (verse 10), wisdom, with nothing to hide, is available to everyone, being found in the most prominent of public places.
An idle mind brings on sin. Wisdom is a gift from God, and we must pray to receive it. Knowledge is accumulated learning that we study and acquire by effort upon our part. Only a fool will turn away from the knowledge and wisdom of God.
Three questions reveal 3 classes of those needing wisdom and the downward progression of sin:
(1) The simple or naïve, who are ignorant;
(2) Scorners or mockers who commit more serious, determined acts; and
(3) Fools or obstinate unbelievers, who will not listen to the truth. Proverbs aims its wisdom primarily at the first group.
God is telling the people to learn by His reproof. God is offering to pour out His Spirit. God the Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning of the word to us if we will accept His Spirit into us.
What does reproof mean? After a lengthy study I came up with this: The sense is: "The Spirit will teach men the true meaning of these three words: sin, righteousness, judgment."
God's wisdom brings to bear against the sinner indictments for sin that demand repentance. To the one who does repent, God promises the spirit or essence of true wisdom linked to divine revelation.
Sinners who respond with indifference and mockery at God's indictments increase their guilt (Rom. 2-5), and bring upon themselves the wrath of God's mockery and indifference (verses 26-27). Some wait to seek God until it is too late.
Those who refuse the call of Jesus Christ as Savior or those who have not reached out to receive the Lord have nothing good to look for. In their time of trouble, they have no one to turn to. The Lord will have no sympathy for those who have rejected His salvation.
Notice the terms, calamity, terror, destruction, distress and anguish. All these terms describe the severe trouble of divine judgment. When sinners who have rejected wisdom call on God in the Day of Judgment, God will respond to their distress with derision.
Verses 28-32: God's rejection of sinners is carefully detailed (in verses 28-32). This is the aspect of God's wrath expressed in His abandonment of sinners (see Romans 1:24-28). No prayers or diligent seeking will help them (8:17).
There is a time when the Lord will turn his back on us if we totally reject the Lord. When that time comes, The Lord will not hear our plea any more.
This shows that they had totally rejected everything that the Lord had offered them. They did not want to learn the ways of the Lord.
The Ultimate punishment is God's giving a people up to the result of their wickedness. (Romans 1:24-28).
This is just another way of saying: If you reject the Lord, you will reap whatever you sow. Having your eyes and desires set on things of this world can do nothing but destroy you. There is no eternity in earthly desires.
"And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them:" Willful carelessness or lack of appropriate care is intended here.
This is a beautiful description of the security and peace that comes when we are hidden in the Lord Jesus. Fear will not be a part of our vocabulary, because it is the opposite of faith. If we have faith in the Lord, there is no fear.
1. What is the book of Proverbs known as the book of?
2. Who penned the book?
3. Proverbs is a book of _______ on how to_______ ________ __________ __________?
4. How many times is the "Fear of the Lord" mentioned in proverbs?
5. What is a proverb?
6. How is a proverb and a parable alike?
7. Who was Solomon's father and mother?
8. How long did Solomon reign?
9. What does "perceive" mean?
10. What three things here are fruits of wisdom?
11. A wise man will hear and ____________ __________.
12. Be quick to _________ and slow to ___________.
13. Who helps us to understand the hidden meaning of Scriptures?
14. What is the beginning of Knowledge?
15. Who despise wisdom and instruction?
16. Fear is ______________ _____________ ____________.
17. In James 1:5 we read how to receive wisdom. How do we receive it?
18. "Hear the instructions of thy ______, and forsake not the law of thy __________."
19. What is the greatest gift a parent can give a child?
20. This "grace on the head" in verse 9, means what?
21. In verse 10 we are told not to be enticed to sin. How is that our decision to make?
22. Verses 11-16 is warning us against what?
23. What gets many innocent young people involved in sin today?
24. As a bird flies into a net and is caught, so the sinner ______.
25. What causes many people to sin against their neighbor?
26. An idle mind brings on what?
27. What is knowledge?
28. In verse 23, God is telling us to do what?
29. Those who reject the Lord will find the Lord doing what at His calamity?
30. In contrast, verse 33 is a beautiful description of what?
Proverbs 2:1 "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;"
Solomon has taken God's law and made it his own by faith and obedience, as well as teaching. The wisdom of these words is available to those who, first of all, understand the rich value (treasure), that wisdom possesses. Appropriating wisdom begins when one values it above all else.
Proverbs 2:2 "So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding;"
Once wisdom is properly valued, both the ear and mind are captivated by it.
"Apply thine heart": The "heart" commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason, but also includes the emotions, the will and thus, the whole inner being. The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever effects speech, sight and conduct.
Proverbs 2:3 "Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding;"
"Criest after knowledge" shows the passionate pleading on one who is desperate to know and apply the truth of God. The least bit of indifference will leave one bereft of the fullness of wisdom.
Proverbs 2:4 "If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures;"
"Seekest ... Searchest": A desiring search, the most intensive of a lifetime.
Proverbs 2:5 "Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God."
These first 5 scriptures is like a prayer. In fact, it is what we should all pray. For a person to really be able to live a Godly life, you must first know what God expects. This first sentence says "receive my words". The heart is the place for the commandments and the Word of God to be hidden. If we receive into our being the wisdom of God and apply it to our heart we will do the things that are right in God's sight.
Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
If we would spend even half the time learning the Word of God as we spend searching for worldly wealth, we would find the treasures of God. Knowledge has to be accumulated by learning. Wisdom is a gift from God. As we uncover the secrets of the Bible, We will have reverent fear of God and be filled with His knowledge.
Proverbs 2:6 "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding."
"Wisdom" is a gift from God, as we said. We read in James;
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Not out of our mouth cometh knowledge, but out of His. The knowledge is in His Word.
The words of His mouth are contained in Scripture. It is there that God speaks. Wisdom comes only by revelation.
Verses 7-8: Identifies those who are true believers who seek to know, love and obey God and to live righteously. These covenant keepers alone can know wisdom and experience God's protection.
God is the source of all wisdom. His kind of wisdom brings peace. You see, we are to be wise unto salvation. If we are righteous it is because we have taken on the righteousness of Christ and that is the greatest wisdom we can acquire. The Christian actually takes on the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
The Lord is our Protector (buckler), if we walk uprightly in our salvation day by day.
Proverbs 2:8 "He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."
This to me, is speaking of those who walk in the way of the Lord.
The saints are those who are justified by the Lord and walk justly. For the justified who follow in his "judgments" (law), He "preserves" (saves), their way. The "saints" (we Christians), are eager to follow in the teachings of the Lord. Jesus is the way.
This (in verse 9, is connected with verse 8). This is speaking of the saints. The saints shall "understand righteousness, and judgments, and equity (straightness), and every good path". Narrow is the path to righteousness. Jesus is that path. In fact, He is our righteousness. He is the righteous Judge.
"Righteousness, Judgment, Equity are the same as the ethical triad (we studied in 1:3).
Proverbs engages in a process of schooling a son in the disciplines of;
(1) Wisdom (a different Hebrew word from that in verse 2), which means discreet counsel or the ability to govern oneself by choice;
(2) Justice, the ability to conform to the will and standard of God; a practical righteousness that matches one's positional righteousness;
(3) Judgment, the application of true righteousness in dealing with others; and
(4) Equity, the living of life in a fair, pleasing way.
Wisdom is an advantage to the one who possesses it. Wisdom with Knowledge gives a person tremendous advantage. This understanding and discretion is not of the worldly, but of the Lord and His Word. A really good working knowledge of God's Word can keep you from making mistakes. The answers to all of life's problems can be found in the Word of God. The heart controls the conscious and subconscious actions of man. If the heart of man is stayed on the Lord, there is no way that man can be defeated.
Thus, truth is the protector from all evil.
Knowledge of the Word of God will keep you away from the ways of the evil man. Twisted speech is typical of those who reject wisdom. You see, the righteous (believers in Christ), walk in the light and have no fellowship with darkness.
In 1 John chapter 1 we read who walk in darkness and who walk in light.
1 John 1:5-7 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:" "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Fools love most the things which are the worst.
It seems in our society today television, movies, and radio try to make it appear that to live in sin is fun. Truly this is a terrible lie. It brings heartache and troubles in this life and an eternity in hell. The ways of the world will lead to destruction, not life. Drunkenness, drugs, immorality, lying, cheating, and stealing are part of the "froward wicked life". Not one of these things makes for a happy ending.
"Strange woman": She is the harlot repeatedly condemned in Proverbs (compare 5:1-23; 6:20-29; 7:1-27; 22:14; 23:27), as in the rest of Scripture (Exodus 20:14; Lev. 20:10). She is "foreign" or "strange" because such women were at first from outside Israel, but came to include any prostitute or adulteress. Her words are the flattering or smooth words of (Prov. 7:14-20).
The strange or immoral woman is the harlot repeatedly condemned in Proverbs, as in the rest of Scripture.
Today those who are involved with strange women (women of the world), can look forward to diseases that cannot be cured by medicine now available. In (verses 17 and 18), you see the fate of those who live unholy lives. The terrible disease AIDS is just one of the many modern incurable diseases that are associated with sex outside of marriage.
Literally she is foreign or strange because such women were at first from outside Israel, but came to include any prostitute or adulteress. Her words are the flattering or smooth words of (Proverbs 17:14-20).
Proverbs 2:17 "Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God."
"Forsaketh the Guide (or companion)," of her youth. She leaves the guidance and friendship of her husband (see 16:28 and 17:9).
"Forgetteth the covenant": In a wide sense, this could be the covenant of Sinai, but specifically looks to the marriage covenant (of Gen. 2:24), with its commitment to fidelity.
Proverbs 2:18 "For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead."
"Inclineth unto death": The destructive nature of this blinding sin leads one to walk alongside death (see verses 8-9, 12, 15). Death in Proverbs is presented as both a gradual descent (5:23), and a sudden end (29:1).
God's covenant with mankind (men and women), is twofold. We must keep His laws to receive His blessing. God punishes sin. When we deliberately break God's laws, we can expect death, not life. God says in His law that men and women are to save themselves for the marriage bed. Notice (in verse 19), that those who follow this sinful way of life find death.
Death in Proverbs is presented as both a gradual descent and a sudden end.
Proverbs 2:19 "None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life."
There are only two paths to take. The path of sin leads to death and destruction. The path of righteousness leads to life everlasting.
The irreversible nature of continuing in this sin points to its devastating consequences. It leads to physical death, as expressed in the Hebrew euphemisms of (verse 22; "cut off" and "uprooted"). After that comes the reality of eternal death.
Proverbs 2:20 "That thou mayest walk in the way of good [men], and keep the paths of the righteous."
The word "mayest" in this verse lets us know that it is our choice. It is our decision to live the way of the world or to live for the Lord Jesus. Our free will determines which. This is a decision no one else can make for you. You must decide: life or death.
Proverbs 2:21 "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it."
"Dwell in the land ... remain": Exactly opposite to those who live in sexual sin and are headed for death, those who belong to the Lord will live.
(In Psalms we read);
Psalms 37:29 "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever."
We have seen over and over how the wicked will be driven off the land. Canaan became the land of Israel because the wicked were driven out.
The Christians shall reign 1000 years with Jesus.
Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
1. Verses 1-5 is like a_________.
2. What is necessary for us to live a godly life?
3. Where is the place to hide God's Word?
4. What does Romans 10:10 tell us about the heart?
5. What should we be seeking more than worldly wealth?
6. How do we get Knowledge?
7. Wisdom is a _______ of ________.
8. As we uncover the secret of God we will have ______ _______of God?
9. Who gives us wisdom?
10. Out of whose mouth comes knowledge and understanding?
11. How can we find Scriptures that tell us how to find wisdom?
12. Where can we find the Scriptures to tell where to get wisdom?
13. Who does God lay up sound wisdom for?
14. What does "buckler" mean?
15. God's kind of wisdom brings what?
16. We are to be wise unto _________.
17. How can we be righteous?
18. In Cor. 2:16, what do we learn about the mind of Christ?
19. Who preserves the way of the saints?
20. _____________ is the way.
21. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, what shall keep thee?
22. What can keep you from making mistakes?
23. Who are the children of light?
24. If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we ___________.
25. What do television and movies appear to tell us about sin?
26. What can those who get involved with strange women have to look forward to?
27. God's covenant with man is__________ ___________.
28. God will bless us if we do what?
29. When we deliberately break God's law we can expect what?
30. The path of righteousness leads where?
31. What has God given us that determine our destiny?
32. In Psalms 37:27, we read that the righteous will inherit what?
33. In Revelation 20:6 how long does it say the Christians will reign with Jesus?
In this lesson of chapter 3, the study of truth leading to wisdom is commended to all. This is enforced by a contrast to the destinies of the wise and wicked.
Verses 1-20 is where Solomon instructs that wisdom is;
(1) rooted in sound teaching, verses 1-4;
(2) Rests in trust in God (verses 5-6);
(3) Rewards those who obey (verses 7-10).
While wisdom demands chastening, it brings profound benefits (verses 13-18), and its importance is clear since it undergirded God's creation (in verses 19 and 20).
Proverbs 3:1 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:"
"My law", Hebrew "Torah" from the verb "to throw, distribute, or teach, hence "teachings".
It is used of God's law but here (as in 2:1), it is used of the commands and principles that God gave through Solomon.
Proverbs 3:2 "For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee."
"My son" tell us who this message is to. It is not to the world in general, but to the followers of God. God reminds us to not forget His teachings, but hide them away in our hearts. God also reminds us to walk in His ways.
His "commandments" here are talking about all of His ways. Just as the commandment to honor father and mother promises that our days may be long upon the earth, we see the promises of length of days here if we follow in His ways.
When you know that you have done the right things, it does bring peace. Sin brings fear of punishment, but obedience brings peace.
"Neck ... heart." The virtues of mercy (the Hebrew word for loving kindness and loyal love), and truth that come from God are to become part of us, outwardly in our behavior for all to see as an adornment of spiritual beauty, and inwardly as the subject of our meditation. Such inward and outward mercy and truth is evidence of New Covenant salvation.
The Bible says the "merciful shall obtain mercy".
Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
"Mercy" shows love to the utmost, for God and for man.
"Truth" cannot be underestimated. It is beyond compromise. A truthful person is a person whose character cannot and will not be questioned by anyone. One of the highest compliments that can be paid a man is to say that he is a man of truth.
If a person could have the two most important strengths of character, it would be mercy and truth. This "binding them about the neck", I believe, just means to treasure them highly and don't lose them somewhere along the way. "Write them upon the tables of thine heart" has to do with the heart dictating a person's actions.
God will write His laws upon the heart of His people, if we will allow Him to. I believe that is the message here. God says if you have these two, mercy and truth, you have His laws on your heart. (In verse 4), we find if we practice these two, we will be able to get along with not only the men around us, but God as well.
Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
This (verse 5 here), applies to all believers, but even more to those who are in the service to God. God never chose any man or woman to work for Him because of their training and ability within themselves. God chooses people like Jeremiah who was just a lad with no formal training; and God put the words in Jeremiah's mouth to give to the people. You may read all about it (in chapter 1 of Jeremiah). When we depend upon our own ability, we fall very short. For a minister of God to be effective, it must be God speaking through him.
Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Three commands are given (in verses 5 and 6): Trust, meaning "rely on, depend on"; Lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts, and Acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.
Here again, we get into the will of man. Man has to be willing to accept God's help and to give God the credit for the job well done. A Christian must first of all not start anything that the Lord is not in, and then we must praise Him in everything.
Hebrews tells us when we should praise the Lord.
Hebrews 13:15, "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
If He directs our path, we shall walk in the light and not stumble and fall.
Proverbs 3:7 "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
The most dangerous thing, if you are trying to succeed in the world, is to get satisfied with yourself. A person cannot grow when he gets this attitude. When we rely upon our self, we are always disappointed. No one likes a know-it-all or a conceited person. We must remain humble. What little knowledge that we do have is because of God's generosity towards us.
Fear of the Lord will take away all arrogance and pride. In the first few verses of Proverbs, we learned that the fear of the Lord is true wisdom. Fear here could be looked at again as reverence or high praise. Give God the glory for it all.
Proverbs 3:8 "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."
The strength here is in the marrow, the inner parts. God is promising physical well-being for those who live wisely according to His will. Such physical well-being is what David forfeited before he confessed that he had sinned against Bath-sheba and Uriah.
Many illnesses are brought on by sins as we said before, not all illness, but some. Good clean living seems to assist in good health. For sure, good clean living brings a clear conscience and no regrets. When the spirit of man is healthy, it helps with the physical health, as well.
Exodus 15:26, "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statues, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee."
A biblical view of possessions demands using them for honoring God. This is accomplished by trusting God, by giving the first and best to God, by being fair, by giving generously and by expressing gratitude for all He gives. The result of such faithfulness to honor Him is prosperity and satisfaction.
Honoring the Lord goes much further than just attending church and stating that we are a believer. Our heart is where our pocket book and time is.
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
We can see from Jesus' own words here, that if we plan to prosper, we must give both of ourselves and of our possessions.
Malachi 3:10 tells it all. Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it]."
"Not despise ... chastening": Since even the wisest of God's children are subject to sin, there is necessity of God's fatherly discipline to increase wisdom and blessing. Such correction should not be resisted.
In Romans we read why chastening and trials must come.
Romans 5:3-5 "And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" "And patience, experience; and experience, hope:" "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
You see, the only way a baby learns right from wrong is correction of parents. Sometimes a little paddling makes the lesson easier to remember. This is sometimes true with baby Christians, as well. When we do not obey God, He has to give us a spanking so that we will remember to obey next time. Just as an earthly parent corrects a child to help him grow in the knowledge of the truth, so does our heavenly Father.
If He cared not what becomes of us, He wouldn't bother to correct us (Read chapter 3 of Ephesians beginning with the 13th verse), it will thrill you that you have been tried. I will give one more Scripture here to show that God loves us in our tribulations and then go on.
2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:" "[Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:"
If God loves us, He corrects us; and we take on His worthiness.
One of the most wonderful gifts that God can give to man is wisdom and understanding. Solomon was no fool when he asked God for wisdom. Wisdom will bring prosperity of body, soul, and spirit. A wise man chooses God's ways and therefore cannot fail. If you have silver and gold, you can spend all of it and have nothing, but wisdom cannot be taken away; and with wisdom you can acquire silver and gold and any other thing that you might ever have need of.
Divine wisdom yields the richest treasures (described in verses 14-18 as "profits"; merchandise) "length of days," "riches," "honor," "pleasantness," "peace," "life", and happiness.
We will have to look back at the last lesson to see what the "she" is here. Wisdom is the she. In fact, this whole third chapter of Proverbs is all about wisdom. Material things of this world, regardless of how valuable they are, are not anything to compare with wisdom.
Proverbs 3:16 "Length of days [is] in her right hand; [and] in her left hand riches and honor."
The right hand blessing is always the best blessing. Length of days is spoken of here as being more wonderful to possess than riches and honor. If a man has no time left to spend his riches and fame, most would trade all of that to extend life a little longer. Even this blessing of extended days is still far short of the blessing of wisdom.
Proverbs 3:17 "Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, and all her paths [are] peace."
Again here, the "her" is wisdom. Wisdom is pleasant and brings peace.
This expression is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment (compare 11:30, 13:12, and 15:43).
No precious jewels or earthly treasures are worthy to be compared with true wisdom, whether the concerns of time or eternity be considered. We must make wisdom our business; we must venture all in it and be willing to part with all for it. This Wisdom is the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation, sought and obtained by faith and prayer. Were it not for unbelief, remaining sinfulness, and carelessness, we should find all our ways pleasantness, and our paths peace, for his are so; but we too often step aside from them, to our own hurt and grief. Christ is that Wisdom, by whom the worlds were made, and still are in being; happy are those to whom he is made of God wisdom. He has wherewithal to make good all his promises.
The wisdom of God so far surpasses anything we might know of. God actually, through His great wisdom and knowledge, placed the stars, sun, and moon in the open sky. The earth was hung in open air, as well. Not only did God hang them in the atmosphere in perfect orbit, but He also made all of this, as well. Not only did God make all of this, but it is all subject to His will. God causes the sunshine and the rain. He controls the whole universe.
John describes it all.
John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Solomon is indicating that wisdom is basic to all of life, for by it God created everything. Since God used it to create the universe, how eager must we be to use it to live in this universe?
True wisdom belongs to God. God will give us wisdom if we seek it prayerfully. The grace that Jesus has provided for us has to be held in high esteem, even to the saving of our soul. We must remain in that wisdom.
Proverbs 3:23 "Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble."
If we remain in the wisdom that God hath provided for us in His Son, Jesus Christ, we shall be able to walk in His way and not stumble.
Here again, if we remain in the wisdom that the Lord has given us, there is no fear of death. Death of the body would just transform us into that heavenly place with Jesus. There is no fear for the Christian with faith. So many times in these lessons, we have made the statement that fear is the opposite of faith. Sleep is sweet for those wise unto salvation. No regrets haunt us. We have gotten forgiveness and are living just as if we had never sinned: justified by Jesus. Sleep is sweet when everything is alright with you and God.
We see many instances in the New Testament when the demon spirits are afraid of Jesus, because they know that He is the Judge of the world and that they have a terrible fate awaiting them.
In Matthew 8:29, "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"
You see, sudden fear gripped them, because of the terrible fate they know they have awaiting them. If you know that you are saved and safe with the Lord, you have no sudden fear. The only fear permitted to those who trust in the Lord is Godly fear. You see, trust in the Lord brings confidence, a knowing that all is well.
As opportunity arises, we must help anyone and everyone that is within our power to help. It seems those full of wisdom seem to be better off financially.
We see in 1 Timothy, that having a little more than those around you carries responsibility with it.
1 Timothy 6:17-18 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;"
This is saying, do not put your neighbor off until to-morrow if you have the ability to help them today. Their need is now. We should be eager to help those less fortunate. Only God has seen fit for us to be the better off.
Proverbs 3:29 "Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee."
One of the two most important things God wants us to do is love thy neighbor as thyself. We would not figure up evil against ourselves, so we must not against the neighbor, either.
Proverbs 3:30 "Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm."
We should not live in strife and fussing, but should learn to live peaceably with all men. If we live for the Lord, we are promised that even our enemies will be at peace with us. This does not say that there is never a time for strife. If your enemy attacks you, you may defend yourself; but you must not start strife nor keep it going.
Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
We must never choose the way of the oppressor. Bullies as children are not to be looked up to. We must not even fellowship with those who choose to oppress others. The worldly wealth that some acquire with their oppression of others should never be envied or desired. Evil and good are like oil and water. They cannot mix.
"Froward" means perverted or wicked. The wicked will not know the secret, because they will not see; and hearing, they will not hear. They (the wicked), will not understand the things of God. The secret that the righteous know is that Jesus Christ is their Savior. God reveals Himself to those who love Him.
From Genesis throughout the Bible, God promises blessings to those who follow in God's commandments and curses to those who do not follow in the ways of God.
Proverbs 3:34 "Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly."
Those who reject the teachings of the Lord are rejected themselves by Him. The scribes and Pharisees are a typical example of this. They thought too highly of themselves and turned the Lord of glory down. The lowly of the world were willing to receive and were granted grace of the Lord.
Psalms 138:6, "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."
Proverbs 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools."
The wise seek God. Those who seek God inherit glory. The glory of the only begotten Son is shared with those who live for God. This is a shared inheritance. Fools live worldly lives for the here and now. Worldly, selfish live shamefully.
1. Material things of this world cannot compare with what?
2. In verse 16, what is in wisdom's right hand?
3. Which hand has always been the best blessing?
4. The Lord by _________ hath founded the earth.
5. Who does John 1:3 say created all things?
6. By His _________ the depths are broken up.
7. True wisdom belongs to whom?
8. How must we seek wisdom to receive it?
9. What description is given of the sleep of the wise?
10. If we remain in the wisdom that the Lord has given us, there is no fear of _________
11. Who shall be thy confidence?
12. Why were the demon spirits afraid of Jesus?
13. What is the only fear permitted to believers in the Lord?
14. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, we see what about those who are wealthy?
15. When someone asks your help and you have the ability to help, when should you help him?
16. In verse 29, we are warned not to do what to our neighbor?
17. Strive not with a man _________ _________ _________.
18. What are we told about the oppressor?
19. Evil and good are like _________ and _________. They cannot mix.
20. The froward is an _________ to the Lord.
21. What does froward mean?
22. What is in the house of the wicked?
23. Who does God give grace to?
24. Psalms 138:6 says God has respect for the _________.
This message that Solomon penned undoubtedly is not only written by him to all young men for instruction, but is also what David had taught Solomon, as well.
"Good doctrine": There is no wisdom but that which is linked to good doctrine, which should be the focal point of all instruction.
Sometimes in the Proverbs, it seems as if we are covering the same ground all over again. Whether this is to drive home a lesson, or whether we are picking up extra fragments of truth and that is the reason for repetition is not clear. As we said in previous lessons, wisdom is the subject. We see here also, that a doctrine (belief), has been established.
Instructions in God's law came from father to son in these times. It was very important not to leave out even minor details in that law. We are told again here to remember in detail the law of God and to live by it (do not forsake it). In fact, we should make it our doctrine or way of life as well.
Verse 3 is speaking of David and Bath-sheba.
There is much written in Chronicles and Kings about Solomon. David even gives Solomon detailed information about the temple to be built in Jerusalem. You may read more about all of this in those respective books. The point I am trying to make here, about this, is that Solomon was instructed of David; and Solomon is now conveying to us how important it is to keep the commandments. The promise is life and life everlasting, at that.
Solomon, as you can see here, thought that wisdom and understanding was the most important things to have. Worldly wisdom is not what Solomon had in mind, here either.
Solomon, being taught of David and being gifted with the gift of wisdom which God had given him, realized that wisdom and knowledge of the things of God should bring a person even closer to God; and therefore, keep him from failure. He speaks of wisdom as if it is a person. Wisdom is spirit.
Wisdom does bring honor instead of shame. A foolish son or daughter brings shame to their parents, but children filled with godly wisdom bring honor to their parents.
The more highly one esteems wisdom, the more highly wisdom lifts that person.
This has to do with the association of wisdom with the inner spiritual life. As we stated in the previous lesson (3:22), the wisdom of God will adorn one's life for all to see its beauty. And (in chapter 1:9), we are told "For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck.
Proverbs 4:10 "Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many."
For those who hear and listen to wisdom, their days may be long upon the earth.
Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
We see again, that some of this has come to Solomon from David. David walked uprightly before the Lord. Even the name "David" means beloved of God. God directed David's walk.
David taught his son; and now Solomon is saying to all who read this book of Proverbs, hear and understand. Pray for wisdom of God and walk in that wisdom, and you shall not stumble and fall. You can run the race well and not stumble along the way as long as the wisdom of God directs you.
Proverbs 4:13 "Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life."
The father commanded his son (in verse 5) to get wisdom, now here he commands him to hold on to it.
When we stop learning, we are dead. There is always something else to learn. We read in 2 Timothy the type of instruction that is the most profitable to man.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
Proverbs 4:14 "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]."
Sin is best dealt with at its beginning by the application of necessary wisdom to suit the initial temptation.
Proverbs 4:15 "Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."
Four verbs identify aspects necessary in urgently dealing with sin at its start.
1. Avoid the sinful situation;
2. Pass as far from it as possible;
3. Turn away from the sin;
4. Pass beyond or escape the sin.
The plan here fits exactly with the pattern of sin's enticement outlined (in James 1:13-15).
James 1:13-15 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
We see in these 2 verses a person who has chosen a sinful way of life. They are not satisfied to ruin their own lives but are trying to drag others into their sin. Misery loves company.
They have to sin before they can sleep, and they view their sin as food for their hungry, wicked souls.
Isn't it strange that many violent crimes seem to be committed by gangs? These people, in the verses above, do not hold down a regular job and eat from that. They commit crimes against others and live by that. They eventually wind up in jail or worse, and then do not have anything to look forward to for all of eternity.
This is in total contrast. Those who are justified because they have made a decision to walk in the path of righteousness are walking in the Light as He is in the Light. That perfect day is the day when all these struggles of this life are over, and we can be in the presence of the Light for that eternal day.
The path of the believer is one of increasing light, just as a sunrise begins with the first faith glow of dawn and proceeds to the splendor of noonday.
Proverbs 4:19 "The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."
The wicked in darkness cannot and will not repent and come to the light. We see, as we read in John, the Light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.
How many times have we told our children over and over, please listen and heed the message. Don't get out in the world and forget what I have been saying. Don't stop looking at the messages in front of your eyes. Hide the things I have said down deep in your heart, and don't let the cares of the world make you forget. They are life and health to you. Every parent has said things similar to these to their children, and we have all heard them say: "You have told me over and over, now I won't forget." It isn't necessary to say it anymore".
The heart is the very center of our being. It commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason, but also includes the emotions, the will, and thus the whole inner being. The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech, sight, and conduct.
We can either have a pure heart or it can be desperately wicked. It will be one or the other. God will judge our heart. The heart controls the moral structure of our lives. A pure heart brings pure words.
Froward mouths and perverse (evil), words come from an evil heart. Out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaketh. It speaks life or death.
Proverbs 4:25 "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee."
I have always said that our eyes reveal what is inside of us.
They are little windows that you may look into the soul. Shifty eyes that cannot look at you, ordinarily indicate the person has something they are covering up. Eyes that look straight at you say, "I am telling the truth". Wandering eyes of any kind can bring heartache.
(In verse 26), the word "ponder" means think about the path you are launching out on. Make sure that the path you are heading out on leads to righteousness. Don't despair of the path you have chosen. Make your path straight. Things of the world must not attract you off of this path. Stay on the straight path that will lead you to heaven.
1. In verse 2, we read to forsake not the law for it is good ______ ______.
2. Solomon describes himself as what to his mother?
3. Besides Solomon giving us these instructions, what can we assume they are?
4. What is the subject of the Proverbs?
5. What is a doctrine?
6. How did the law of commandments not get lost?
7. Who was Solomon 's mother?
8. In verse 4, we read keep my commandments and __________.
9. What are 2 more Old Testament books that speak much about Solomon?
10. What did Solomon say was the principal thing?
11. Wisdom and knowledge of God can do what for a person?
12. If sin brings shame, what brings honor?
13. What do crowns of glory have to do with?
14. David means what?
15. What good could be said of David?
16. If the wisdom of God directs your path, you will not ________ and ________.
17. What kind of instruction is most important to man?
18. Where does Scripture come from?
19. What path must we avoid at all cost?
20. What is the difference in the path of the world and the path of the believer?
21. The evil eat of the bread of ________.
22. What is the path of the just compared to?
23. Out of what are the issues of life?
24. In verse 24, what is to be put away?
25. How are we to keep our eyes?
26. Shifting eyes usually indicate what?
27. What does the author think reveals what is inside of us?
28. Eyes that look straight at you, usually are saying what?
29. Ponder means what?
We see here again, instructions to stay wise to the things of God. The wise father marshals all the essential terms to sum up his call to wisdom.
We will see in this chapter the path we should take. Marriage will be spoken of as honorable and adultery of all kinds will be condemned.
"Lips ... Mouth": Seduction begins with deceptive flattery. Lips of honey should be part of true love in marriage.
Possibly a word we might understand a little better than "strange" woman would be a loose, sinful woman. This woman is forbidden fruit making her more mysterious and inviting to the young man. Prostitutes are out to allure the young men and sometimes the older, as well. They are dressed in very few clothes so as to reveal their bodies. Their lips are painted and they are trained to allure the weak men of the world. A woman like this has no future. Bitterness, sickness, early death, and then hell is what she has to look forward to. The two-edged sword is the Bible she should have heeded.
The future of tasting her lips is like "wormwood", a symbol of suffering, and a "sword," the symbol of death and hell. "Wormwood" means bad water.
This woman is unstable in all her ways. Don't get involved with her; she will not be faithful to you. In most cities, her profession is against the law.
Her steps willfully and predictably stagger here and there as she has no concern for the abyss ahead.
Verses 7-14 describe the high price of infidelity. The focus here is on the guilty suffering of the one who yields to lust rather than obeying God's law. Contrast the proper response to such temptation in the case of Joseph.
Proverbs 5:7 "Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth."
Here again, the penman is saying take special heed to this, ye young men.
Proverbs 5:8 "Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:"
Stay away from evil women like this. Don't even go near her house. She will bring nothing but disappointment. Stay honorable. If you were to get involved with her, you would lead an unhappy life.
There is no lasting happiness to be found with this type of woman. This is speaking of spending hard earned money on a prostitute and then getting some terrible disease in the process. In our time, people are dying everywhere from diseases caused by adultery. In many cases, there is no cure.
Proverbs 5:11 "And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,"
This could be a reference to venereal disease, or to the natural end of life. At that point, filled with an irreversible regret, the ruined sinner vainly laments his neglect of warning and his sad disgrace.
Now that it is too late to turn back, we see regret that he did not take heed to the warning given. We see regret by this man that he rebelled against instruction. He did not let his teacher instruct him, so he had the cruel teacher of experience. He now knows that he made a terrible mistake not listening.
Proverbs 5:14 "I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly."
A most painful loss in such a situation is public disgrace in the community. There can be public confession, discipline, and forgiveness, but not restoration to one's former place of honor and service (see 6:33).
Even though training and instruction in righteousness had been offered this individual, he had rejected it. One sin leads to another, and we see this person falling into more and worse sins until their last state is one of total inability to stop sinning. He had no conscience.
Proverbs 5:15 "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well."
Using the imagery of water, the joy of a faithful marriage is contrasted with the disaster of infidelity. "Cistern and well" refer to the wife from whom the husband is to draw all his satisfying refreshment, sexually and affectionately.
"Fountains ... streams": The euphemism refers to the male procreation capacity with the idea of the foolish as a fountain scattering precious water, a picture of the wastefulness of sexual promiscuity.
The result of such indiscriminate sin is called "streams of waters in the street," a graphic description of the illegitimate street children of harlotry. Rather, says Solomon, "let them be only your own" and not the children of such immoral strangers.
In short, stay at home and enjoy the things that God has provided for you and your family. Don't go looking for greener grass.
Proverbs 5:18 "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth."
These fountains of living waters (in verses l6, 17, and 18), are speaking of families which are produced by married couples who are happy with each other, always.
"Fountain .... Blessed". God offers to bless male procreation when it is confined to one's wife. It should be noted that, in spite of the sinful polygamy of David and Solomon, as well as the disastrous polygamy of Rehoboam, the instruction here identifies God's ideal as one wife from youth on.
(Verse 18), says take another look at the "wife of thy youth". You loved her then, love her now. The two of you are one flesh.
The hind (doe), has graceful beauty in her face and form and is often used in the poetry of bible times for the beauty of a woman. Breasts are an imagery of affection. This can be seen in The Song of Solomon.
There has been a terrible cancer of sin in our society the last few years. That is people who are living together without the benefit of marriage. This is not only sin, but sin that involves the temple of the Holy Ghost of God. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Some way God will stop this. This is not His plan for man and woman. God made one man for one woman, and they two become one flesh; not for a few days but for a lifetime together on this earth.
The family on earth is a type and shadow of the eternal family in heaven. Jesus is the groom, and all believers are the bride of Christ. In heaven, there is a heavenly Father. For marriage to work here on the earth there has to be a heavenly Father who we center our marriage around. God can give you a special love for your wife or husband, even if you have been married over 50 years.
Teach us to love our mate, Dear Lord. Show us the difference in love and lust. Love is of the spirit, but lust is of the flesh. Our prayer should be, "Lord, build our marriage on the solid Rock that cannot crumble when the storms of life come."
The answer to that is lust of the flesh. Such behavior is presented as having no benefit; thus, to justify such folly is senseless.
You cannot hide from God. He knows every move you make. He even knows the desires of your heart. God thinks about (ponders), all the ways of man. In mercy, the Lord withholds immediate judgment, allowing a sinner time to repent or to be caught in his own sin.
There is a song called "The All Seeing Eye". God is that all Seeing Eye. You cannot keep any secrets from Him. There is a record being kept, and someday the books will be opened. If we have lived in sin, we shall be ashamed to stand before God.
