Proverbs 22 - Integrity

 

Proverbs 22 - Integrity

 

Self-worth is more important than net worth. It is better to have a good name than to be a millionaire (Ecc. 7:1).

 

To stimulate a newborn’s sucking reflex, Hebrew midwives would put something sweet on their finger and rub it on the roof of the infant’s mouth to train up their nursing instincts. Likewise, a wise parent is one who uses incentives to stimulate and train the children toward godliness, creating a hunger in him for righteousness and wise living. Just as an infant never loses the ability to suckle, so a child will not forget the instincts toward godliness which were stimulated in him as a child.

 

The lender always holds power over the borrower. For this reason, it is better to avoid taking out large loans as much as possible. A loan can easily become a form of bondage.

 

A lazy person will make all kinds of excuses to avoid responsibility, never realizing how foolish their words and conduct appear to others.

 

Foolishness comes with being a child, so parents need to correct their children, not only because discipline purges wrong conduct from a child’s life but because it points them in the right direction, the way of wisdom.

 

Landmarks were stone pillars of piles of stones that marked property boundaries in fields. Moving them resulted in individual loss or gain of property and wealth. Since God owned and appointed all the land, removing an ancient landmark would have been a sin against God (Deut. 27:17).

 

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 21 - Honor and Character

 

Proverbs 21- Honor and Character

 

The sacrificial system played an important role in Israel’s religious life, but it was no substitute for righteous living. (Hosea 6:6).

 

A housetop in the ancient near east was flat, and people used it as a living space, but it was not a desirable place to sleep or spend a lot of time. The point is that sparse conditions with peace are better than physical conditions with strife.

 

Understanding means seeing things as God sees them.

 

A ransom is paid to free a person from penalty, similar to posting bail to get someone out of jail. God delivers the righteous by punishing those who oppress them.

 

The false witness will perish, or be discredited, so that their reputation is destroyed. The person who hears seeks to know and understand rather than simply waiting to express their opinion. That person is worth listening to.

 

If you measure life by riches, you will be disappointed. God made both the rich and the poor, and both are important to Him.

 

Concentrate on character, a good name, and not on great wealth. Money can buy fame but not a good name. If you are proud, all you may get is money, but if you are humble, God will give honor and life along with the wealth He wants you to have.

 

Do not allow debt to put you in bondage or the love of money to cause you to oppress others. If you give gifts to the rich just to get their favor, you will end up poor.

No matter how rich or poor you may be, it is integrity that really counts. Even the king, probably the richest person in the land, pays attention to people of character. And do not forget the King of kings before whom you will one day stand.

 

 

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 20 - Decisions and Actions

 

Proverbs 20 – Decisions and Actions

 

Wine and strong drinks are pictured as troublemakers, a mocker and a brawler.  Such beverages cloud one’s thinking and judgement, hampering the ability to make wise decisions. (Genesis 9:20-22).

One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is a name that they will be proud of, because their parents have lived with integrity.

Taking on the obligations of a stranger is not wise, thus the recommendation to require some collateral, such as a garment or some other pledge, so that the one guaranteeing the loan will repay.

We must never speak harmfully of our parents. The warning is that such speech harms the speaker most. God will take note and punish the offender (Matt. 15:4).

Making a vow rashly can get someone in as much trouble as if they stepped into an animal trap. So, people should be careful about making promises without thinking them through (Deut. 23:21-23). Getting into something is much easier than getting out.

Every individual lives because of God and His inscrutable knowledge of His creation.

If you are wise you will consider the consequences of your decisions and actions. You will ask, “What about afterward?”

The afterward of strong drink is not pleasant, and the afterward of starting trouble could be dangerous. Better to stop the trouble at the beginning.

Sleep is essential to good health, but the afterward of too much sleep is poverty. A crooked business deal may be profitable financially, but you will not enjoy the aftertaste. You may enjoy getting your inheritance now, but afterward it may do you more harm than good. Remember what happened to the prodigal son. (Lue 15:11ff).

Rash promises have an afterward of regret (Ecc. 5:1-7), but loving discipline has an afterward of reform. (Hebrews 12:3-11).

 

 

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 19 - Building Character

 

Proverbs 19 – Building Character

 

People often blame something or someone else for the parts of life they do not like – the problem is as old as Adam and Eve. However, Solomon says that a fool is responsible for their own actions and should not blame the results of carelessness on the will of the Lord.

The love of money is often the driving motivator for people, right down to “friendship”. Real friends will be loyal in any circumstance and should be prized above any relationship.

Having pity means acting on someone’s behalf or meeting a person’s needs. Giving to the poor is like lending to the Lord. (Deut. 15:7,8). God repays with interest, blessing the givers generosity with His. (2 Cor. 9:6-8).

