Proverbs 10 - Wise and Righteous

 

Proverbs 10- Wise and Righteous

 

Integrity is a mind-set and the willingness to be and do what is wholly and completely right as defined by God, regardless of personal cost and place.

 

Spoiled children often live unproductive lives. Just as good parents exert loving and careful correction on their children (Heb. 12:3-11). Discipline is God’s way to lovingly return His sons and daughters to the right path.

 

The one who fears the Lord will act in conformity to His will; the one who does not fear the Lord will ignore His commands. Longer life comes to those who live as God intended.

 

Wise and righteous are two words that go together, for the wise practice righteousness and the righteous grow in wisdom.

 

The wise bring joy and not grief to their parents. They will take advantage of God-given opportunities and will obey orders. Wise people gather knowledge and share it with others. They also know when to be quiet. They do not jest about sin but are serious about obeying the Lord.

 

The righteous have God’s protection and provision and He blesses them in life, and their works prosper. Their future is secure and joyful.

 

If you are wise and righteous, those traits will be revealed by your words as well as by your works.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Proverbs 9 - Wisdom or Folly?

 

Proverbs 9 – Wisdom or Folly?

 

Those who respond to wisdom’s maidens, though they may lack understanding and moral experience, will soon see a change in themselves. Wisdom is like a palace or temple with pillars, reminiscent of Solomon’s temple. Pillars give a building lasting strength and beauty.

The wise person who sits at wisdom’s banquet will be still wiser because wisdom begets more wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is knowledge of the Holy One. For wise, skilled living in the world, God requires a right understanding of God’s business and a reverent submission to His ways.

The power of foolishness is presented in the form of a seductress. She may be clever, acquainted with the ways of the world and crafty, yet she is blind to spiritual realities. Her brazen ways and exciting talk may be persuasive, but persuasion does not equal permission in the Lord’s eyes. The fact that the woman admitted her pleasures were wrong should be the Christians signal to flee, no matter how tantalizing they may seem to the flesh.

 

Wisdom offers you a banquet of bread, meat, and wine; folly offers you stolen bread and water. Wisdom promises you life, but if you eat at folly’s table, you will die.

 

Scoffers know so much that nobody can teach them anything, but the wise learn from rebuke. You may not enjoy it when somebody corrects you, but it can do you good.

 

Wisdom multiplies days. Those who abuse their bodies with sin usually cut their lives short, but when you follow wisdom, you can add years to your life – and life to your years! God gives a fullness of experience to those who obey Him

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

Proverbs 8 - Wisdom is to Love christ.

 

Proverbs 8 – Wisdom is to love Christ

 

The gates were to the entrance of the city and therefore a very public place. Solomon’s point is that the wisdom of God is available to all who will listen to and follow wisdom’s call (James 1:5). Wisdom and all its benefits (the ability to lead, plus riches, honor and righteousness) are tied to the fear of the Lord. Wisdom is linked to the eternal God. He established it before the creation and brought it forth for the creation’s use.

 

Wisdom’s first call was from the crowded city square, but now she is “where the paths meet”. When you are confronted with truth, you are at a place of decision, and the decision you make will have inevitable consequences. Keep your ears and eyes open and listen to God’s wisdom.

 

Wisdom says, “I Love those who Love me”. Love wisdom rather than wealth, for wisdom enriches you for eternity. Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God (I Cor.1:30, Col. 2:3). To love wisdom is to love Christ, and when you love Christ, you live for Him.

 

Spend time daily at wisdom’s door as you read God’s Word and meditate on His truth. God will give you counsel, wisdom, understanding, and strength. Instead of serving as a slave, you will reign as a king.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

 

Proverbs 7 - Faithfulness to the Word

 

Proverbs 7 – Faithfulness to the Word

 

Keeping the Lord’s commands is the best protection against promiscuity and relational ruin. Faithfulness to the Word creates faithfulness in the heart. Affairs begin in the mind. The heart is the doorway to one’s mind and life, and the adulterer uses enticing words – especially flattery – to push it wide open.

