Proverbs 10:17-32; The Righteous will not be Removed.

The kingdom Christ has prepared for us cannot be shaken, He is our rock and refuge and ever-present help in every circumstance. We have come, present tense, to Mount Zion and the city of the living God! Because our Lord and His kingdom are secure, we are secure.

As Paul observed: we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Cor. 4:7-10). We may be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down; we cannot be removed from the hand of God that holds us securely in the eternal Kingdom that cannot be shaken. You must have Christ! 

Proverbs 8:22-36; Wisdom Leads to Christ!

A proper hermeneutic will lead us to a correct understanding of Scripture.

Proverbs 7 - Listen and Live!

The point of this chapter is to exhort all people to listen to the Lord and live. Gill: Listen, “not the commandments of the law only, but the commandments of Christ; and even the doctrines of Christ are so called, as faith in him, and love to the saints, (1 John 3:23; John 14:21,23); which is the way to live comfortably, peaceably, pleasantly, and honourably.” In this context, as in many places in Scripture, listening is more than hearing; it conveys the idea of obedience; that is the goal. Solomon’s warning is that the harlot offers pleasure but delivers death. 

Proverbs 6:1-19; Warnings From Heaven

There is wisdom from God for everyone – redeemed or not. Bridges: “So graciously has our God made his book, not only our guide to heaven, but the directory of our common life.” Those who know not the redeeming love of God will find their lives better if they heed the wisdom presented in Proverbs and the rest of the Bible. That will not save their souls, but it will make this life better and it may make them wise unto salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus. For us who are children of God, our desire should be to walk as children of the light – according to the wisdom revealed to us in Proverbs and the rest of the Bible. This won’t reduce time in Purgatory – that being a fictional place – but it be pleasing to our Father. And what child doesn’t want to please his Father? 

Proverbs 4:1-13, The Way of Life

Mere academic studies with no eternal focus will wear a person out. The sum of man’s duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. Are we teaching this to ourselves and to our children? We need wisdom from God to do this. Are we asking Him for this? He delights in giving wisdom to His children. Let’s seek to delight our Father and humbly ask Him for wisdom, day-by-day.

Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. Wisdom from God is the way of life. Seek out the Lord of wisdom, embrace Him, exalt Him. This is the way – walk in it.

Proverbs 3:1-12; Before God and Man.

In this passage, we see there is a horizontal as well as a vertical aspect of how we live. Coram Deo is a Latin phrase that means to live one’s life before God, aware that nothing is hidden from Him, for the glory of His name; this is the vertical aspect. 1 Corinthians 10:31 is the classic passage on this: whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. We are told in many places that all who name Christ as Lord are to also to live honorably before men; this is the horizontal aspect. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus commands us, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. In 1 Peter 2:12, we are told to have our conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. By living for the glory of God, some people will come to glorify Him. This is our aim, whether we see the results of our obedience or not.

Proverbs 2:1-9; God's Wisdom for the Humble

In some ways, this short passage sums up the bulk of chapter 1 – counsel to a beloved son about the value of wisdom. A big difference is the change in tone. In chapter 1, Wisdom mainly addressed stiff-necked fools, with much warning and rebuke. Here, Wisdom addresses the humble, who desire to know what Wisdom has to say. Proverbs will have a lot to say to us about wisdom. We need to listen. 

Proverbs 1:20-33, Wisdom for Life

If you hear wisdom calling out, know this is God Himself calling. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. Listen to wisdom, consider the Word of Life spoken to you. For, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. All things are ready, come! God gives wisdom for life – He gives eternal life!

 

Proverbs 1:1-7, The Right Fear of God

The last verse in this passage is the foundational idea for the whole book of Proverbs. This is why I titled this lesson, The Right Fear of God; we must know why and how to fear Him. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus told His disciples, do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Same Greek word (from we derive “phobia”) in both places; context reveals meaning. That Greek word can mean great awe and reverence as well as terror. We will look into later in this lesson.

 

Proverbs from Hebrews 12 & 13

The Bible is replete with practical instructions for walking as children of light in this wicked world.

Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith

consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.

strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees

make straight paths for your feet

Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up

make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau

Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks.

Let brotherly love continue.

Don’t neglect to show hospitality

Remember the prisoners

Respect marriage

Be satisfied with what you have

Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings

Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

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