We see here, that sin gets worse as time goes on. A person caught up in this type of life will tie their own selves up in this sin. Adultery seems to be especially bad to the Lord. This sin of adultery, which also includes homosexual and lesbian acts, carries its own special punishment with it. (Verse 23), tells the awful end of this type of person.
Unless this type of sin is repented of and turned away from totally, the end of this person is such it would have been better had they never lived. Destruction lies ahead.
1. What is condemned in this lesson?
2. The lips of a _________ __________drop as honeycomb.
3. The bitter end of this woman is compared to what?
4. What does it mean?
5. Where is her destination?
6. What makes this woman inviting to the young men?
7. What tells us this woman is unstable?
8. Why is it so important to move thyself away from her door?
9. What will happen to your wealth if you follow this type of woman?
10. In verse 12, he is feeling what about his life?
11. In this case, what is the cruel teacher?
12. What does verse 14 mean about being in all evil?
13. What does the fact that he was in the congregation tell us?
14. Drink waters where?
15. Who is the man to rejoice with?
16. Whose love should he be ravished with?
17. What is one cancer of sin in our society today?
18. When we are involved in body sin, who do we include in our sin?
19. Love is of the _________.
20. Lust is of the _________.
21. Who knows every sin we commit, even if we feel we are hidden?
22. If we have sinned and not repented, what shall we feel when we stand before God?
23. What terrible end comes to this sinner in verse 23?
Surety for thy friend means to put up security for someone else's loan.
This is just saying you are responsible for the note this other person has made. The foolishness here is making one's self responsible for another's debt and pledging to pay if the other defaults.
While there is a precedent for such a practice, it is far better to give to those in need or lend without interest.
Young people, many times, do not realize that they could have to pay the whole debt for something they did not receive by just signing an innocent looking piece of paper. When this chapter of Proverbs was written, a hand shake was just as binding as notarized notes are today. Our society has gone debt crazy. We buy things on time that we should not have bought at all, because we do not have the money to pay for it. The #1 cause of divorce in America is debt.
Anyone who becomes responsible for another person's debt is trapped and controlled because he has yielded control of what God has given him as a stewardship.
This is very good advice about to be given in verses 3 through 5; get off the note.
The situation is so serious that it is imperative to take control of one's own God given resources and get out of such an intolerable arrangement immediately "deliver yourself", before coming to poverty or slavery.
This is just saying, don't even wait until tomorrow, go today and beg your friend to let you off of this note. Just as a deer escapes from the hunter or a bird from a net, you will be free and not responsible for someone else's note.
We are seeing in these parables just good rules for living successful business lives. These parables are to help us prosper in all that we do.
Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:"
A warning against laziness is appropriate after the discussion on the folly of guaranteeing someone else's debt, since it is often lazy people who want sureties.
The ant is an example of industry, diligence and planning and serves as a rebuke to a sluggard (a lazy person who lacks self control). Folly sends a lazy man to learn from an ant.
God does not like for us to be lazy (sluggard). The ant throughout history has shown great industry. It is wise to follow someone or something that teaches us good habits. The ant works without another ant over him and, yet, gets his work done and done well. The ant prepares ahead and is never short of food. We can learn a lesson from the ant. We should not have to be driven to work, but should do our work, because it needs to be done. We should work hard and prepare ahead for the winter.
This lazy person (sluggard), loves to sleep late rather than to work. This lazy person uses every kind of excuse to avoid work. He says," I have to sleep a little, I do not have time to work right now".
Proverbs 6:11 "So shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth, and thy want as an armed man."
Poverty will come upon a person who does not want to work. Money is earned by the sweat of the brow and with busy hands. People, who do not like to work, receive no money. This is just a warning against being lazy and a sleepy head.
Just as a victim is overcome by a robber, so is the lazy man with his devotion to sleep rather than work, is led to poverty.
Proverbs 6:12 "A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth."
This naughty, wicked man is an example of what none of us want to be. This man would not be a truthful person, but would be someone who lies to get his way or for evil gain.
This "naughty" or worthless person is considered a scoundrel, literally a "man of Belial", (meaning useless), a term which came to be used of the Devil himself (see 2 Cor. 6:15).
Proverbs 6:13 "He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;"
We see from this description and other descriptions of winking with the eye that it is used to trick people. This speaking with his feet shows that he is running to mischief. This talking with his fingers indicates evil gestures of the fingers. We have talked before about the mouth speaking from the issue of the heart. As the man thinketh in his heart, the mouth speaketh.
Apparently, this was common in the East. Fearing detection and to hide his intention, the deceiver spoke lies to the victim while giving signals with his eyes, hands and feet to someone else in on the deception to carry out the intrigue.
Proverbs 6:14 "Frowardness [is] in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord."
"Frowardness" refers to moral perversity. The sin of strife, dissent or creating conflict intentionally recurs in Proverbs.
Evil men, with evil hearts, speak evil words. This evil person is continually thinking up ways to do wickedness. This man is not a peace maker. He is continually causing fussing and fighting because he spreads strife.
God will not always overlook this evil. There is a day of reckoning. When God decides that reckoning day is here, it comes suddenly as a thief in the night. When God says it is enough, there will be nowhere for him to turn to. When God judges, his punishment will fit his crime.
In (verses 16-19), we see the words six and seven. The sequence of these two numbers was used both to represent totality and as a means of arresting attention. These 7 detestable sins provide a profound glimpse into the sinfulness of man. These verses act as a summary of the previous warnings:
(1) Haughty eyes;
(2) Lying tongue;
(3) Hands;
(4) Heart;
(5) Feet;
(6) False witness;
(7) Discord.
Proverbs 6:16 "These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:"
We see here that there are some sins that God will just not tolerate. They are so terrible in His sight that He calls them an abomination. These 7 abominations to God just mean that they cover all the abominations.
Proverbs 6:17 "A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,"
Haughtiness (a proud look), or you might say conceit is unacceptable unto God. Whatever we are, we have no reason for bragging about it, because God made us what we are; we had nothing to do with it. Even a king is a king because God planned it. You see, that leaves us no room to brag.
The tongue is the evilest part of the body and to add lying to it really is terrible in God's sight. Jesus is the truth. Everything of God is based on truth, so you can see how awful it is to lie. The hands should be used as tools of mercy, not as instruments of death to the innocent. You can easily see why these three top the list of sins that God hates.
The heart is either desperately wicked or pure. God will judge our hearts, not our deeds. These wicked imaginations here are speaking of people who imagine evil things which cause trouble for other people. "Feet" (as in verse 13); in the Scripture of the evil man, we learned that an evil person is eager to get into all kinds of mischief.
Proverbs 6:19 "A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
In court, a false witness is said to perjure himself. If the court finds that person has given a false witness, the court will prosecute him and he might even spend some time in jail. You see, giving a false testimony is a very serious crime. It can cause great pain and suffering to the individual the false witness is against.
In the Sermon on the Mount, we see blessed is the peacemaker. One who sows discord is the opposite of a peacemaker for he is a troublemaker.
All of the things (the 7 abominations), are in direct contrast to keeping the commandments of father and mother. This we learned (in Proverbs 3).
Proverbs 3:1-4 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:" "For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee." "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:" "So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
In verse 21, here, we see that God is telling us to never lose sight of His laws (commandments). Our parents teach us the correct way to live. We should never grow too old to live up to the teachings of our parents.
"Thine heart" is better translated mind. The first thing to protect against the adulteress is not the body, but the mind.
We read that God, Himself, will write His laws upon the fleshly parts of our heart. God's laws should be in our heart, not on a piece of paper. This hanging it on the neck just means to me that we are to ever keep His laws before our face.
His laws shall lead us into paths of righteousness. When we are asleep, even our subconscious mind is stayed upon Him.
This parallels the 3 circumstances of life (in Deut. 6:6-9 and 11:18), for which wisdom provides direction, protection, and meditation. The biblical instruction for parents prevents the entrance of evil by supplying good and true thoughts, even when sleeping.
The law is light. Those who live for the Lord walk in the light as He is in the Light. Godly people love instructions in righteousness.
These all identify the Word of God which provides the wisdom leading to abundant and eternal life.
Parental instruction in wisdom is crucial to strengthen a person against the strong attraction of sexual sin. By loving truth and being elevated to wisdom, men are not seduced by lying flattery.
Sexual sin is rooted in lust (imagination of the sinful act), as implied (in Exodus 20:17), and addressed by Christ in Matthew.
Matthew 5:28 "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Fluttering eyelids have been used by sinful women for centuries to draw men to them. Prostitution is as old as the Bible, itself. It has been condemned from Genesis to Revelation. The whole book of Hosea is about a whorish woman. The woman in the instance in Hosea is speaking of Israel being unfaithful to God. Adultery (either spiritual or physical), has always been condemned of God. These few verses here are warning against falling into this type of sin.
Here the smallest piece of bread demonstrates how the prostitute reduces the life of a man to insignificance, including the loss of his wealth, freedom, family, purity, dignity and even his soul.
Powerful metaphors are given here to describe the obvious danger and destructive consequences of adultery, showing that punishment is a natural and expected consequence.
We already touched on the dangers of living in sex sin in a previous lesson, but we see here that a man who touches his neighbor's wife is in serious trouble with God. We spoke on the body being the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Verse 29 refers to a touch intended to inflame sexual passion. Paul uses the same expression with the same meaning (in 1 Cor 7:1).
In these verses, it is not saying that it is not a sin to steal. It is saying a person has sympathy for someone who is so hungry that he steals to feed himself. If he is caught, the person he stole from will be happy to not prosecute him, if he will pay back what he stole 7 times.
The stealing here is not nearly as serious as the sin of adultery that we read of in the next few verses. Adultery is compared to a starving thief, who, though it may cost all he has, can make restitution and put the crime behind him permanently.
But for the adulterer, there is no restitution as there was for the thief, as he destroys his soul.
Proverbs 6:33 "A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away."
Adultery is a cruel crime. Love for each other is the most precious gift a man and woman have on this earth except for the gifts of God. There is something very special about a man and his wife being one. To invade on this privacy of a man and his wife is without excuse.
Jealousy is a very strong emotion, especially when it has to do with infidelity or rape. Song of Solomon has a scripture that might express this better.
SOS 8:6 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its frames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
A thief may satisfy his victim with an appropriate payment, but an offended husband cannot be bought off.
There is no money or gift that can repay this type of sinful act. The marriage of a man and his wife is likened unto the marriage of the Lord and His church. Just as anyone coming between the Lord and His church will not be permitted, neither is anyone to come between a man and his wife. It is unforgivable.
1. Being surety for a friend means you have gone on his ________.
2. A handshake in these Bible times was like what in our day?
3. Our society has gone _________ __________.
4. The #1 cause of divorce in America today is what?
5. What should you do if you have co-signed a note?
6. When should you do it?
7 What was getting off a note compared to? (Two things)
8. These Proverbs in chapter 6 are for what purpose?
9. What is a sluggard?
10. What is the sluggard told to study and imitate?
11. Who is the ant's boss?
12. In verse 9, what question is asked the sluggard?
13. Sleep and folding of the hands brings to what?
14. How does money come to a person?
15. Who walks with a froward mouth?
16. Describe 3 other things he does.
17. What shall happen to him?
18. How will it come upon this evil one?
19. How many things does God especially hate?
20. Why does God call them abominations?
21. Name the first 3 evils that are abominations.
22. What is something else a proud look could be called?
23. Why do we have absolutely no room to brag?
24. What is the evilest part of the body?
25. Everything of God is based on ________.
26. What should the hands be used for?
27. How is an evil man's heart described?
28. What is false testifying in court called?
29. What is the penalty for false teaching?
30. Who is the opposite of a peacemaker?
31. What does it mean to bind the commandments on our heart?
32. The law is __________.
33. Who love instructions in righteousness?
34. In verse 25, we are told not to lust after a beautiful woman and not to let her take thee with what?
35. A man who seeks whorish women will be brought to ___________.
36. What kind of a thief do men not despise?
37. If the thief is caught, how much shall he pay?
38. Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh ____________.
39. What is the rage of a man?
40. Marriage of a man and woman is symbolic of what?
Proverbs 7:1 "My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee."
Again, we see here the father's love for the son in teaching him the ways of righteousness. It is just as important to remember them as it is to learn them. Learning what we never use is of no use to us. Learning of commandments that keep us out of trouble will also save our life.
Proverbs 7:2 "Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye."
This expression refers to the pupil of the eye which, because it is the source of sight, is carefully protected. The son is to guard and protect his father's teachings because they give him spiritual and moral sight.
Proverbs 7:3 "Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart."
This is a call to give the truth of divine wisdom a permanent place in the mind and in conduct.
In Israel, it is not uncommon to write the Ten Commandments on tablets and wear them like rings on their fingers. The tables of our heart are the very place for all of God's laws to be. The world might do away with our Bibles, but they could not do away with the things we have hidden in our heart.
Proverbs 7:4 "Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:"
Wisdom should become part of our very being. We have said before that wisdom is a gift of God to us and is in our inner most being. Understanding and wisdom go hand in hand. If we are wise, we have understanding.
This is a repeat of what we have been reading about the whorish woman. Perhaps the reason this is mentioned so many times is so that the young men will clearly remember these instructions.
Proverbs 7:6 "For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,"
The drama of seduction by the adulteress (introduced in v.5 and unfolding to verse 23), is described from the viewpoint on one who is watching from his window.
As we read (in chapter 1 verse 4), "To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion".
The purpose is to impart discernment to the naïve and the ignorant. The root of "simple" is a word meaning "an open door," an apt description of the undiscerning, who do not know what to keep in or out of their minds. This describes this young man void of understanding.
We see a picture here of someone observing from their window a young man who is not filled with the wisdom that we have been reading about, but a man who has no wisdom and understanding. He is a foolish man, spoken of as a simple man here (perhaps unlearned). He has not heeded the warnings about the harlot woman and he goes into her house.
Against the advice of (4:14-15), he put himself right in the harlot's place. "Fleeing immorality" (1 Cor. 6;18), starts by not being in the harlot's neighborhood at night.
Notice he believes that he is hidden by the darkness of the night. Many sins are committed in the dark and regretted in the light.
This is an unfair contest between the simple young man, who lacks wisdom and is void of the truth, and the evil woman, who knows her goal, but hides her true intentions.
You ladies take note. There is a way to dress that would appear to be the dress of a harlot. This Scripture does not describe it for us, but most of us know what it looks like. It is way too short, and very tight so that her form would show. The neck would be cut low as to show her bosom. Very little would be left to the imagination. She would be wearing way too much makeup and have flashy jewelry hanging all over her. A pretty good description, wouldn't you say?
Now let us stop looking at her attire and look at her.
She makes much noise to be seen and heard. She may be married but "her feet" does not abide in her own house.
In other words, she is a pick-up off the street.
These verses break the narrative to describe the woman's modes of operation leading to her successful seduction of the simple man.
Proverbs 7:13 "So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,"
We see here a very forward woman. This open display of her lust for him in kissing him in public is revolting.
Proverbs 7:14 "[I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows."
These peace offerings should not be involved in this type of rendezvous. Peace offerings were offered in the temple and a portion brought home to eat in a ceremonial supper, but not used as a bribe to get a man.
According to the law of peace offerings, the meat left over after the sacrifice was to be eaten before the end of the day. She appears very religious in making the invitation that the man joins her because she had made her offering and is bringing home the meat that must be eaten.
It is already night and the meal must be consumed. It cannot be left for morning. Such hypocrisy is concerned about the ceremonial law while aggressively seducing someone to violate God's moral law.
Fine linen was a sign of wealth. Here the solicitation is direct, as she describes the comfort of her bed with its aromatic spices.
We see here a woman who planned ahead to sin. She had already prepared her bed before she ever saw this young foolish man. This is a way of life with her. Her sleeping arrangements would have cost her a lot of money to prepare. This linen of Egypt symbolizes righteousness of the world which is filthy rags. Linen "righteousness". Egypt "world". This myrrh was expensive perfume which was ordinarily for the wedding bed.
Adultery is not true love, but mere physical gratification. Love and lust have been exchanged here. No love exists, this is pure lust. The first thing that is wrong with this is that they are not married to each other.
Here she gives the simple man the assurance that there is no fear of discovery of their act, since her husband has taken a large sum of cash, needed because he will be away for a long time, returning at a set time and not before.
In a previous lesson, the young men were warned about not listening to this kind of woman with her flattering lips. Now we see in detail how she flatters and then convinces this foolish young man to come in unto her. She first says, "I am here by myself; my husband has gone and won't be back till he spends all of that money he took with him". He finally gives in to her flattering and goes in unto her.
When the location, time and setting were allowed, the seduction was easy.
An ox has no idea that he is going to be killed, until it actually happens. This is the way of this foolish man here. He cannot see the destruction that lies ahead.
Ignorant of the real danger and incapable of resistance, he quickly succumbs like a beast to be butchered or a criminal put in stocks.
This has been the plot all along, to lure him as a bird is lured into a net and then killed. All the while he has no idea of the plot to kill him.
This refers to a mortal wound, as the liver represents the seat of life and the bird is snared to be eaten.
Proverbs 7:24 "Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth."
Here, again, is a warning not to go in unto a harlot.
The appropriate application of this drama is made in the admonition of these verses to avoid her deadly seduction.
Proverbs 7:25 "Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths."
A wise heart would not fall into this trap. This is just a warning to stay away from this evil woman. You would have to decline to get to her, for her place is in hell.
Proverbs 7:26 "For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her."
It is not just the weak men who fall, but strong men in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong thoughts for the wrong reasons.
Paid adulteresses have ruined many lives. There are many men whose lives have been totally destroyed by visiting this type woman.
Proverbs 7:27 "Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death."
There is no heavenly home for these women or the men they trick unless they repent and turn from their wicked ways. Death and destruction await her and her victims.
The wicked devise a plot of deception in which the innocent are captured and victimized like the one who is taken by death itself. "Sheol" is the place of death. For the wicked it is a place of no return, darkness, and torment.
1. In verse 2, what is to be kept as the apple of his eye?
2. How can we see the father's love for the son?
3. What is this that is to be bound to the fingers?
4. Where is the most important place to put the commandments of God?
5. What are we to call understanding that shows how close it should be to us?
6. What is meant by strange woman?
7. What was seen through the window of his house?
8. This young man was void of what?
9. Why did the young man go, as it was getting dark, to this place?
10. What teaching has this young man forgotten?
11. Who met the young man?
12. How was she dressed?
13. Describe how you feel a harlot would be dressed.
14. Not her dress, but her own character gave a picture of her as well. Describe her.
15. What was the first thing she did when she saw him?
16. Tell what the fine linen and Egypt are symbolic of.
17. How do we know that this woman planned ahead to sin?
18. Where does she say her husband is?
19. How had she forced this young man to go into her home?
20. How is this young man compared to an ox?
21. What has been this evil woman's plot all along?
22. In verse 24 and 25, what warning is repeated?
23. Who have already been slain by her?
24. What 2 things await this evil woman and her victims?
In contrast to the evil woman of chapter 7, another "woman" is presented: Wisdom personified again as a prophetess whose call the son should heed. After calling to all classes of men to come and be wise, Wisdom praises in the first person her own moral excellence and value. Furthermore, the Lord Himself did not begin to create the universe apart from wisdom. The climax of the passage is found (in verses 32-36): whoso findeth me findeth life (verse 35).
Although some have associated (verses 22-31), with the creative work of the pre-incarnate Christ who is revealed as the Wisdom of God, the major emphasis of the context is on God's own use of wisdom in creating the universe. Those who would urge a reference to Christ here sometimes go on to point out the Hebrew word translated "possessed" is rendered "created" in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, thus inferring that Christ is less than fully eternal God.
However, although the Hebrew word (qunah), can at times be pressed to bear such a meaning, it basically means "acquire," or "possess" (that which has been acquired). The translation "possess": is clearly the meaning elsewhere in Proverbs and best fits the context here. Thus, the point is that in setting out to create the universe, God utilized wisdom as a basic principle of procedure.
Wisdom with nothing to hide is available to everyone, being found in the most prominent of public places.
Here again, we are told that wisdom is available, but it will not just drop out of the sky and force itself upon us. We must want wisdom, and pray for it if we are to receive it. It is always there and always available. To get wisdom, we must activate our will to receive it. This wisdom is not hiding and coming out at night as the harlot and the foolish man.
The openness and public exposure of wisdom contrasts with the secrecy and intrigues of the wicked adulterers (in chapter 7).
Just as Christianity is for all, so is wisdom and knowledge. That is what I believe is meant by the gates and the entering of the gates.
Whosoever will is the cry. (In verse 4), it is like a sermon crying out for the men to listen and heed.
Have you ever noticed how the little old grandmothers with very little formal education can read and understand the Bible better than some college graduates? I believe it has to do with their desire to learn of God and their willingness to receive their wisdom from Him. I know a man who cannot read, but God has called him to the ministry and has filled him with the wisdom to fulfill the job.
The purpose is to impart discernment to the naive and the ignorant. The root of simple is a word meaning "an open door", and apt description of the undiscerning, who do not know what to keep in or out of their minds.
This is all meant to make one ponder before sinning, thus to make a responsible choice.
We see over and over in the Bible instructions for us to hear. This has to do with our receiving them down into our inner being. When we open our inner ears up to the things of God, we shall grow in understanding; for He is the truth.
We see again from this, that wisdom is absolute truth. Those who are wise speak nothing but the absolute truth. Anything but truth is an abomination (displeasing to God).
"The words of my mouth": If you are a preacher, this is the sermon that proceeds from the mouth and must not be slanted, but straightforward. There should be no variance at all in the message, no watering down. Even words should be simple words (plain), not fancy or without understanding.
Righteousness, we have said so many times before, means in right standing with God. It is better to have our mouth filled with words He has given us to say.
The one who applies his mind to the wisdom of God will understand and gain moral knowledge and the insight to recognize truth.
Proverbs 8:10 "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold."
This is just saying how much better it is to go for wisdom than the things of this world, and knowledge is better than searching for gold. We touched on this more fully in a previous lesson. Things of this world are not to be even compared with knowledge and wisdom of God.
This also is covered in the explanation above. The world and all its wealth, even its jewels, are not to be compared to the godly things.
The most valuable reality a young person can attain is the insight to order his life by the standard of truth.
Proverbs 8:12 "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions."
This is an explanation that prudence and wisdom go hand in hand.
This is saying that it is practical and applies to everything in life.
We learned earlier that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear is reverence to the ultimate when speaking of God. God hates evil. If we are His, we hate what He hates.
As we said in a previous lesson, pride and arrogance have no place with us. We are no more than what God has allowed us to be. If we have pride, it should be pride in that we are His and not our own. We are either children of light following the Lord, or we are children of Satan and follow him. We must hate evil to please God. Turn from even the appearance of evil.
It is better to listen than to speak, unless the words in our mouth are placed there by the Lord. Pride and arrogance is the opposite of being humble. The Lord loves the humble. The evil way is the way of the devil. The froward mouth comes from an evil heart and speaks ungodly things.
Wisdom hates what God hates. The highest virtue is humility (submission to God), and thus wisdom hates pride and self exaltation above all.
Proverbs 8:14 "Counsel [is] mine, and sound wisdom: I [am] understanding; I have strength."
Wisdom hates all the bad things we have been talking about and loves the things of the Lord. Now wisdom is saying what it is. We know that wisdom is strength. Think of Solomon. Of all the things that he could have asked God for, (riches and fame being two), he refused them and asked for wisdom. You see, wisdom brought to Solomon all of those side benefits. Wisdom (God), made him the richest man in the world and also brought him great fame, not only in his own country but in all the known world. Understanding is a side benefit of wisdom, as well. Wisdom is understanding.
In Isaiah 11:2, we read, "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" We should seek this Spirit of the Lord to have these things.
Solomon's desire from God was to have the wisdom to rule the people fairly. Kings are more in need of wisdom than the ordinary person, because their decisions cause hardships for the people when they do not make good decisions.
Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."
Princes and kings are in office because God ordained it.
In this royal court setting, Solomon addresses his son as a future king. All these leaders should do their work by God's wisdom and justice.
Proverbs 8:17 "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."
Wisdom's love for the one who receives it is proven by the benefits mentioned (in verses 18-21).
Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
This in Matthew is in Jesus' own words. God is always reaching out to man. While we were yet in sin, God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross that we might live. He loves us, we need to love Him.
John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
Proverbs 8:18 "Riches and honor [are] with me; [yea], durable riches and righteousness."
Solomon, who was given great wisdom, experienced its wealth of benefits firsthand as a young king.
In Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:" "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Lasting riches are those that are stored in heaven.
1. Wisdom is available for all who ___________.
2. Who usually understands more about the Bible than the extremely educated?
3. In verse 6, why should we hear?
4. Wisdom's mouth speaks what?
5. In verse 8, there is nothing _________ or _________in them.
6. Wisdom is absolute ____________.
7. What does abomination mean?
8. What does "the words of my mouth" mean if you are a preacher?
9. What kind of words should always be used?
10. Receive my instruction and not ___________.
11. And knowledge rather than choice __________.
12. In verse 11, wisdom is better than ___________.
13. The fear of the Lord is to _______________.
14. What 4 things does He hate in verse 13?
15. Why can we not be proud or arrogant?
16. What must we hate to please God?
17. What 2 things are the opposite of humble?
18. The froward mouth comes from an ___________.
19. What is strength in verse 14?
20. In Isaiah 11:2, when the Spirit of the Lord rests upon him, he received the spirit of wisdom, _________, ____________, __________.
21. In Romans 13:1, we read that who causes someone to reign?
22. Who does God love?
23. If we seek God early, __________ ___________ ______________.
24. What scripture in Matthew goes into detail on this?
25. In verse 18, we read that durable riches
are with Him. What does Jesus say this type of
riches is?
In (verses 18-21), we learn that Solomon, who was given great wisdom, experienced its wealth of benefits firsthand as a young king.
James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
Isaiah shows how the Lord will lead His people.
Isaiah 30:21 "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
Ezekiel 37:24 "And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them."
In Romans, we see that we are sons of God and heirs with Jesus if we love Him.
Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Romans 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together."
Just as the Lord throughout Scripture has not only protected, but prospered His people, that is the promise here too. God protects and blesses His own, if they will walk in His path. There is a curse for those who do not walk in His ways.
Verses 22-31: "The Lord possessed me": Wisdom personified claims credit for everything that God created, so that wisdom was first, as God was eternally first. Christ used His eternal wisdom in creation.
Proverbs 8:22 "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old."
In Psalms 148:5 "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created."
You see, we are His creation. We are also His because we have been purchased by His shed blood on the cross. We are not our own, He owns us. We are His possession, and we have been ever since He created us. So many believe that Wisdom is the second person of the trinity. Whether it is Him or whether He possesses all wisdom does not matter.
This is just saying that Wisdom was established even before the world began. By the wisdom of God, the universe was created. Just as the Word is Jesus, Wisdom in this sense, is too. This is the wisdom of God that we see here. This is wisdom far beyond our Comprehension.
In verse 24, it just goes in to detail saying that when all of the earth was created, Wisdom already existed.
Note how the verses (from 24-36), parallel the creation account. The earth (verse 23), with day one (in Gen. 1:1-5); water (verse 24), with day two (in Gen. 1:6-8); and land (verses 25-26), with day three (in Gen. 1:9-13).
The very same thing said of wisdom here is spoken of God in Psalms.
Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."
You see wisdom and God seem to be overlapping. Elaborate descriptions of what had not been created when wisdom began just drive home the eternity of God and His wisdom.
Compass means He "drew a circle". The Hebrew word for circle indicated that the earth is a globe; therefore, the horizon is circular. This "deep" that surrounds the earth was the original world ocean that covered the surface of the earth before it was fully formed and given life.
"The sea His decree": In creation, God limited the waters on the earth, commanding into existence shorelines beyond which the oceans cannot go. The foundations figuratively denote the solid structure of the earth.
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
You just somehow think of it as a mass without details. In these verses, we have been reading in detail the things that God has created. When you list each in detail the magnitude of God's mighty creation stands out very strongly. It is impossible, as I have said so many times before in this lesson, to separate God and His wisdom. It is part of Him and just as eternal.
My favorite scripture in the entire Bible does the best job of explaining this. Wisdom and the Word are eternal.
John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
In the NASB for (verse 30), this is described.
"Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; meaning as translated (in SOS 7:1 and Jer. 52:15), as a term describing wisdom as competent and experienced in the craft of creation.
This is the promise to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that the wisdom of God is available to us, also. We must pray and ask God, and He will give us wisdom. Mankind is made in the likeness of God. God's desire is that we live godly lives directed by His wisdom.
When God rejoiced over His creation, wisdom was also rejoicing, especially in the creation of mankind, who alone in the physical creation has the capacity to appreciate wisdom and truth.
The blessed of the Lord are the ones who walk in His ways. God promises great blessings throughout the Bible to all who keep His commandments. There is a curse spoken against those who continuously walk in sin. Those filled with the wisdom of God are wise unto their own salvation. Those who refuse God and His wisdom are children of the evil one.
The walk of a Christian is one day at a time. Our commitment to the Lord is for a lifetime, but we must live it one day at a time. God's instructions for living are found in the Bible. It is impossible to live pleasing lives in Him without knowing what His Word (Bible), says. Our prayer each day should be, "Lord, help me live pleasing to you today".
Proverbs 8:35 "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD."
In John it tells how there is life in the Word. As we said before; Word, Wisdom, and God are not possible to separate.
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Since wisdom is the source of life, anyone hating wisdom, so as to spurn it, is acting as if he loves death.
Proverbs Chapter 8 Continued Questions
1. In James 3:17, we read that wisdom that is from above is first ______ then _______and full of _______ _________.
2. In verse 20, we see wisdom leading in what?
3. We see those that love wisdom inherit what?
4. Isaiah 30:21, shows what?
5. In Ezekiel 37:24, what do we read about?
6. In chapter 8 of Romans, who are the sons of God?
7. There are blessings for those who obey God, but what is the fate of those unwise who do not obey?
8. In chapter 148 of Psalms, why should we praise the Lord?
9. In verse 23, who is the "I"?
10. When was wisdom established?
11. Who is the Word?
12. What Scripture in Psalms is the same as V-25 here?
13. Why is wisdom eternal?
14. Who is the "He" in V-27?
15. When you list so many wonderful things He created, what does it make you more aware of?
16. In John chapter 1 verse 1, who is the Word?
17. God's desire for His sons of men is what?
18. Who are the blessed in verse 32?
19. Those who refuse God and His wisdom are whose children?
20. Our commitment to the Lord is for a lifetime, but our walk is what?
21. For whoso findeth me findeth _____ _________ ________.
22. In him was life; and the life was the ___________ of men.
23. He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own ____________.
24. He that believeth not shall be _____________.
Proverbs 9:1 "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:"
The first thing we must look at here is the "house". The wise person (Christian), is building a house. The significance of "her seven pillars", is to convey the sufficiency of this house as full in size and fit for a banquet.
This is a spiritual house that we read about (in 1 Peter 2:5).
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
We can read a great deal about the Christian being God's house (in chapter 3 of Hebrews). It would be good to read from (verse 1 through 6). I will just quote (verse 6 here),
Hebrews 3:6 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
In Revelation 21:3, we see that the tabernacle of God is with men. God is our house, and we are His. These "seven pillars" are similar to the seven pillars in the temple in Jerusalem. "Seven" means spiritually complete, and we see the perfection that God will build His house.
We also see seven churches in Revelation which are symbolic of all Christendom. We also see the seven gifts of the Spirit which supports the church.
We see here in the "mingled wine" the wine that has been diluted with water for drinking in the temple. The table is well furnished with beasts and wine.
Wine was diluted with water as much as 1 to 8 to reduce its power to intoxicate. It was also mixed with spices for flavor. Unmixed wine is called strong drink.
Proverbs 9:3 "She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,"
We see in this Scripture the "she", of course, is wisdom. "Maidens" in God's sight are the bride of Christ. In this case, these would be those who are going out with a wise message to invite people to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This then would be ministers who go everywhere and bring God's message calling them to be saved and to come to this supper.
The call of wisdom is not secret, but public.
God sends to the lowly of the earth the invitation to come to Him. In fact, the invitation is to whosoever will. You see, ordinarily it is not the worldly wise who come humbly to God, but it is just ordinary people like you and me.
Proverbs 9:5 "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine [which] I have mingled."
This is God's banquet call.
The invitation here in verse 5 is the same Jesus gave the disciples. He broke the bread and said eat of His body and served the wine and said drink of His blood. Bread and wine are communion dishes. They are the communion of the saints with the Lord.
Proverbs 9:6 "Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding."
Only a fool would say there is no God. We are to turn from our foolish ways (forsake), so that we might have everlasting life. To go in the way of understanding, is to accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
In verses 7-9 we see that wise people receive reproof and rebuke with appreciation; fools do not.
When you witness to someone about the Scriptures trying to get them saved and they ridicule you for it and want to argue about it, it is best not to argue. Sometimes their guilt becomes so great, that they might tell lies and do you harm. This does not mean that we are to stop trying to help people come to the Lord; but it does mean if we see they are angered by our trying to help them, just go on and leave them alone.
Proverbs 9:8 "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee."
We see here that some people will not accept your message if it corrects error in their life. Some people, if you remind them of sin in their life, will hate you. I have heard people say in church, if the preacher doesn't step on their toes pretty often, he is not a good preacher. These are the wise who want to be reminded of their sins so they can repent.
There is really no question about what this means. Those who are wise are eager to take instruction from someone who knows a little more about the subject. The only people who can increase in learning are the ones who want to learn.
We touched on this earlier in Proverbs, but we will say here, fear of God is reverence of God.
1 Samuel tells us about the advantages of those who fear the Lord over those who do not.
1 Samuel 12:14-15 "If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:" "But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as [it was] against your fathers."
The holy here is God. So this is saying the knowledge of God is understanding.
This is not only speaking of our life being extended here on earth, but for all of eternity.
We see here that it is our own responsibility to seek wisdom, and it is our own loss if we reject the Lord.
Every individual is responsible for his or her own conduct, so that the choices we make affect our own lives.
Verses 13-18: The feast of folly is described as offered by the foolish hostess. Note the contrast with lady wisdom (in verses 1-6), and similarities to the immoral woman (in 7:6-23).
Proverbs 9:13 "A foolish woman [is] clamorous: [she is] simple, and knoweth nothing."
This has a literal meaning. A foolish woman is a woman who does not have godly ways. This describes a woman with poor morals. This also can be symbolic of the opposite of wisdom. Foolishness is rejection of God. Certainly, this person would know nothing that is truly important.
The literal of this woman would be that of the harlot woman who waits on the street corner and seduces her victims. The men who are not of God get involved in her sin. The spiritual here, has to do with those who reject God and go the way of the world. In both cases, we would have to say that they are lacking in understanding.
Proverbs 9:17 "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread [eaten] in secret is pleasant."
Forbidden delights sometimes seem sweeter and more pleasant because of their risk and danger.
"Stolen waters" here is speaking of a man having an affair with a harlot. This is not his wife. Adultery, as we have said before, leads to hell and destruction. The flattering words of folly lead to death.
It is interesting that wisdom offered meat and wine to her guests and the foolish offers bread and water. It seems that the world wants only the forbidden fruit. But just as it led Adam and Eve to destruction, so will it bring the foolish down. Death and hell await the foolish that reject God.
1. In verse 1, how many pillars have been hewn?
2. What had seven pillars in the building?
3. Who is building a spiritual house?
4. What are the Christians called in 1 Peter 2?
5. In Hebrews 3:6, we are God's house if we do what?
6. In Revelation 21:3, the tabernacle of God is where?
7. What other seven can be thought of as holding up the church?
8. What does "mingled wine" mean?
9. Maidens in God's sight are whom?
10. In this particular use of "maidens", it is probably who?
11. In verse 4, calling of the simple is what?
12. In verse 5, the bread and wine remind us of what?
13. Forsake the foolish and _______.
14. What does "forsake" mean?
15. In verse 7, what does reproving a scorner mean?
16. If you reprove a scorner, he will ______ ______.
17. Rebuke a wise man and he will ________ _________.
18. The wise are eager for what in verse 9?
19. The knowledge of the holy is _________________.
20. Who is holy?
21. What is meant by fear of God?
22. By wisdom what can happen to your life?
23. Whose responsibility is it to receive wisdom?
24. What kind of woman is clamorous?
25. What is the literal meaning of this type of woman?
26. What lie does she tell them to seduce them?
The second Solomonic collection begins here and goes through (to 22:16). It consists of 375 individual proverbs. Each of which expresses a complete idea. This is one of the few places in Scripture where context is little or no help. Each proverb represents in a practical way the choice one must make between the way of Wisdom and the way of folly. The parallel, two line (proverbs of chapters 10-15), are mostly contrast or opposites (antithetical), while those (of chapters 16-22), are mostly similarities or comparisons (synthetical).