 

When wisdom is your sister, you will not be seduced by the tempter. Your feet will not go near the house. And if he would come after you, your heart will see through all the enticements and have no desire for the tempter.

 

Expensive tapestries cannot cover the ugliness of sin, and the most aromatic spices cannot turn the stench of sin into fragrant perfume. No matter what temptation offers you, look beyond the externals and see it as it really is.

 

You are made in the image of God, but sin drags you down to the level of the beast and eventually to the level of Satan himself.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

Proverbs 6 - Hate What God Hates

 

Proverbs 6 – Hate What God Hates

 

Surety is a loan. In Solomon’s day, a cosigner could lose all he had and be forced into slavery if both he and the borrower were unable to pay the debt. There is nothing wrong with being generous, but Solomon warns against entering into agreements that cannot be kept.

 

Laziness is in opposition of wisdom. Even an ant treats work as necessary for survival and does not need external motivation to work hard. Rest is good, but excuses not to work can lead to disastrous consequences.

 

The formula six things the Lord hates, yes seven, suggests that the list is never-ending. The point is to illustrate the behavior that displeases God.

 

Wicked works will trap you but so will reckless words. You must be careful when you make promises. If you do not learn to say no, you will end up in bondage, and the price will be very high. Better to humble yourself and get free than to let your pride rule you.

 

Learn from the world of nature. The ant makes good use of opportunities to prepare for the future, but the sluggard is aimless and lazy and ends up in poverty.

 

Watch out for the wicked man and the evil woman. Hate what God hates and love what God loves and you will enjoy what God enjoys.            `

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

Proverbs 5 - Immorality

 

Proverbs 5 - Immorality

 

Morality and marital faithfulness can never be tossed aside without paying the price. An illicit life robs its people of honor and years. Family fidelity satisfies best.

 

“Immoral woman” was referred to as idolaters who were outside the covenant, Israelites who once walked with God but turned aside to worship other gods, and those who were unfaithful to their spouse. Each speak of betrayal and forsaking a covenant.

 

To hate instruction, despise correction, and ignore the voice of teaching makes a person susceptible to choices full of remorse. Falling prey to lust inevitably leads to the ruin of a person’s reputation with the assembly and congregation.

 

In a world that has commercialized sex and turned adultery into entertainment, this warning is desperately needed. Few people believe that there are tragic consequences to sexual sin, but Solomon names some of them.

 

What begins as something “sweet” gradually turns into something bitter. What is “life” becomes death; and the end is hell. You lose honor, years of life, wealth, and joy and what you think is freedom is really the worst kind of bondage. The physical consequences alone ought to make a person want to obey God.

 

Sex in marriage should be like drinking refreshing water from a clean fountain, while illicit sex is like drinking at a sewer. The Hebrew word “enraptured means “intoxicated”. When husband wand wife loves each other as God wants them to, the water turns into wine!

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Proverbs 4 - Wisdom Guides You

 

Proverbs 4 – Wisdom Guides You

 

The key to getting wisdom is to understand that no one has it to start with; God provides it. This also means that anyone can acquire wisdom who will pursue it (Matt. 13:44). Wisdom is not achieved by one choice, it is a journey of many steps, a path upon which a person openly receives truth. Jesus continually spoke of people who had ears to hear but did not listen (Matt 11:15). The wise will apply an attentive ear to God’s Word, hearing with their hearts and minds.

 

The way of light and the way of darkness are clearly marked out, those who seek wisdom will be able to discern- and keep discerning which path is safe. Christians who walk the path of light may lose their footing, but God quickly shines on the problem. Those who stumble in the darkness have no way of discerning what has tripped them up.

 

The wise person encourages others to hear the Word of God and find wisdom. The father received wisdom when he was a boy, and he admonished his children to do the same. Live today so that your counsel and example will influence others and help them live wisely.

 

When you have wisdom, you have protection and promotion and you will have the freedom to make progress. As you obey His Word, the light will get brighter on the path of life. But this is not true if you are on the path of the wicked.

 

Solomon emphasized having your whole person controlled by God’s Word, (Col. 3:16). This will guide you on the right path and keep you from detours.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.