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TH1132: On-Line

Teaching Notes

PROVERBS

Please turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 29, as we continue our study through the Word of God. And this evening we will be concluding this book of wisdom.

PROVERBS 29

VERSE 1

1. Prior to the flood God said "...'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" Genesis 6:3. Then, as now, we see God's patients, His longsuffering towards man. But there comes a point where you have rejected God for the last time, your ways are firmly established, and sudden destruction will come upon your life.

VERSE 2

1. When wicked people rule they do so by oppressing the people, there is a deterioration of our freedom, and instead of being free, we end up being in bondage.

VERSE 3

1. It is hard to watch your children make foolish decisions, some that can be very destructive.

VERSE 4

1. When leaders can be bought, when justice is perverted, the stability of the nation begins to come apart.

VERSE 5

1. Flattery is used to catch people, and Solomon is saying that if you use these words you are going to get caught in them yourself.

VERSE 6

1. I don't care what you think, sin is a trap, and once you get caught in its clutches it is hard to get out. Look at people who have been trapped by pornography, it has destroyed their life. The solution, don't travel down the path and you can sing and shout for joy in the freedom you have in Christ Jesus. No longer do we need to be in bondage to sin, but we can choose to be.

VERSE 7

1. We should care for the poor, help them as God has enabled us to.

VERSE 8

1. A fool will keep speaking his foolishness, causing all kinds of trouble, while a wise person knows what to say and when to say it to dispel anger.

VERSE 9

1. It doesn't matter what you say to a fool, it won't change his thoughts, no peace will come out of what is said.

VERSE 10

1. They hate the blameless for the blameless expose their sin. On the other hand, the blameless love the sinner, hate the sin, and desire to see them saved. As Christians we must have that kind of heart attitude, care about a persons soul, where they will spend eternity, even though they may seek to destroy us.

VERSE 11

1. A fool has no self control but just speaks his mind, which outside of Christ, is empty. You may be very intelligent, have all kinds of degrees, but by missing the simplicity of God because of your pride, you are a fool.

VERSE 12

1. The people of a ruler or a leader will reflect his character, either good or bad.

VERSE 13

1. In human society there is a great division between the poor and the oppressor. But God levels the playing field, for all will come before Him on a common level. God is not a respecter ofpeople. Each of us have an equal opportunity to know Him and be adopted into His family through Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift, but not all will receive it into their life.

VERSE 14

1. Blessings for those who minister to the poor.

VERSE 15

1. To often people feel that children are born good and its their environment that makes them bad. Wrong! We are born sinners, and without discipline, training, we would turn into unruly, uncontrollable, violent people. Maybe that is why we see so many problems in our nation today, there is no discipline.

VERSE 16

1. Today we can see all kinds of immorality coming out of the closet and being considered a normal part of life, a alternate lifestyle, while Christianity is moving into the closet. Two important facts. Wickedness will have its end, it won't last forever. And as Christians, don't hide your light in a closet, but let it shine brightly for all to see.

VERSE 17

1. If you let your children do what they want, rarely correcting them, you will not have peace in the home. I know at times the opposite seems to be true when you have to discipline them. It is not easy, and at times it may be a battle. But if you don't deal with it now, in the long run, you will have continual turmoil. If you deal with it now, peace will eventually come out of discipline.

VERSE 18

1. People will use this to speak of having a vision for the ministry, for without it the people will parish. That is not what is being said here, even though that is an important principle. This is speaking of prophetic vision, the Word of God. You see, when God's Word is not known, when it is not respected and applied to a persons life, people will run wild, no self control, they will do their own thing. We have cast off the Word of God in this country and look at the results. And this is not only true in the secular world, but also in the church, which is running wild, getting involved in all kinds of un-biblical activities - they are running to and fro not knowing where they are going, and they call it revival! You see, when God's Word is cast aside people will be drawn to their own sinful ways for they have no truth to guide them outside of God's Word.

VERSE 19

1. Sometimes words were not enough to correct a servant, you had to be a little tougher.

VERSE 20

1. Think before you speak.

VERSE 21

1. A servant who doesn't understand his position will think he is a son and expect to be treated like one.

VERSE 22

1. Again we see a picture of a person with no self-control.

VERSE 23

1. Listen to this story that gives us a proper perspective of what our position before God should be: "Professor Smith was climbing the Weisshorn. When near the top the guide stood aside to permit the traveler to have the honor of first reaching the top. Exhilarated by the view, forgetful of the fierce gale that was blowing, he sprang up and stood erect on the summit. The guide pulled him down, exclaiming, 'On your knees sir; you are not safe there except on your knees.' Life's summits, whether of knowledge, of love, or of worldly success, are full of perils."