We see the joy or sorrow of parents. Most parents live the most part of their lives for their children. The children actually determine whether the parents are happy in their later years or not. There is not a more unhappy parent in the world than one who knows his or her child is caught up in sin and things of this world. There is no happier parent than one who knows that his or her offspring are all saved with their names written in the Lamb's book of life. Children who are living for Jesus are a joy to any parent.
This grief is most deeply felt by the mother, who plays a more intimate role in raising a child.
Proverbs 10:2 "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death."
You see, all the wealth we can accumulate here on this earth will all be left behind when our heavenly Father says it is time for us to die. Be sure everyone will die. Treasures gotten through evil ways will seal your doom for all of eternity if you do not repent and turn from your wicked ways. You cannot buy your way into heaven. You certainly cannot use this ill gotten wealth to purchase eternal life.
The only thing that brings life eternal with Jesus our Lord is to be in right standing with Him. "Righteousness" is just that, being in right standing with our Lord. We put on the robe of His righteousness: white as snow, washed in His blood, when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
The greatest of all treasures and life, is gained by righteousness.
In Psalms we read:
Psalms 37-22-27 "For [such as be] blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and [they that be] cursed of him shall be cut off." "The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand." "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." "[He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed." "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore."
How could I even add to all of this? God takes care of His own. You may have a few problems to strengthen you; but you will not go hungry, and you will inherit eternal life.
For a while, the wicked may seem to realize their desires, but in the end, God removes their accomplishments because they are evil.
Poverty by itself is not evil, unless it is the product of laziness. This verse is in contrast to the sluggard.
Early to bed, and early to rise; maketh a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. How many times in our life have we all been told this by our parents, teachers, and friends? This "slack hand" above is speaking of a lazy person who will not work. You cannot have money unless you are willing to work to get it.
Get your priorities straight and work hard, and God will bless you abundantly even in this life. Laziness will get you nowhere but to the poorhouse.
The timing necessary in agriculture can be applied to the general laying hold of life's opportunities.
Harvest time is a time when we work from sunup to sundown to get the crop in. A person may lie in bed a little longer when it is very cold and the ground is too hard to work, but come harvest we must reap. We see here a two fold message. This is speaking of literal crops, but it is also speaking of the harvest at the end of the world.
Everyone who knows anything about the Lord should be working from sunup to sundown to get the harvest (wheat), of believers into the kingdom of God. If you can minister in any capacity, now is not the time to sit on the sideline. Get into the field and harvest the wheat (believers).
We have just been reading how the blessings are on those who do justly.
In James, we read that all good comes from God.
James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
This "violence" that covers the mouth of the wicked, later falls back upon his foul mouth.
Mal. 2:16 "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for [one] covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously."
Hab. 2:17: "For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, [which] made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein."
Proverbs 10:7 "The memory of the just [is] blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot."
This verse refers to the way a righteous person is remembered by man and God after his death.
Every time you do something good for someone you feel good about yourself. The blessings of the Lord are for those who live uprightly.
You never see monuments to the wicked. A good example of an evil one, who no one celebrates his birthday, is Hitler. No one wants to remember this evil one.
Proverbs 10:8 "The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall."
This "wise in heart" would be a humble person easy to teach, not a proud, highminded person. This "prating fool" is someone who is always bragging. The little meaning of prating is lip. This is someone who talks too much and lets his conversation trap him.
To finish the parallelism, the wise listens and is teachable and, therefore, will be lifted up. The fool, always talking, falls because he rejects God's commands.
Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
The upright walk is the walk we Christians walk following Jesus. We will not stumble and fall, because we have the light of Jesus at our feet to light our way.
Those who walk in the dark are evil. Evil will be exposed. These are people who practice doing evil. Be sure your sins will find you out.
Those who have integrity or who live what they believe, exist without fear of some evil being discovered, while those who are perverse and have secret wickedness will not be able to hide it.
Proverbs 10:10 "He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall."
When we see winking eyes, the two involved are scheming to do you evil. This is ordinarily plotting to do evil.
We covered this in chapter 6:13-14. Fearing detection and to hide evil intentions, deceivers spoke lies to victims while giving signals with their eyes, hands and or feet to others in on the deception.
Bitter and sweet water does not come from the same well. Jesus (at the well), told the woman, if she drank of the water He provided, she would never thirst again. Life everlasting comes with the mouth.
Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
The Lord is the source of this fountain which then springs up in the wise man as wise speech, wise laws, the fear of the Lord, and understanding. As we said in the sixth verse, violence which has gone forth from the wicked, later falls back upon his foul mouth.
The wicked is in direct contrast. Their way leads unto death.
Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."
In 1 Peter, we read that love covereth a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8″And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
Hatred and murder are next of kin. Feuds throughout the ages have been caused by hatred. Sometimes a few generations after the original incident most of the haters do not even know why they hate. Forgiveness is a by-product of love. That is the way to stop all the hate, forgive them and love them.
True love seeks the highest good for another.
The wise man speaks good things. This is the same rod as the rod of correction we will read about later on in Proverbs. Children are sometimes difficult to train until the rod of correction is applied.
In this reference to corporal punishment applied to the backside, recommends it as the most effective way of dealing with children and fools.
They soon become wiser than they were before the rod was applied.
Proverbs 10:14 "Wise [men] lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish [is] near destruction."
James 1:26 "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain."
The foolish always seem to want to talk about something they know nothing about.
James 3:1-10 "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same [is] a perfect man, [and] able also to bridle the whole body." "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body." "Behold also the ships, which though [they be] so great, and [are] driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth." "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" "And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:" "But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
A wise man is quiet and listens and soaks up information.
Money can buy many things and acquire many creature comforts that the poor cannot possibly have. It seems the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There really is nothing wrong with having money. It is how you feel about your wealth and what you do with it that might become sin. Whatever state you find yourself in, be content. If you are poor, work hard and try to work yourself up. In America, if you really try, you need not stay poor.
While the rich man thinks he has his walled city for protection, the poor man knows he has nothing. Both should trust in the Lord as their only protection.
Proverbs 10:16 "The labor of the righteous [tendeth] to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin."
Men, who do not labor in this life, generally have too much time on their hands. They have plenty of time to get into trouble. People who like to take shortcuts at making a living and do not labor to earn their living, wind up scheming against their neighbor to get what does not belong to them and wind up in sin. The earnings of the wicked provide more opportunities for sinning.
On the other hand, people who work hard and earn their living usually are honest. Law abiding citizens a great many times have deep spiritual convictions which bring eternal life.
Instruction is something we should be eager to receive. It keeps us on the right path and keeps us from making mistakes. Only a fool refuses correction. You have completely stopped growing when you will not accept correction.
1. What kind of son maketh a glad father?
2. A foolish son is the heaviness of whom?
3. What generally determines whether a parent is happy in old age or not?
4. What kind of treasure profiteth nothing?
5. What is righteousness?
6. Verse 3 tells us God will not allow the righteous to ____________.
7. The steps of a good man are ___________ ____________ _____________.
8. What happens to the man who deals with a slack hand?
9. What does "slack hand" mean?
10. Where will laziness get you?
11. A son that sleepeth in harvest _______ ____________.
12. What does "harvest time" mean spiritually?
13. Blessings are on the ______________of the just.
14. Who was an evil person that people do not care to remember?
15. Who are the wise in heart?
16. Who is a prating fool?
17. In Romans 6:4, we find that Christians should walk in ______________ ______________ ____________.
18. Why will Christians not stumble and fall?
19. What are winking eyes usually a sign of?
20. The mouth of a righteous man is a _________________________.
21. In 1 Peter 4:8, we read that love covereth _______ ________________ _______.
22. What is a by-product of love?
23. Who is the rod for?
24. What is a rich man's strong city?
25. If you find yourself with too much time, you might get into _____ ___________.
26. What will a person who is wise be eager to receive?
27. What is a person called who refuses instruction?
What really is a "fool"? Really, a fool is someone who has undeniable proof before them and still will not believe. They are not able to determine truth but will prefer to believe a lie.
Once in the Canadian Rockies, we were in a spot surrounded on every side by the most fantastic snow-covered mountains that I had ever seen. No two of them were alike in color or shape, and this man said, "only a fool could look at this and say there is no God". You see, a fool has no understanding at all.
Lying is having no understanding of why we must tell the truth. A person who tells something untrue about someone else and tears down their good name has no understanding and is therefore a fool.
Both the harboring and venting of hatred are wrong and will be punished. Slander, (gossip or lies), is forbidden.
The person who listens learns. Talking too much leads to sin. A loose tongued person is boring and noisy and really not very likely to learn anything new. When you are talking, you cannot listen.
Wisdom is to restrain the tongue since much speech risks sin.
As we have said in all these studies, silver is symbolic of redemption. A person, (Christian), who is just and upright, uses his tongue to tell others about the salvation of Jesus. As we have said before, the source of all that we are, good or bad, is in the heart. A person with a wicked heart is continually doing evil.
Tongue and heart are words used as parallel terms because they are inseparably linked.
Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
Choice silver means good words are scarce, precious and valuable.
Proverbs 10:21 "The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."
The type of food that this is speaking of is spiritual food. In Matthew, we read in Jesus' own words,
Matthew 4:4 "It is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God".
The word of God proceeding from the lips of the righteous feed them spiritually. This is speaking of the salvation message. As we said, in the lesson above, a fool has no understanding and doesn't want any. He will die in sin.
As sound teaching benefits many, the fool starves himself to death spiritually by his lack of wise teaching.
Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."
Abraham was blessed of God because of his great faith. We see that God will pour out His blessings (not only spiritual, but physical as well), on those that love Him and walk in His ways. In our Genesis study, we saw this of Abraham. I will quote just one verse here to prove the point.
Genesis 13:2, "and Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." Abram (Abraham) had length of days, and a son in his old age (Isaac) because he had faith in God. He had no curse (sorrow) from God only blessings, because he walked uprightly before God.
The term "No Sorrow" means that none of the sorrow that is associated with ill-gotten wealth is associated with wealth provided by the Lord.
Proverbs 10:23 "[It is] as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom."
A fool (someone who lacks understanding), finds pleasure in sin. He is not only happy in the sin, he does evil to others as well. This just contrasted to someone who understands there is a better way.
In James, we read that God answers the prayer of the righteous.
James 5:16 "Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Fear is not of God, those who are continually wicked fear judgment and punishment, because they know they deserve to die.
The righteous receive what they desire, while the wicked receive what they fear.
A "whirlwind" comes up in a hurry, and is gone in a hurry and that is the end of someone evil, as well. They may appear to prosper quickly, but it is soon gone. The righteous is solid as a rock. In fact, they are lively stones building the foundation of Christianity on the earth.
1 Peter 2:4-5 "To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious," "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
If you send someone out to do a job, you do not want him being lazy and laying around (sluggard). If you have someone this lazy working for you, it is painful to you just like it is painful to put pure vinegar on your teeth. It makes them burn.
Defined: As the acidity of vinegar causes the unpleasantness and pain to the teeth, and by softening and dissolving alkali of the bone, impairs their texture, and renders them incapable of mastication;
Smoke in your eyes causes you to cry, and I believe that is what is meant here. Truly someone who is supposed to do a job and won't, will bring you tears. You can imagine how God feels when He calls us to do a job for him and we are too lazy to carry it out.
Defined: As smoke, by irritating the tender vessels, causes the eyes to smart, and prevents distinct vision; so a sluggish messenger is a continual vexation and loss to those by whom he is employed (see Isa 65:5).
As we studied previously in Proverbs:
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord"
The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. The fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feeling, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God's.
When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one's parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. The beginning does not mean that "the fear of the Lord" is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.
The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (the righteous who obey God), live longer (9:11), prosper (2:20-22), experience joy (3:13-18), and the goodness of God temporally (12:21), while fools suffer shame (3:35), and death (10:21).
Ecclesiastes 7:17 "Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?"
You see, good lives lived for God sometimes bring long life. One of the commandments is to honor father and mother, and that promises long life. It is pretty easy to see how someone who lives the evil life is certainly in danger of early death. They visit places where killing and cheating is going on (such as beer parlors and gambling places). Fear of God keeps us walking a holy path.
In 1 Thessalonians, we see the blessed hope of the believer which brings gladness, because we will live with Jesus; but the wicked have no hope of resurrection to eternal life.
In 1 Thessalonians we read of the rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" "Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
The blessings of God are for those who walk in the way of the Lord. Jesus calls himself the Way. The Way of the Lord is the path of the Light on which each Christian can walk uprightly and not stumble and fall.
God's blessings are for those who obey him and walk in his commandments. The curses (destruction), are for those who work iniquity; who live after the flesh and not after the spirit.
Proverbs 10:30 "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth."
In the "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus said in Matthew:
Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek for: they shall inherit the earth".
Those who are in right standing with God are to reign with Christ. The wicked not only cannot expect good things now but certainly have no future to look to. They are doomed to hell.
Psalms 37:9-11 "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth." "For yet a little while, and the wicked [shall] not [be]: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it [shall] not [be]." "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
We read in Romans 3 of the evil mouth, tongues and throat.
Romans 3:13-14 "Their throat [is] an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips:" "Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness:"
You see this is describing an evil mouth. This mouth is an opening where the issues of the heart come forth. This person has an evil heart. The message from the heart is in the mouth.
Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Proverbs Chapter 10 Continued Questions
Proverbs 11:1 "A false balance [is] abomination to the LORD: but a just weight [is] his delight."
God wants us to be honest in all our dealings.
We read a request of God in Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 45:10 "Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath."
It is not only against man's law to weigh merchandise for sale wrong, but it is against God's law as well. In fact, the Lord calls it an abomination (a very evil thing). God is delighted with us when we are honest with all our dealings which include weighing.
Proverbs 11:2 "[When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom."
"Pride" comes from a root word meaning to boil or run over, indicating an overwhelmingly arrogant attitude or behavior.
In 1 Timothy, we read what happens when we are overcome with pride.
1 Timothy 3:6 "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil."
It is very important not to be self-centered and caught up in pride. We are what God has allowed us to be. In 1 Timothy 3, the wickedness in the last days lists pride as one of their sins. We must stay humble to please God. The humble have a teachable spirit which is firstly directed to God. A wise person realizes that everything he or she is comes as a gift from God and not of self.
Here, integrity means innocence. The upright are innocent of any wrong doing, but we see that the perverseness (evil doings), of the transgressors (those who sin continuously), will destroy them. They actually destroy themselves.
Proverbs 11:4 "Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death."
"The Day of Wrath", is the day of final accounting to God, the divine Judge.
Luke 12:16-21 "And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:" "And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?" "And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods." "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, [and] be merry." "But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" "So [is] he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Or James 5:1-3 "Go to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you]." "Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten." "Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."
You can easily see that all the riches in the world will not save you from the wrath of God. We must be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, and then we will be in right standing with God. Jesus Christ brings us life, not death. The Christians will be saved from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"
We see here, that the man in right standing with God walks daily in salvation. Those who desire to please God walk uprightly before him in His blessed Light, which clearly lights his path. The wicked walk in the night, they are children of the night. They are blinded by sin and worldliness and are trapped by their own wickedness.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
Remember, this is Jesus' righteousness that we have taken on, and not our own that saves us. Transgressors (breakers of God's law), who do not repent will not be saved but caught in their evil doings and be judged guilty of their sins.
We see here, that to die in your wickedness leaves no hope at all. My own personal belief is: as long as there is breath in the body, man can repent and be saved. When he dies, not accepting Jesus as his Savior, there is no second chance. He has no future to look forward to, only one to regret. Hell is awaiting him.
Proverbs 11:8 "The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead."
In this life, we all have tribulations and trials; but those in right standing with God will be delivered out of trouble. In Revelation we read about those redeemed from the wrath of God that are in white robes in heaven.
Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
You can see in this that the righteous were brought out of great tribulation. At this time on earth, the wrath of God is falling and the wicked are on earth where all the horrors are.
We read about the lying tongued hypocrite in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 9:4-5 "Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders." "And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, [and] weary themselves to commit iniquity."
We read in Romans of the justified (just as if we had never sinned).
Romans 8:1 "[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
We see here, not a particular city, but cities in general. Sometimes a statement about a city could be talking about a church, as well. I believe this might be saying, it is of mutual benefit to everyone associated when one of their members has good happenings. A righteous person is loved by his group. The wicked always cause trouble for others, and it is a relief to be rid of them.
The wonderful thing about the upright is that every thing they do builds and does not destroy. They pray for the city; they do only good and not evil. Anyone would be happy to have them as a member. The wicked always speak evil and tear down. Their mission is to destroy.
Social influence for good or bad is in view here (and in verse 10).
Jealousy, hate, and covetousness are all describing a person lacking in understanding. Those lacking in understanding are constantly comparing themselves with their neighbors. They want what does not belong to them. They destroy with their words.
A person, who understands however, is content in whatever state he or she is in. They know that God has everything under control and is giving them as much as He can trust them with so they are at peace with their neighbor and with themselves and with God.
In contrast to those who despises his neighbor, to be silent is to be wise.
A talebearer creates strife. We must never reveal a confidence. Spreading tales can only do one thing, and it is not good. If it can't help someone, don't tell it.
This is more than mere unguarded speech. This is someone who is a peddler in scandal, who speaks words deliberately intended to do harm. A gossip.
An interesting thing about society is that the younger generation does not want to take instructions (counsel). A person who won't take counsel has to make all the mistakes for himself and is constantly falling. A person who is eager to listen and learn can be spared all this sorrow.
Good decisions are made with multiple wise advisers. The more crucial the decision, the more appropriate is corporate wisdom.
We see here, that to sign on someone else's note that you do not know, is not very wise. You have nothing to gain and all to lose to go on the note of someone you don't know. Usually you wind up having to pay it yourself and sacrifice your own income to do it. The smart thing to do is don't go on the note in the first place.
Proverbs 11:16 "A gracious woman retaineth honor: and strong [men] retain riches."
This gracious woman, spoken of here, is probably one who loves people and is a very beautiful person. She would show honor to others and, in return, would be greatly honored herself.
God has made man, not as a home-maker as He did the woman, but to provide well for his family. I don't believe this means strength of body, but rather strength of character. God blesses the upright man and gives him wisdom not to squander what he has worked for. A man of great character retains what he earns.
1. What is a false balance in the sight of God?
2. A just weight is his ____________?
3. What does God say to man in Ezekiel 45:10?
4. What is an abomination?
5. In verse 2, we read with pride comes what?
6. The wickedness of what days are spoken of in 2 Timothy 3?
7. What shall guide the upright?
8. What does this word mean?
9. Righteousness delivers from __________.
10. In Chapter 5 of James, what do we learn about riches?
11. What puts us in right standing with God?
12. What will the Christians be saved from at the end?
13. In 1 Thessalonians, we read that the Christians are not appointed to________ but to obtain __________.
14. The author believes a person can be saved as long as what?
15. What kind of garment will the righteous wear in heaven?
16. A hypocrite destroys with what?
17. Who are the justified?
18. In chapter 8 of Romans, we learn that these walk not after the ________, but after the _________?
19. What type of person causes the city to rejoice?
20. In verse 12, we find that those void of wisdom do what?
21. Jealousy, hate, and covetousness describe whom?
22. Why should we be content with what we have?
23. In verse 13, we find that a ________ revealeth secrets.
24. In the multitude of counsels there is what?
25. What does "going surety" for someone mean?
26. A gracious woman does what?
27. Strong men retain what?
28. What strength of men is mentioned here.
A merciful person, who is always doing for others, feels good about himself. A cruel person has no good memories. A cruel person has only regrets.
We have been reading before about the deceitfulness of riches. If a person works only for self gain, he is deceived and is wicked. The righteous seek to do good. The righteous may not be rewarded here on this earth, but will reap rewards on harvest day.
The efforts of the wicked deceiver often do not yield the riches his deception seeks, but the righteous receive a reward from God.
Righteousness not only tends to life, but actually makes life more enjoyable here on this earth and brings life for all of eternity, as well. Evil, on the other hand, keeps you in trouble on the earth and brings death and hell for all of eternity.
The word translated "froward" here means crooked, distorted, and false. Our heart will give away what we really are. God judges our heart more than He does our actions. What was our intent, to do evil or good? We are what our heart is. God loves a person with a pure heart. He even expects our giving to be from our heart.
The combined power of the wicked cannot free them from just punishment, while the unaided children of the righteous find deliverance by reason of their pious relationship.
Psalm 37:25 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
Psalm 37:26 "[He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed."
Acts 16:31 "And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
A woman with physical beauty can become even more beautiful to you if she lives the Christian life; but if she is a harlot or lives an evil life, that beauty seems to go away as you get to know her and she becomes a swine in your sight. The important beauty comes from within.
In the Old Testament times, a nose ring was an ornament intended to beautify a woman. It was as out of place in a pig's nose as the lack of discretion was in a lovely lady.
Every Christian you ever meet has a desire in their heart to do good. They are seeking good and not evil. An evil person is continually negative. They know the wrath is coming and they expect it.
The words "Desire and Expectation" are terms referring to outcomes from God's perspective.
This is just saying, give and it will be given to you. I have a saying, "You can't out give God". If we are greedy and never give to others, we will find ourselves in poverty. There is a law that God gives to those who give to others. To get, you must give.
The principle here is that generosity, by God's blessing, secures increase, while stinginess leads to poverty instead of expected gain. The one who gives receives far more in return.
This is the very same thing (as verse 24), just stated differently.
To have foodstuff that a neighbor needs and that you don't need for your own household, and not be willing to sell him some would be terrible. Not only would your neighbor curse you for that, but God will be displeased, as well. If you can help someone else, even by selling them something, God will see and bless you for it.
A person who is trying to do good is also seeking to do good for others as well, and is pleasing to God in the doing. The penalty of an evil life is that it comes back to you. Evil begats evil.
We read in 1 Timothy, that we must not trust in uncertain riches.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;" "Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
You see riches cannot get you to heaven. We must do good and not evil with what God has entrusted to us.
Those who have much tend to trust in their wealth. But God provides far more security than any earthly investment can ever give.
We see from this Scripture above that a man who causes trouble in his own house will not be able to build, but will be destroyed.
The one who mismanages his house will see all he has blown away, and he will have nothing left in the end. He will serve the one who manages well.
"Tree of Life" as we studied (in Proverbs 3:18), is an expression or metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment.
The righteous are fruit bearers. You can tell what kind of Christian they are by the fruit they bear. Not only in their children of their flesh, but those they have led to the Lord, as well. Righteous trees produce righteous fruit. We have mentioned it before in these lessons, but the righteous are wise unto salvation.
"Winneth Souls" means in the sense of doing them good or influencing them with wisdom's ways.
The bottom line here is God's final blessing and reward to the "righteous", and His judgment and punishment of the "ungodly and sinners" come after life on the earth has ended. But there are foretastes of both during life on the earth, as the righteous experience God's personal care and goodness, while the wicked are void of it.
Good morals bring good results, and bad morals bring bad results. Today, as never before, in our society we see people who have lived immoral lives feeling the brunt of punishment for their evil actions here on this earth in the disease aids.
There is an eternal punishment for the unrepentant sinner as well. We shall reap what we sow. God is a just God.
Some things we bring upon ourselves, because of our behavior. Those who live Christian lives, uprightly before God, will be watched over by Him. Some diseases come to all, but worldly diseases that are caused by our own behavior are reserved for the evil children. A few people get aids without being evil, in that instance it would not be a worldly disease. A worldly disease I say one or more times, is one that we bring on ourselves by the sins in our life.
We see Godly living leads to good health.
Proverbs Chapter 11 Continued Questions
Proverbs 12:1 "Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof [is] brutish."
A person who loves instruction grows into a very intelligent being. I believe part of the instruction meant here is instruction in right living. We are eager to learn God's ways and we quickly see sins in our life and repent. The greatest knowledge that we can have is to know God and his Word.
"Brutish" or "Stupid" means acting like a beast that does not accumulate knowledge. If we are not eager to learn of God, we are like a beast without a conscience. Or to put it another way, he is as stupid as the brute cattle.
A good man is seeking to please God instead of himself. The Lord is pleased with this. A wicked man is always trying to figure out ways to do evil. God will not approve of evil in any fashion. God condemns evil every time.
When you see a righteous man, it is like looking at a giant oak tree with deep, deep roots. We will not be easily moved even though the winds of false doctrine are strong.
The familiar image is of the righteous being firm like a flourishing tree.
Even in the parable of the sowing of the seed in the 8th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells us the seed that fell on good ground had good roots and brought forth much fruit.
Read in Luke 8:5-18. You know the wicked man doesn't even bother to see the seed at all.
We see here, how important it is for a woman to be upright. Not only for her own good and welfare but so her family will not be ashamed of her. Her husband can be very proud of her, because she will not make him ashamed of her. It would crown him for her to be totally faithful to him.
This is speaking of a suffering that is like a painful and incurable condition.
When we get in (chapter 31), we will read extensively about the kind of woman she will be. In the spirit teaching on this verse, Jesus is coming back for a chaste virgin (the true believers) to be His bride. Nothing is worse than an unfaithful wife. She brings torment and shame to her husband, her family, and herself.
A righteous person thinks of things that are correct. His ways are the ways of God. His thoughts are truthful and fair.
The wicked are deceivers, trying to convince others that lies are truth. Not only are they deceiving others, but the people who council them are deceivers, as well. They believe a lie and try to convince others to believe lies.
Wicked people lie in wait to destroy someone else for selfish gain. False accusations many times cause a person to kill someone who is totally innocent.
This is similar to chapter 1:11-12 where 11b states: "Let us lie in wait for blood". The wicked devise plots of deception in which the innocent are captured and victimized like one who is taken by death itself.
The upright speak words of life not death.
Tribulation comes to all; but the wicked cannot stand up to trials, because they have no source of strength (Jesus), to rely upon.
A righteous person will stand firm in adversity knowing that God will see him through. The rewards of wise living are not only to individuals, but extend to one's household or family.
If you know not to sin and go ahead and sin anyway, you are guiltier than someone who sins not knowing that it is sin.
There has been much said in our society today about perversion. Perversion of any kind is terrible, but when it becomes a way of life with you, it is perversion of the heart. He that truly has a perverted heart will be despised. Perversion has to do with unnatural sex or an extreme extent of sin.
This Scripture above when it is saying despised is really saying "lightly esteemed". An obscure person of lowly rank, who can at least afford to hire a servant because of his honest gain.
The second person is someone who has nothing to be proud of, and yet is bragging about himself all the time. He is so down trodden that he can't even feed himself and yet he is a braggart. He constantly tells everyone how wonderful he is. At least the first man was not dependent on someone else to provide for his food. He is considered better than the one who falsely boasts about his prominence but is really poor.
A righteous man has concern for the condition of his beast.
But show me a man who is cruel to animals, and I will show you a wicked man to others.
God showed mercy to animals when He told the man to rest his animals on the Sabbath, as well as resting himself. Man rules over the animals, and God made the animals to serve man; but an animal you feed well and care for, will work better for you.
People who love God love people as well; and are kind to animals that are dependent on them. A wicked person does not love God, or man, and is cruel to animals that cannot help themselves.
Someone who works his fields with his hands shall not go hungry.
But someone who does not want to work and is always looking for short cuts to take, is he that expends energy in worthless pursuits and fantasies which is as useless as outright laziness.
The wicked desires the booty is referring to the desire for spoils gained by the schemes of the wicked, contrasted with a simple life of obedience that produces blessings.
We see in this Scripture above, the righteous produce fruit pleasing unto God. A workman who needeth not to be ashamed is a righteous person.
Transgression of the lips would be lies. When you tell a lie, it usually calls for another lie to cover up the first; and pretty soon, the liar is trapped because they cannot remember all the lies and keep them straight.
The just person tells the truth. There is no problem for this person to remember. They just tell the facts and the truth wins out every time. The just have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
We see here, that speaking can produce fruit. A minister who tells others about Jesus can produce much fruit for God with words that come from the minister's mouth.
1 Corinthians 1:21: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
The "fruit of his mouth" deals with the power of words; the reward of wise words is like the reward for physical labor.
You see, preaching produces fruit for the kingdom. In the last part of this, we see recompence (rewards), comes from men working with their own hands.
We discussed before that a fool is lacking in understanding.
2 Timothy 3:2 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"
This is describing self-centered people who will not listen to good counsel, but think the world revolves around them. We are told (in 2 Timothy), that this will be the condition of the people of the world in the end times. Lucifer had this attitude in heaven and God threw him out.
Secular humanism and many modern teachings of even some of the churches are teaching that man can become God. To think too highly of ourselves makes us a fool. We must heed the counsel of God to be wise. His counsel is the Bible. Wise counsels teach the Bible ways.
Proverbs 12:16 "A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent [man] covereth shame."
This is commonly known as "loosing your temper". Someone lacking in understanding (fool), gets mad before he even knows what the problem is. We are warned in the Bible not to get angry without a cause and to not let the sun go down on our anger. A prudent man, or perhaps a careful man, thinks it out before he goes off head strong.
The prudent man conceals disorder and is a model of self-control. He can ignore an insult.
Proverbs 12:17 "[He that] speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit."
He That speaketh truth has truth in his heart. Jesus is the Truth. Someone in right standing (righteous), always speaks truth because it is in his heart. In a court, a truthful man promotes justice.
Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
You see, the truth is righteous and deceit is evil.
We see here, people hurt by piercings words. More people are hurt by their so-called friends and family saying cutting things than by actual wounds inflicted. Their words cut your heart like a sword being pushed through you.
The contrast here is between cutting words that are spoken "rashly" and thoughtful words that bring health.
The tongue is like a weapon. It can destroy or build up.
I personally believe the tongue is the evilest part of the body until it is totally turned over to God, and then it can be like a healing balm. A wise person can use the tongue to build up a person.
Lies are soon found out and do not last. A runaway imagination is a very dangerous thing. Imagination is not truth but just like deceit it is a lie. Joy and peace go hand in hand. Peace makers bring joy to themselves and everyone around them.
The contrasting parallel is implied, not stated. Those who plan evil by deceit have no joy because of the risks and dangers in their plan, but the righteous who lead by peace fear nothing and thus have joy.
We see the mischief here as the evil that happens to the wicked as a result of their sin. The just person is not subject to the actions of the devil. The devil would have to get the Lord's permission (for some momentary trial), to afflict a Christian. We are not the devil's property, we are the Lord's.
Everything that happens to a Christian has a purpose. The Lord sometimes allows a tribulation to come to make us stronger, but the devil cannot bring trouble on us without the Lord's permission, if we are Christians. Job is a very good example of this.
We see that lying is a terrible sin in the sight of God. In the second part of this statement, we see the truth is greatly loved by God. Not only is it important to speak truth, but also it is important to deal truthfully. It is not enough just to speak Christianity, but we must live it every day.
Proverbs 12:23 "A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness."
An intelligent, cautious man waits for the correct moment to reveal what he knows about a particular thing. He doesn't just tell everyone what he knows. It always has been interesting to me how people love to talk about things they know nothing about. I believe that is what the fool is doing here. His lack of knowledge is not keeping him from talking, and he is talking of things he knows not of.
Proverbs 12:24 "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute."
We see here again, that hard work will get you promoted and you will rule over those who are too lazy to work. Tribute is a little like taxes. We see again, that hard work pays off.
Unlike the hardworking people who have charge over their work, the lazy are eventually forced to go to work for the diligent to survive.
Proverbs 12:25 "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."
When a person is worried, they do have a tendency to hang their head low.
In Matthew 26:37, we see that even Jesus was troubled facing the death on the cross." And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy."
When we are extremely sad or worried, we are said to have a heavy heart. We are also warned about too much worry.
We are told to take no thought for what we are to say, that God will fill our ears and mouth with what we are to say. We are also taught that we should live one day at a time and not worry about tomorrow. Someone who says nice things to others makes them have a glad heart.
A Christian is not only valuable to God, but is valuable to his community as well. He is a good citizen who obeys the laws of the land. This verse could be understood as saying that the righteous "guides" his friends carefully, unlike the wicked who leads his companions astray.
His brothers call him blessed, because he loves them as he loves himself; and he helps them every day he can. He even witnesses to his neighbors about the Lord and helps them to be Christians too.
The wicked are not so. The wicked are constantly getting into all kinds of trouble. They want what the neighbors have. They also cause the neighbors great problems. They are not satisfied with going bad themselves, but try to lead others into sin as well.
You can easily see the difference in these two very different ways of life. The Christian's way brings peace and joy, and the wicked's way brings hate and destruction.
The slothful man lacks commitment to make something of his opportunities (verses 11, 25).
The lazy person does not finish his or her tasks and thus forfeits opportunities for something better. The one who has mastered "Diligence" however, has a "precious" tool at his or her disposal: perseverance.
Being in right standing with God (having righteousness), does bring a fuller life here and brings life eternal with Jesus. The second death has no power on this person.
Chapter 22 of Revelation gives us a beautiful picture of what it will be like where this type of person spends all of eternity.
Revelation 22:1-3 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations." "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:"
Go ahead and read the rest of chapter 22, it is beautiful. No one would want to miss this glorious life in heaven with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Proverbs Chapter 12 Continued Questions
Proverbs 13:1 "A wise son [heareth] his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke."
A wise son will take advantage of the knowledge his own father has already accumulated and will accept instruction from his father. A boy's father cares what happens to his son. He wants only the best for him. In fact, he wants his son to have a better life than he has had himself. If a son could learn this and take instruction from the father, he would be very wise indeed.
In the Old Testament, a rebellious son was to be taken to the edge of the city and stoned to death. This was a drastic measure, but I believe we are to see in that lesson that a person who will not be instructed is headed for destruction. Loving parents rebuke their children when they are in error. If the child does not learn from the rebuke, they are headed for serious trouble. The rod of correction can drive rebellion far from a child.
We see here, once more, a contrast between the people who live good wholesome lives and those who live worldly lives. In the "eat good by the fruit of his mouth", we see the words of a person can tell a whole lot about who and what they are.
In this and the next verse the parallels are implied. A man of good words prospers, but a man of evil words provokes violence against himself.
Many times, the best thing to do is to just not say anything. It is much better to not say anything than it is to say something hurtful and then regret it forever. The tongue can be a deadly weapon.
The sluggard (lazy person) has plenty of time to sit around and wish for things that he or she is too lazy to work for and get. The diligent (worker who does not quit), will have the desires of his heart, because he will do enough work to acquire his needs.
This "righteous man" (in right standing with God), is against all evil actions. Lying, cheating, stealing, and dealing falsely are all well associated. Usually if a person does one of these, he does all of these. People who are living for God despise all of these.
This loathsome person brings shame on himself and all who associate with him. These two verses are very similar in meaning. In verse 6, we see again that those who want to please God, and walk uprightly before Him. Wickedness brings no honor, just problems. If a person continues in wickedness, he will wind up in jail; or worse, out of touch with God.
We see here someone who appears to be rich but is, in fact, poor and someone appearing to be poor who is rich. There are two ways to look at this. The first instance would be a man who really doesn't have anything putting up a front and pretending to be rich. He might be trying to impress someone for selfish gain. We all know people like that.
Another way to look at this is someone who really has great wealth in this world but is greedy and never does any good for anyone. We could call him very poor, because he has not stored up anything in heaven. The second man could be someone who is always pretending to have nothing and all the time he is very rich. We commonly call him someone who "poor mouths".
