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Teaching Notes

PROVERBS

Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Proverbs chapter 25, as we continue our study through the Word of God.

PROVERBS 25

VERSE 1

1. About 250 years after the death of Solomon, after he wrote these Proverbs, the men of Hezekiah's day copied and put together the Proverbs of Solomon found in chapters 25 through 29.

VERSE 2

1. The word "conceal" speaks of a covering up or hiding. And Solomon is speaking of our sins God has covered - then temporarily by the animal sacrifices - today completely by the blood of Christ. David put it this way in Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit." You see, we don't come before God asking for justice to be poured out upon our life, for we deserve death. We come before God asking for mercy, that we don't receive what we deserve. Thus, because of His great love that He bestows upon rebellious man, His free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, He is glorified.

2. For earthly kings, they were to search out a matter before giving their judgment. And Solomon was very wise in discerning various situations and giving the appropriate judgment.

VERSE 3

1. Solomon is saying that these three things are unsearchable. Where does the universe end? We keep expanding it farther and farther as our instruments get more sophisticated. We know the depth of the earth but we have never been able to probe it or search it out by drilling down to it. And lastly, the heart of a king, many times their actions, their ideas are hard to figure out.

VERSE 4

1. Here the idea is removing impurities from metal so it could be used to bring honor to the one who purchased it. That is what God is doing in our lives, purging out the impurities so that we may bring Him honor, the one who purchased us by His sacrifice. Paul said in Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." That word "workmanship" is POIEMA in the Greek, and it speaks of a masterpiece, a poem. God has taken us and made us into a masterpiece to bring glory to Him by the things we do.

VERSE 5

1. The problem with many leaders is they surround themselves with wicked people who give them wicked counsel. We must remember that as the king or leader goes, so goes the people. Look at the leaders of our country and you will see that the people are a reflection of what the leaders are doing. It is as Proverbs 14:34 says "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people."

VERSES 6-7

1. Too often people see themselves bigger than they are, deserving all kinds of honor and placing themselves in positions that will give them the most attention. The warning is not to be proud, but to humble yourself and let others move you to a place of honor so you won't be embarrassed and moved to a seat of lower honor. Jesus picked up on this same thought in Luke 14:7-11, as He spoke how the religious leaders tried to sit in the chief seats, the seats of honor. We read "So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 'When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'"

VERSE 8

1. Make sure that anger is not driving you to make foolish decisions for you may be put down in the end.

VERSES 9-10

1. If you have a problem with someone, talk with them personally and do not go around telling others what is going on. We are here to build people up, not tear them down. We are to correct someone when they are off track with the hope of restoring them. Keep that in mind as you speak.

VERSE 11

1. The words we speak should be pleasant, refreshing to those around us and as we allow the Spirit of God to work through us, He will give us the right words to say at the right time to minister to those around us.

VERSE 12

1. It is precious, beautiful when a person who is off track receives words of correction, instruction and then applies them to their life.

VERSE 13

1. During the months when the crops would be harvested, around September/October, were some of the hottest months. And just to have some cool weather would be refreshing, a cool glass of water. And Solomon is likening a faithful messengers words to be refreshing to the hearer as a cool day during a hot spell or cold glass of water on a hot day.

VERSE 14

1. There are people out there who speak of giving so much of themselves for the work of the ministry, in supporting the church, and many times their talk is empty. They are clouds without rain, empty and very disappointing.

VERSE 15

1. It is as Proverbs 15:1-2 says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness." We can allow our speech to break a persons hard heartedness by using kind words or we can be unwise and speak harsh words that will promote a fight and cause your heart to become hard.

VERSE 16

1. Gluttony or overdoing anything can harm you. Many people have been so careful not to eat fat, no cholesterol for them, and now we find out that our body needs some fat, we need to takein some cholesterol or it will be harmful. Keep a balance in your life with your relationship with the Lord as your number one priority.

VERSE 17

1. Don't overstay your welcome.

VERSE 18

1. Lies against another person can beat them up, cut them in pieces and pierce them. Be careful of what you say for our words can be very damaging.

VERSE 19

1. Putting your trust in someone who is unfaithful, someone who can't be trusted, will only cause you pain like a bad tooth and will be unstable as a foot that is dislocated. You know who you can trust and who you can't trust. As Proverbs 17:17 says "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."