VERSE 24

1. When you align yourself with wicked people you will pervert your own character, speaking lies to protect them. Leviticus 5:1 says "If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter; if he does not tell it, he bears guilt."

VERSE 25

1. Too often people succumb to peer pressure and it only brings them into bondage. Our security must be found in the Lord. God will deliver us from the fear of man!

VERSE 26

1. Don't seek man's favor, but God. Do what is right.

VERSE 27

1. The world hates us for standing up for Christ, but we also see the sins of a sinner as distasteful to us, or at least we should. Light and darkness can not mix!

PROVERBS 30

VERSE 1

1. All we know of this man Agur is that God has allowed his words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to become part of His Word.

VERSES 2-4

1. Agur is saying that he can not know, understand an infinite God. Interestingly enough, we do know the name of the Son of God, His name is JESUS! And understand this, if you could know all there is to know about God, understand Him completely, then He truly would not be worth worshiping, for He would be just like you and me. We can not fully understand an infinite God with our finite minds, but we can know Him through His Word, the written revelation of Himself.

VERSES 5-6

1. Agur was just wondering how he can understand, know God, and now he tells us, by the Word of God. I wish more Christians would believe that. Because they don't they add to or take away from God's Word like it was the words of men. But in the end, those that do will be put to shame, for God's Word will stand forever. And for those that like to add or take away from the Word of God, listen to what Revelation 22:18-19 has to say. We read "For I testify to everyonewho hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Don't mess with the Word of God!

VERSES 7-9

1. He is asking God to give him just what he needs to live, not too little or not too much. Why? Because prosperity seems to ruin people spiritually, it drives them from God. Poverty causes people to curse God for their condition, to do things that are wrong. As one person said, "Never bless me above my capacity to love you!"

VERSE 10

1. Paul picks up on this in Romans 14:4 when he said "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." In other words don't meddle in another persons affairs when you don't understand what is going on.

VERSES 11-14

1. Sounds like today. Children are disrespectful to their parents at alarming rates. People see themselves as basically good in their own eyes, they have no need for a Savior and yet they are dying in their sins. People today are full of pride and arrogance, they have no room nor do they need God. People today speak words that cut, pierce and mutilate peoples lives, and they don'teven care, it doesn't even bother them. They are more concerned about themselves than the condition of others.

VERSES 15-16

1. This is speaking of greed, that it can never be satisfied. The idea is of a leech that has an endless capacity for sucking blood, it wants more and more. And he gives us 4 examples of things that are never satisfied:

A. THE GRAVE - There is always a vacancy.

B. THE BARREN WOMAN - always hoping for motherhood.

C. THE EARTH - the earth always has room to absorb more water.

D. THE FIRE - it will devour as much fuel as it is fed.

VERSE 17

1. A rebellious child will not be buried in the grave, but left for the birds of prey to eat its remains. This was, of course, a disgrace to the Jew.

VERSES 18-19

1. The wonderful things that are hard to understand deal with the ability of these things to go where no paths have been set before them.

VERSE 20

1. This person has reached a point in her life where she can freely sin and not see any wrong in her actions. There is no guilt, sorrow, remorse, just rejoicing in her sin.

VERSES 21-23

1. The idea being expressed is that of people trembling when inexperienced, unqualified people are placed into positions of power. You are only asking for trouble.

VERSES 24-28

1. Here we see listed 4 things that are wise even though they are little:

A. ANT - Gathers food on good days to prepare for the bad days. He takes advantage of his days.

B. ROCK BADGER, HYRAX, CONIES - Can't protect themselves, no natural defenses, so they live in the rocks for protection.

C. LOCUST - Have no leader, no king and yet they work together as they sweep across the land. We see a co-operative effort being made.

D. GECKO LIZARD - Uses what it has been given to walk wherever he wants, on walls, ceilings, even going into kings palaces where he did not belong, he did not deserve to live.