From the spiritual point, we see here a man who is constantly giving what he has to those less fortunate and actually gives all that he has away. This man has stored great wealth in heaven.
Proverbs 13:8 "The ransom of a man's life [are] his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke."
I see in this Scripture that sometimes those who have worked hard and accumulated a little of this world's wealth are hated by jealous people. The poor are never spoken evil of because there is nothing to be jealous of.
We could also see in this that riches can sometimes purchase a lawyer to help or can redeem us from some problem. Riches, if they are used in a godly way, can be a blessing to you and those around you. Sometimes a poor man would like to help, but doesn't have the money.
Proverbs 13:9 "The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out."
Here, I see that those living upright lives love the light. They are not ashamed of the life they live. They rejoice in the Lord. The wicked are ashamed and need the cover of darkness to hide in.
This image of life, prosperity and joy is contrasted with adversity and then death.
Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised [is] wisdom."
The proud spurn the advice given from others while the wise accept it.
"Contention" here means strife. Being too proud can cause us to take offense at what someone says when they really didn't mean any harm. Pride is not pleasing to God when it hurts someone else. People with pride are not teachable. On the other hand, we see that the wise are eager to learn and become wiser for it.
We see here, someone who quickly gains wealth by being crooked will not be able to keep his wealth, because God will not bless him in this. A modern saying of this is "easy come, easy go". We see this so much in our society today with the drug peddlers. They may make a lot of money, but it is very seldom you see one of them who is able to keep it.
The best wealth is that which you work for and save a little here and a little there. You appreciate it and will be able to keep some of it, if you work for it and are generous to give to those in need. God will bless you and prosper you even more.
We see here, a person looking forward to something happening and it seems to be longer and longer in coming. This will cause you to be heart sick, because you feel it will never happen. Many of us have had this experience praying for people. We pray and pray and nothing happens. It seems our prayers have been futile. When the person does come to the Lord, we rejoice greatly.
When the desire of heart (whatever it is) comes about, it seems as though it gives us a brand new life.
The Word of God teaches us the way to have eternal life. Without the Word, there is only death facing us. Jesus is the Word of God. "Word ... Commandment", are terms referring to divine revelation.
John 1:1-4 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God," "The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Really, to read about the Word bringing life, read all of John 1. There is no question that God speaks to us in His Word. There is no question that there is Life in His Word. There is no question that without the Word leading and guiding our lives, there lies ahead only death.
1. A scorner heareth not ___________.
2. What kind of life does a father want for his son?
3. In the Old Testament, a rebellious son was ____________.
4. What can drive rebellion from a child?
5. What is meant by the fruit of his mouth?
6. What is meant by "transgressors shall eat violence"?
7. In verse 3, we are told that a person who opens his lips wide shall see what?
8. What part of the body can be a deadly weapon?
9. What is a sluggard?
10. What can the diligent worker expect of life?
11. A righteous man hates what?
12. What overthroweth the sinner?
13. What other sins generally accompany lying?
14. This loathsome person brings shame to whom?
15. What is worse than being in jail?
16. In verse 7, who is the truly rich?
17. The ransom of a man's life is what?
18. Why are the poor not rebuked?
19. What will happen to the lamp of the wicked?
20. Why do the righteous love the light?
21. What brings contention?
22. What does "contention" mean in verse 10?
23. What will happen to wealth gotten through vanity?
24. What two things are necessary for God to be pleased with your wealth?
25. What does hope deferred do to you?
26. When you receive the desire of your heart, what is it like to you?
27. What is a "hope deferred" that most Christians have experienced?
28. What happens to those who despise the Word?
29. Who will be rewarded in verse 13?
30. Who is the Word?
31. What does the Word bring us?
Proverbs 13:14 "The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."
"The fountain of life": The Lord is the source of this fountain, which then springs up in the wise man as wise speech and wise laws, the fear of the Lord and understanding.
We see that God's rules, that wise men live by, bring everlasting life. If we listen to God's instructions, not only are we promised life eternal, but it helps us live this life successfully, as well. Godly living keeps us away from drugs and excessive alcohol which destroys so many lives today.
Proverbs 13:15 "Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors [is] hard."
Good understanding gives us favor with God and man. We are told that God will cause even our enemies to live at peace with us if we live pleasing to God (we read this in Proverbs 16:7).
Proverbs 13:16 "Every prudent [man] dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open [his] folly."
This prudent man is speaking of a man who carefully considers a thing and makes his decision after having all the facts at hand. A man like this will not make many mistakes.
The fool jumps in without considering the facts. He talks so much he exposes his position, and we see him making one mistake after the other. This vivid language shows that a fool displays folly like a peddler openly spreads out his wares for others to see.
Proverbs 13:17 "A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador [is] health."
We see in this someone who is called to do a job, and instead of delivering the message sent, carries a false message. He is headed for problems whether he is working for God or man.
An ambassador is someone who represents someone else. A faithful ambassador is one who gives the exact message you would give yourself if you were there. This type of person does you good.
Those who will not take instruction will have to pay for their own mistakes and will wind up poor and ashamed at their failures.
He that learns from others will be successful and that success will bring honor.
When a person strives morally and legally to fulfill his desires, in the end that accomplishment is very sweet to him.
The fool doesn't strive legally or morally. He enjoys the sinful life and has no desire to change. They do not care that what they are doing is sin. They are living to please the flesh. Living for worldly pleasure is the desire of fools. His relentless pursuit of evil and hatred of good does not ever let him taste the sweet blessings of obedience.
This is speaking of the power of association which helps to shape character.
We have a tendency to become like the people we associate with. If the people you are with are arrested for a crime, you will be arrested, as well. You will be called an accomplice to the crime because you are with the criminal.
We see someone who is a companion of someone successful and that person will try hard too. I have noticed that we try harder to do just as well as the person we are with. Competition creates success.
Proverbs 13:21 "Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid."
An evil person is constantly looking over his shoulder. He has a guilty conscience. He is constantly expecting punishment for the evil he has committed. There is no peace, only torment.
The righteous are in direct contrast to this. They have a clear conscience, knowing they have done their best. The Bible teaches "give and it shall be given unto you". This is not just money, but good deeds as well. If you are helping others every chance you get, you will always have help when you need it. You cannot out give God.
This is a basic principle throughout Proverbs and is illustrated throughout the Old Testament which establishes that righteousness brings divine blessing and evil brings divine cursing.
Your reward waiting in heaven is great, but there are rewards here, as well. Jesus said, "In as much as ye have done it to unto the least of these, you have done it unto Me, also". Your good deeds are recorded in heaven.
The children of Israel receiving the land of Canaan from those who would not follow God's ways are a really good example of the last half (of verse 22). For every blessing God promises to the just, there is a curse to those who will not follow God's ways. A good man is not an alcoholic, he does not practice incest, he is not a liar and he is not a thief.
His eyes are stayed upon God. He walks straight forward, headed for heaven. He is honest and works hard for what he gets. He is a good steward of what God has entrusted to him; and instead of wasting what he makes on worldly things, he saves so that he can help his grandchildren get a start.
The greatest heritage a grandparent can leave is to live uprightly and teach the grandchild to live uprightly. A Christian heritage is the greatest gift we can give our grandchildren. God looks kindly on the children and grandchildren of the Christians.
While good men's estates remain with their families, the wealth of the wicked does not. In the providence of God, it will ultimately belong to the righteous.
"Tillage" here means freshly ploughed ground. It appears here that a poor man can find the food that he needs by plowing new ground as he is rewarded from the provision from his efforts.
We see that lack of judgment causes destruction. This is referring to those whose efforts are brought to ruin by their deeds of injustice.
We see in this Scripture that if we want our children to be successful in life, we must train them well when they are very young. Early childhood teaching requires both parental discipline, including corporal punishment and balanced kindness and love.
If a parent intends to help their child, they must correct them when they are wrong. The best way for the lesson to be remembered is for the correction to be made accompanied with a spanking. If we love our children, we will spank them when they are wrong. One who has genuine affection for his child, but withholds corporal punishment, will produce the same kind of child as a parent who hates his offspring.
We learn that God corrects His children that He loves, as well.
Hebrews 12:6-8 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
You see, if God loves you, He will correct you when you are wrong.
In Psalms 37:25 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." There seems to be special provision made for the righteous by God.
In Luke, we see this in Jesus' own words,
Luke 12-31 "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."
God will bless those who follow Him. They will not hunger or thirst. There is no such provision made for the wicked. There is a curse that goes with wickedness. In the end, the wicked shall be in want.
Proverbs Chapter 13 Continued Questions
We can see in this the husband builds the house and the wife makes it a home.
Dad is the head of the family, but mother is the heart that glues it together. I believe a family's morals are directed by the mother. The mother spends a great deal more time with the children than the dad does. Mother can make it a happy home or a sad home.
We will read and learn a great deal more about this when we get to (chapter 31 of Proverbs).
I will say just one thing more here and then go on. In many of our churches today, there are several times as many women in attendance as there are men. This should not be so, but we cannot deny the facts. Mothers of America, lead your family to church with you.
In Nehemiah, we see that our walk is not only important to us but is important to the heathen, as well.
Nehemiah 5:9 "Also I said, It [is] not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?"
You see, it is very important that we walk in our salvation after we receive it. There is someone watching you to see if you live the way you preach or teach. The very best sermon you can preach is to walk uprightly before God and man. The perverted person actually is totally opposed to God and His ways. Perversion is unnatural sin.
God tells us to walk the narrow, straight way to Him. The perverse way is crooked and leads to destruction. Perversion is an abomination before God. It is doing all sorts of unnatural things the Bible strictly forbids.
In 1 Samuel, we read:
1 Samuel 2:3 "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let [not] arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD [is] a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed."
You see, arrogance and pride try to force our opinions on others and this is wrong.
In Matthew 12:37 we see "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." We see that our good words save us.
In this scripture, the rod is a metaphor for the proud, inflicting tongue in a fool's mouth, which destroys the fool and others.
This is the very same saying as "a clean stable means you have no horses".
We all know where animals are, there is evidence of their being there. We see here, that even though the animal leaves a mess, it is very important to have him to work. Without the ox to pull the plough, there would be no crops. No crops lead to poverty.
Proverbs 14:5 "A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies."
In court, a false witness can be tried themselves for perjury. There is nothing worse to a neighbor than someone who tells lies about them.
We see that wisdom is for the humble who are eager to be taught. A scorner is not humble and cannot receive instruction in wisdom.
We see in the second part of this scripture, a teachable person who understands can accumulate more and more knowledge. The main thing is to remain humble enough to be taught.
Avoid association with all who cannot teach you wisdom.
This is just saying to listen to the words coming out of your friend's mouth, if they are not godly words and are lacking in knowledge, don't have him for a companion. You will become like the person you have for a close friend. The minute to leave is the first moment you see that he used bad language.
Doesn't this kind of go against the idea of staying around people so you can "witness to them"? Witness or become a close friend.
We see here in the wise person, one who carefully considers the options and takes the best way for him.
The fool is deceived and rushes off into things without considering the consequences. Their way is to cheat every way they can. Be sure your sins will find you out.
Proverbs 14:9 "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favor."
We see this in our society today. Anything goes is the motto. Sin is being made to look as if it is the best thing to do. Movies of all kinds (X-rated, R-rated, PG-13, and PG), are all full of sin. If you are a Christian, you should not watch any of the above.
You see only a fool would practice sin. Those in right standing with God (righteous), make better choices and in doing so they are in good favor with God.
We see in this Scripture that the feelings of our own heart are private. It is difficult for someone else to feel grief that is in your heart. If the grief is personal in nature, your grief is deeper than the onlooker's. The same thing is true with joy. You can share joy with a friend, but it is impossible to feel the greatness of it if it is not happening to you.
Fools ridicule their impending judgment while the wise are promised favor with God.
The wicked are only interested in building big, fine homes here. They are not thinking of the future at all. This life is one that leads to destruction. Things we accumulate here on the earth we leave behind when we die. We came into the world naked and our going out will be without earthly goods.
The Christian on the other hand knows that his true home is in heaven. Abraham knew this when he gave up his home in Ur of the Chaldees and dwelt in tents. He was looking for a city whose builder was God. We Christians should be looking to the heavenly city (New Jerusalem).
The problem with the chosen children of God in their journey was that they did what was right in their own sight. We must not listen to fleshly desire which leads to sin and death. This new teaching (new age movement), tells us if it feels good, do it. That is very dangerous. The flesh (feel good) walk will lead, as I said, to sin and death.
Two ways are offered to people, the narrow gate and the wide gate. The narrow gate is by faith, only through Christ, constricted and precise. It represents true salvation in God's way that leads to life eternal. The wide gate includes all religions of works and self-righteousness, with no single way in, but it leads to hell, not heaven.
Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him. Salvation is by grace alone, but is not easy. It calls for knowledge of the truth, repentance, submission to Christ as Lord, and a willingness to obey His will and Word.
Proverbs 14:13 "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth [is] heaviness."
Sometimes a person is laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside. The laughter is a cover up to keep from crying. The world's laughter will bring grief. We also can see in this, that worldly fun (drinking, etc.), makes you appear to be happy for the moment, but come tomorrow is the hang-over and grief.
Backsliding is listening to the lust of our own flesh. We are in a battle of the flesh against the spirit. To walk before God in a pleasing way and be satisfied with our own walk, we must put the flesh under the rule of the spirit.
The term backslider in heart was a term so often used by the prophets and is here used in such a way as to clarify who is a backslider. He belongs in the category of the fool, the wicked, and the disobedient and he is contrasted with the godly wise. It is a word that the prophets used of apostate unbelievers.
Proverbs 14:15 "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going."
We see here that a person should not believe every word someone says. We should always check what we are told the same as the Bereans (in Acts 7:10-11).
1 John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
This verse is a carry-over from the one before. This wise man here fears getting involved with the sins of the world and examines everything he is about to do to see whether it would be pleasing to God or not. The fool has confidence in himself and not in God. His self-confidence encourages him to do things against God's law and man's law and gets him into trouble.
Proverbs 14:17 "[He that is] soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated."
This contrast is between the hasty anger that is labeled as folly and the deliberate malice which produces hatred.
A hot-tempered person flies off before all the facts are in and winds up doing foolish things.
In the last of these above, we see this evil person is not just hot tempered and impulsive but actually plans to do evil. The second person commits premeditated sin. He is guiltier than the one who sins in anger.
Proverbs 14:18 "The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge."
The simple are the unlearned whether by choice or by birth. They inherit folly or foolishness because they do not separate good from evil very well. They don't make good decisions and are led away into sin.
The prudent however, (as we have said before), checks everything out and judges from his accumulated knowledge what is good. He is thought of by others (crowned), to be very intelligent: crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs 14:19 "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous."
This ancient custom was for the inferior to prostrate himself before the superior or wait humbly before the great one's gate seeking favor. Good will humble evil.
This may not be true now, but is certainly the last state of the Christian and the evil. The believers in Christ shall reign with Jesus for 1,000 years, and they will rule over the wicked.
Proverbs 14:20 "The poor is hated even of his own neighbor: but the rich [hath] many friends."
Social standing is improved with riches, but the good neighbor will have concern for all, regardless of their status.
We see here a selfish situation. One of the best illustrations of this in the Bible is the story of the Prodigal son. When he had plenty of money and was partying every night, he had just worlds of friends; but when the money was gone, his friends left, too, and he found himself feeding pigs for a few pieces of bread to eat.
This Scripture above is not speaking of true friends that stick closer than a brother, but is speaking of friends who are trying to get what they can out of you. A true friend loves you when you are poor as much as when you are rich. Jesus is the greatest friend a person could have.
This sad but true picture of human nature is not given approvingly, but only as a fact.
We read in James what the royal law is:
James 2:8 "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:"
We have used the Scripture before in these teachings, but it bears repeating again. The good that you do for others, the Lord counts as if you had done it for Him. In Jesus' own words He said,
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
The reward we get for doing for those who cannot repay us is in heaven when we stand before Jesus. As to still being on earth, we have the fruits of the Spirit (as in Galatians 5:22-23).
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith," "Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
A person who is constantly figuring up ways to do evil is getting further and further away from God all the time. Their heart is becoming harder and harder. It will be difficult for them to come to the Lord and find life eternal. Those who are seeking to do good God pours out His mercy upon, and they know the truth.
Proverbs 14:23 "In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury."
We can see in this that those who work reap a reward. It may not be in money, sometimes it is in just the satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best.
But the second person intended above is someone who always talks about work, but never actually gets around to doing anything. He never is rewarded in any way, because he doesn't do anything. Penury meaning: (extreme want or poverty; destitution, extreme dearth; barrenness or insufficiency).
Proverbs 14:24 "The crown of the wise [is] their riches: [but] the foolishness of fools [is] folly."
Sometimes we see the reward of the wise in riches. A person who uses wise judgment is better at business than a fool and sometimes is crowned with riches. Perhaps this is speaking more of godly wealth than earthly wealth also.
A fool and his foolish actions bring nothing but shame. This is emphatic language, playing on the word "fool" and showing that the only reward for fools is more folly.
Proverbs 14:25 "A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful [witness] speaketh lies."
We can see in this someone who witnesses of the Truth (Jesus Christ), brings others to salvation. A true witness is never harmful, but does good. The truth produces justice, on which the lives of people may depend.
We Christians are to witness the truth to the whole world. That was the great commission Jesus gave us. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
A deceitful witness destroys. The deceitful witness is of Satan himself. He is a liar and is son of the father of lies. Destruction is all he has to offer.
(In chapter 1 verse 7), we discussed the "fear of the Lord". That was the overarching theme of this book and particularity the first 9 chapters was introduced, reverence for God.
This reverential awe and admiring, submissive fear is foundational for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom.
We Christians know on whom we believe and have confidence that He will save us from the wrath to come. We are persuaded that He is able to do all that He has promised, therefore giving us strong confidence.
Hebrews 6:18-19 "That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:" "Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"
You see, Jesus has paid it all for us and made the way open unto God the Father for us. Jesus' shed blood is our protection and refuge. Our place of refuge is in Jesus.
Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."
We read (in chapter 10:11), that the Lord is the source of this fountain which springs up in the wise man as wise speech, wise laws, the fear of the Lord and understanding.
We read (in Matthew), the only fear that is permissible is of God.
Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
God is our source of life. Jesus is also the one who condemns to eternal death, as well. He is the only one to fear. When we ask Jesus into our life, we depart from the snares of death.
If you were king of a great number of people, there would be more honor than to be king over just a handful of people. The king over a small group could be easily overthrown.
This is a truism stating that a king's honor comes from the support of his people as they increase and prosper.
The Bible says do not be angry without a cause and also says do not let the sun go down on your anger. Even Jesus got angry, but we must be careful what we get angry about. There has to be true justice involved. God is slow to wrath, but there is coming a day when the wrath of God will fall on those who have rejected Jesus.
I believe this Scripture above is telling us not to get angry about every little thing. That shows that our relationship with God is not what it should be. The Lord wants us to be forgiving and loving to even those who do not deserve it.
James 1:19-20 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."
This is similar (to verse 17).
Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones."
We know the person who has a healthy heart is usually in pretty good shape physically.
I believe this goes further than the physical and is speaking of a heart in tune with God. One of the main things mentioned in Romans 10:9-10 to be saved is to believe in the heart.
Envy and strife go hand in hand. Envy eats you up from within and will totally destroy you.
"The rottenness of the bones" speaks of suffering which is like a painful and incurable condition.
God is the one who makes us rich or poor. We have very little to do with it. It offends the Creator when one neglects the poor, who are part of His creation.
In Psalms 10:2 we see, "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devises that they have imagined."
The whole meaning of this above is that if we love God, we will be good to the poor. But for the grace of God, the poor one would be us.
In 1 Thessalonians, we read that there are people who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."
You can see that there is no hope for the one who continues in his wickedness and never turns to Jesus and His righteousness. These are the those that are driven away from God by their wickedness.
Then we see the righteous have hope of the resurrection as we read the next 4 scriptures.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" "Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
Wisdom is not something we go around bragging about. It is a gift from God. Wisdom is hidden deep within us. A fool goes around bragging and looks very foolish for it. A wise man is quiet and someone else notices his wisdom.
Wisdom is quietly preserved in the heart of the wise for the time of proper use, while fools are eager to blurt out their folly.
Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people."
The United States was exalted as a nation for many years because we were founded upon Biblical principles. God blessed America because of its rich Christian heritage. Our country in recent years has gotten very far away from godly teaching, and we are becoming a reproach. As a nation, we must return to God quickly and God will help us.
2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
While just principals and actions preserve and even exalt a society, their absence shames a society.
We see that many times the king will choose a godly man to take care of things in his country because of the wisdom God has given him. Joseph is a good example of this when he stored food and saved Egypt and his people as well.
Haman, in the book of Esther, was a good example of the king's wrath falling on someone who brings evil. Haman was hanged by the king when he tried to destroy the Jews (read Esther chapters 3 through 9 to get the whole story).
Another example would be when King Darius's princes conspired to kill Daniel by having him thrown into the lion's den. Read the 6th Chapter of Daniel for the details.
Proverbs 14 Continued Questions
Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."
It takes two people to have an argument. If we will look here, we see that we must answer softly. The worst thing we can do is pout and not talk. Perhaps, we should silently pray a few minutes and then answer quietly. Screaming never accomplishes anything. It just causes a fight.
Angry words bring angry words in return. The first thing you know, there are problems difficult to settle, because everyone has said too much. The best way is to stay calm and talk quietly.
The tongue is a mighty weapon. The wise are very careful about what they say. They choose their words carefully. A fool blurts out whatever comes to mind. He takes no thought at all for what he says. He stays in trouble by the words that come pouring from his mouth.
Proverbs 15:3 "The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
In Revelation, we read about the symbolic meaning of eyes (which mean great wisdom). In this verse, I believe, this is speaking of the Lord being omnipresent (being everywhere all the time). He knows everything we do, even if it is done in cover of darkness. God is not out to get us. He sees all the good we do as well.
Words can destroy or words can heal. The wholesome tongue speaks beautiful words of hope. That tongue speaks life and not death.
The "Tree of Life" is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment. The wholesome tongue of the preacher brings the good news of the gospel, and if the message is heeded, it brings eternal life.
This perverseness is probably lies being spoken that will do harm to others.
Proverbs 15:5 "A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent."
A fool will not accept instruction, especially from his father.
He is a "know it all" has to make every mistake for himself instead of learning from others mistakes.
A person who takes instructions well will be saved much pain and suffering. He learns from other's mistakes and doesn't have to pay for each mistake himself.
In this, we see two ways of getting treasure. The righteous has much treasure, because he has earned it fairly and God has blessed him. The wicked earns theirs in an unlawful way, ill-gotten gain is soon lost.
In Luke we read of two different messages the lips bring.
Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
We see the heart is where the message originates.
We see one of the first offerings in the Bible being rejected by God. Cain's offering was unacceptable to God. Cain even killed his brother because of his jealousy.
External acts of worship, though according to biblical prescription, are repulsive to God when the heart of the worshiper is wicked.
Prayer changes things. God listens to our prayers. We see all the Patriarchs praying to God. Great men of the Bible such as Moses, Joseph, and David all prayed often to God. Even Jesus prayed to the Father.
God likes for us to pray. Prayer is a time for fellowshipping with God. We read in Philippians:
Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
When you pray, what does God hear? Is it the words you use or something else? What does this following scripture mean?
And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (see Romans 8:26-27).
So does this mean that it is not what comes from our mouths that God hears, but what we pray filtered through the Holy Spirit who searches our hearts for what we really believe and are saying? I believe so.
This is speaking of a way of life. A pattern is set to either walk the broad way of wickedness which leads to destruction or to walk the straight and narrow path which pleases God. There are only two paths. We must go on one or the other.
The path of righteousness is the path Christian must take.
Forsaking the way of life is intended here. Jesus is the Way of truth and righteousness and to forsake Him brings death.
Sin has to be repented of and corrected to get in the way which leads to life. Those who reject repentance and correction (in Jesus), shall die in their sins.
We see by this that hell and destruction are fully known of God. God also, can see into the heart of man and knows what is in each person's heart.
God even knows the desires of each person's heart. He knows the desires of our heart before we pray. But He wants us to pray.
Proverbs 15:12 "A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise."
This scorner is an arrogant, conceited person who dislikes anyone who tries to correct him. This possibly has to do with not wanting to be taught about God.
And of course, the wise would be telling him about God.
I have said so many times that you can look into the eyes of a person and tell what is inside them. If your heart is merry, your eyes will sparkle and there will be a big smile on your face. When the heart is sorrowful, the eyes are dull, and a big frown is on your face.
The spirit of man being broken goes along with the sorrow. Sorrow affects not only our outward look but affects one's spirit in a negative way, as well.
We see that the heart's desire of the first person here is to seek even more knowledge. The fool is always hanging on to every foolish thing he hears. He feeds on falsehoods.
We see, that this affliction is not physical, but probably had to do with depression. We see a person whose depression is almost continuous. This person never sees anything good; he looks at the dark side of life.
The contrast here is he of a merry heart sees everything from a positive attitude. Life to him is a continuous joy. The righteous always are at peace.
The joyous inward condition of the wise man's heart is described as a perpetual feast. Real happiness is always determined by the state of the heart.
We have said in an earlier lesson in Proverbs fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear of the Lord brings a relationship with God that will get you to heaven. There is no treasure great enough that it would be worth trading eternity with God for.
Wealth many times brings sorrow. Christians should be content with whatever state they are in. Wealth sometimes keeps people away from really close relationship with God. It would be much better to be poor and close to God.
This is telling us again, that pleasant company is far more important at a meal than the food on the table.
A dinner of herbs or vegetables is the typical dinner of the poor.
The ox is speaking of some fairly expensive meat. Herbs here, is speaking of a meal of vegetables. I heard someone say that for many years they didn't have enough money to buy bacon and eggs for breakfast, and they just had gravy and bread. She said we were happy and didn't even realize we were missing anything.
Happiness is what we are all looking for, not some special food.
Proverbs 15:18 "A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but [he that is] slow to anger appeaseth strife."
In this scripture, we see hotheads as contrasted to peacemakers.
We see again, here the wrathful man is always trying to start a battle over just any little old thing, but the man slow to anger is a peacemaker and will go to almost any length to avoid an argument.
Slothful means lazy, in fact, very lazy. A man who is this lazy will lie up in bed and let the thorn bushes grow up all around him. He is too lazy to remove them.
The righteous man speaks also of an industrious man who keeps his path clean and ready to go.
Proverbs 15:20 "A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother."
A wise son follows the instructions of his father and learns his lesson well. His father is proud of him, because he was an obedient son who was quick to learn and learned his lesson well.
The foolish man despises his mother, because he does not want to learn anything from anyone else and especially from his mother. She wants to help him, and he is too arrogant to let her help.
(Compare Prov. 14:12).
Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death."
This is a very good saying about listening to advise from others and weighing to make the best decision possible. The old saying goes, "Two heads are better than one".
A good decision is made with multiple wise advisers. The more crucial the decision, the more appropriate is corporate wisdom.
It would be foolish indeed to not discuss something to be done and then take the best advice.
Verse 23 is connected to 22. We see here one of the counselors who has given good advice and he rejoices in that his advice was taken. His message was given at just the right time.
Proverbs 15:24: "The way of life [is] above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath."
We see that the wise choose the way that leads to heaven above. They are aware that hell exists beneath. They are on a higher plane. They seek the way of the Godly. Their home is in heaven; and they refuse the way of sin that leads to hell.
The proud don't think they need any help from anyone. God loves and helps the humble. We must reach out for his help before He will give it.
When evil men try to take the property of widows, God will intervene. The most desolate (widows), who have God's help possess a more permanent dwelling place than the prosperous and self-reliant sinners.
God helps those who cannot help themselves. We really need Him, but some are too proud to admit they need Him.
Jesus taught that sin occurs first in the heart and thought.
In the following scriptures, we see the sin actually occurs in the heart and mind.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:"
Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
Matthew 12:34 "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:" "But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
The thoughts of the sinner are evil and are an abomination to God. A pure person has pure thoughts and his words are pleasant.
Some people just want more and more. To many, having a lot of "stuff" is something which makes them look good to others. In many cases, this gain is brought about by deceptive practices. This type person can cause a terrible financial or legal problem for their family as they can never be satisfied.
A greedy person is not just greedy with outsiders, but with the members of his family as well. The number one cause of divorce in America today is debt. A greedy person is always accusing the other members of the family for the debt mess they are in and consequently arguments occur which leads to divorce.
In some families, there is an unselfish person who enjoys giving to the rest more than receiving their selves. The person who loves to give and not get, will prosper or live.
The person who is slow to speak says fewer things that they regret later. A righteous person will carefully choose the words they say so as not to hurt the feelings of the one they are speaking to.
Wicked people don't guard their words. An evil person doesn't care about anyone else's feelings and just blurts out evil things.
Proverbs 15:29 "The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous."
Sin separates us from God. Some have taken this Scripture to mean that God will not hear the prayer of the sinful man. Judge for yourselves from the following scriptures.
John 9:31 "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth."
1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil."
I believe God does hear his prayers but will not answer until the sinful man repents.
God is far from the wicked because the wicked has rejected or walked away from God, not the other way around. God does answer the righteous quicker as we see in the following Scripture.
James 5:16 "Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
If we have Jesus in our heart, we have His Light shining within us. Others see in this person a joy unspeakable that radiates out to everyone they come in contact with. A good report maketh the bones fat is very similar to the statement: Good news lifts you up. It makes your heart leap within you.
Whatever is good, sound truth and wisdom stirs the heart by relieving anxiety and producing a cheerful face.
Proverbs 15:31 "The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise."
Over, and over again, in the book of Revelation, it is said, "He that hath an ear let him hear". This is talking about opening your ear of understanding to God. We are to be wise unto salvation.
The acquiring of wisdom demands a teachable spirit.
A person who refuses to be taught is hurting himself more than anyone else. An unlearned person makes many mistakes. He has no facts to work with.
The person who wants to understand will listen carefully to someone who knows more, and will even take correction from that person to learn.
We have said before that humility is very important. We must walk humbly before God. The honor must come from God and not man. If we fear God, we will follow in His ways. We will study his Word and know what His will is for our life.
If we fear (respect), Him, our desire will be to please him. This fear actually means we will love Him and respect Him and do everything we can do to obey His commandments and the things He has told us to do (through Jesus), in the New Testament.
Proverbs Chapter 15 Continued Questions
We see here a godly man. One whose heart is stayed upon the Lord. Jesus taught us in His own words in Luke that the Holy Spirit would put in our mouth what we need to say.
Luke 12:11-12 "And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:" "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."
God does not want us for our worldly abilities. He wants us because we are willing to be molded into His image.
Human responsibility is always subject to God's absolute sovereignty.
We see here again, that man's deeds are not always what the man really is. God looks into our heart and sees what our intents are. He judges the heart and not the deeds. The spirit of man is what we really are.
In other words, while man can be self-deceived, God determines his true motives.
This body is just a house we live in for a short time. Secular humanism teaches that we are the center of everything and that we should follow our own desires, but God says that leads to destruction. The flesh desires are what is right in our own sight. The spirit wants to please God and is truly the thing to do.
Proverbs 16:3 "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."
Every job we do should be done as unto the Lord. Jobs we do on our own are doomed to failure, but jobs done for Him are established forever. The thoughts that are established are the things the Holy Spirit of God has given you.
This scripture tells us that we must totally commit ourselves in the sense of both total trust and submission to the will of God. He will fulfill your righteous plans.
God made everything good. God did not make evil. Man has a free will and some choose to be evil, but God did not predestinate them to being evil. It is God's wish that all would come to the knowledge of God and be saved in Jesus Christ, but some will not accept salvation in Jesus and they will go bad.
Here is an excellent illustration of this found in the book of Romans:
Romans 9:17-23 "For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth." "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth." "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?" "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?" "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" "[What] if God, willing to show [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:" "And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,"
God's foreknowledge allowed Him to know who the wicked would be.
Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
God does not want us to be arrogant. Those who are proud of self, God turns away from. Pride is what caused Lucifer to lose out in heaven. He thought too highly of himself. He elevated himself in his own opinion up to the level of God the Father. This is the same mistake many Christians are making today. Some would have you believe that you will eventually be equal to God. This will never be. God will always be God, and we will be His servants.
We will even be His adopted children, but we will never be God. "Pride cometh before a fall". Even if a great number band together hand in hand and believe that they will be God, it will never work. God will punish those who try to elevate themselves too highly (one at a time or a large group).
We see in this purging a step that Christians must take. We are all saved by faith in Jesus Christ, but we must walk in that saved condition. This purging is the doing away with the sins of the old life. God's mercy and truth teach us a better way of life. It is our obligation to walk in newness of life (the better way). We must destroy (purge), the old habits.
If we truly love the Lord, we will have reverent fear of Him. We will be continually fearful of falling back into evil. This fear will not be because we are afraid of His punishment, but because we love Him and want to please Him.
A man who is pleasing the Lord is living a peaceable life. He is doing unto others as he would have them do unto him. He is loving his neighbor as himself. This type of life leaves no room for argument. It is hard to be at war with someone who loves you. We see also, that those who love the Lord are blessed of Him.
But, this general rule does not mean that we will not receive persecution from some of those enemies
Proverbs 16:8 "Better [is] a little with righteousness than great revenues without right."
I have seen so many people who have great wealth that they have acquired at the cost of their neighbors. These people are afraid to go to sleep at night. They have so many enemies that they have stepped on, to get to the top that they are in constant fear of retaliation from some of them.
Thank you, but I do not want any part of that kind of life, always afraid of losing what you have. Unlike the righteousness person in verse seven that if you had any enemies, they would be at peace with you.
Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."
We see here, that man plans what he wants to do, but God decides whether it will happen or not. One of the best examples of this in all the Bible is found in the 12th chapter of Luke where the rich fool was so selfish and would not do God's will with the abundance he had. He even tore his barns down and made greater barns to hold all his goods, but we will see what happened in Luke:
Luke 12:20 "But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"
It all comes down to this, our sovereign God overrules the plans of men to fulfill His purposes.
I believe we see here that the king was the final word in the kingdom. When the king said something, it was carried out as if it were the law. Kings were supposed to judge fairly and in many cases did; but an evil king like Herod let the people worship him as if he were a god, and this is wrong.
A "divine sentence" does not imply any occult practice that is forbidden, but one that is literally a decision from divine wisdom, in the words of the king who represented God. The king was under mandate to seek out and speak God's wisdom as David (in 2 Sam. 14:17-20), or Solomon (in 1 Kings 3:9-12). Also, Christ as King (in Isaiah 11:2).
God will not permit false weights. In all of God's dealings, we will see exactness; and He expects that from us, as well. God established weights and measures for His people, and He does not like for anyone to change them. Much more is taught on this in Exodus. God detests dishonesty.
Social influence for good or bad is in view here.
We know that a king is king because God allowed him to be in that position. There is a great responsibility to anyone in authority. They must live lives of dedication and sacrifice if they are to be a good king. They should set a good example for the rest of the people.
When they don't, God will remove them. A king, who follows after God's ways, will be king a long time; but an evil king will be overthrown.
Proverbs 16:13 "Righteous lips [are] the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right."
Everyone loves the truth. A king would especially love it. We learn in our Genesis study how Joseph was quickly elevated to the second in command in the land when he told the king of Egypt the truth about his dream.
Proverbs 16:14 "The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it."
The king can speak death to someone he is ruling over if that person gets out of line. The best thing to do if you are subject to him is to please him if you can.
This scripture points to the king's power of "life or death," which can be abused or used for good.
When the king is smiling and light hearted, you know there is not to be any executions. Life is in the king's smile. If you have pleased him, you will flourish in his kingdom, as the crops are more abundant when it rains at just the right time before harvest.
We discussed in a previous lesson how all the gold and silver in the world cannot buy you eternal life. We also talked about with wisdom and knowledge, you could acquire gold and silver.
In Proverbs 3: we discussed how divine wisdom yields the richest treasures (described in verses 14-18 as "profit," "long life," "riches," honor," "pleasant ways," "peace," "life," and "happy").
A plain road represents the habitual course of the righteous in departing from evil. As long as he stays on it, he is safe.