VERSE 20

1. Sometimes people are insensitive and unsympathetic to what others are going through. It is not time to party and laugh it up when something tragic has happened. Paul said in I Corinthians 12:26-27, "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually." You see, we as individuals are part of the body of Christ and a healthy body works together for the betterment of the entire body. When one suffers, we are all there with thatperson, when one rejoices, we rejoice with him. You see, there is a time to laugh and a time to cry, don't be insensitive to what others are going through.

VERSES 21-22

1. Paul quotes this in Romans chapter 12, and the point is this, we are to treat our enemies with compassion and not have an attitude of revenge towards them. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to pray for them. You see, that is not the attitude of the world but a godly characteristic that should be manifested in our lives. Now this idea of heaping hot coals on a persons head has a couple different views. One is that this action was a sign of repentance. Another, and one I lean towards, is that in this period of time you didn't have matches or lighters to lite your stove or fires. Using flint rocks or sticks would take time but hot coals would be used to rekindle a fire quickly and thus, if you gave your enemy hot coals you were extending kindness to them, and even if they don't change, God sees your heart, He knows what you are doing, and He will reward you.

2. Let me give you an example born out of our own history. Massachusetts congressman, Thaddeus Stevens, wanted to completely crush the south after the Civil War. But Abraham Lincoln wanted to make peace, to heal the wounds and forgive. But Thaddeus Stevens slammed his fist down on the table and said "Mr. Lincoln, I think enemies out to be destroyed!" Abraham Lincoln very quietly responded and said "Mr. Stevens, don't I destroy my enemy when I have made him my friend?" You see, destroy them with kindness!

VERSE 23

1. Just as you can count on certain wind conditions to bring forth rain, you can count on slander, an evil tongue to bring forth anger.

VERSE 24

1. Poor Solomon. But ladies remember, we don't have Proverbs from any of his wives, and I bet they could have given us an ear full of what Solomon was like on his bad days!

VERSE 25

1. Cold water is refreshing on a hot day and so too is encouraging words from afar. I love getting letters from Pastor Paul out in India and our other missionaries that we support. I find it encouraging to see how things are going and what God is doing in that part of the world, and how we are part of that work. Those words are refreshing to my soul. I look forward to hearing from Scott and Barb Miller who have moved to Russia and seek doors of opportunity to minister the Gospel message to the people of Russia.

VERSE 26

1. When a Christian falls the unsaved love to exploit their failures and it truly clouds the picture of what Christianity is all about. You see, Christians who fall are not doing anything worse than the rest of the world. So what's the big deal? We should be held to a higher standard than the unsaved. If Christ has made an impact in our life then it should be manifested in our actions. Andwhen we sin we give the enemies of God an opportunity to blasphemy God. Peter admonishes us in I Peter 2:11-12, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your 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."

VERSE 27

1. People who promote themselves are striving after vain glory. James says "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10.

VERSE 28

1. A person who can't control his temper is out of control, is unstable, his life will be broken, in shambles. On the positive side we read in Proverbs 16:32, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."

PROVERBS 26

VERSE 1

1. Having snow in summer and rain during the harvest time will be damaging to the crops. Thus, putting a fool in a place of honor, a place where people will look up to him, can be very damaging to them. Now a Biblical definition of a fool is not someone with a mental deficiency or a low IQ score. In Psalm 14:1 we read "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'..." In theHebrew this verse can be translated "The fool has said in his heart, 'no God.'..." In other words he is not denying the existence of God but refuses to acknowledge and obey God. That is a fool!

VERSE 2

1. The idea here is that as you watch these birds fly, they zig-zag back and forth with seemingly no direction that they are following. Thus, a curse upon your life is just the same, it has no direction, no impact upon your life. Don't worry about it. If you do worry, listen to what Isaiah 54:17 says. We read "'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,' Says the LORD." The heritage the Lord has given to us is that no weapon that the enemy puts together will prosper and overtake us. What a great heritage the Lord has given to us.

VERSE 3

1. All these are instruments to keep wild animals in line, even a fool! But that is not how God wants to lead us. In Psalm 32:9 we read "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will notcome near you." Then how does God direct us? In Psalm 32:8 we read "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." Look to Him, be in His Word and He will direct you.

VERSES 4-5

1. Now these two verses seem to contradict each other, but as you will see, they don't. First of all we are not to respond to a fool at their level, with the same foolishness they have given to us. But we are not to ignore a fool and have them believe they are right in their folly. Answer them according to the Word of God. A good example of this is found in Job chapter 2. Job has lost his wealth, his children, his health, he is in a mess. And his wife tells him "...'Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!'" Job 2:9. Now that was a foolish statement made by Job's wife. Now Job's response to what his wife said was not "Oh yea! You mother wears army boots!" That would be foolish and maybe some of you have said something along those lines before. But Job, he spoke wisely and put her foolish counsel to shame. He said "...'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:10.