VERSES 29-31

1. These are things that God has given a majestic beauty to.

VERSES 32-33

1. As Williams says regarding these verses: "If feeble man in his folly has lifted up himself against God, or even indulged hard thoughts of Him, let him listen to the voice of wisdom and lay hishand upon his mouth; for otherwise there will be a result as surely as there is a result when milk is churned, the nose wrung, or anger excited."

PROVERBS 31

VERSE 1

1. We are not sure who king Lemuel is. Some feel it was a pet name given to Solomon by his mother Bathsheba. You see, God called Solomon "JEDIDIAH" in II Samuel 12:25. His name means "Beloved of the Lord." Now the name Lemuel means "Belonging to God" or "Dedicated to God." So if that is true, then these words are the words of his mother, Bathsheba, that she is giving to her son. If not, then these are the words of Lemuel's mother to her son. Whatever the case, God found them important enough to include in His Word.

VERSES 2-3

1. She is calling for her son to stay away from women that will destroy his life. In Proverbs 6:24-26 we read of Solomon warning his son by saying "To keep you from the evil woman,From the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life." How many people have been reduced to a crust of bread because they let their flesh overpower their better judgment?

VERSES 4-5

1. Drunkenness leads to bad decisions, it clouds the picture, their memory, their judgment. They may at times even break the law. Sadly enough, Washington D.C., the capitol of this nation, has the highest alcohol consumption per person in the United States. In the place where big decisions are made, I wonder if their judgment has ever been clouded by drinking?

VERSES 6-7

1. Too often people drink to forget about their problems. The reality is the problems are still there only now the alcohol has compounded them, complicated the situation even more. Don't try to cover your problems in a drink, give them to the Lord, and He will comfort you. It is as Peter said in I Peter 5:7 "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

VERSES 8-9

1. We are to stand up for the poor, the needy, and our judgment should be righteous, not perverted or altered by a bribe.

2. Now the next 22 verses deal with a virtuous wife or a woman of character. Also, this does not come across in our English Bibles, but in the Hebrew text, each verse begins with a consecutiveletter of the Hebrew alphabet. For example, verse 1 would begin with ALEPH, then BETH, GIMEL, DALETH, HE, WAW, and-so-on.

VERSE 10

1. It is not that one cannot be found, but when she is found she should be praised, for she is a treasure to any man who finds her.

VERSES 11-12

1. He trusts her completely and is an asset in the relationship. When a husband and wife trust each other, there is peace in that relationship. With distrust comes quarrels and fights over situations, a power struggle you might say.

VERSE 13

1. We are going to see that this woman was not lazy, but very industrious. She did not sit around watching soap operas all day, but was busy from the rising of the sun till its going down. Not because she had to, or was forced into this position, but she willing did these things, they blessed her heart.

VERSE 14

1. She travels near and far to get the best deals for her family. My wife is an excellent bargain hunter, she gets great deals on things which save us money and that is a blessing to our family.

VERSE 15

1. She not only gets up before everyone else to cook them breakfast, but she provides a meal for her servants also.

VERSE 16

1. She is very industrious, buying a field and planting a vineyard from the profits, besides taking care of her family's needs, which was her first priority.

VERSES 17-18

1. Again, she rises early in the morning and is still working at night, by the light of a lamp.

VERSES 19-20

1. After caring for her own family, she is reaching out to the poor of the community.

VERSES 21-22

1. She makes the best for her family. The reason may be as simple as this. The way her family is dressed, cared for, is a reflection of what she has done, how she loves them.

VERSE 23

1. She is working all day and her husband has the time to sit at the gates of the city where judgments were made. It was like the city council. And there he was able to do the ministry that was set before him, not worrying about what needed to be done at home, for his wife took care of that for him.

VERSES 24-26

1. She not only makes clothes for her family, but the excess she sells. And the words that flow from her lips are kind, pure, according to the Word of God, instead of what flows from a man's heart.

VERSE 27

1. She was so busy watching over her home that she had no time for idleness, which gets people into all kinds of trouble.

VERSES 28-29

1. This is so important men and children. May the words that flow from your mouth be praise unto your wife, your mother, and not harsh criticism.

VERSES 30-31

1. True beauty is not seen outwardly, but inwardly. It is the beauty that is seen in a person that knows the Lord, and that inward beauty then flows outwardly in the things in which that person does. The book of Proverbs opened up in verse 7 with the words "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." And now it concludes with that same beauty that flows from a person who fears the Lord, that they will be praised, not for their greatness, but for His. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."