We read in the words of Jesus about the way that leads to life.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:" "Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride [goeth] before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Malachi 4:1 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."
Haughtiness leads to hell. A haughty person thinks too highly of himself.
We must throw in our lot either with God or Satan. The humble have thrown in their lot with God. The proud have chosen the ways of Satan. All of the wealth in the world would not even be a temptation to go the way of Satan and reject God.
The proud are those who have plundered the poor.
A person who trusts in God has nothing to fear. He has no reason to be unhappy. An honest business person will not fail, because his customers can trust in him. An honest business and trust in God goes hand in hand. Those who love and fear the Lord will be honest in not only in business, but in everything they do.
Trust in the Lord brings peace that passes understanding. Trust is one step beyond faith or faith to the utmost?
True wisdom (godly wisdom), is the subject above. Godly wisdom is recognized by others around you and they have respect for you because of the decisions you make. We see in the rest of verse twenty-one that people who speak nice things are listened to more readily. A person will listen and learn more from someone who speaks softly and kindly.
The "sweetness of the lips" is like "words of honey" which reflect intelligence, judiciousness and discernment in speech referring to eloquent discourse from the wise.
We are told often to hide the Scriptures away in our heart. This understanding that we have stored away will come forth as we need it. It will be like a well that we can draw from over and over.
"Wellspring of life" meaning the advice of the understanding person brings blessing, which the correction offered by a fool is useless.
We are told that when we need it, the Holy Spirit will quicken Scriptures to our memory. I believe that is what is meant by the wellspring here. A fool has no stored knowledge. He has no well to draw from.
Proverbs 16:23 "The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips."
In Matthew, we see in Jesus' own words that the lips speak what is in the heart.
Matthew 12:35 "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." The heart is the source of the words that the lips speak.
The heart referred to here commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason, but also includes the emotions, the will, and thus the whole inner being. The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech, sight and conduct.
Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words [are as] a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
We know that pleasant words bring happiness to the listener. Happiness makes anyone feel better.
The honeycomb is an analogy to seek the sweetness of wisdom's rewards.
One of the most dangerous things a man can do is try to do whatever feels good to him. This is the call of the flesh. The flesh life is a life of sin and destruction.
Both the narrow gate and the wide gate are assumed to provide the entrance to God's kingdom. Two ways are offered to people. The narrow gate is by faith, only through Christ, constricted and precise. It represents true salvation in God's way that lead to life eternal. The wide gate includes all religions of works and self-righteousness, with no single way, but it leads to hell, not heaven.
Proverbs 16:26 "He that laboureth laboreth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him."
Most people work to buy food for their table. If a person gets hungry enough, some of the people who do not like to work will go to work just to eat.
This is just saying, Labor is hard and often grievous, but necessary, even for the lazy.
Proverbs 16:27 "An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips [there is] as a burning fire."
This "ungodly man" literally digs a pit for his neighbor as a hunter would for prey and his speech is incendiary.
This, if done by a woman, would be called malicious gossip. The evil this man is telling burns and destroys those he is talking about. He is a false witness, stirring up strife with just an evil tongue.
Proverbs 16:28 "A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends."
This wicked man twists the truth so that he can cause trouble. He whispers in a neighbor's ear falsehoods about his friends and is not satisfied until he turns them against each other.
The word soweth or "spreads", is the same root word used for the release of flaming foxes in the grain fields of the Philistines. The whisperer is a gossip.
Haven't you known someone just like this? He is probably a drunkard and looking for someone to get drunk with so he will not feel quite so guilty himself. He may even be an adulterer and encouraging his neighbor to commit adultery too.
Sometimes it is no more than talking you into getting into a quick scheme to swindle someone out of their money. The best thing to do is to stay away from this type of person. We learned earlier that when we fellowship with someone, we become like them.
We are still talking of this evil man of verse twenty-nine. This is saying: keep your eyes wide open, don't fall for his sales pitch. Moving his lips means he talks you into bringing the evil thing to pass.
Proverbs 16:31 "The hoary head [is] a crown of glory, [if] it be found in the way of righteousness."
This calls for respecting elders.
We see the man with gray hair has lived this life and getting ready for his reward in heaven. Getting old is a blessing and a reward of a clean wholesome life. To me the hoary head is saying "you have run the race well, and you are on the last lap now".
Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:"
You see, not only are we to be slow to anger, but we are to put anger away from us. The spirit must rule over the body. The spirit ruled by the Lord has eternal life to look forward to.
This scripture is saying that he that is righteous is better than one who is mighty but not necessarily wise. The mighty can overtake and destroy a city or an army, but he that rules his spirit is mightier than he.
Proverbs 16:33 "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the LORD."
This is just saying they could cast lots to settle a matter if they want to, but really God is the one who decides who does what.
The casting lots was a method often used to reveal god's purposes in a matter. The High Priest may have carried lots in his sacred vest, along with the Urim and Thummim.
Proverbs 16 Continued Questions
Part of the thank and peace offering was eaten by the family of the offeror. When these offerings were made, it would have been feast day in the home. This much beautiful food would have meant nothing if arguing and turmoil was in the home.
Prov. 15:17 "Better is a dish of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith".
Many people of that day sopped their bread in water before they ate it like our fathers ate bread softened by coffee in their day. This scripture is saying that peace in a family is more important than the food and drink.
Our homes should be a place of peace to get away from the troubles of the world, not a battle ground.
We remember that the prodigal son who left his home and fell into terrible problems said, "the servants of my father have plenty to eat and more". He left this sinful life and came home to be a servant, because it was better than the life he was leading.
A really good example of a slave who was elevated by his master was Abraham's slave who Abraham entrusted everything to. He even trusted him to choose a wife for his beloved Isaac.
In Genesis, we see just what Abraham entrusted to this servant.
Genesis 24:2 "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:"
This eldest servant was in charge of everything and now Abraham has him to swear to him that he will go and get Isaac a wife.
We see here, the value of trusted servants. A faithful servant will rise above an unworthy son and receive an inheritance.
Silver and gold are made pure by melting them down with great heat. The impurities come to the top when they are melted and can be skimmed right off the top.
I believe this is saying that we may go through fiery trials (to make us more pure in heart). The Lord burns all the impurities out of us and makes us pure before Him.
A wicked person travels with wicked people. Their understanding is so twisted that they cannot tell the difference between someone lying and telling the truth. They believe every word these liars are saying, because they want to believe it. They lie too, and have gotten where they cannot determine the difference.
It is a terrible thing to look down on those less fortunate than your own self. The only reason you are not the poor one yourself, is by the grace of God. We must take tender mercy for all the down trodden if we are to be like our Maker.
I cannot imagine anyone being glad at calamities. This would have to be a very cruel person who would enjoy seeing others suffer. God wants us to love our fellowman.
"In as much as you have done it to the least of these you have done it unto me", is what Jesus said.
Children's children are grandchildren, and they named them correctly, grand. It seems we have more time for our grandchildren than we did for our children. For an old man to be with his grandson, it helps him remember his own youth; and he wants for him to have the things that he was never able to have. Perhaps, this is why we spoil them so. Children look to their fathers as an example of what they want to become. A truly good father brings joy to his family.
Proverbs 17:7 "Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince."
We know that a fool cannot speak excellently, because an excellent speaker (first of all), tells the truth in its entirety. We have been reading all through these Proverbs that the truth is not in a fool. A fool has no understanding as well. Whatever comes of his mouth should not be heeded. You cannot depend upon what he says.
Someone like a prince, whom God has put in authority, must be above reproach. As we said before, they must be an example for the rest of us. It is even more important that they speak truth. They directly affect the lives of so many who depend on their integrity.
Gifts sometime can turn the head of the receiver. Whether this above is a bribe or just a gift to a friend is not known, but either way, a gift sometimes softens up the receiver to be more cooperative with you.
This scripture could be referring to a bribe that brings prosperity to its recipient.
Here we see that we are not to pass on negative statements. If we hear something bad about someone, we should just let the story stop with us and not go any further. This shows that we love the person being talked about.
If we spread the tale, all it can do is cause us to lose a friend. This is what is called a gossip or whisperer.
Proverbs 17:10 "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool."
We see here that a fool is so used to being punished that even a hundred stripes won't even affect him very much.
A wise man, who carefully considers everything before acting, is not used to even being scolded; and it is a great shock to him to be corrected. Just a word of correction hurts the wise man more than a whipping bothers the fool.
This is the theme of a teachable spirit.
Rebellion is another form of witchcraft and is very evil.
1 Samuel 15:23: "For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king."
A person who rebels against God will miss heaven. A person who rebels against society will wind up in jail. A person who rebels against his family will find himself alone. A person who rebels against his teacher will find himself unlearned. You see, rebellion is very destructive.
The cruel messenger here is probably coming to tell him of the punishment awaiting him for his rebellious act. Just retribution comes against people who rebel and thus the king's messenger will have no mercy.
Proverbs 17:12 "Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly."
We all know that a bear whose cubs have been taken is a very dangerous animal. If you were to meet this mother bear, you would be in danger of great harm.
This Scripture says that a fool who is trying to get you involved in his folly is even more dangerous to your well-being than this bear. Or another way of putting it is, fools are less rational in anger than wild bears.
Proverbs 17:13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house."
Being unthankful for someone doing good is a certain way to make sure they will not be doing much good. The Lord rewarded His people for good behavior. He blesses those who follow His commandments.
Solomon knew this proverb well, since his father mistreated Uriah. Contrast this with the man who repays evil with good.
We see here that the time to stop strife is before it starts. This being compared to water reminds me of the little boy who had his finger in the hole in the dike holding back the flood. The minute he took his finger out and the water poured forth, the hole got bigger and a great flood came and destroyed the town he lived in.
This is saying that once it begins, even the smallest break in the dam sets loose an uncontrollable flood force that can't be stopped.
We must not open up and let angry words fly loose; if we do, someone will be destroyed and usually we are destroyed right along with the others. Leave off the strife before it starts.
We see, here, that judgment should be righteous. We should not overlook sin because we love the sinner, neither should we punish someone just because we do not like them. God wants us to deal fairly with everyone. He is displeased when we are prejudiced.
This is saying that the unjust judge is controlled by his pride, prejudice, bribes, and passions.
We see here a person who is trying to buy himself an education. This is really a good example of our society today. Many people cost their parents an awful lot of money trying to get them a degree from college.
These same people will not put out any effort to learn and have no business going to college. It is a waste of time and money because they have no desire to learn, only to get the degree.
Even wealth cannot buy wisdom for those who do not love it.
Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
In Proverbs 18:24, we will read there is a friend who sticketh closer than a brother. A true friend will not leave you when you are in trouble but will stand beside you through it all.
In Job, we read of Job's friends who give him all sort of bad news on top of the heartaches he has already endured. This type of friend is one that no one needs. In the end, Job had to pray and ask God to forgive them so that God will not punish them.
Brothers may fight in the good times; but when a great tragedy occurs they are by your side to comfort you and help you. A truly good friend is like a brother in the fact that tragedy makes them love you even more.
A true friend is a constant source of love, while a brother in one's family may not be close, but is drawn near to help in trouble. Friends are closer than brother's because they are available all the time, not just in the crisis.
We see, here, a man going on someone else's note and putting himself in danger. This is not a wise thing to do. You are actually obligating yourself to pay the full amount of the note when you sign someone else's note. If they don't pay, you have to. You see, it is very serious business to go on another's note.
We covered this in our lesson on chapter 6:2-4. The situation is so serious that it is imperative to take control on one's own God given resources and get out of such an intolerable arrangement immediately. (Deliver yourself before coming to poverty or slavery)
We see that a sinner enjoys causing heartache for others. Sin and strife walk hand in hand. We see, also, in this someone who builds a house that is real fancy from the outside so the neighbors will be envious of him. This can only bring destruction. Pride goes before a fall.
Plainly put: This is an image of a proud person who flaunts his wealth with a huge house having a large front door and who thus invites death.
A sinful heart brings forth sinful words. Ugly speaking, dirty jokes, and cursing bring even more sin. It is a never ending cycle that feeds upon itself and gets worse and worse. This person is not honest, and those who are trading with him cannot believe anything that he says. His deceit shows, and no one wants to trade with him. God will not bless him and destruction is what he is headed for.
When a son or daughter does some terrible sin, it breaks the heart of the parent. There is nothing sadder than for a parent to realize that their child has done some terrible crime. We struggle trying to raise our children the best we can and it looks bad on us, as well as the children, when they go bad.
Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
It is a medical fact that depression brings on many diseases such as arthritis. It is also a fact that being happy inside tends to bring good health. The spirit of man is the spark that keeps him alive. The breath of life that God breathed into man in Genesis, in my opinion, is the Spirit. We were just a glob of clay until God breathed life into us. A non-Christian is just a chunk of clay {very earthly} today, until God breathes His Spirit into us and gives us new life. We are dead bones in trespasses and sins until God gives us new life.
Remember the bones in Ezekiel?
37:1-14 "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones," "And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry." "And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest." "Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD." "Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: "And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD." "So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. "And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them." "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts." "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." "And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves," "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD."
Proverbs 17:23 "A wicked [man] taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment."
This is not a gift at all, it is a bribe. He waits until no one is looking and sneaks a bribe so that he can sway your judgment toward him.
This fool is never satisfied. He is always looking somewhere else to move to solve his problems. He needs to realize that the problem lays within him self. This is speaking of a fool's roving fixation in the absence of wisdom.
The wise person is aware that moving will not make problems go away. He looks straightforward and faces each problem as it comes. He never wavers. He stays on the path that leads to righteousness.
Proverbs 17:25 "A foolish son [is] a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him."
We see, here, something similar to verse 21. This grief he brings his father is in the fact that he did not take his father's instruction. Most people commonly think "like father, like son". You can see how this would be a grief to his father. This bitterness of the mother, I think, just speaks of her disappointment. Parents want their children to be even better than they were themselves.
Proverbs 17:26 "Also to punish the just [is] not good, [nor] to strike princes for equity."
The injustice of punishing those who have done no wrong is easily seen by everyone, and God will not tolerate it. This prince, here, is not speaking of title, but of someone who is honorable and fair. Only someone who was evil would strike out and punish the just or those with a princely nature. Many saints have been martyred for the Word of God, but God will judge harshly those who punish the just.
In the New American Standard Edition translation, this says "It is also not good to fine the righteous, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness." This then gives a clear statement on political and religious injustice, focusing on the equally bad mistreatment of the innocent and the noble.
Talking too much shows a lack of knowledge; especially talking too much about things you know nothing about. If you listen, instead of talk, you can learn a lot more. This speaks of a man who is incapable of restraining his words.
The man of understanding, as we have said before, considers all the facts before he speaks. Have you ever noticed that a man of few words really has something special to say when he opens his mouth?
It is a natural thing to like to hear your own voice, and people without understanding talk too much. People associate quietness with intelligence. If a man is quiet, then he is thought to be intelligent. If you are not real smart, just keep quiet and no one will know but you.
Translation: This is not saying that fools show wisdom in their silence, but that silence conceals their folly.
Proverbs 17 Continued Questions
This scripture refers to a man who seeks selfish gratification and accepts advice from no one.
A man must desire to have wisdom before it comes to him. The Bible says if you want wisdom to pray and God will give you wisdom. We see here a man who has separated himself from the world. He is seeking wisdom, so he separates himself and prays.
One problem with so many today in communicating with God is that we don't want to separate ourselves and think on the things of God and pray, but we will get answers for our prayers and we will receive wisdom in the process.
Proverbs 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself."
A fool is not interested in learning. He just is interested in his own thoughts. Today, in our society, the favorite statement is "I need to get off and find myself". This is foolish talk. In finding yourself, you are pleasing your own flesh. If this is a married person doing this, they usually find more than themselves. This type of activity breaks up families.
We must somehow get our eyes off of ourselves and stop trying to please self. Only a fool pleases self. A wise person is interested in pleasing God. Go off and seek God.
Proverbs 18:3 "When the wicked cometh, [then] cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach."
"Ignominy" means reproach, confusion, dishonor, or shame. We see in this that the sinful man despises those that are good. 2 Timothy chapter 3 describes the sinful last days and lists as one of the descriptions of the people as "despisers of those that are good".
Sin and punishment are inseparably connected, as evil produces both the feeling of contempt in others and its manifestation, scorn.
This is saying, these wicked tries to condemn the good. The evil one is not only a fool, but full of shame and confusion and is dishonored by all.
The man's words of his mouth, springs from the well which is his heart. A person of wisdom has beautiful words springing forth and continuing as a beautiful brook. His words are not a strong river that will bowl you over, but a gentle brook which soothes.
Wise speech is like a deep, inexhaustible stream of blessing.
We can learn from this that the wicked's testimony is not to be believed, especially when it is against the righteous. The wicked person has a selfish reason for his testimony and does not usually tell the truth.
To judge a matter by what a wicked person says would be wrong.
Proverbs 18:6 "A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes."
We see here that the fool starts the argument, and then says, "Let's just settle this with our fists".
The fool self destructs.
Proverbs 18:7 "A fool's mouth [is] his destruction, and his lips [are] the snare of his soul."
This is a continuation of verse 6. This fool gets into all kinds of trouble with what he says because his words are not guided by anything except his selfish desires. He is not controlled by the Lord, and is apt to use cutting remarks, and even cursing.
The tongue is a mighty weapon and either brings death or life in its speaking. With the tongue, confession is made unto salvation. You can read this (in Romans 10:9-10).
The words of a talebearer are whisperings that they would not dare say in front of the person they are talking about. These tales have one purpose and that is to destroy. The people listening just love to hear something bad about someone else. The common way to say this is that the listener swallows this lie up (hook, line, and sinker).
The word being used here comes from a Hebrew word, meaning "to swallow greedily." The proverb is repeated (in 26:22).
In other words, they think this is so good that they get it all down deep inside of them so they, too, can drag it out and do harm with it. The talebearer is not the only guilty one here, but the listener is equally guilty.
Proverbs 18:9 "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."
Neither the lazy nor the waster will have anything. One is too lazy to work and make anything, and the other throws away everything he makes.
To leave a work half done or poorly done is to destroy it.
Christians depend upon the name of Jesus Christ. His name is so powerful (the name of Jesus), that at His name all knees shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. We even pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. He is our strong tower.
Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
We see from this, without the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would not even exist. Salvation is in the name of Jesus. In John, we see that if we are Christians, we are in Him and He is in us.
The expression "The name of the Lord" is found only here in Proverbs and stands for the manifest perfections of God such as faithfulness, power, mercy and wisdom, on which the righteous rely for security.
Proverbs 18:11 "The rich man's wealth [is] his strong city, and as a high wall in his own conceit."
Most rich people are very proud of their wealth. They feel safe because of their riches, but if they are not careful, their pride and conceit will build a wall around them that others do not care to come in to. The rich man sometimes thinks his riches will save him from harm, but God will not be impressed by his riches. We dealt with this more thoroughly, earlier in Proverbs.
Proverbs 18:12 "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor [is] humility."
We see here that a haughty heart (thinking too highly of self), will bring destruction. It turns all away from you. A humble man that stands before God and man will be loved and honored by men on the earth, and God will have great love for him, as well.
A person who answers a question before he hears the question is a fool. How can you answer before you hear the question?
This just makes that person look very foolish.
Proverbs 18:14 "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?"
When the spirit is broken, people lose hope. I have heard doctors of medicine say that there is an element, other than the severity of the illness, and other than the medicine they have to give for a certain illness. It is called the will to live.
A person who says in his spirit, "I will not die", heals faster and to the amazement of the doctors sometimes lives when all human hope is gone.
On the other hand, you can give someone medicine that should cure them, and if they have no will to live, they will probably die. The spirit of man is his life. Many die from a broken heart soon after they have lost a loved one.
We see here someone eager to learn by doing and by listening.
Proverbs 18:16 "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men."
We see that a gift sometimes softens the heart and makes the way easier. This is not the word for a bribe, but rather the word for a present given to someone.
I think a very nice gesture is to carry flowers or candy to the host when you are invited to dinner. It is just a way of showing you appreciate the effort she has gone to, to prepare the meal. Little gestures of friendship make everyone feel good.
We see in this that the first man here is having an argument with his neighbor. When the first man tells his story, we have a tendency to believe his story is right and the neighbor is wrong, until we hear the other side of the argument. Then we get all the facts from both sides and can more effectively judge who is right.
The moral of this is, cross examination avoids hasty judgment.
Proverbs 18:18 "The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty."
If it is too difficult to decide who is right and who is wrong, the next best thing to do is to cast lots and let God decide. Whatever the outcome is, it is settled by the lot. They can go back to being friends. Strength of body has not settled this. The lot settled it.
We see that hurt feelings between physical brothers and between close friends are much harder to overcome than to go to war and take a city. They won't forget it. They have their guard up to any reconciliation you try to make.
There are no feuds as difficult to resolve as those with relatives; no barriers are so hard to bring down. Hence, great care should be taken to avoid such conflicts.
The Bible says that if we expect to be forgiven of God, we must forgive our brother. In fact, we are to forgive them as many times as they ask us. Over and over again, the Bible says 70 times 7. If your brother asks you to forgive, you must forgive.
We have to accept whatever comes our way when it is the result of what we have said, good or bad.
The consequences of one's words should produce satisfaction and fulfillment.
The greatest good and the greatest harm are in the power of the tongue.
We have used the Scripture (in Romans 10:9-10), so many times in this lesson. We learn in it that we must confess the Lord Jesus with our mouth to be saved. If we are ashamed of Jesus before men and do not confess Him, we are doomed to hell. If we do proclaim belief in Jesus with our mouth and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved.
Proverbs 18:22 "[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favor of the LORD."
God's plan is for one woman and one man to be married and become one flesh. They are to live together in peace and harmony and build a home for them and their children.
(In chapter 31 of Proverbs), we will go into the things that make a good wife. A wife should help her husband in everything and make him happy.
Proverbs 18:23 "The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly."
We see in this that the poor man is humble and must speak softly, but the rich man who is very proud speaks harshly to those he feels superior to.
The rich do not need favors from others, so they do not care how they treat people.
Some of the best advice I ever received in my life was: If you want to be loved, you must love the other fellow first. This is why you see one person with many friends and another with none. The humble person, who goes out of their way to be friendly, will have more friends than they can count.
Conversely, the person who makes friends too easily and indiscriminately does so to his own destruction.
The best friend you can have loves you, not because of what you have done, but in spite of what you have done. Their love has no conditions attached.
This is the kind of love Jesus had for all of us when He came and died on the cross for us while we were yet in sin. He died for us and saved us, not because we were worthy, but because He loved us.
We see in this poor man, someone who is poor in earthly goods only. He walks in his integrity; lets us know that he is not willing to gain the world's goods by any hook or crook. He is satisfied in the state that he has found himself in. He will follow Jesus whatever state he is in.
In contrast to him, we see someone who tells lies (perverse lips), and will do most anything. The Scripture above does not state it but implies that the second is rich, because he has gotten that way in an evil process.
Integrity is better than wealth.
We see here someone who is hurrying to get nowhere. He is without direction in his life. He is a foolish man who doesn't understand what he is doing and begins anyway.
Rashness which is the result of ignorance brings trouble. That type of person errs which means that they miss the mark.
Proverbs 19:3 "The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD."
It is man and his own foolish lust that causes sin in his life. He cannot blame anyone else. We see here that in this particular instance this man is complaining.
The fool blames God for his troubles and failures.
Generally speaking, we bring our problems on ourselves.
Proverbs 19:4 "Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor."
This literally means that wealth adds new friends while poverty alienates existing friends who grow weary of the demands of the poor.
We see that fleshly people who are not led by the Spirit run to those who have money to be their friend. Perhaps, they feel some of this will rub off on them. Since poor people have nothing they want, they don't visit them much. This is in direct opposition to what Jesus taught. People who do this are respecters of persons because of position and wealth.
We discussed this in a previous lesson. False witnessing is called perjury and is a crime. Even today in our society perjury is a crime punishable by imprisonment or fine. Even if a liar gets away with it here on earth, God knows if you have lied and He will punish the guilty.
We see here in both instances someone who loves to receive things that they have not worked to get. They think this prince may give them a position in government. In the second instance, every man means it is the world's way to enjoy free gifts.
Generosity or bribery could be the issue here.
In verse 7, we see that they feel like since he is poor, there is no way to make anything off of him; and so they stop going around him thinking he might want something they have. He begs them to come back, but they don't listen, because they think if they do come back, they will have to help him. This is a sorry lot that will not help their brother.
This goes hand in hand with verse four where we said: This literally means that wealth adds new friends while poverty alienates existing friends who grow weary of the demands of the poor.
A person who seeks wisdom seeks God. We know that wisdom is a gift from God. Truly all Christians should pray to receive wisdom. In the second part of this, I see someone who looks for good. A person who understands is not always looking for the dark side of life.
Proverbs 19:9 "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall perish."
Again, witnessing falsely is perjury and punishable by imprisonment or fine. Perhaps, this is not speaking of court. Even if the witness is between neighbors, when the truth comes out, there will be punishment even if that punishment is those neighbors will not have anything to do with you because they cannot believe a thing you say. No one likes or wants to be around a liar.
Neither are suited for possessions or responsibilities beyond their capabilities of managing wisely.
This is probably speaking of someone unwise who acquires sudden riches, fame or position, and really is not equipped to handle the job at hand. Arrogance, conceit, and pride are a by-product of wealth and power thrust on someone who has not been prepared to handle it. The only way a person would be able to handle this situation would be to humble themselves before God and cry out for His help.
We see here a man slow to anger. This Scripture is just saying a Christian who can overlook little injustices done to them by others is putting more stones in his crown he will wear in heaven. When we are forgiving others, we are making sure God will forgive us. Forgive and ye shall be forgiven.
This is a call to governmental authority.
The king frightens the people under him. He has the say over them as to whether they live or die (in this world). His favor is desired by all his subjects, because he can see to it that they prosper or fail.
We have gone into it before how a foolish son brings heartache and sorrow to the father.
Now we see that a wife who is continually complaining is almost impossible to bear. This continual dropping is pure and simple nagging. Many women, that wonder why their husbands seem to stay away from home as much as possible, could check out and see if they are nagging when he is home.
An obstinate, argumentative woman is literally like a leak so unrelenting that one has to run from it or go mad. Here are two ways to devastate a man: an ungodly son and an irritating wife.
A person's home should be a pleasant refuge, not a place with no rest. In our day, the table here could be reversed. Men should not nag, either.
I believe this Scripture is saying that you may inherit great riches from your father and have a big home, but you cannot buy a good woman. One receives inheritance as a family blessing.
For a man to receive a good Christian wife with wonderful principles is a gift from God. "Prudent" really goes into a lot of virtues. She would be industrious and intelligent, as well as being a Christian.
A wise wife is a result of divine blessing.
Proverbs 19:15 "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger."
Laziness and sleeping long hours go together. No one will hire a lazy person to work, if they know they are lazy. If a person doesn't work, there is no money to buy food with; so we see hunger.
Laziness for any length of time will affect your thinking, as well, and you will get to where you can't think clear thoughts. The doctors say now that a vigorous walk of 2 miles or more makes you think better.
While laziness leads to poverty, laziness is not always the cause of poverty.
We have said this before, but it is worth saying again. Throughout the Bible, God's blessings are on those who keep His commandments, and His curse is upon those of disobedience. Even if self-preservation were the reason you were obeying, you would not be disappointed. God cannot, and will not, lie. If He promises blessings, you can depend upon them.
Wisdom is equated with God's commandments. In a sense, Proverbs contains the applications and implications of all that is in God's moral law.
One of the best Scriptures to verify this is found (in 1 Timothy).
1 Timothy 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;" "Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
When you do good for anyone (especially the poor), you are doing that good deed to God. He will not forget and He will bless you for giving.
It offends the Creator when one neglects the poor, who are part of His creation.
Proverbs 19:18 "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying."
We see here that we are to whip (not abuse), our children. We are to teach them at a very early age, before they get too big to spank. We have pity on our own children and grandchildren; but if we want them to become responsible adults, we must teach them when they are very young to respect authority and obey.
Even if they scream and cry, we must spank them hard enough that they will think twice before they commit that sin again. Sometimes God has to spank us hard to teach us a lesson. Even if we scream and cry for help, He lets us have the problem long enough to learn a lesson.
(In Proverbs 13:24), we learned that there is great hope that the use of the "divine ordinance" of the Lord will produce Godly virtue and parental joy.
Probably, temper is the hardest thing for even a Christian to keep under control. When we are lacking in self-control (let the flesh control us), we act before we think and have to pay the consequences for our angry action. Temper is something God has to deliver a person from.
Repeated acts of kindness are wasted on ill-natured people. An onlooker can try to help, but may just make the angry situation worse.
Pray that God will help you to stop being angry. Pray that your spirit will control your body. The spirit walk is a walk of peace and quietness, living peaceably with your neighbor. Forgive them, even if they do not deserve it. You will be the better for it.
Proverbs 19:20 "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."
Christianity is a daily walk. The song "One Day at a Time" describes it perfectly. We are on a journey to our promised land. We should be getting closer each day to being more like Jesus. The word "Christian" means Christ like. In the light of that, we would have to say that there are very few Christians.
This Scripture above is saying each day receive instruction and grow in the Lord. When you are old, you will be wise unto salvation; because you have continually learned more and more about God. That is why daily Bible reading is so important. The more you read, the more you know of God's Word.
Man cannot always trust his own heart, but you can always trust the counsel of the Lord. Man must have a brand new heart engraved on with the laws of God before his heart is trustworthy. The counsel of God is found in the Bible.
Proverbs 19:22 "The desire of a man [is] his kindness: and a poor man [is] better than a liar."
Here again, it must mean a poor, honest man is better than a rich liar. God says He loves a cheerful giver. If a man desires to do good, he will be kind.
Rich liars are not kind since their lies bring harm; a kind poor man is more desirable.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Submissive fear is foundational for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom. While an unbeliever may make statements about life and truth, he does not have true or ultimate knowledge until he is in a redemptive relationship of reverential awe with God.
If a person fears the Lord, he is conscious that there is a Lord. For us to be saved, we must first believe that there is a Lord. We must believe that He died for us, and we must believe that He rose again. If we believe all of the above, then we want to rise from death to life, also.
The fear that is wise is a fear that we might not make the resurrection; that we might not rise to new life in Him.
If we are assured in our heart that we will live again with the Lord, we should be completely satisfied. As Paul said, we should be satisfied in whatever situation we find ourselves in on this earth, knowing there is a wonderful eternity with the Lord awaiting us. If we keep our minds on this, we will not even be tempted with evil. We will have overcome evil with good.
I see here, a man who is too lazy to feed himself. This man depends on others to make a living for him, even though he is able-bodied and in good enough health to work himself.
The lazy man's lack of action to move his hand from the flat, metal food saucer up to his mouth is because he is too lazy (as explained in verse 26:15).
This scorner seems to be beyond talking to and trying to help. Perhaps, he doesn't even want help. The smiting of the scorner here seems to be more in punishment of an act already done than an act to teach the scorner. The only one, it appears, will learn from this punishment is the onlooker (simple one).
This might even be said that this punishment is to teach the others what will happen to them if they act this way. The reproof here is probably verbal, but that is all it takes for an understanding person. The understanding one will learn and grow in knowledge for the reproof.
Three classes of people are noted:
(1) Scorners are rebuked for learning nothing;
(2) Naïve people are warned by observing the rebuke of the scorner;
(3) The understanding deepen their wisdom from any reproof.
Perhaps, this Scripture here about the father indicates that he not only wastes what he gets himself, but talks his dad out of what he has, and wastes his dad's savings also.
However, a son can waste his father in more ways than money. A son that will not take advice from his father has wasted all the stored-up knowledge his father could share with him. For this son to chase away his mother has to be something very terrible. Mothers do not give up their sons easily. Whether this literally means chases him out of the home or whether it means his evil deeds have driven her affection away, is very bad.
A mother's love is next to God's love. This son would certainly be a dishonor to his parents. Shame and reproach would certainly be the after effects of this life.
In this verse, it appears that the son comes into possession of his father's property during his parents' lifetime, but rather than caring for them, he drives them out.
You are taking instruction from the wrong people. Don't let the blind lead you is what I see in this.
This ungodly witness laughs at true judgment. He is not interested in justice. He laughs at the court and perjures himself to make whatever point he wants. He forgets that there is a righteous Judge (Jesus Christ), that he will have to stand before and account for this lie.
The wicked swallows wickedness. This wicked one just gets worse and worse.
Proverbs 19:29 "Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools."
This Scripture is closely related to (verse 28). This to me, is speaking of those who scorn judgment here will face the Judge of the entire world. The word "prepared" here, to me, indicates that this will happen in the future.
(In Proverbs 10:13b), we were told that "a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding". Meaning this is a reference to corporal punishment applied to the backside and recommends it as the most effective way of dealing with children and fools.
Fools many times, break laws and are punished for their law breaking. I believe fools will face the eternal Judge and pay for their evil deeds. The only way to avoid that punishment would be for the fool to become wise and accept Jesus as his Savior.
Proverbs 19 Continued Questions
We begin this chapter speaking of wine as a strong drink, thus beginning a new theme regarding temperance. Wine was grape juice mixed with water to dilute it, but strong drink was unmixed.
Eph. 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit".
While the use of these beverages is not specifically condemned, being intoxicated always is. Rulers were not to drink so that their judgment would not be clouded nor their behavior less that exemplary.
The meaning for "raging" is "arouses brawling". A brawler is violent, loud and uncontrolled. This describes the personality of the drunkard.
One of the worse problems in our society today, many think, is the abuse of alcohol. My own personal opinion is that abuse of alcohol is a symptom of a much greater problem.
The problem is sin or lack of God's security in our lives. Most people who drink heavily or in fact those who use drugs also, are running from reality. They feel that they cannot face their problems and they hide in alcohol and drugs.
Sin brings torment. The only way to stop drug and alcohol abuse is to have a national revival. Turn to God, away from sin, and He will bring you peace. There will be no reason to hide; you will have Jesus Christ as your help. Only a fool would refuse Jesus and live in the torment of drugs and alcohol.
This verse gives an example of what is and what is not the Lord's will. Believers are not allowed to be intoxicated with alcoholic beverages; the reason for this prohibition is wherein excess; that is drunkenness leads to moral intemperance.
This is clearly contrary to God's will. His will is the Christians be filled with (or by), the Holy Spirit. That is, they are to allow Him to fill them with God's own life, character and virtues. The analogy between these two moral states is this: a person filled with wine is under its influence; similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit when He controls his thoughts, attitudes and actions.
We discussed that fear of the king is fear of what he can do to you on this earth. If you provoke him to anger, you could lose your head or spend a lifetime in jail.
Men who resist governmental authority injure themselves (this can be seen in Romans 13: 1-5).
Proverbs 20:3 "[It is] an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling."
In our society today, many believe that they should avenge all wrongs themselves. The Bible teaches to be good to your enemies. Bless them that curse you. A fool keeps a strife going. He does not try to stop trouble. He meddles in other's business and causes strife.
I see in this sluggard (lazy person), someone who looks for just any excuse not to work. In this particular case, fields need to be plowed when there is moisture in the ground to keep from breaking the plow. If you miss the plowing time, there will be no reaping time. The cold is just an excuse not to work.
The sluggard says it is too hot to work in the summer. As I said, this is just an excuse not to work. He and his family will suffer for his laziness in harvest time. There will be no crop to gather.
This is the very reason, I believe, and that it is so important to study your Bible every day. If some day we were not allowed to have a Bible we could hold in our hand, we that have studied regularly would still have the Bible hidden away in our heart. No one could take that Bible away from us. This "counsel in the heart" is that kind of counsel.
The wise man has keen discernment reaching to the deepest intentions of the heart to grasp wise counsel.
There's a song called "There is a River" and it speaks of a river from deep within that frees the soul from sin. This "counsel", flows from way down deep in the heart, from a pure heart, stayed upon God. The good things that we have stored in our heart can be drawn up whenever we need them.
The Holy Spirit will quicken to us Scriptures that we have hidden in our heart as we need them.
Proverbs 20:6 "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?"