VERSE 6

1. A fool with a message is dangerous for they tend to mess it up, you are asking for trouble.

VERSE 7

1. Limp legs are useless, they can't support anything. The same is true of a fool with a Proverb, he doesn't understand them and thus he can't apply them to his life.

VERSE 8

1. A sling had one long strap wrapped around your hand and a short strap which you held with your fingers. There was a pocket in which a stone was placed and as you swung this sling and let go of the short strap, the rock would fly towards its intended target. Now by binding the rock in this sling, when you let go, instead of the rock flying and hitting its target, it will hit you in the head. By giving honor and praise to a fool it will only cause you harm, pain.

VERSE 9

1. In other words they are insensitive to the truth, they don't understand what is important and what is not.

VERSE 10

1. A fool, one who says no to God, will one day have to stand before Him and he will receive his due reward for his actions, for his rejection of the truth.

VERSE 11

1. Kind of a gross thought but Solomon does drive home the point. A fool does not learn but keeps repeating his folly. He doesn't change his habits. As Christians, we may blow it, but we should learn from our mistakes!

VERSE 12

1. Self-conceit or pride in a person blinds them to their sense of need for God and in God's eyes they are worse than just a fool. At least he may see his weakness, his need for God and turn towards Him.

VERSE 13

1. A lazy person has all kinds of excuses why they can't work. Benjamin Franklin said that "A man who is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else!"

VERSE 14

1. Get the picture? A lazy person is anchored to his bed just as a door is anchored to the hinges.

VERSE 15

1. Hard to imagine a person this lazy, they can't even get their hand out of the bowl of food to bring it to their mouth. Now as funny as that may sound, when we look at that spiritually speaking, it is not so funny. Too often people want to be spoon fed their entire life, they never want to grow up and dig through the Word of God for themselves and dig out those treasures that God has for them. There is nothing wrong with Bible studies or tapes, but if you don't dig into the Word yourself, you are missing out on a tremendous blessing.

2. In Hebrews 5:12-14 we read "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

VERSE 16

1. Why does he think he is so wise? Because he has figured out how to live without working. They may be smart in their own eyes, but they are also lazy.

VERSE 17

1. Stay out of things that are of no concern of yours, for if you don't you may get bitten.

VERSES 18-19

1. There are people that cause all kinds of destruction and then act like it was a big joke. There are consequences to our actions, and it doesn't matter if you were joking or not!

VERSES 20-21

1. Don't fuel the fires of contention and they will go out. I think that is very wise and I have seen this played out, and it works. Some years ago the following appeared in the Atlanta Journal: "I am more deadly than the screaming shell of a howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for the truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is Gossip!"

VERSE 22

1. The flesh loves to take in gossip, they are like a tasty treat to them. That is why The Star, The National Enquire and-so-on sell so much, people love that stuff. They read the gossip as gospel truth and it will destroy their lives. We must learn to go against this, allow the Spirit of God to make gossip displeasing to our taste!

VERSES 23-26

1. People may try to disguise their motives. Cover-up their real intentions. And God may give you discernment about them, to be careful, and yet they have done nothing wrong. Pray about it and wait, for their true motives will be manifested for all to see. God will expose their heart if it is wrong.

VERSE 27

1. A pit was dug to catch an enemy and rocks were rolled down a hill to crush an enemy. God will deal with those who wrongly come against you. Psalm 7:15-16 says "He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown." God has a way of turning the tables on them.

2. You see, mans evil will recoil upon himself. Listen to this true story. Louis the Strong was asked to make chains that would hold the most desperate prisoners during one of the early French wars. He tempered some very fine steel and made chains that were unparalleled for strength. Later on in life Louis himself was found guilty of treason and sent to prison. He was heard to moan, "These are my own chains! If I had known I was forging them for myself, how differently I would have made them!"

VERSE 28

1. The tongue can be used to destroy peoples lives or to build them up, encourage them. Now flattery is different than encouragement. Flattery is used to manipulate people to do something for you. Encouragement is recognizing how God is using you to build you up in the work. Flattery does not build up, it puffs up. Let me close this evening with this prayer from Paul the apostle to the believers in Ephesus and for us. In Ephesians chapter 3, beginning in verse 14, Paulsays "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21.