Disciplined postponed will be ineffective. Discipline ought to be administered when the offense occurs and before a child grows up. This is when parents have a chance to make a difference; this is when there is hope for saving a child from the course of destruction.

You can make all the plans you like, but God get the last word. In the end, His purpose always prevails. (Psalm 33:10,11).

Kindness is a quality that God desires to see lived out in the relationships His people have with one another.

Wise people submit to the Lord and walk a straight way, but fools argue with the Lord and twist their way. Wealth is no evidence of wisdom; in fact a fool only wastes wealth.

Every father wants wise sons who will use their inheritance wisely. Lazy sons only bring poverty. The father who chastens his son will help him build character, but the son who chases his father away will bring shame and reproach. Sons who listen to their fathers and the Father in heaven will stay on the right path.

 

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 18 - Watch How and What You Say!

 

Proverbs 18 – Watch How and What You Say!

 

The fool has two habits that get them in trouble: Closing the mind while opening the mouth. Instead of being receptive to other points of view, the foolish person wants to share only one perspective, that of their own heart. The result is self-inflicted harm.

 

The sage likens gossip to tasty truffles. Just as fine morsels of food are hard to resist. Gossip is easy to partake of, but once taken in, it penetrates to one’s inmost being – and always to the listener’s detriment.

 

Wealth provides a measure of security, but one may falsely imagine it a strong wall or higher safeguard against calamity than it really is. The name of the Lord is where true strength and protection are found (2 Sam. 22:2,3).

 

A gift can mean an innocent courtesy, or something given to get a desired result.

What a person says will often return to him or her in some way, either adding to their life or subtracting from it. Our speech has consequences.

 

Having one true friend is much better than having many apparent friends. Friendship has its risks, but the isolated person is not wise. We belong to each other, and we need each other. We may have many acquaintances, but we have few real friends. A person with too many friends may end up in trouble. Be a true friend and God will give you true friends who will stick close to you throughout life.

 

Fools do not make good friends for many reasons. For one thing, they like to talk so much that they do not hear what others say. Their foolish words cause fights and inward pain. Their impatience to speak makes them jump to conclusions, and that creates problems. The only hope for fools is that they will stop talking and start to listen to wisdom.

 

 

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 17 - Check Your Attitude

 

Proverbs 17 – Check Your Attitude

 

The poor and the needy are easy targets because they are powerless. But all people are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). To make fun of the poor is to make fun of God. To be glad over someone’s misfortune makes one at fault before God.

 

Starting an argument may seem harmless, but it can release a flood of damage like a small crack in a dam. The answer is to stop contention before it begins. (I Thess. 4:11).

 

Relationships built on love and fidelity are a rare treasure. True friends are faithful in times of adversity as well as prosperity.

 

Some people seem to thrive when they are offending others – in their love of fighting, they have a way of pushing those around them to the breaking point. In similar fashion the one who builds a doorway too high will most assuredly see the doorway collapse.

 

Like the student who hears nothing of what the teacher says because his attention is focused elsewhere in the classroom, the fool who is inattentive to the instruction of wisdom is said to have his eyes on the ends of the earth.

 

Here is your litmus test:

 

What do you listen to?

What do you rejoice in?

What do you talk about?

What do you get angry at?

What do you give in to?

 

 

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 16 - What Kind of Heart do you Have?

 

Proverbs 16 – What Kind of heart do you have?

 

People can and should make plans, but it is essential to remain mindful that the Lord directs how we will go (Psalm 37:23).

Pride involves placing one’s own reasoning powers above the revelation of God and depending on one’s finite mind to determine infinite truths. Pride was the original sin, and it  has its place at the top of God’s hate list.

Understanding is the ability to evaluate a situation and respond to it appropriately. This is a source of life for the wise, while folly is a source of discipline for a fool. A person’s wisdom, or lack of it, determines his or her prospects in life.

 

The ability to restrain anger is developed as a person yields to the Lord’s control and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Anger is like an unbridled horse. Unless we tame it, we are at its mercy.

 

 A prepared heart is a heart that receives God’s truth and submits to God’s will. Since the mouth speaks what the heart has treasured up, the Lord can guide your words when your heart is prepared. (Matt. 10:19-20).

 

A proud heart leads to all kinds of troubles and robs you of the blessing of the Lord.

 

A purposeful heart is devoted to God’s purposes. Take time to think and pray, meditate on the Word, and make your plans; and then trust the Lord to guide you.

When wisdom is your food and drink, then you will be able to make prudent decisions. A prudent heart is revealed by lips that speak words of wisdom.

 

What is in the heart eventually comes out in life, and the life described here is anything but beautiful or useful.

 

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.