We must be very careful not to go around bragging on ourselves. The way of the world is for a man to brag on his own good traits. These very same people who are continually telling how good they are, are sometimes found wanting when they are tested to see just how much faith they really have.
There seems to be a lot more people who are eager to brag about themselves than there are those who are truly faithful to testify of God's goodness.
Faith is not fact. Faith is believing when we cannot see with our physical eye. Just a few men in the Bible were listed among the faithful in the Old Testament (you can find a list of them in Hebrews 11).
Proverbs 20:7 "The just [man] walketh in his integrity: his children [are] blessed after him."
We see by this that a just man lives his Christianity. He walks in his salvation every day. He walks uprightly before the Lord. People have great respect for him because they know that he walks uprightly before God.
Even his children are highly thought of by the community because of their father's walk before God. We see this blessing of children from their father's pleasing God in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Those who have integrity or who live what they believe, exist without fear of some evil being discovered, while those who are perverse and have secret wickedness will not be able to hide it.
The king as judge "winnows" or "sifts" data as he discerns evil and good.
We know that the King of kings (Jesus Christ), can see directly through those who would stand before Him and lie. There is nothing concealed that He does not know. An earthly king, who was used to judging, would be pretty well able to tell the truth from a lie also.
If they have been judging very long, every story in the world has already been tried on them. Their experience with people would tell them who is telling the truth. No one would dare do evil in his sight for fear that their punishment for their sin would be even greater. Just one look in the king's eyes and you would be compelled to tell the truth.
Proverbs 20:9 "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"
The answer is no one can make himself sinless. Only Jesus can cleanse our heart from sin. Our heart must be washed in the blood of Jesus to make us free of sin. His blood doesn't just cover our sin; it does away with it entirely.
Those whose sin has been forgiven are pure before God.
God hates dishonesty.
This sin does not just bring harm to the sinner, but to the person he has cheated by false weights and measurements as well.
Children do not conceal what they are. At a very early age, character starts forming, and a child is known as a good child or a bad child by the things he does and says.
Only the rod of correction and or God can change a bad child into a good child.
Proverbs 20:12 "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them."
God truly made our eyes and our ears, because we are His creation. Because God has given man the ability to hear and see, it should be obvious that He hears and sees everything.
I believe this is intended to mean the spiritual ear that listens and receives and the spiritual eye, as well, that sees things everyone does not see. In Revelation, over and over we are told that they have eyes to see and they see not and ears to hear, but they hear not.
These eyes (in verse 12), see and these ears hear. I believe this is saying that it is God that opens our understanding. We see spiritually and hear spiritually, because He opened our understanding to His secrets.
If you lie around sleeping all the time instead of working, you will not earn any money and you will be poor. If you work hard, you will have at least enough money to eat on.
Remember the ant back (in Proverbs 6:6-11)? There we said that "Folly" sends a lazy man to learn from an ant.
This is saying that it is wrong to run someone else's merchandise down just so you can buy it cheaper.
The condition of the merchandise (in this verse 14), suddenly changes to better when ownership is changed as the buyer begins to brag about his cleverness.
Gold and rubies are very valuable, but it is possible to have them if you have enough money. If you have enough money, they can be found.
I believe this Scripture is saying that a person who speaks in God's knowledge is very scarce and hard to find. Wealth is a blessing when honestly gained, but wisdom is more desirable.
We see in this that this man has carelessly put up his garment for security on another's loan; and when the other man could not pay, they have taken his garment. His mistake was going on the note in the first place. It appears that he has learned a lesson the hard way; he lost his garment in the process.
Garments were common security for a loan but they always had to be returned by sundown. Anyone who foolishly has taken on the responsibility for the debt of a stranger will likely never be paid back, so he will never pay his creditor unless his own garment is taken as security.
The word that was translated "strange" describing this woman means foreign, non-relative, and adulterous. We see from this that the pledge (in the second part of verse 16), has to do with a woman other than his relative. Possibly, she is a woman of ill repute.
There is a story in the 38th chapter of Genesis where Tamar took pledge of her father-in-law, Judah. Read the whole 38th chapter to get the story. I believe this last half (of verse 16), is speaking of a pledge given to a harlot woman.
We see in this "bread of deceit" that he has nourished himself with the sins of the flesh. Hebrews calls sin a pleasure for a season:
Hebrews 11:25 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;"
Sin seems to be pleasure, but the end is sorrow and regret. This statement "His mouth shall be filled with gravel" means that this sin leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Gravel indicates grating of teeth.
Proverbs 20:18 "[Every] purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war."
We see here again, good or wise counsel is a must. Only a terribly conceited person or a fool would refuse good counsel. War should certainly be gone into only after careful consideration. War is serious business and to jump into war unadvisedly could mean disaster.
If a person talks about someone else to you (talebearer), they will talk about you when you are out of sight to someone else. A talebearer is to be avoided. They reveal secrets and stir up strife.
Those who love to spread secrets will flatter to learn them.
We see in this Scripture the opposite of "honor thy father, and thy days will be long upon the earth".
Our mother and father's love is probably more than anyone else's. To curse them is, in essence, to curse yourself. This grievous sin will result in spiritual death.
This could imply an unjust method in gaining the inheritance, so that it will be lost by the same unjust ways or by punishment.
Usually, things that we do not earn don't last. It is the old saying, "easy come, easy go". An inheritance sometimes ruins the person receiving it.
I knew a family who were hard working people, and were just getting along fine. They received $100,000 dollars unexpectedly and it ruined their lives. The husband quit his job and started drinking. In a year, all the money was gone; he had no job and his wife had left him. He lost his house in order to pay the taxes on the $100,000. Their lives were ruined.
Unexpected inheritance can ruin you. Instead of it being a blessing, it winds up a curse many times, because we are not prepared to handle it. God knows just how much He can trust you with. Be content with what you have.
Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. The thing a fleshly man would do is go and get even, but if we are believers, we are not allowed this. We are to do good to those who persecute us. We must plead our case with the Lord, and He will see us through. The Lord is our shield and our defense.
It is God and not man that avenges evil and delivers us from the wicked.
We dealt with this earlier in these lessons. The Lord hates dishonesty of any kind and especially dishonesty and trickery associated with it.
Proverbs 20:24: "Man's goings [are] of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?"
This first man is taken from a word that means mighty man, and man in the second part means human creature. We see, then, that the man of God's goings are of the Lord. How then can a human creature understand his own way?
As we have said before, if Jesus is our Lord, everything that happens to us, good and bad, has to be okayed by Him. A man of the world does not understand his own way. A worldly man just gropes around trying one thing and another until he finds the Way, which is Jesus.
Since a man cannot comprehend the unfolding purposes of God's providence in his life, he has to walk in faith.
To declare something sacred, meaning to promise it to God in consecration as an offering, was irreversible, and therefore serious. Remember in Acts 5 beginning with verse one about Ananias and Sapphira?
When we promise something to the Lord, it is very important to keep the promise. If you were not able to keep the promise, you shouldn't have made the promise in the first place.
Proverbs 20:26 "A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them."
We see in this that the wise king is separating the bad from the good. In the wheel coming over the wicked here, we see the king conquering or perhaps even destroying these wicked.
The spirit of man is the breath that the Lord breathed into man that gave him life. You could even call it our conscience. The candlestick was in the church shining to remove the shadows. The Light of Jesus shines within all believers and destroys darkness. It searches out all the hidden sins and brings them to light.
We are told by Jesus in Matthew:
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven".
God's Light shining within us separates us from the darkness of the world. The light that is within us is the Light of Jesus.
Proverbs 20:28 "Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy."
We see in this that if a king wants to continue to be a king he must not be cruel, he must be merciful. Just as we Americans say that George Washington was the father of our country, people living in countries that have kings, look on the king as the father of their country.
A king that rules with mercy and truth will be king for a long time.
This is a very true statement of young men. They are proud that they are strong. Young men will pump iron or exercise to make them even stronger. Paul warns about putting too much emphasis on the bodily exercise.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness." "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."
The beautiful grey hair of an old man shows wisdom and experience. For a man to live long enough to have grey hair, God would have to have blessed him.
Wise use of corporal punishment deters evil behavior.
These stripes in the belly indicate punishment that is felt with our inner most being. We are supposed to see in the bruises and in the stripes that correction has come for the sins in our lives.
Proverbs Chapter 20 Continued Questions
The Lord is the one, in the final analysis, who will be King.
The Lord sovereignly controls political powers. Note the examples of the divine hand of God in the cases of Artaxerxes (Ez. 7:21-23); Tiglath-pileser (Isa. 10:5-7); Cyrus (Isa. 45:1-4), and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:34).
Just as the Lord through Moses ruled over the Pharaoh in Egypt and finally caused Pharaoh to let the people go. No one is so great (not even a king), that he is not under the rule of the Lord. Sometimes, God just places a thought in their head and rules them that way. For sure, kings and rulers are ruled over by the Lord. The Lord Jesus is King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. The rivers flow because God ordained it.
In Colossians we read:
Colossians 1:16-17 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Proverbs 21:2 "Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."
This is speaking of a false security that man has. While man can be self-deceived, God determines his true motives.
The evil the Israelites were guilty of over and over was doing what was right in their own sight. This, as we have said before, tends toward pleasing the flesh which is sin. God judges the intents of the heart. The heart is the center of our being, and actually controls what we are. It is either desperately wicked, or it is pure. There is no in between. God looks on the heart. The source of what we are.
Proverbs 21:3 "To do justice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."
External acts of worship, though according to biblical prescription, are repulsive to God when the heart of the worshiper is wicked.
God wants us to love Him so much that we will do justly and judge righteously: not from being compelled to do so, but because we love Him. It was very important to keep the sacrifices until Jesus became the perfect Lamb sacrifice and did away with all sin, for all time, to those who would accept Him.
Proverbs 21:4 "A high look, and a proud heart, [and] the plowing of the wicked, [is] sin."
This is speaking of a conceited person so filled up with self that their heart is even stayed on themselves. Pride is a very bad sin.
This plowing of the wicked translates to "Lamp" of the wicked. "Lamp" is used as a symbol for the eyes, which conveys their pride.
Verses 5-7 address the evils of ill-gotten gain. They show 3 major defects in the way this gain is acquired:
(1) Hastily, verse 5;
(2) Deceitfully, verse 6;
(3) Violently, verse 7.
This is speaking of a diligent worker who thinks constantly of working toward having plenty. People who do not consistently work and try to have something; wind up with nothing but want.
We have been talking all through Proverbs about how bad a lying tongue is. When a lying tongue is coupled with cheating, we see a terrible sin. Whether they are seeking death or not, that is what they will get by living treacherous or deceitful lives. All of this is caused by thinking too highly of self and feeling that the world owes you something. The Lord will save the humble.
Proverbs 21:7 "The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment."
Here again, we see the robber wanting something that does not belong to him. Little does he know that the one he is destroying is himself. They have no intention of doing what is right (just). They are only thinking of self.
As we learned in Proverbs;
Proverbs 1:18-19 "But they lie in wait for their own blood;" "They ambush their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; it takes away the life of its possessors."
Proverbs 21:8 "The way of man [is] froward and strange: but [as for] the pure, his work [is] right."
We see that the evil man is crooked and perverse. He does not walk upright. He is pushy (froward). Strange has a meaning of being alien. In this instance, a stranger to God. The pure in heart does what he believes would be right in God's sight. "The way of man" means the way of the worldly man.
We discussed in an earlier lesson how our homes need to be a place of rest and a refuge from the problems of the world. If our only place of rest is a battleground, then we are constantly in turmoil. It really doesn't matter how small the house is, if there is love there; but you cannot get a house big enough to be happy in, if there is continual fighting.
Since roofs were open like patios, a small arbor or enclosure in the corner of a flat roof was a very inconvenient place to live (see verse 19).
Proverbs 21:10 "The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes."
We see that the wicked have no mercy for anyone, not even their neighbor. They will destroy anyone or anything to get what they want. We see, here, that this evil one is evil through and through. His desires are all for self.
So strongly does he seek to do evil that he will not even spare his neighbor if he gets in his way.
We talked in an earlier lesson how the scorner has gone so far that even punishment does not change his evil ways. His punishment is in payment of his evil doings. The only one helped by the scorner's punishment is the simple one here. He sees what could happen to him if he doesn't change, and he changes and becomes wise.
The wise are eager to learn and receive more and more knowledge. You remember from an earlier lesson that knowledge is accumulated learning.
So there are three classes of people spoken of here. Scoffers are rebuked for learning nothing; Naïve people are warned by observing the rebuke of the scoffer; and the understanding deepen their wisdom from any reproof.
We see the righteous man considers what the wicked is doing. The wise man has no desire to get involved in the wicked's life style. The wise man knows where the final place of the wicked will be. He knows that in the end, the wicked will be overthrown and sent to hell.
This is the reverse of "give and it shall be given unto you". If you do not have mercy, no mercy will be shown you.
In Luke 6:38 we read, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
As we read (in Prov. 14:31). it offends the Creator when one neglects the poor, who are part of His creation.
Proverbs 21:14 "A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath."
When you give anything, it should not be broadcast so that you can get a reward. This first part could also mean a bribe.
This "reward in the bosom" means, to me, given from the heart. When you give a gift from the heart, it certainly will stop anger and hurt and wrath.
The person that does fairly (just), by others find pleasure in doing what is right. We see that the just (right doers), find real peace and satisfaction in knowing that they are pleasing God.
Terror and torment face those who work iniquity. They are afraid someone will find out how evil they really are. They are headed for destruction. No reward awaits them, only destruction.
I see here, a man who has been upright and walking in the path of righteousness. He has suddenly gotten off the straight and narrow path and is wandering. He understood, but now he doubts. Faith keeps us on the path to heaven. Doubt brings eternal condemnation. It would have been better for him if he had never known God's ways, than to have known God's ways and turned from them.
This is proven in the account of the simple man who was seduced as we read about (in 2:18, 7:22-23; 9:18).
Wine and oil are associated with unbridled luxury in feasting.
Wine and oil are expensive. The cost of a bottle of wine is enough to feed a large family. Even worse than the cost of the wine is what the wine causes you to do. Your judgment is not as good after you have drunk wine and you would be a spendthrift with money needed for other things.
Many people in our society today have expensive pleasures like golf, ball games, movies, etc.
Not only are these hobbies very expensive, but they use up a great deal of time as well. Time we should be working to take care of our needs is many times wasted in worldly pleasures. We are warned in 2 Timothy 3 about caring about pleasures too much (lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God). The chapter says it happens in the end times.
The only thing I see in this is that God has always had a sharp separation between the wicked and the righteous. It seems that the transgressor has a price to pay for his wickedness and God will not have the upright to pay. Their debt is paid in full through Jesus.
By suffering the very thing they had devised for the righteous, or brought on them, the wicked became their ransom, in the sense of being a substitute in judgment.
No one wants to dwell in a wilderness, but the comparison is made here to show how terrible it is to live with someone who is constantly finding fault. Moses fled to the wilderness for safety. Whether that is what this means that there is safety away from this evil woman or not, I do not know.
We read in Proverbs 21:9 that it was better to live on the corner of a roof. And don't forget the dripping from 19:13.
This is all saying that solitude with little is better than much with a contentious wife.
There really are two ways to look at this.
A wise man is careful in what he uses his money for. He saves for a rainy day and so his needs are taken care of.
This oil in the dwelling place would be symbolic of the Holy Spirit.
But a foolish man spends everything he gets as soon as he gets it and many times even before he gets it. He borrows money often so he has to pay for what he buys plus the interest, and it keeps him continually broke.
From a spiritual standpoint, there is a treasure to be desired, eternal life. The spend-thrift (in the spirit), keeps saying wait until a more convenient time and loses his opportunity to be saved.
Those who pursue "righteousness" and "mercy" receive more than they seek.
We have read over and over that righteousness is being in right standing with God. We also have read many times that it is Jesus' righteousness that we take on. We must accept Jesus as our Savior and we have righteousness. But this speaks of a walk (followeth), in that righteousness and mercy.
We are told to be merciful because Jesus was merciful to us first. Righteousness, mercy, and honor for us is a by-product of our salvation.
The first thing that comes to mind as I read this is the story of the Israelites searching out the Promised Land. The wise thing to do was not to question whether they could take the land or not. God said they could. Just do it and stop doubting. When they followed God's instructions exactly, the walls of Jericho fell down before them. We see in this that Godly wisdom is greater than body strength.
Proverbs 21:23 "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles."
Talking too much can get you into a great deal of trouble. Words spoken in haste are many times regretted at leisure.
James tells us:
James 1:19 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath".
Proverbs 21:24 "Proud [and] haughty scorner [is] his name, who dealeth in proud wrath."
We see in this someone who is un-teachable. Someone who thinks he knows everything is headed for trouble. He dishes out harsh statements to those around him, speaking from an evil heart.
Proverbs 21:25 "The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor."
We see in this verse, someone who will not work but wants everything he sees. First of all, he has too much idle time because he refuses to work. A person who does not stay busy has time to get into a lot of trouble. Idle time and desires for things you cannot acquire lead to crime, and crime leads to punishment and sometimes death.
Proverbs 21:26 "He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not."
This is a continuation of verse 25. In contrast to the evil, lazy person who has nothing and wants everything is the righteous who works hard and gives away a great deal of what he earns.
The sin of covetousness marks the lazy man as the virtue of benevolence marks the righteous.
In 15:8 we found that external acts of worship, though according to biblical prescription, are repulsive to God when the heart of the worshiper is wicked.
We found this to be true in the very first mention in the Bible of Cain and Abel. Cain's gift was unacceptable unto God. The worst thing of all was that he gave it knowing it was unacceptable. He wanted the easy way out. He gave earthly gifts rather than the offering God required. His gifts were earthly, not heavenly.
This is also why Churches should not accept racketeer or ill-gotten money.
Proverbs 21:28 "A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly."
To me this is saying that when the false witness is found out, no one will listen to him any longer. We see in this "man that heareth" (someone who understands), can speak many times and people will listen, because they know it is the truth.
Proverbs 21:29 "A wicked man hardeneth his face: but [as for] the upright, he directeth his way."
This hardened face means you can't change his opinion. He is not teachable. The Lord directeth the way of the upright, because the upright is doing it God's way. He is not so self-willed that you can't tell him anything.
The wicked become obstinate, maintaining what suits them without regard for others or the truth, while good people proceed with integrity.
Proverbs 21:30 "[There is] no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD."
Compared to the Lord's wisdom, we have no wisdom. We have no power at all when vented against God. God is the Creator, and we are His created. The Creator is always far superior to His creation in every way.
We see this most clearly when we read Job. Beginning in chapter 38 where God is speaking to Job when He asks "where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" And the conversation ends in chapter 41:34. A reading of these 3 chapters tells us we have very little understanding at all (this is what Job admits in 42:1-6).
Proverbs 21:31 "The horse [is] prepared against the day of battle: but safety [is] of the LORD."
"Horse" indicates war or military power. We cannot depend on military power to save us. The Lord is the Savior. He also is our very present help. Whether saving us from the wrath of God by transporting us to heaven, or protecting us while we are here on the earth, the Lord is our only true protection.
This is not a condemnation of adequate preparation but rather of reliance on it for victory, instead of on the Lord.
Proverbs Chapter 21 Continued Questions
A good reputation is more important than wealth.
Riches such as gold and silver are not permanent. They are nice to have, but are not nearly as valuable as more permanent things.
The good name of a family will help their children and grandchildren for a very long time. This certainly has to do with God's loving favor, as well, which no earthly treasures can compare with.
Proverbs 22:2 "The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all."
We are all (rich and poor), of the family of God. I like what one commentator said about this Scripture. He said God made the poor to work to make the wealth of the rich, and that He made the rich to provide jobs for the poor so they could make a living.
The poor should not envy the rich because great responsibility goes with wealth. The rich should not oppress the poor, because they have a master over them that is watching their behavior. The rich and poor should live in harmony as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Everybody is equal before God, rich and poor alike.
We see in this "prudent man" a person who is careful and plans ahead. If they see danger ahead, they withdraw until the danger passes.
The simple that is more abundant in number, move without thinking ahead. They move with the crowd and many times right into destruction. The punishment can be inflicted by others or by themselves in their headlong pursuit into danger.
Proverbs 22:4 "By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honor, and life."
In Matthew, we read of the humble and their reward:
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
We also read in Matthew:
Matthew 18:3-4 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
You see, being humble will get you eternal life in heaven. God's riches will be yours also. You will be joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17).
We see again here, a comparison of someone perverse who is snared in the trappings of earthly things and then a person who is walking in the Light of Jesus on the straight path which leads to everlasting life.
This evil person here, not only sets traps for others, but has thorns and snares in his own way because he is disobedient to God.
Those who have no regard for others find themselves on a path of problems. The person who keeps his soul, walks in the path that the Lord has provided for him. It is well lit and is a straight and narrow path.
The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.
There is only one right way, God's way, the way of life. That way is specified in great detail in Proverbs. Since it is axiomatic that early training secures lifelong habits, parents must insist upon this way, teaching God's Word and enforcing it with loving discipline consistently throughout the child's upbringing.
Children who are trained to go to church when they are young, will generally be church goers all of their lives. Many who survived being captured in recent wars tell that many times the thing that kept them from losing their mind was remembering Scriptures they had learned as children in Sunday school. Many parents have seen a child that was raised in church wander away from God for a period of time.
I personally know of none who have not come back as they grew older and had families of their own. An excellent source of teaching young children is in a program called AWANA, that is available in many churhes. Our children should be memorizing Scriptures along with their lessons, and AWANA teaches them to do just that. These Scriptures can never be taken away from them. When they memorize them, they are theirs to draw on forever.
Proverbs 22:7 "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender."
We know that for every rich man there are numbers of poor. Jesus said, "the poor you will have with you always".
Earlier we learned that the rich provide jobs for the poor. The person who employs people also rules over them. In this case, the rich are the boss.
While this is naturally true, the Law and Prophets condemned those who were oppressive.
In the second half of verse 7, we see not a contrast but a condition of the rich and poor. If you owe someone money, you are subject unto their wishes until you pay them. Your work you do, during the time you owe them, is used to pay them rather than to cover your own needs. In that sense, the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 22:8 "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail."
The principle of sowing and reaping is emphasized in this and the next scripture.
Whatever you sow, you will reap. We see, here, that if you sow iniquity, you will not gain anything. We see in the second half of this that angry attacks will not prosper, in fact, they are sure to bring failure.
We see in this someone who sees the needs of those around and gives food to the hungry. This person not only sees his own needs, but the needs of others. He gives to the poor, and God blesses him for his generosity. Give and it shall be given unto you.
The Lord said, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these you have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).
You see the rewards for those who see others' needs and gives to them are for this world and heaven, as well.
People who stir up problems are of no advantage to keep around. The sooner you get rid of them, the sooner your problems will go away. Those who constantly criticize are tearing down, not building up. Cast them out and get on with the job at hand.
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 Jesus says:
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
We have discussed in previous lessons that the words that come from the mouth, originate in the heart. We would see in this verse above that these words would be pure, because they come from the pure heart. Everyone loves a good report.
This king is the friend of this person, because he is guided by the Lord. The king wants to hear the Lord's word.
Even the most powerful are drawn to the wise.
We have studied in a previous lesson that the eyes of the Lord is referring to God's omniscience.
We see the eyes of the Lord watching over and protecting those who are following in His ways. This person, as we have said, is knowledgeable unto salvation. In the second half of this, we see that the Lord does not help the sinner further his sins.
Proverbs 22:13, "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets."
This lazy (slothful), man has really reached into the ridiculous for this excuse not to work. The lazy give lame excuses for not leaving the house to work. This is a good example of that.
First of all, lions don't hang around town. They would be in the jungle, not in a city. As I said, this is the feeblest excuse he could give for not working.
We see all through these lessons that the strange woman is an adulteress. The flattering seductions of such a woman, lure men into a pit, and God makes their sin its own punishment.
She says things with her mouth that flatters and causes men to follow her into her sin. Those who follow an adulteress will surely fall in the pit. Adultery is a very bad sin and might not only cause you to miss heaven, but now there are terrible diseases you might catch. There is punishment right here on the earth for this sin and if not repented of, an eternity in hell as well.
Children are mischievous. The way children learn right from wrong is by their parents training them. A lesson is best learned by making mistakes and being punished by those mistakes. A good paddling along with correction drives the lesson home.
The child, who is punished for doing things he has been told not to do, learns quicker than if he is just talked to. It is a natural tendency for a child to misbehave. A loving parent will spank him for bad behavior, and he will learn to do better.
First of all, it would be foolish to try to increase from the poor. They don't have anything. It would be like trying to extract blood from a turnip. It doesn't have any blood, so you can't get it. The rich do not need what you have. Either endeavor would lead to no gain at all.
We see here "bow down thine ear" means humble yourself enough that you will hear. Someone can talk all day, but if you do not receive it, you have done nothing. "Apply thine heart unto my knowledge" is speaking of the knowledge of God being applied to the heart.
Verse 18 is an extension of verse 17. The knowledge of God applied to the heart is a pleasant thing. If you keep it hidden away in your heart forever, your words will be coming from a pure heart and you will be speaking pure words. The knowledge God has revealed to you
should not be a shame to you, but a joy to speak.
We see, we are not to trust in ourselves or even the people around us, but in the Lord who will never let us down. God has revealed Himself to us. This last sentence in verse 19 is saying (believe it or not), I have revealed it unto you.
Proverbs 22:20 "Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,"
The previous counsels have been the same. He is just reminding them here that they already have been instructed in God's way.
1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
One of the reasons we learn the truth is so that we can pass it on to others after we have applied it to our lives. Not only are we to get saved by the truth of God, but we must minister truth everywhere we go.
Proverbs 22:22 "Rob not the poor, because he [is] poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:"
We see here, a warning not to oppress those who cannot help themselves. It also is saying not to judge them guilty because they do not have money enough to plead their own case. In the gate is where the judgment took place. If they were rich, they might have been able to buy favor, but the warning is not to judge them harshly because of their poverty.
Proverbs 22:23 "For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them."
We read in Hebrews that we have an advocate with the Father. God always helps them who cannot help themselves.
We are told over and over throughout the Bible to be careful who we fellowship with. We are warned not to be unequally yoked with those of unbelief, as well. A man or woman becomes like the people they spend a great deal of time with. You pick up their bad habits.
Angry men, and especially furious men, sometimes have murder in their hearts. If you are with them when they commit some of these crimes, you are guilty by association. The courts would call you an accomplice to the crime.
If you are around people that use bad language, you will use bad language, too. You get used to hearing his, and it becomes a bad habit. Fellowship has a tendency to teach you the evil ways of the one you fellowship with.
This again, is warning of the trouble you can get into by going on another's note. You can lose what you have worked hard to get, because the other fellow doesn't pay his debts. You can even lose the bed you sleep on to make someone else's note good.
When you sign another's note, it is you taking on his debt; because if he doesn't pay it, you will have to. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
Proverbs 22:28 "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."
These boundaries were set by holy men of God on direct instructions from God. This is a terrible sin. One of my pet peeves in our real estate business here in the United States is to buy a piece of acreage 40 acres "more or less." If the more or less is a few feet, it is understandable; but if it winds up several acres short, I believe it is deliberate deceit. I am sure the Lord would frown on such dealings.
We see, in the first part of this, a man who puts out tremendous work in his business. He puts every skill he has to the task. He works long hours and many days to make his business prosper.
Most young people today will not put out the effort that it takes to make a business a real success. They spend too much of their time doing other things and neglect their business. For the king to take notice of your business it has to be very successful and the business community has to have great respect for your ability and dedication to duty.
He will not be foreclosed upon or taken to court, because his dealings will be fair and upright. No mean men will judge him.
Proverbs Chapter 22 Continued Questions
Here is a warning to exercise restraint when confronted with the luxuries of a wealthy ruler who seeks to lure you into his schemes and intrigues. Daniel is the classic illustration of one who lived by this proverb, refusing the allurements of the pagan monarch, which he knew could corrupt him. (See Daniel 1:8). This has to do with the kings food and wine so he asked the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself and asked to be able to eat vegetables and drink water.
Labor for purpose is much more rewarding than laboring to be rich. First of all, you may never be rich; but if you are, it is fleeting in nature. Usually a person who gains great riches and has never been rich before cannot hang on to it, and it is soon gone.
The same chances that you took to get rich, you will still be taking to get richer (because one is never satisfied); and to get more, you endanger what you have. For sure when we die, we leave our earthly possessions behind. We came into this world naked, and we shall not take possessions with us when we leave. Riches are uncertain, Godliness is forever.
Rather than wearing one's self out pursuing wealth, pursue the wisdom of God and what glorifies Him, and He will bless with prosperity as He chooses.
We see in this that a man with greed may invite you to eat with him, but he begrudges every bite you eat. He really has some motive for inviting you to eat that he hasn't told you about.
This is the greedy one who, to be rich, hoards his riches, withholding from the poor and needy to keep and increase his own wealth.
This man is full of jealousy and even spite. He really cannot bear the sight of other's happiness and joy. Verse 8 is going right on with this also.
Proverbs 23:8 "The morsel [which] thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words."
He invites someone to enjoy his courtesies, feigning generosity, while really being sickeningly hypocritical, as his real god is to take advantage in some way so as to increase his wealth at his guest's expense.
This is just saying in the company of this man; this food is no good. Food eaten under begrudging eyes never tastes good. Good fellowship is what makes food good. You will really wish you hadn't eaten it, and long to get rid of it to get this bitter taste out of your mouth. When you get this feeling at someone's table, it is hard to find nice things to say.
Proverbs 23:9 "Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words."
You are wasting your time and his, to speak to a fool. This is true because fools hate wisdom.
We have learned in lessons before this one that a fool is not interested in learning anything. He will think you are just trying to act smart, and instead of appreciating you're talking to him, it will make him angry
Proverbs 23:10 "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:"
We learned (in Prov. 15:25), about evil men who try and take the property of widows.
This is saying beware of trying to defraud someone, who cannot help himself, out of his land or property. God Himself will take up his cause and fight for him. You would be trying to defraud God. God will not hold him guiltless who tries to defraud the helpless.
Proverbs 23:11 "For their redeemer [is] mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee."
In a normal situation, the near kinsman would rescue the one who had fallen upon hard times or avenge in the case of a murder. "Redeemer" is applied to God as the Savior of His people since the helpless had no voice.
Proverbs 23:12 "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge."
This is saying let the desires of your heart be to learn, and in learning, accumulate knowledge. Listen to words of knowledge, turn on your understanding, and keep it in your heart.
We see here, that punishment should not be overlooked in training a child. If he cries, it is not because you are killing him. The child will survive the punishment and thus avoid an untimely or premature death due to sinful conduct.
A lesson learned where punishment is involved is remembered better. In the Old Testament, a rebellious child was killed. Rebellion was associated with witchcraft. This is just saying, whip him and drive the rebellion out of him, before it gets too much hold on him. In the long run, you will save him.
Proverbs 23:15 "My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine."
This has to be said by the person who is the instructor. The instructor rejoices more than the student when the student learns well. It is a good reflection on both. The instructor, because he has taught well, and the student, because he has learned well.
Proverbs 23:16 "Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things."
In the NASE edition, the reins are actually speaking figurative of expressions of the inner man or the seat of one's thoughts and feelings.
The result of discipline is the child's wise choices, bringing the parents joy.
In Psalms 37:30 "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment."
We see, here, the reins of the teacher again. We know when righteous words come from the student's mouth that righteousness is in his heart. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
We see here, that sometimes sinners seem to be prospering in this world. We are not to envy them or their evil ways. Never look longingly at what they are doing.
Anyone who might envy sinners needs to know that their prosperity is brief. They will die ("be cut off"); then there will be a time when all iniquities will be dealt with and divine justice will prevail.
We must keep our eyes on the Lord and his teaching all the way. The overarching theme of this book and particularly the first 9 chapters is reverence for God. This reverential awe and admiring, submissive fear is foundational for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom.
Never let your eyes off the path of righteousness. Righteous living sometimes in this life seems not to be noticed by anyone. There is an end. The end is heaven, if you stay on the path that leads to God. The righteous will live forever.
Proverbs 23:19 "Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way."
The way of wisdom is the only right way. These are the things that a good teacher teaches. First, the student has to open his ears of his understanding so that his heart may receive.
Winebibbers are drunkards and riotous eaters of flesh are gluttons. Both are sinners and both are avoided by the wise man. People who take in a great deal of wine or other strong drink find that their thinking is affected and they cannot think clearly.
The "riotous eaters of flesh" are those who do not eat a balanced diet, but can eat several pounds of meat at one sitting. Alcohol and terrible excesses of food are very expensive and will take all of the money one can muster to buy all of this.
Even worse, is the fact that you cannot work drunk, and a glutton is so big he can't work. You can easily see these people would be poor.
We have discussed before that your father and your mother only want to help you. You are their own flesh, and they want even better for you than they had themselves.
Be glad when God is good to you and lets your parents live a long time.
The child in the home is to be willingly under the authority of parents with obedient submission to them as the agents of the Lord place over him, obeying parents as if obeying the Lord Himself. The reasoning here is simply that such is the way God has designed and required it.
Tell the truth at all cost. Whatever it takes of this world's goods to learn the truth, do it. This world will pass away, but the truth is eternal. This "buy" is speaking of knowledge and understanding.
Obtain the truth at all costs. Then never relinquish it at any price.
As we learned (in Proverbs 13:24), about early childhood teaching is that it requires both parental discipline, including corporal punishment, and balanced kindness and love. There is great hope that the use of the "divine ordinance" of the rod will produce godly virtue and parental joy.
Such discipline must have the right motivation and appropriate severity. One who has genuine affection for his child but withholds corporal punishment, will produce the same kind of child as a parent who hates his offspring.
Parents are very proud of their children who live a righteous life. The joy of the father and mother of a child, who God has blessed with wisdom, and who has increased in righteousness and knowledge, is even greater than the joy the child has.
We see some of the things of wisdom and understanding teaches (in verses 26, 27, 28). The first verse is another warning to listen to. The word "whore" (prostitute), is a very emphatic word showing just how revolting this sin is.
These terms refer to any immoral woman. Falling into her clutches should be as frightening as the prospect of falling into a deep pit or well, from which there is no escape.
We have said before that devastating diseases are associated with whoredom and homosexuality today. A man or woman of wisdom will not get involved in this type of sin. This sin involves the body, and the body (if you are a Christian), is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This sin, more than others, involves God in the sin; and this is an abomination to God.
Don't let the desires of the flesh; draw you out of fellowship with God.
Verses 29-35: We find these passages offer a powerful warning against drunkenness, presented as a riddle (verse 29 with its answer in verse 30). Following the riddle, come exhortations and descriptions of the drunkard's delirious thoughts.
A question drives home a lesson. This is what we see here. The teacher is asking these questions to get you to thinking seriously about what really does cause all of this; and then (from verse 30 through 35), the teacher gives us the answer.
Proverbs 23:30 "They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine."
Lingering long at the wine is indicative of constant drinking, so as to induce drunkenness. Searching for more to drink indicates the same pursuit."
This describes wine when it is especially desirable and when it is most intoxicating, perhaps as "strong drink" or mixed with spices only and not water, as opposed to the "new wine", which was fresh and unfermented or less fermented.
Proverbs 23:32 "At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."
This recounts the hangover, but also the more than likely destructive consequences.
Proverbs 23:33 "Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things."
The delirium and distortion of reality are part of the drunkard's miserable experience.
Here is the warning about the dizziness, sickness and confusion of the drunkard, like being seasick at the top of the mast, the most agitated point on a ship in strong seas.
The drunkard's lack of sense is so severe that his first waking thought is to repeat his debauchery and dangerous sin.
These last six verses are talking about people who drink too much.
Alcoholism, drunkenness, and drugs are a real problem today. The hangover from alcohol is like the serpent's bite the next day. The drunk cannot remember the terrible things he did under the influence of alcohol.
One of the worst things now is driving while drunk. When the driver of a car is under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the car becomes a deadly weapon.
Drugs can cause a hangover that lasts for literally years. Drug flashbacks can be devastating.
We see above that even though the person who was drunk was beaten severely, he wasn't even aware of it at the time, because he was unconscious and didn't notice. That part of his life is a blank. He can't remember. He doesn't even know who he was with, so he doesn't know who beat him. This should surely convince you to leave drugs and alcohol alone.
We see that we are not to want the way or the rewards of the evil man. We discussed before that fellowship with evil brings us guilt of their sin by association. Their ways are wicked ways.
Their desires are to destroy someone else and build themselves up by the hurt of others. They speak slanders and lies. Stay away from them before you learn their evil ways.
A family or home is built upon faith in God. A family with God as its center is established and is not easily shaken. Pleasant and precious riches and are not necessarily money, but are the wealth of love, happiness, joy, and peace.
The family that centers their lives on God has spiritual blessings in abundance. They may not have gold and silver in this world, but they are indeed rich.
A house can refer to a physical structure, a family or even a dynasty.
Wisdom and wise counsel are associated with strength.
Wisdom from God helps us in all circumstances. Wisdom, (advice from God) would be especially useful in war. When the Israelites fought their wars, they won when the Lord led them in battle; but when they fought the battles in their own strength without his help, they failed and lost many lives. God must guide us in everything or we, too, will fail.
Proverbs 24:7 "Wisdom [is] too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate."
Wisdom is a gift from God. Wisdom and Godliness go hand in hand.
A fool is so busy being foolish that he does not even pray and seek wisdom. The wise could even counsel the fool, and the fool would not realize that it was good counsel.
The wise follow after God and his teaching, and the fool goes the way of the flesh.
Since he was speaking about "the gate", we know that the leading minds were there debating the issues of life, and it was no place for fools.
Proverbs 24:8 "He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person."
A person who deviseth to do evil is a person who is planning some evil scheme to beat someone else. This evil person never tries to work and get ahead, he just figures up evil ways to trick others out of what they have worked for. In this, evil thoughts become evil deeds and show the mischievous ways of the evil one.
Proverbs 24:9 "The thought of foolishness [is] sin: and the scorner [is] an abomination to men."
Jesus said to desire to sin in your heart is a sin just as if you had already committed the sin. The heart will be judged even more than the deeds of man.
The rejecters of good Christian principles are themselves rejected of the righteous. Those who turn their backs on God are a terrible reproach (abomination) to the righteous.
Proverbs 24:10 "[If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small."
It is easy to talk about strength when all is well. Perhaps, if we were tested as Peter was when Jesus was crucified, we might be afraid and run away.
When troubles and trials come, we need to be as Stephen and stand up for what is right. If our faith is not strong enough to stand through a few trials, I would ask, where is our faith?
Withstand the devil, and he will flee from you. Greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world.
The danger here may be from unjust treatment or violence. Deliverance can either by giving a true testimony on their behalf, by providing what they need to survive, or by rescuing them from a fatal course.
We see here, someone who is in grave danger, and it is in your power to save them.
You cannot say, "I don't know about it." You see, it is no good to tell a lie to God. God looks into your heart and knows that you have the opportunity to help.
God is the One who knows the truth about the motives of the heart and the excuses for failing to do what is right.
If it is in your power to help and you don't help someone in desperate need, God will not hold you blameless. God knows the intents of your heart.
You will receive the same type of treatment from God that you have given your fellowman.
We see in this "honey", one of the foods promised the children of Israel as a blessing. They were to be given a land of milk and honey.
This is not a command to eat honey, but an analogy to seek the sweetness of wisdom's rewards.
Wisdom from God and knowledge (accumulated learning), go hand in hand. A wise person seeks knowledge; and having found it, lives a better life. The reward is a fuller life here, making better decisions. A person who is wise and has accumulated knowledge can set goals for himself and carry them through.
They are prepared with God's help to do mighty deeds. Their expectations are not cut off, because they have worked hard to achieve those goals.
In our last lesson, we learned (in 23:18), that there will be a time when all iniquities will be dealt with and divine justice will prevail. The righteous will live forever.
We see here, a plotting to destroy the dwelling place of the righteous and plotting this for evil gain. God warns against this type of endeavor.
A man's home is his castle. A man fights harder to protect his home than anything else he has besides his God and his family. To attack a man at home is a dangerous thing to try.
The "seven times" simply means "often" or "many". The plots of the wicked against the righteous though partially and temporarily successful shall not be ultimately successful; while the wicked will fall under God's eternal judgment and find no help or deliverance.
This is just saying that men of God fall into problems many times, as well as the sinner. It rains on the just and the unjust.
The difference in the just man is that when troubles and hardships come, he rises above them and just keeps trusting in God. The wicked gives up and starts trying to start shortcuts to get out of whatever mess he is in.
We are told over and over by Jesus to love our enemies and be good to those who despitefully use you. We should have love and compassion for anyone and everyone who are having problems, even if they proclaim to be our enemies.
Gloating over a fallen enemy can be more serious than the sin the enemy committed.
Proverbs 24:18 "Lest the LORD see [it], and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him."
We are told also, to feed our enemies when they are hungry. We are not to get even when someone does us wrong. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
Proverbs 24:19 "Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;"
Do not become angrily excited or envious at the apparent prosperity of the wicked.
Many people do not understand the prosperity of the evil man on this earth. This Scripture is warning the righteous not to want what the evil has.
There is no future at all for the evil one. His only pleasure will be right here on this earth. Their pleasure is but for a short while here on this earth.
On resurrection day, there will be a great reward awaiting the righteous in heaven. When we all stand before the Lord, the righteous will be given eternal life in heaven with our Lord, but the evil ones who rejected the Lord will be thrown into the lake of fire with the devil and his demons.
This goes with the scripture we learned (in 13:9 which told us): "The one who despises the word will be in debt to it but the one who fear the commandment will be rewarded".
There is no future at all worth having for the evil of the world.
Loyalty to the king is proper because he is the agent of the Lord's wisdom. That loyalty includes having no part with rebels who seek to subvert or overthrow him ("change"). Peter draws on this verse in his call to good citizenship (in 1 Peter 1:17 and 2:17).
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, as we learned in a previous lesson. It is also, an intelligent thing to have respectful fear of anyone who is in authority over you. The sentence "meddle not with them that are given to change"; tell us to not get involved with someone trying to overthrow the government.
Proverbs 24:22 "For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"
This is a reference to the retributive power of the king and of the Lord. Overthrow of the government, can wind up with those who are involved being tried for treason and hung.
These words introduce a brief section forming an appendix of further wise sayings that finish the first group of proverbs complied by Solomon to add to his own.
Acts 10:34 "Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:"
James 2:1 "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons."
You should read (all of James 2:1 thru 2:9), God is not a respecter of persons, as well. We should judge all the same with no prejudice because of wealth or prominence.
(From the end of verse 23 to verse 25), we see that injustice is evil and destabilizes society.
There is nothing worse than an unjust judge. The people can tell when someone is playing favorites, and they don't like it. They demand justice. Fair play is not only wanted, but demanded by the people.
The people want the guilty punished and the innocent to go free. The judge that does just that, without playing favorites, is respected and loved by the people and by the Lord as well.
Proverbs 24:26 "[Every man] shall kiss [his] lips that giveth a right answer."
I don't believe this literally means to kiss someone who tells the truth. It possibly means that every one shows approval of right answers.
This is saying that a just and righteous response is as desirable as this most intimate expression of friendship.
This is just saying for a man to build up whatever he is doing for a living, before he takes on a family, and before he builds a house to live in. It is saying, get your living established first and then go and build a house.
Or to put it another way, first secure by diligent work and planning a good living in your fields, then build. In other words, provide a financial base so that all the necessities and contingencies are secured, then move from the tents (which were acceptable), to a house (which was desirable).
Gossip is spoken of badly in the Bible. I believe here, that this is speaking of spreading untruths about the neighbors. If you were called to court to testify, you would have to tell the truth about the neighbors, but just telling things to get rumors started is bad.
Avenging the evil done by one's neighbor by offering false witness against him is forbidden.
Deceiving with the lips, perhaps, means stretching the truth to harm someone.
The Bible teaches, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is not our job to get even with him. Let God fight our battles with him.
We read in 2 Chronicles 32:8 "With him [is] an arm of flesh; but with us [is] the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."
You see, the Lord fights our battles for us; we do not need to fight them ourselves.
We know slothful means lazy. In this case, a person who is so lazy that he will not take care of his own garden; A person who has never gone to the trouble to accumulate any learning on how to take care of his vineyard.
He is so lazy that he has lain in the bed resting and let the whole place grow up with thorns and bushes; He has even let the fence get run down and now wild animals could come in and destroy the crops, that is, if he wasn't too lazy to put a crop in.
This year it looks like there will be no crop. The owner is too lazy to farm or run the vineyard.
Thorns also appear in his life (in 15:19), we saw.
After looking over the situation, there was no question but to fully understand that the owner of this land was in plenty of trouble.
Proverbs 24:33 "[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:"
The old saying, "no work, no eat" applies here. We see a person who is a sleepyhead. They lay up in the bed and sleep the day away. Even when they are awake, they spend time idly. A person like this cannot ever quite get around to working; even though there is plenty to do everywhere he looks.
A person on a farm need not hunger. You can grow a crop. This poverty coming is a sure thing when a person is too lazy to work.
Proverbs 24:34 "So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travaileth; and thy want as an armed man."
An armed man robs because he wants what belongs to others. This person, who will not work, also wants what someone else has worked to produce. This is a very bad thing. It not only brings physical poverty, but spiritual poverty as well, and destroys ones' self-respect.
Proverbs Chapter 24 Continued Questions
Starting in (Proverbs 25:1 and going to 29:27), we find Hezekiah's collection of Solomon's proverbs.
This collection of 137 Proverbs was spoken by Solomon and most likely copied into a collection during the reign of Judah's king, Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.), over 200 years later. This was consistent with Hezekiah's efforts to bring revival to Judah as he elevated the forgotten wisdom of David and Solomon.
In verses 2 and 3 the roles of God and the king are compared. God, whose knowledge is above all human knowledge and whose ways are unsearchable, keeps things to Himself because He needs no counsel.
We know there is a secret of God that will not be revealed till the end of the world. We know that the Lord revealed himself in part to the disciples and to all believers in Christ. He reveals to each of us what He desires us to understand.
We read a little of this in Romans:
Romans 16:25-26 "Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began," "But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:"
You see, God is a mystery. Jesus revealed the mystery somewhat in coming to the earth and telling us about God. All will not be known until we live in heaven with Him. A king, on the other hand, tells us what he knows. It makes him appear smarter.
A king has to get to the bottom of the facts so that he can judge a matter fairly. Kings should rightly seek to know what they must know in order to rule righteously.
A man can never search out all the heavens and cannot go to the center of the earth, neither can he really know what is in the heart of a king.
When extreme heat is applied to silver and it is melted down, the trash will come to the top and can be skimmed off and leave pure silver. This is very similar to a Christian. Sometimes God applies the heat (problems), to purify us. We are purged in the fire and made pure.
Verse 5 is associated with verse 4 above. Just as heat is applied to the silver and the silver is made pure, so is the kingdom made pure, so is the kingdom made righteous when the wicked are removed. The king has it in his power to remove whomever he will and to purify wickedness.
Don't pretend to be great and try to take the best places with the highest seat near the king. If he sees you and you do not belong there, he will tell you to sit in a lower place and that would embarrass you. If you stand in the background and the prince calls you up closer, then you feel really good.
This is just another way to say don't think too much of yourself as self-seeking and pride will bring a person down.
Quick anger causes embarrassment. The end to quick anger is repentance for what is said.
Proverbs 25:9 "Debate thy cause with thy neighbor [himself]; and discover not a secret to another:"
This is telling us how to solve a problem with a neighbor. If you have a peeve, go and tell the neighbor. Have prayer with the neighbor, treat him as you would want to be treated yourself, and your argument will be over.
Don't go gossiping to other neighbors. Settle it between just the one the argument is with and yourself. You will gain a closer friend.
Proverbs 25:10 "Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away."
This is speaking of your being faithful in your witness. An unreasonable person who will not talk out his problems, winds up ashamed by all his neighbors because of his or her unreasonable attitude.
Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver."
These "words fitly spoken" mean that these words come from a pure heart. Apples are fruit much desired and gold has to do symbolically with the purity of God. We see here, the fruit of these lips come from a heart filled with the pureness of God. These "pictures of silver" are beautiful in symbolism as well. Silver symbolizes redemption. When we see a person who speaks beautiful Godly words, we see a person we know has been redeemed.
We see here, that the message this reprover brings is a pure message. We also see here, the listener takes the good advice as part of his body, because an earring is attached to the body. This "ornament of fine gold" means that this pure message is ever before him. He has hung it around his neck.
We see here, a refreshing coolness which helps in the time of harvest. A heavy snow would bring disaster, but this is just a cooling off and refreshing. A faithful messenger is refreshing to his master. His master can depend on him to carry a true message.
Proverbs 25:14 "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift [is like] clouds and wind without rain."
Clouds and wind ordinarily bring rain. To expect rain and it not to come is very disappointing. We see that someone who promises a gift and then doesn't give it, is disappointing as well.
Proverbs 25:15 "By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone."
We see in this a person who remains calm and speaks without anger and prejudice; a king will listen to and be persuaded. Soft words will have more influence than force. You can break a person's bones and still not convince him, but a soft word is easy to listen to and will be more acceptable.
This tells us that patience is a mighty weapon.
A certain amount of sweetness is wonderful, but after you are full, extra sweetness can make you sick.
This could go with verse 17 that instructs the wise not to overdo anything that may lead to disgust and rejection, including overstaying or being overbearing with a friend who may begin to resent him.
We see in this that we are not to wear our welcome out with our neighbors. Close friends enjoy each other, but they also know when it's time to go home.
He is a very destructive person who bears false witness against his neighbor. He is as destructive to reputation as those weapons are to the body.
The sword shows what his cutting words can do. The maul shows how it beats others down with words of falsehoods (maul), and then we see the piercing effect of sharp words as sharp arrows. A person who does these vicious things is more destructive than any of these weapons.
We would be hard pressed to depend upon a foot that was out of joint to get you anywhere. When you were stepping on it, it would hurt so badly you would not be able to walk.
You would not be able to eat because of a broken tooth. It would be a painful situation to depend on someone who was unfaithful.
Untimely cheerfulness is unbearable. When you have a heavy heart, you are in no mood to sing or have someone to sing to you. To take away someone's coat when it is cold, would be a cruel thing to do.
To pour vinegar upon nitre (Baking soda), is to cause it to effervesce and lose its constituent power. Vinegar stings when applied wrongly.
When our brothers and sisters are sad, it is cruel to rejoice in their sorrow.
This is what Jesus taught that believers should do to their enemies. Be good to those who persecute you. Our rewards are not for this world, Jesus said over and over, "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).
Jesus even taught that if your enemy slaps you on the one cheek, turn to him the other also. Christians are to be Christ like. While Jesus was in great pain on the cross, He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
It is not the natural (fleshly), thing to do to be good to someone who is cursing you, but it is the way of the Spirit. Jesus fights our battles for us. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. The Lord will punish them, we do not have to.
Coals of fire does not refer to revenge or punishment but to the pangs of shame that will lead to reconciliation.
This theme here is one of cause and effect. As surely as a North wind drives away the rain cloud, so then will an angry look will sometimes stop a person from saying slanderous things about someone else.
We see here that what makes a home is not the size of the house, but it is the peace and rest there. To live with an angry brawling (fighting), person (man or woman), is miserable (see 19:13 or 21:9).
Proverbs 25:25 "[As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, so [is] good news from a far country."
When you are hot and thirsty, there is no better drink that money can buy than a cool drink of water. Or (as we saw in verse 13), a refreshing coolness which helps in the time of harvest. To receive good news is always nice, but to hear from a distant land is even better.
Christians are supposed to stand up for what is right. An attack on a Christian is actually an attack upon their Lord. For a Christian to be degraded by the wicked is like a beautiful spring of water that has been corrupted.
Christians' words come from a pure heart which is sometimes spoken of as a river which never has an end. This river from within is pure, because it comes from God.
A conceited person is not admired by anyone. In 2nd Timothy, we shall read of a person in the end times who does just that.
2 Timothy 3:2 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"
This is sin. If you eat too much honey, you will get sick at your stomach. If you brag on yourself, others will get sick at their stomach.
Eating honey here is analogous to enjoying the sweetness of your own self glory.
A city without a wall is in peril. It has no protection. A man's spirit is what he is. If he loses control of the spirit, he has lost control of himself. The spirit of a man must control the flesh, or else, the man will go the way of the flesh.
Such are exposed and vulnerable to the incursion of evil thoughts and successful temptations which leads them to hell.
Verses 26:1-12: The fool is described in every verse. Most verses compare aspects of natural order that are violated with the behavior of a fool. The deteriorating nature of foolishness is seen as the description progresses from drink to vomit.
Proverbs 26:1 "As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool."
We know that snow in summer is completely out of place and rain in harvest can ruin the crop. We know that it is completely out of place for a fool to be honored.
These damaging incongruities of nature illustrate those in the moral realm.
We see here, that a curse that is spoken without any foundation for the curse will not be harmful upon the one it is spoken. If any harm at all comes, it will be on the person who spoke it. The "bird" above has no particular place to go (wandering), and so is this curse without a cause.
In other words, a bird's aimless motion without landing is compared to a fool who utters an underserved curse as it does not land either.
Proverbs 26:3 "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."
In all cases, these are used to try to control. The whip controls the horse. The bridle controls the ass and makes it go where it should. The rod of correction is to control the behavior of the fool.
Proverbs 26:4 "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him."
Have you ever heard someone say, "That doesn't deserve an answer"? That is about what this is saying here. The question is perhaps intended to trap you. At any rate, a foolish question does not become wiser by giving a foolish answer. You see, to answer his ridiculous question would be as if you are saying this is a worthwhile question.
Taken together, these verses teach the appropriate way to answer a fool who is an unbeliever who rejects truth. He should not be answered with agreement to his own ideas and presuppositions, or he will think he is right. Rather he should be rebuked on the basis of his folly and shown the truth so he sees how foolish he is (verse 5).
Proverbs 26:5 "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."
This seems like a direct contrast to verse four, but on a closer look it is quite the opposite. You must be very careful how you answer. As we said above, whatever you do, you must not give the impression that this foolish question deserves an answer. The only reason to answer at all is to show him not to be conceited.
A fool will not take the correct message that you sent, but will cause you so much pain with an incorrect message that you will wish you had never sent him. The damage he might do could be unrepairable. The "cut of the feet expression" just shows how useless it is to employ someone who is a fool to carry a message.
Self inflicted wounds come to the person who chooses to depend upon a fool.
Proverbs 26:7 "The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools."
This is just re-emphasizing how slanted the message would be that a fool would bring. He would not be able to understand the parable and would bring a slanted message, leaning to one side or the other like a lame man. The message would be awkward and useless.
Proverbs 26:8 "As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so [is] he that giveth honor to a fool."
If you bind the stone to the sling, the stone cannot be flung and will never reach the mark. Honor given to a fool is undeserved and is very fleeting in nature. A fool is soon found out, and it would bring shame on the fool and on the one who bestowed the honor because of his poor judgment. The fool somehow never is able to hit the mark.
A drunkard takes no care at all and injures himself without even knowing it. This is exactly what is being said of the fool explaining a parable. He injures himself severely in telling it and is so caught up in himself that he is not aware that he has injured himself. Just as the alcohol has dulled the pain of the thorn, pride has dulled the senses of the fool.
Jesus is the Judge of all, the just and the unjust (transgressors). We have mentioned so many times in all these lessons, John chapter one that tells that the word (Jesus), created all things. So we know the rewarder is Jesus.
Matthew 5:45 "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
The reward, here mentioned, is not a good one. The transgressor, unrepentant, is headed for an eternity in hell, and the fool who has turned down salvation is headed there also. The reward of the righteous is eternal life.
Hebrew language is obscure on this so they can be many interpretations of what this verse is saying. Since it is impossible to know exactly what it said in the original, it is impossible to know exactly what it means. The translation might be: "Much brings forth from itself all; but the reward and the wages of the fool pass away."
This could mean, reasonably, that although he who possesses much and has great ability may be able to accomplish all he wants, that is not the case when he makes use of the work of fools, who not only do not accomplish anything, but destroy everything.
Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly."
Just as a dog is never through with the food that he has expelled and goes back to it, a fool who has momentarily rejected sin in his life, will return to it, as well. A fool must become wise to get rid of sin and stay rid of the sin. A fool will be enticed to sin the same sin all over again as his flesh calls him, because he has not learned anything from the first sin.
2 Peter 2:22 "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
The worst thing about someone wise in his own conceit is that he feels that he needs no improvement. He is in deep sin and is unaware of his need for help.
There are degrees of foolishness, with intellectual conceit being the most stupid and hard to remedy. This is applied to the lazy man (in verse 16 and the rich in 28:11).
At least a fool knows that things are not perfect with him. The fool, who realizes he is a fool, can be helped; but to feel you are perfect leaves no room for improvement at all.
This is a terrible situation: to get help from the Lord, we must repent, humble ourselves, and then the Lord will help us.
Proverbs 26:13 "The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion in the way; a lion [is] in the streets."
We touched on this before. It is a feeble excuse to get out of work. There are no lions in the streets. They are in the jungle.
Proverbs 26:14 "[As] the door turneth upon his hinges, so [doth] the slothful upon his bed."
The door is attached to the facing of the door and turns back and forth but goes nowhere. This is also what a lazy man does; he tosses and turns in bed, but doesn't get loose from the bed and go to work.
The lazy man loves sleep so much that he seems to be hinged to his bed. He stays in the bed day and night and tosses and turns going nowhere.
The hand in the bosom just means he doesn't have the heart to work even if it is to provide for food for his own table.
Proverbs 26:16 "The sluggard [is] wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason."
This sluggard is so caught up in himself that he will not take advice from others. He doesn't feel he should work to learn more either. He thinks he has all the correct answers with no effort upon his part at all. Not only 7, but any amount of people with good advice would be rejected by him if they did not totally agree with him.
The ignorant are ignorant of their ignorance.
Never, and I mean never, jump into someone else's quarrel. Especially when a husband and wife are quarreling with each other. Meddling tells you right off that this is of no concern to the passer-by. Meddling is interfering in something that is none of your business.
If you pull a dog's ear, he will bark and maybe bite you. The same thing will happen if you interfere in someone else's problems. They will turn on you and injure you.
In Palestine, the dog was not domesticated and thus to grab any dog was dangerous. The aggressor deserved to be bitten for his unprovoked act.
The serious damage done by deceit cannot be dismissed as a joke.
To say that your ugly words were only teasing is just not enough. To hurt a neighbor is a really bad thing, but to them laugh and say it was a joke, after the damage is done is inexcusable. This type of behavior could cause the damaged person to harm, or perhaps even kill you.
This is just saying, stop adding fuel to the fire and the fire will die down. A rumor cannot damage anyone until it is told, Gossip is like the wood. It causes widespread damage. To stop the damage, stop the gossip. This continues in the next verse.
We see there, a situation where the coals of gossip have just about gone out, but a contentious man who loves trouble will go in there and rekindle the mess all over again. To make coals re-ignite you blow on them and add a little kindling (gossip), to the fire. This makes an even hotter fire than you had in the first place. This evil man wants to keep the quarrel going so he stirs it up a little and gets it going full blast again.
Bearing tales is a very bad sin. The tongue is the evilest part of the body. It cuts at the spirit of man and destroys his inner most being, while a real knife cuts at the flesh of man. Cutting words that cut into our inner most being are hard to heal.
We covered this earlier in Proverbs when we said:
Proverbs 18:8 "The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body."
Proverbs 26:23 "Burning lips and a wicked heart [are like] a potsherd covered with silver dross."
We see in this a worthless vessel (potsherd), covered with silver to make it seem from the outside to be very valuable. If you are looking at this from the spiritual standpoint, it makes it appear to be redeemed (silver). This person, mentioned here, has beautiful burning lips which seem to be affectionate. They are a deceit coming from a wicked heart.
A cheap veneer of silver over a common clay pot hiding its commonness and fragility is like the deception spoken by evil people. This silver dross may be taken as "glaze." The point is this: just as glaze covers the rough pottery but cannot ultimately change its character, so the evil man cannot change his character by covering it with eloquent speech. This thought is expanded (in verses 24 to 28).
These "seven abominations in his heart" just mean that he is completely consumed with an evil heart. This "dissembleth" means that he uses words to tear apart everyone he sees. He is a very evil man. This man flatters you to try to destroy you. This is deceit to the utmost.
We see what modern society calls a two-faced man. He appears to be one thing and is, in fact, something entirely different. We see in this, that this person will be found out. Whether in this life or not, we cannot say, but when he stands before Jesus, all will be known. He cannot deceive the Lord.
This is just one more way of saying, what you sow you will reap. This just warns us that the fate we have planned for others comes home to us. Here again, this result may not come on this earth, but it shall surely come. The Judge of the whole world knows everything you do.
This lying tongue goes along with deceit. Perhaps here we see this going even further to destroy someone. Undeserved flattery causes great problems for the person receiving the flattery. This flattery is ordinarily used to try to con someone.
Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."
Fools think they know the future or can affect its outcome, but the future rests with sovereign God.
The best Scripture in the entire Bible to cover this (is found in James 4:13-15).
James 4:13-15 "Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:" "Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." "For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."
You see, our life is not our own. The Lord purchased us with His shed blood and we are His. We live or die as He sees fit.
If we honor ourselves, it is more like conceit and the honor is not very valuable. If another begins to honor you then it is accepted because it comes from an impartial person. Bragging on yourself is very close, as I said, to conceit.
We see in this that a fool's anger is almost too heavy to bear. No physical weight in this world is as heavy as the weight of the load this angry fool has brought. This heaviness this fool brings on is heaviness of the heart, which is very difficult to bear.
Have you ever heard someone say, when you told them good news, you took a load off my mind? This is the same type thing.
Proverbs 27:4 "Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?"
Envy is jealously which is the most uncontrollable sin.
Wrath and sudden anger are sometimes shown through a big fight, but when the anger goes away the fight is over. Many times, those angered with each other make up, especially if it is husbands and wives. This envy (in verse 4), seems to me to indicate jealousy.
Jealousy lingers on and is seldom settled. Jealousy is usually unfounded. It primarily stems from a low self-esteem. Comparing ourselves with those around us is a dangerous thing to do because it brings on sins such as envy, strife, coveting, jealousy, hatred, etc. Be satisfied with where you are in life and you will be much happier.
Proverbs 27:5 "Open rebuke [is] better than secret love."
I see even in this "open rebuke" here, a sense that this is more constructive criticism than rebuke. A person who truly loves you will try to help you overcome problems in your personality.
To genuinely love is to manifest the truth, even if it means to rebuke.
This "secret love", to me, seems to say I am not really interested in you at all. I care for you as long as no one but you and I know it. To me, this is not caring at all. A person, who takes someone for granted that they love, will soon find their selves alone.
Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful."
True criticism from a friend may hurt for a time but may be welcomed, for it issues from his love, whereas the kisses of an enemy are an attempt to conceal his hatred.
When a friend (a true friend), wounds you for the moment, it is to help you in the long run. As I said in the verse above, constructive criticism is good as it helps you to improve.
An enemy that flatters you with his lips is trying to maneuver you to his advantage. He wants something; and he thinks by flattering you, you will give him whatever it is that he wants.
The luxury and indolence of wealth make the best things tasteless, while the hard working person who hungers finds every bitter thing sweet.
This proverb extends beyond food to things in general, which means so much more to those with little.
Proverbs 27:8 "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place."
We see in the bird leaving the security of home, that out in the world there is great insecurity and uncertainty. At home, you at least know what you have. There is no uncertainty.
A man that wanders is not only out of place, but could be in danger. So the message is to stay close to home.
The prodigal son discovered that this uncertainty of the world was not for him and, like many others who venture away, came crawling back home again.
The smell of perfume makes a person even more pleasant to be around. Good friends who bring you good counsel, are always welcome too.
It is wonderful to have a good friend that you can trust their counsel. You have no fear of taking their advice, because you know they have your interest at heart. Everyone needs a friend that he can call on for advice.
We see here, that long-time family, oriented friendships are to be held in high regard.
We see that friendships built on mutual interest and belief are many times stronger than friendship with a blood relation who has no interest in what you are doing and is alien to your belief.
Many times, a friend will come to your rescue in a calamity quicker than a brother. Sometimes, the brother lives in another state and is not close enough to help immediately.
Adhere to tried and true friends. The ties of blood may be less reliable than those of genuine friendship.
There is a friend who sticketh closer than a brother. Solomon perhaps felt this more than usual, because his half brothers wanted him killed.
Proverbs 27:11 "My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me."
We could see from this what Paul felt toward Timothy.
Paul taught Timothy well, and he wanted to be glad about the activities of Timothy.
A parent, in a sense, is given credit or blame for what our children become. We are their teacher and some of the blame or praise should be ours.
A wise son accredits his father and also aides him in difficulty with appropriate answers. This proverb is true in reverse as well.
"Prudent" here translated means cunning or crafty. We see a man then that is totally aware of the situation around him. The prudent man is not just going straight ahead with no thought of safety. If he sees danger, he hides and protects himself as we learned (in chapter 22, verse 3).
In contrast to this, the simple man takes no thought of the direction of his life or even for the dangers which show up along the way. He is punished, because he takes no care at all in his walk. He steps in all the holes so to speak.
We went into this fully in a previous lesson, but we must touch on this again; because the fact that it is mentioned several times shows us that it is a very important lesson for us to learn. We see how ridiculous it would be to offer to secure a note for someone you hardly know with the clothes on your back. You could wind up naked and cold.
This "strange woman" (prostitute), charges for her affection and will leave him in the, same or worse, shape than the putting up security for a stranger.
Any man, who is foolish enough to guarantee a stranger's loan, especially if that stranger is a seductress, is a bad credit risk. If you make a loan to him, be sure to get adequate collateral.
First of all, he should wait until later in the day. Perhaps his loud voice has awakened the person he is trying to bless. When he blesses in a loud voice instead of quietly indicates that he wants everyone around to know.
Perhaps this is flattery which then raises a suspicion of selfishness.
This is probably because he wants something in return from his "friend". This very offensive blessing is probably thought of as a curse instead of a blessing by the receiver. Probably this blessing is in word only.
In verses 15 and 16, we see that this type of woman is impossible to restrain or tame.
This "continual dropping" can just drive you crazy, because it never stops. This contentious woman is the same. She never stops nagging, and she too, will drive you crazy; because you can't get her stopped. I really don't believe you could stop her from complaining any more than you could stop the wind from blowing.
The only thing that I can say about this ointment is that it probably smells good, and we know it is of a spiritual blessing because of the right hand. It appears spiritual blessings are withheld from her because of the word "bewrayeth".
Proverbs 27:17 "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
In this, I see that iron couldn't be sharpened by aluminum or some softer metal. We see in this that friends should choose friends of their same or stronger moral stature. To run around with a fool would not improve you at all. Someone of like beliefs will build you up when you are down.
Good friends keep you on your toes doing your best, because they expect the best of you.
The benefits of intellectual and theological discussion encourage joy through a keener mind and the improvement of good character which the face will reveal.
We know that those who take really good care of their fig trees can expect a very good crop. We see the comparison here of the one who works hard for the master and does the master's wishes shall also be honored.
My desire, as the desire of many others who work for God, is that someday we will hear him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant".
Proverbs 27:19 "As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man."
To look into a pool of clear water, man sees his reflection in the water. The feelings of our own heart are the feelings of other man's hearts as well.
One thing television has done is to make us see that even people we classify as our enemies have the same desires of heart that we do, and they hurt the same as we do. When we look into a man's heart, we see our heart as well.
Proverbs 27:20 "Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied."
We see here, that Satan never stops trying to cause men to sin. The lust of the eyes is what caused the sin in the Garden of Eden, and it is still what causes sin.
The Lord Jesus said to lust for a woman in your heart was committing adultery with her in your heart. Lust of the flesh causes sin. Unless you look with your eyes, you will not lust.
Man's desires are never filled up. They are as insatiable as the place of eternal punishment which never overfills.
Great temperature melts silver in a pot, and fire melts gold as well. We see in this that heat applied purifies. The trash in the precious metals comes to the top and is skimmed off. We are told that even under great pressure we are to praise God.
Popularity and praise "test" personal character.
Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name."
"Bray" means butt or pound. I see in this that you can take a fool and force him to be in a group of Christians (wheat), yet he won't learn a thing. To be changed into a Christian, a person has to be willing. God will not force Himself on us.
As we have said before, we must be wise unto salvation. The most foolish thing a person can do is reject the Lord.
This next section contrasts the common shepherd's labor and God's provision with the fleeting nature of uncertain riches and power (verse 24). Since all lands reverted to the original owners every 50 years, flocks were the staple wealth. Only by care and diligence could they be perpetuated and profitable. God's providence aids this effort to properly use the blessings of the land.
Proverbs 27:23 "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds."
Whatever type of work you do, you should do your very best. In fact, you should do it as unto the Lord. If you neglect your flock, you will not have a flock. If you take care of your flock, they will grow and make you wealthy. No one else will look after your things like you will.
Proverbs 27:24 "For riches [are] not for ever: and doth the crown [endure] to every generation?"
We see here, that just because you have riches doesn't mean that you always will. If you do not take care of what God has entrusted you with, you will find one day that all your wealth has vanished.
The crown endures as long as wise rulers stay aware of the needs of their people. People will overthrow rule if it is cruel or unfair.
The hay is grass that is seasoned and stored for the winter feeding, the grass springs forth again. At a different time, the herbs of the mountain are gathered. We see the farmer makes preparation to feed his animals all year round.
Proverbs 27:26 "The lambs [are] for thy clothing, and the goats [are] the price of the field."
Lambs grow wool, and they are sheared to make clothing. It appears that the goats are more easily reproduced, and the owner can sell them and pay for the field.
Believers are called sheep, and non- believers are called goats.
It appears that goat's milk is the main stay of the meals there, like cow's milk is in the United States. The young maidens milked these goats.
Goats were not eaten daily, but were cooked and eaten in some of the sacrifices.
Proverbs Chapter 27 Continued Questions
Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
A guilty conscience is a terrible thing, but is a prerequisite for confident living and spiritual boldness. We can see in this that the wicked flee because they are guilty of sin and they know it. Their fear comes from being found out and punished for the things they have done.
They are constantly looking over their shoulder, because they know punishment is coming. They just do not know when, or from where. Their guilty conscience has boldness to face everyone.
Their worst fear is fear of death and hell.
The righteous are such a drastic opposite. They have no fear of things of this earth because they are assured that greater is He that is within them than he that is in the world. God is on their side, and who can be against them.
They have no fear of death, because they are promised eternal life. Death of the body on the earth to them is like stepping through a door into all of eternity.
This is just saying that when evil prevails in a land, the rule will change real often. Good kings, such as David, reigned for many years. In fact, Saul, David, and Solomon each reigned 40 years.
Unrighteousness in a nation produces political instability with many who are vying for power, thus the tenure of each leader is shortened. Wisdom promotes social order and long rule.
Proverbs 28:3 "A poor man that oppresseth the poor [is like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food."
You would think the poor would be sympathetic to someone in the same predicament. Perhaps the selfishness of this poor has brought on his poverty.
The Lord Jesus taught "give and it shall be given unto you". Selfishness and greed bring poverty. This "sweeping rain" spoken of here, could be an unwanted heavy rain just as the seed is in the grain and washes away the chance for it to grow.
When the poor come to power and oppress their own, it is as bad as a destructive storm washing the fields clean instead of watering the crops.
At any rate, it does away with the prospect of food. Be sure the Lord will find you out. A selfish person, whether rich or poor, will not be blessed of God.
In Romans 1:32 we read, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."
We see not only a sinner, but a lover of sin, as well. There are only 2 sides you can be on. One side loves God and keeps His commandments. The other side loves the world and the wickedness it brings. The spirit (good), and the flesh (evil), are continually at war, and will be until Jesus returns.
Evil men (as we said in the verse above), have chosen to follow Satan instead of God. Seeing, they will not see; and hearing, they will not hear; because God has closed off their understanding.
Those who seek the Lord will find Him. The Holy Spirit of God reveals the secrets of God to those who seek God. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guide. Understanding is for those who seek God.
The poor man here is speaking of being poor in things of this world, but rich toward God. The things of this world are temporary. There is no lasting value connected with earthly wealth.
We are cautioned to be rich in good works, storing up treasures in heaven where rust doth not decay the riches.
Those who are rich in this world, those who have accumulated by their evil dealings, have no rewards stored in heaven. If they did, someone else would have to use it because their home will be in hell.
We see that a father of the wise is proud of his son and proud of the way he has raised him, as well. The keeper of God's law and man's law are usually one and the same. They respect authority.
"Riotous" means glutton (as we learned in Proverbs chapter 23:21).
Proverbs chapter 23:21 "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."
An evil man's parents are ashamed. They are ashamed that their son has failed, and ashamed that they did not do a better job raising him. The pride of parents is all gone when the son goes bad.
Usury was interest on loans exacting too much interest. In fact, Israelites were not to charge each other interest at all. Usury in our day would be to charge 30% interest when interest rates are really 10%. Unfair interest is always usury. It is usually charged to the people who can least afford it. They must pay whatever someone asks, because their credit is no good.
Unjust gain is any worth a man gets unfairly. Sometimes it is legal but not moral. Many times, it is against the law as well. God will not bless those who take advantage of others. In the long run, they will lose everything. God blesses those who help others. Give and it shall be given unto you.
In the providence and justice of God, such wealth will be forfeited to someone who treats the poor fairly.
God wants our obedience to His law. God's law is not grievous. It is actually to help us. God blesses those who keep His law.
In Isaiah, we see that God doesn't want to hear our prayers unless you are willing to stop sinning.
Isaiah 1:15 "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."
Verse 16 tells us what to do for Him to listen.
Isaiah 1:16 "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;"
As we learned (in 15:8), external acts of worship, though according to biblical prescription, are repulsive to God when the heart of the worshiper is wicked.
(Here in verse 10), we see those who are blinded to Biblical truth leading others who are blind in the same way and both falling into the pit. Those who are righteous (in right standing), should be doing the leading and should not be led astray.
The attempted corruption of the righteous is a wicked sin.
So many false teachers are getting into the churches today and are teaching things that people want to hear, not the truth. Many are led away not recognizing the lust of their own flesh causes them to sin.
The good things the upright have are love, peace, joy, happiness, holiness, and many other spiritual gifts. They can rest at night having no fear of tomorrow. They have the best wealth there is: wisdom from God, a clear conscience, the grace of God, and the greatest possession of all-eternal life.
We see many times the rich are self-centered. They have been told so many times how great they are, that they have come to believe it themselves. The rich man has a hard time coming to God, because he feels self-sufficient. To come to the Lord, we must first humble ourselves, and that is very difficult for a conceited man to do.
It is easy for him to fall into the "New Age" movement which teaches man is his own god. He thinks too highly of himself and this is very dangerous. Wisdom and godliness cannot be purchased with money or fame.
Riches are not always possessed by the unrighteous and wisdom by the poor, but, more often than not, this is the case due to the blinding nature of wealth.
This seems to be a victorious rejoicing. Everyone is thrilled when the righteous does well; but when the wicked take rule, everyone feels like running and hiding because of the evil intents. Or, when wicked people come into power, the righteous shout, (11:28), groan, (29:2), and hide (28:28).
This evil man who takes power would just want more power and wealth. No one would be safe. His rule would be one of terror.
Sin must not be hidden but confessed.
In 1 John 1:8-9 we read, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
If we cover our sins, God will not forgive them. God has mercy on whom He will. He loves us and forgives us if we confess and ask forgiveness.
This is speaking of godly fear unto salvation. The only fear permissible is fear of the Lord. This is reverence, as we have said many times before.
This "hardening" is speaking of spiritual hardening of the heart. This is a refusal to repent and accept God's pardon of sin through Jesus Christ. To reject God's offer of forgiveness and cling to one's sin is to accumulate more of God's wrath and earn a severer judgment.
Just as Pharaoh of Egypt hardened his heart and had terrible consequences, hardening the heart causes us not to accept God; and that is disastrous.
If we harden our heart to God, it opens the door to Satan and all of his evil.
We will get into this more (in verse 18 below).
A roaring lion goes seeking whom he may devour. The poor have nothing to protect them and fall prey to this evil ruler.
A ranging bear and a lion will destroy the helpless. You may be sure the evil king will do no less to the poor.
This first prince does not understand the needs of his people and would be an evil oppressor of his own people. The tyrannical leader who is covetous is foolish and short lived. The people would desire to overthrow this evil prince.
His opposite would be a prince who realizes there is a God over him, and he would be seeking to help and not harm his people. They will shout, "Long live the prince".
We see in this verse, a cold blooded murderer. He has no peace at all: not of conscience or from the avenger. His guilt and guilty feelings shall follow him to his grave (pit).
Whosoever is inwardly tormented by the murder of someone takes to ceaseless flight to escape the avenger of blood and the punishment of his crime. The exhortation is to avoid helping a murderer with any support, refuge, or security against the vengeance which pursues him for the arm of justice.
He flees and finds no rest until the grave receives him.
We are told here not to comfort or help him. He is a first-degree murderer. He must pay for this terrible sin.
We have spoken many times in these lessons of how perverse sin is a sick sin. It generally has to do with unnatural sex. The walk of the upright is in the light, following in the path Jesus set before us. Perverse sin is so out of tune with God, that there is great punishment in this life, as well as in the next, for this sin.
In one instance, when they would not turn from their perversion, God said turn them over to a reprobate mind.
Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"
2 Timothy 3:8 "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith."
Titus 1:16 "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."
Definition of Reprobate: One rejected by God (a sinful person; an individual with low morals or principles). To have strong disapproval of something (to condemn). Of God (to abandon or reject), to deny eternal bliss. To refuse (set aside). Rejected (cast off as worthless). Rejected by God (damned, sinful; Immoral).
God reveals his wrath against sin in several ways, either directly or indirectly. Directly: We can use the examples of the worldwide flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Babylonian captivity, and even the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross.
Indirectly: through the natural consequences of violating His universal moral law. One of the consequences is called the wrath of abandonment, which is removing restraint and letting people go to their sins.
Psalms 81:11-12 "But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me." "So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels."
Prov.1 23-31 "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;" "But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:" "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;" "When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you." "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:" "For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:" "They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof." "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."
Hosea 4:17 "Ephraim [is] joined to idols: let him alone."
Ephraim was the largest and most influential of the northern 10 tribes, Ephraim's name was often used as representative of the northern nation. This was an expression of God's wrath of abandonment. When sinners reject Him and are bent on fulfilling their wicked purposes, God removes restraining grace and turns them over to the results of their own perverse choices. This kind of wrath (is that found in Romans 1-18-32).
This reminds you again of the prodigal son who had plenty on his father's farm, but he tired of the farm life and went to town. He spent all the money of his inheritance and wound up hungry.
Persons who are not afraid to work and grow a garden will always have plenty to eat, but vain living brings poverty.
Blessings are the product of honest labor. Just as Abraham was rich in gold, silver, and cattle because he was blessed of God, God will bless you abundantly if you have the faith of Abraham. Abraham was saved and blessed by faith. We are blessed and saved by; faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Someone in a hurry to get rich is taking short cuts. His ways are not pleasing to God, because they are not honest. God will hold him responsible for the way he made his money. Wealth in itself is not evil. Our attitude toward the wealth can be very evil.
We see bribery associated with this. (piece of bread). Some judges accept bribes and release someone just because of favors or because of who they are. God expects us to treat all men fairly.
We see in this man with the evil eye, a man who wants what belongs to others, a man who is motivated by greed. He has no regard for how he gets what someone else has just as long as he gets it soon.
Money or wealth gotten from evil ways and in a hurry has a way of leaving just as fast. Poverty is inevitable for this man, because God will not bless him.
We see in this a spiritual rebuke of a person who is slipping away from God. A backslider who is helped back to God will thank you for it later.
Someone who flatters with the tongue and says everything is okay can do you great harm. Flattery has no value but reproof does, so it leads to gratitude.
Truth is always the best rule.
This man is not only a robber, but is a robber of his own flesh and blood. Thieves can think of good excuses, but there is no reason to rob.
To plunder one's own family is an unthinkable crime, but it is worst yet when denied. This person not only destroys his parents' living by taking their material goods, but breaks their hearts as well. He is not a builder, he is a destroyer.
This is arrogance that satisfies itself at the expense of conflict with others and never knows the prosperity of humble trust in God.
A proud heart has to do with being puffed up with self. He stirs up strife because he feels no one has an opinion worth hearing but his own.
Trust goes farther than faith. It is when we rest in the Lord knowing that all is well. When I say "rest" here, I do not mean we stop working. I mean we have complete confidence in the Lord.
"Walketh" means continues to walk. We must trust in the living God. We cannot trust in ourselves. The wise in heart seek God.
Our own thoughts must be under subjection to God's will in our life before we can trust in our heart. God's laws must be written on our heart for us to have a trustworthy heart.
God counts everything you give to the poor as if you were giving to Him. Everything you give to Him is multiplied and given right back to you. You cannot out give God. He that has something to give and does not is cursed of God. God loves a cheerful giver.
"Hideth his eyes": is referring to one who does not respond to the needs of the poor.
Wicked rulers cause great trouble to their people when they are in power. We spoke earlier how the ungodly rulers will be overthrown by their people. As we said (in verse 12), "when wicked people come into power, the righteous shout, groan and hide.
The righteous shall rise and take their place.
Proverbs Chapter 28 Continued Questions
This refers to a man in a state of increasing obstinance, along with an un-teachable spirit.
A man who has been corrected over and over. Each time he was corrected just made him more and more stubborn.
"Hardeneth his neck" Just meant stiff necked. His destruction will come suddenly. "Without remedy" indicates that he is doomed, because he never changed. Stubborn self-will has destroyed him.
We see here, that the welfare of the people is better served under the righteous than the wicked. A righteous man will rule justly. There will be no prejudice or bribing.
The truth will be the rule when the righteous are in control. It will be fair to everyone. The poor, the widows, and the homeless will be cared for.
On the other hand, when the wicked rule, the order of the day would be to make the wicked ruler richer. Every decision he made would have a selfish motive. He would have no regard for others' welfare, just his own.
This could describe the political turmoil of the northern kingdom of Israel in the time of Hezekiah, who collected these proverbs.
A man who keeps company with a harlot is an embarrassment to his entire family. His family cannot be proud of who their son is dating and certainly does not want a grandchild from this union.
A harlot is one for pay, so the man will spend all of his money on this and wind up poor, as well as being looked down upon.
We see the king (just king), brings proper judgment in the land. The whole country is healthy in the rule of a just king.
This second half of verse 4 has to do with bribery. The bribe given this evil king determines how he judges. A government based on such selfishness as this can be easily overthrown.
Proverbs 29:5 "A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet."
We see in this flattery, a cover up of the real intentions of the one doing the flattering. Flattery is a trap. There is a hidden motive behind the flattery. A common way of saying this is "whitewashing" it.
Sin (transgression), brings sorrow. Repeated sin becomes a habit, and bad habits destroy a man. The snare is the habit of sin we get into and then cannot shake; snared by our own actions and thoughts.
The man free from sin is not caught in a snare. He is set free from the clutches of death and knows he has eternal life. This knowledge brings peace and joy unspeakable.
The righteous man is not a respecter of persons, and he realizes the plight of the poor and helps them whenever he can.
The wicked cares for no one but himself. Everything the wicked does has a selfish purpose behind it.
Proverbs 29:8 "Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise [men] turn away wrath."
Scornful men are never pleased with anyone or anything. These scornful create rebellion and riots and can cause a whole city to be blamed for it.
These angry, arrogant men fan the flames of strife that trap a city as if engulfed in flames.
Wise men are peacemakers.
"Contendeth" means judge or defend, or plead in this instance.
A fool may respond to wisdom with anger or laughter, but in either case, no agreement can be reached.
This seems to be (whether in play or a legal problem), there is no way to ever get it settled completely. It is not possible to persuade this evil man to do what is right. He either gets mad, or laughs but does not accept the truth.
Proverbs 29:10 "The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul."
We see that the upright are hated by men who are murderers, thieves, and adulterers. The upright tries to help the bloodthirsty repent and be saved. The bloodthirsty feels terrible guilt when they compare themselves with the right, and they hate the upright.
The bloodthirsty love no one but themselves, and they will stop at no lengths to get what they want while the just are always seeking to save a soul, even of this bloodthirsty one.
Proverbs 29:11 "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards."
A fool talks all the time. He never has time to listen to anyone else and learn, because he never stops talking. He likes to hear himself. The wise man listens and considers everything. He never speaks until he has fully considered everything.
Proverbs 29:12 "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked."
A corrupt leader will draw around him corrupt people. Allow lies and you will be surrounded by liars.
Whatever rules the ruler sets are rules for all the people. A wicked ruler who listens to lies can expect all of his people to lie, also.
Proverbs 29:13 "The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes."
We see that if the poor and the deceitful come together and try to settle their differences, the Lord will open their eyes and let them see.
"Lighteneth both their eyes" is a phase that means to sustain life. God gives life to both the poor and the rich oppressor, and He holds each responsible for His truth.
We see here, a king who is not led astray by riches, but is fair to all of his subjects, rich and poor alike. We see a king with such a good reputation with all of his subjects that his throne will pass on to the descendants.
His people will be pleased with their government and will not want to overthrow it.
Sometimes a whipping with the correction makes a more lasting lesson. If a child is left to have his own way, he will wind up spoiled; and no one enjoys being around a child who knows no discipline. It shames his mother.
(In Prov. 13:24), we saw that He who withholds his rod hates his son.
When the morals of most of the people are bad, sin increases rapidly. Leave them alone, and they will destroy each other.
The righteous receive the blessings of God and watch the failures of the transgressors.
When you train a son correctly, you have nothing to fear from his behavior. A good son brings pleasure and good memories to his parents.
(In Prov. 22:6), we learned that we should train up a child in the way he should go. Since it is axiomatic that early training secures lifelong habits, parents must teach God's Word and enforcing it with loving disciple consistently throughout the child's upbringing.
This proverb looks both to the lack of the Word and the lack of hearing the Word, which leads to lawless rebellion. The proverb then contrasts the joy and glory of a lawful society.
A vision from God can be the will of God being revealed to you in a supernatural way.
To lose sight of the will of God would certainly cause us to perish. The person who knows the will of God and is living in that will is very happy and contented, knowing they are pleasing God.
This is speaking of a servant who is disobedient. He can easily hear what you are saying, but words will not move him. He understands only rough treatment.
This views the mind set of an unprincipled and foolish slave who is unresponsive and irresponsible.
(In Prov. 10:19 we learned): "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise."
This is speaking of a man that speaks before he thinks. He is always in trouble, because he speaks before he thinks.
In James, we are told to be swift to hear and slow to speak. If you talk all the time, you cannot and will not take instruction, so you never improve. The fool perhaps will listen and finally understand.
If the servant comes to you as a child and lives with you, he becomes like a member of the family. You become fond of him, and it is hard to think of him as a servant. He becomes a member of the family.
Proverbs 29:22 "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression."
This is describing the angry, furious man we have discussed before. His fits of temper cause problems, not only for himself, but for all those around him. His anger causes him to sin because anger, hate, jealousy, and murder are all related and all are sin.
As we saw (in Prov. 15:18) "A hot tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute."
Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit."
God loves the humble. In fact, everyone loves the humble person, and others build the humble up. A man with pride is so self-centered that others are not fond of him; and, actually, his arrogance is what brings him low in the sight of others.
Again, referring to a previous scripture (Prov. 16:18-19) tells us: "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling." "It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud."
"Partner with a thief": By refusing to testify with full disclosure to avoid incrimination, one commits perjury which leads to punishment.
To be partner with a thief makes you a thief also. Even if you did not steal, you would be guilty by association.
We see in the last part of this, it is speaking of knowing of a sin and not speaking out to reveal the sin. If you hide the sin, even if you did not commit the crime, you would be an accomplice and punished along with the criminal.
Fear is lack of faith. If we have faith in the Lord, we have nothing to fear. To fear man and what he can do to you is sin. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He shall give you peace and rest.
Proverbs 29:26 "Many seek the ruler's favor; but [every] man's judgment [cometh] from the LORD."
We see by this that the only true and lasting Judge is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Judge of the entire world and will Judge the ruler and the ruled alike.
Many seek to get special treatment on the earth from a ruler by doing special things for him, but the Judge who decides our fate for all of eternity is the Lord.
The moral is to seek the Lord's favor, since He alone can and will exact justice.
Christians, who are living upright before the Lord, are disappointed with those who will not accept the ways of the Lord. The ways of the unjust are not desirable at all to those who walk uprightly before the Lord.
The unjust look at the upright and actually feel guilt for the way they live their own lives.
I believe they hate the ways of the upright, because their ways make them feel guilty of their sins.
This is a collection of proverbs written by an unknown sage who was likely a student of wisdom at the time of Solomon. Agur reflects humility (verse 1-4); a deep hatred for arrogance (verse 7-9); and a keen theological mind (verse 5-6).
No one knows for sure who these names are. Some believe they are a description of Solomon and David.
Some think Agur addressed his wisdom perhaps to his favorite pupils, as Luke to Theophilus.
"Agur" means gathered (many believe this is fanciful name for Solomon). "Jakeh" means obey or obedient. Here again, many believe this to be a symbolic name of Solomon. "Ithiel" means God has arrived. This too, is believed not to be a person, but a symbolic name. "Ucal" means devoured. Here again, this name has no history before or after this mention.
This could be Solomon speaking, because it appears from this that the more he learned of God, the more aware he became of how little he knew. You do not learn wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. I think (verses 2 and 3 above), is a sudden realization that no man truly knows God.
This is a statement of humility and recognition of the reality that, apart from divine revelation, there would be no true wisdom at all. This is illustrated in the pursuits of Job (Job 3:3-26), and Solomon (Eccl. 3:1-15).
In verse 2, he is saying that he is no more than a brutish beast in understanding. Only the very wise realize how little they know. This makes me think even more that this is Solomon speaking. No one except God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have knowledge of the holy.
Agur knew that he could not gain wisdom through human searching alone. Understanding is here associated with the holiness of God.
These questions can be answered only by revelation from God. A man can know the "what" about creative wisdom through observation of the physical world and its inner workings, but cannot know the "who." The "who" can be known only when God reveals Himself, which He has in Scripture. This is the testimony and conclusion of Job (Job 42:1-6), Solomon (Eccl. 12:1-14), Isaiah (Isaiah 40:12-17; 46:8-11; 66:18-19), and Paul (Rom.8:18-39).
The answer of course, is Almighty God, but I believe this is saying what mere man can know Him. For sure, someone bigger than you and I. Someone that mere man can only speculate about.
If we were to think of all the names in the Bible for God and could accumulate them into one name, that would be the name of the personality that created all of this. This would be the unspeakable name of God. We know that power will be given in it, over it, and under it; and that at the name of Jesus all will bow.
This is a good verse to use when witnessing to Jews. I was listening to Bott 91.5 radio recently and heard Marty Zweig, (who preaches the Christian word to Jewish people), say to read them this scripture down to the last sentence. Then ask them who this is speaking about. Of course they would answer God. Then read them the last sentence: "What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell"?
How would or could they answer? Of course, God's Son's name is Jesus.
Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him."
(In verses 5 and 6), this moves from the uncertainty of human speculation to the certainty of divine revelation.
In John 1:1-3 we read. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
In Ephesians 6:16 we read: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
Our shield is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 30:6 "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
This is a powerful statement on the inspired nature of God's canonical Word to Israel. To add to God's Word is to deny God as the standard of truth.
We are warned in the last book of Revelation not to add or take away from the Bible. Every man is a liar, but the Word of God is Truth.
The prayer of a true wisdom seeker. He seeks from the Lord honesty in heart and sufficiency in Him (away from the dangers posed by the extremes of poverty or wealth). If he has too much, he could cease depending on God, and if he has too little, he could be tempted to be as the sluggard.
This seems to be a prayer to God asking only 2 things for the rest of his life. Vanity and lies are one. He asked to not lie and be vain, and that he not be overcome by wealth and poverty. That he might be satisfied with whatever food the Lord provides.
This should certainly be our prayer, as well. Most sin comes because of vanity and lies and because of greed. God help us to walk in your ways and not our own.
This is why he prayed to not be poor or rich. People find it easier to seek the Lord when they have needs in their life. Sometimes the wealthy feel so self-sufficient that they do not seek God.
This is a question reflecting extreme arrogance, "Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?"
The very poor sometimes turn their back on God, because they feel He doesn't love them; and they steal and curse to drag themselves out of poverty.
Proverbs 30:10 "Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty."
We see that slandering a man's servant can backfire on you and bring a curse on you.
Verses 11-14: These proverbs condemn various forms of unwise behavior and are connected with this common phrase which points to the fact that certain sins can uniquely permeate a whole society or time period.
Proverbs 20:20 stated "he who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness."
This grievous sin will result in death.
The generation they are talking about is in the end times. (In 2 Timothy 3), it speaks of being disobedient to parents. This is our time. Children have no respect for parents. The commandment of God says honor your mother and father, but many in our generation do not.
Proverbs 16:2 "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, But the Lord weigheth the spirits".
Proverbs 20:9: "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin."
No one can make himself sinless. Those whose sin has been forgiven are pure before God.
In this same third chapter (of 2 Timothy describing the last days), it speaks of lovers of their own selves. Our generation is a rebellious generation which has a form of godliness, but denies the power thereof. Lust of the flesh is the sin of our day.
In our generation, the churches are forgetting that to be truly clean and pure, we must be washed in the blood of the Lamb. They are trying to take the blood out of our church services. Only the blood of Jesus can wash us and make us white as snow.
Proverbs 21:4 A high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin".
This too is our generation.
In 2 Timothy 3:2 we read. "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy."
Some of our churches are even telling their people that they can become God. We are an evil generation. Lucifer was tossed out of heaven for these same thoughts. Prideful and arrogant people are not humble. We must be humble to have God in our lives.
Proverbs 14:31 "He who oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker, but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor".
It offends the Creator when one neglects the poor, who are part of His creation.
In 2 Timothy, again, our generation is lacking in natural affection. We are so caught up in ourselves that we do not bother with the needs of the less fortunate. The church has turned the poor over to the state.
To truly be able to sympathize with the poor, we need to have walked in their shoes.
These two blood sucking mouths of the horse leech, which lived off the blood of its victim, are used to picture the insatiably greedy.
A leach or a blood sucker hangs on until torn from the flesh. The greed for these things is over-emphasized in this "horseleech".
Four illustrations of the greedy are given, all of which are parasitic in nature and characterize the heart of human greed.
The grave always has room for more. As long as one person is alive, there is room for that one more.
All women who have not been able to have a child are never satisfied. Many of them adopt because the desire for children is so great. The Hebrews thought it to be a curse. Most women feel cheated that they have not had children.
The earth drinks in all the water that is rained upon it.
The more wood that is put on the fire just makes it burn hotter. It will take all the wood you feed it.
This proverb vividly speaks to the tragic results of disregarding parental respect and authority and the destruction it brings.
We see here that the eye reveals what is in the heart of man. This person shall come to an untimely death, and his body will be left to the vultures. They peck the eyes of the dead out first before they eat the body.
Verses 18-20: Hypocrisy is illustrated by 4 natural analogies of concealment:
(1) An eagle leaves no trail in the air;
(2) A slithering snake leaves no trail on the rock;
(3) A ship leaves no trail in the sea;
(4) a man leaves no marks after he has slept with a virgin.
These actions are all concealed and thus serve to illustrate the hypocrisy of the adulterous woman who hides the evidences of her shame while professing innocence.
Proverbs 30:18 "There be three [things which] are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:"
He is just saying in this, that these four things are a wonderful mystery which man cannot begin to understand.
Men look at the eagle flying through the sky and wish that they might fly, as well. There is no trace from where they came, or where they go, or even how they can stay up there in mid-air.
The amazing thing in this is how the snake slithers across a rock.
A ship in a large body of water leaves a mystery as to how it floats and how it finds its way to port.
The way of a man with a maid has been a mystery for all time. How two people destined of God to become one, can single each other out in all the mass of humanity, and find the mate so right for them that they will stay together until death do them part is one of the greatest mysteries to me.
If we were to look at these four things from a spiritual standpoint, we would see in the eagle the symbol of God. In the serpent, we see the symbol of Satan. We would see in the ship, the symbol of the church or the Christian on the sea of life; and we would see in the man with the maid, Christ and his bride (the church).
We see in this adulterous woman who covers her sin, a deception of not only deceiving others, but herself as well. Her heart is so hardened that she feels no guilt and shame.
Like earthquakes, society is greatly agitated when normal roles are overturned, servants reigning, fools made rich, hated women married and maidservants becoming wives.
These four things make living very uncomfortable. They really are things which should not be. These four causes much pain to all parties involved.
A servant is really not suited to be a ruler, and sudden power many times turns the head of the person elevated.
This fool, who suddenly has more than he needs, over-indulges and makes himself even more of a fool.
This "odious woman" is an undesirable woman, perhaps because she is not attractive or has unattractive ways. If she does get married, she is ill-tempered and possibly will drive her mate away.
This handmaid, who obtains the wealth of her mistress, whether by death of the mistress or some trickery, would certainly cause her to be arrogant and difficult to get along with.
These verses picture 4 creatures which survive due to natural instinct. The wisdom seen in each of these reveals the beauty of the wise Creator and His creation and becomes a model for the principle that labor, diligence, organization, planning, and resourcefulness are better than strength, thus implying the superiority of wisdom over might.
These four are little in stature, but not in accomplishments. The natural instincts of all four make them very wise. We could take a lesson from each of them.
Ants live in communities and work together as a unit and survive through planning and labor. They are the opposite of the sluggard or slothful man. They are very industrious. Man could take a lesson from them in that they store in summer for use in winter.
These animals called conies live in the rocks for security. These probably refer to rock badgers who, though weak, survive by being diligent enough to climb and find sanctuary in high places.
The locusts act as one body and work together. These survive through careful organization.
The spider (actually this is a lizard), works with its hands and winds up in palaces. These creatures are resourceful and can make their home in inaccessible places, even in a palace.
The three creatures and the king all picture wise, stately and orderly deportment. Each offers a glimpse of the Creator's power and wisdom and illustrates the dignity and confidence of those who walk wisely.
We see in these four that they go with great poise and have no fear.
The "lion" is the king of the beasts and fears nothing in the jungle. He is king of the forest.
A "greyhound" is very graceful in running and has great speed so that no other animal can catch him.
The "he goat" proudly leads the other goats.
The "king against whom there is no rising up" is because he has the confidence of his people and they follow him willingly.
We see here, that the proud, arrogant person will only make matters worse, if he begins to talk and is warned to guard the words of his mouth even to shutting his lips by putting his hand over them.
The thoughts of the heart, if they are evil, must never be allowed to pass the lips, as well. The best advice in both cases is keep the mouth shut until you reconsider. Words can destroy you, if they are the wrong words.
"Hand on your mouth" means "stop your scheming and talking", a gesture of awestruck, self-imposed silence.
In all three cases, these are natural causes and effects to show that anger pressed beyond certain limits produces conflict.
In all three things above, pressure is being applied and bringing inevitable results in each case.
Wrath or anger forces strife between the angered persons.
This last chapter of proverbs contains 2 poems:
(1) The Wise King 31:2-9; and
(2) The Excellent Wife 31:10-31.
Both are the teaching of a godly mother to King Lemuel, who ancient Jewish tradition identified as King Solomon, but who is otherwise unknown.
Proverbs 31:1 "The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him."
The name "Lemuel" means unto God. There is no record of a king Lemuel other than here. Many believe this, too, is from Solomon to God.
So much of this has already been uttered by Solomon in previous lessons.
When we started (in Proverbs, chapter 1:8 told us):
"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:"
Proverbs 31:2 "What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? And what, the son of my vows?"
These 3 questions, as we stated before, make the person listening more attentive. These questions indicate the serious passion of a mother's heart. Like Hannah, she had dedicated her child to the Lord.
(In the verses of 2-9), the godly king is addressed and told that his reign should be characterized by:
(1) Holiness, verse 3;
(2) Sobriety, verses 4-7; and
(3) Compassion, verses 8-9.
This section is filled with succinct and solemn warnings against vices to which kings are particularly susceptible; immorality, overindulgence, unrighteous rule and indifference to those in need.
Proverbs 31:3 "Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings."
The prince here, is reminded by his mother not to give his strength and power into the hands of a woman. She is reminding him that someday he will be king, and he must retain his power for the throne.
Also, multiplying foreign wives destroys a king like it did Solomon.
Kings and princes are called upon to make decisions that affect the entire kingdom. They must be sober and able to make clear headed decisions.
Alcohol affects your ability to function properly. A drastic mistake could be made under the influence of strong drink.
In this verse and the next we see that intoxicating drinks can weaken reason and judgment, loosen convictions, or pervert the heart. They do not suit rulers who need clear, steady minds and keen judgment.
A person under the influence of alcohol cannot think clearly and could not remember the laws of the land. A drastic injustice could be done.
Strong drink is to be reserved to kill pain. Those who are grieving need wine to help them forget. Strong drink as a medicine dulls the senses and helps to forget.
Proverbs 31:7 "Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more."
Just as in this verse here, drinking is for those who cannot face reality. Drinking is a symptom of a greater problem.
In extreme cases, possibly relating to a criminal on death row or someone agonizing in pain with a terminal illness or tragic circumstance, are in utter contrast to that of the king.
This is saying to speak up for those who, for one reason or another, cannot speak for themselves. Plead their case, if you will.
Proverbs 31:9 "Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."
Don't just stand there and let them be punished, because they are unable to defend themselves. Speak up for the poor and needy, especially those who are ruined by their condition of weakness. The king's duty was to righteously uphold the case of the helpless in both physical (verse 6), and material (verse 9), crises. The monarch thus mediates the compassion of God.
Verses 10-31 contains a poem which offers a beautiful description of the excellent wife as defined by a wife and mother (verse 1). Spiritual and practical wisdom plus moral virtues mark the character of this woman in contrast to the immoral women (of verse 3).
While the scene here is of a wealthy home and the customs of the ancient Near East, the principles apply to every family. They are set forth as the prayer of every mother for the future wife of her son, and literarily arranged with each of the 22 verses beginning with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in consecutive order.
Proverbs 31:10 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies."
This "virtuous or an excellent woman" is a woman of high morals who is upright in all her ways.
This is just saying that her worth cannot be measured in earthly things, such as rare stones (rubies). She does exist, but is very hard to find.
This woman is totally faithful to her husband. He can have confidence in her, because she will not let him down. His wife will always be faithful to him in every situation. She will not even give the appearance of evil.
He does not maintain jealous guard over her or keep his valuables locked up so that she cannot access them as was a common ancient practice in a house of distrust. She demonstrates impeccable loyalty to her husband, and her thrift and industry will add to his wealth.
Proverbs 31:12 "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."
She is on his side. She is beside him helping in everything. She loves to please him. She respects him and builds him up when he is down. She does not tear him down, but instills confidence in him.
Proverbs 31:13 "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
She is industrious and helps him produce for the family. She is not lazy. She works willingly, because she wants to help.
Excellent women gathered the material for making cloths (as we'll see in verse 19).
Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."
We see that she goes forth wherever the food for her house is and brings it home. Excellent women would go far to secure the best food for their families.
She is not a sleepy-head. She gets up early and sees that her family and her maidens are fed. Her first concern is the welfare of her family.
In order to have the food prepared for the family each day, she had to rise before dawn to begin the work, which she would do gladly.
I believe this is an indication that she is a business woman. She takes on responsibility in buying the land. She works outside the house when she plants the vineyard.
She was resourceful and entrepreneurial in her investing and reinvesting.
She doesn't say to the husband that making the money for the family is his job. She helps him in this too, when she can.
Proverbs 31:17 "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."
We see here, that hard work makes her very strong.
Such women were not soft, but by virtue of rigorous work, they were strong.
Proverbs 31:18 "She perceiveth that her merchandise [is] good: her candle goeth not out by night."
That which she produced for the family of clothing, food and wealth was good and profitable.
Candle or lamp is to be understood literally. She planted the vineyard during the day and wove late at night. She rose early before dawn to prepare the food, thus keeping a before sunrise to after dark schedule to care for her household, which was the foremost priority of her life.
She protects what is her own. She appreciates her husband and her family and works to keep them.
Proverbs 31:19 "She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff."
We see here, that she looks for useful work to do. She is not lazy, as we said before.
These tools are used to turn wool into thread for making clothing.
(In verses 20-24), her activities, driven by the priority of caring for her family, resulted in multiplied fruitfulness for:
(1) The poor and needy (verse 20);
(2) Her own household (verse 21);
(3) Herself (verse 22);
(4) Her husband (verse 23); and
(5) The tradesmen (verse 24).
She is not selfish, but shares with the less fortunate. She is generous in helping the poor and needy. She has a big, giving heart.
She has seen to it that her whole family has warm, comfortable garments, even for snowy weather.
Snow indicates the cold that occurs in the high altitudes of Palestine. Her labors anticipated her family's need for warm clothing in such cold places and seasons.
Proverbs 31:22 "She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple."
She looks nice for her family. She takes care of herself, as we read earlier, and dresses nice so her husband will be proud to tell people that she is his wife.
The efforts she makes to honor others are rewarded to her. These silk and purple garments are expensive evidences of the blessings returned to her by God's grace.
Proverbs 31:23 "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land."
She builds her husband up, and he has respect in the town. She never does things to make him ashamed.
This woman made a significant contribution to her husband's position in the community and to his success. His domestic comfort promoted his advancement in public honor. A man's good reputation begins with his home and thus the virtue of his wife.
Proverbs 31:24 "She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant."
Here again, we see her making money away from the home to help her husband. "Fine linen", of course, means righteousness spiritually.
With all her other responsibilities faithfully discharged, she took time to make items of clothing for the purposes of trade.
The section (of verses 25-27), emphasizes her character.
Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and honor [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come."
These words describe the character of the woman who fears the Lord. Her inward clothing displays divine wisdom, giving her confidence to face the future with its unexpected challenges.
This woman is upright in all of her ways, and the Lord will reward her. She will be among those who will hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant". She is well covered in the spiritual things of righteousness.
Proverbs 31:26 "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness."
Her teaching of wisdom and the law is tempered with mercy.
Her speech conveys her wisdom and kindness. Her words build up and don't tear down. She is not a gossip or a slanderer. When she speaks, it is to help. Her wisdom instructs her children.
We said before, she is industrious; and her first thought is for the well being of the members of her own house.
She was a skilled manager of the home. The "bread of Idleness" literally means "eyes looking everywhere" as in the lazy man (in verses 6:6 & 9); of who the same root word is used.
Her husband and her children (who know her best), see her unselfishness, love, and care that she has for all of them. They are proud of her. She is a good mother and wife, and they let her know it.
She is greatly respected because she has earned the praise of her family. There can be no higher joy for a mother than for her children to grow up to praise her as the source of the wisdom that made them godly.
Proverbs 31:29 "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."
This is saying that many women are faithful to their husbands, but fall short in some of these other areas; but she has done the best of all toward her family and God.
This was her husband's superlative praise (verse 28), which was well deserved, in which he used the same word for "excellent" (found in verse 10).
Here, we see that doing favors' can be good. To have a wife who is attractive to look at is nice, but the very best you can do is to have a wife who fears God and keeps His commandments; and she will have all of these other things as an extra.
True holiness and virtue command permanent respect and affection, far more than charm and beauty of face and form.
She is to be praised, because she has chosen the best: salvation through the Lord. Proverbs end where it began with a reference to the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 31:31 "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Her works speak for themselves. She has earned her praise. We see in this, the Lord is pleased with her, because she has done His will in her life.
While she receives material reward (verse 22), the praise and success she labored to bring to her family and community will be her praise. The result of all her efforts is her best eulogy.