Sunday
Morning Bible Study
February
4, 2018
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words Communion:
2500 words Video=75wpm
The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.
Wisdom is not about knowing facts.
Wisdom is about knowing what to do with what you know.
Wisdom is knowing when to do it.
Wisdom is knowing how to do it.
We are now in a new section of the
book of Proverbs.
We’ve finished the “mini-lectures”
that Solomon gave to his son in the first nine chapters.
The rest of the book are what we
typically call the “proverbs”.
Proverbs are sayings, typically short, that give wisdom and insight into
everyday things.
They are intended to help you lead a better life.
They are not absolute promises, as in “if you do x,y, then z will always
happen and your life will be perfect”.
They are general principles – that if you do them your life will be
generally better than if you didn’t do them.
I want to encourage you to have a
pencil or pen ready as we work through each chapter.
Though we will read the entire
chapter, I won’t be taking time to unpack every single proverb.
God may want to use one of the
proverbs that we simply pass over to speak to you, so be ready to mark up your
Bible or write down a verse.
It’s going to be a little like
drinking from a fire hydrant.
The Proverbs are Hebrew poetry…
Hebrew poetry is about ideas, not
sounds.
Most of these proverbs are in two
lines.
Sometimes the second line is a
parallel of the first. It expresses the same idea with different words.
Sometimes the second line is an
opposite idea, still clarifying the first, but by way of contrast.
Be careful that you don’t look at
one phrase without looking at the other.
Proverbs 21
:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever
He wishes.
:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord
Lesson
The King of Kings
Sometimes we can think that God can only use those who are godly leaders,
those who are yielded to him. That’s what Eugene Peterson had in mind with his
“The Message” paraphrase of this verse.
(Proverbs 21:1 The
Message) Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he
chooses.
But the truth is, God is bigger than that. God can even use pagan, ungodly
leaders to accomplish His will.
Our God in heaven is the King over all other Kings, and if He wants to, He
can influence any ruler.
Perhaps this is why Paul tells us to pray for our rulers (1Tim. 2:1-2)
(1 Timothy 2:1–2 NKJV) —1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Nebuchadnezzar was the ruthless pagan ruler of Babylon who conquered the
world.
When he conquered the little nation of Judah, he probably thought he was
just adding to his collection of conquered lands, but he was actually serving
God and bringing judgment on rebellious Judah.
(Jeremiah
27:6 NKJV) And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given
him to serve him.
Cyrus was king of the Persian empire, yet God used him to set the Jews free
from their captivity in Babylon. (Is. 44:28)
(Isaiah 44:28 NKJV) Who says
of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he
shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to
Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the
temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Caesar Augustus sat on his throne in Rome and made a decree that all the
world should be taxed.
That decree caused a young couple to wind up in Bethlehem, where they would
give birth to their baby boy and fulfilling an ancient prophecy given 500 years
before (Mic. 5:2)
(Micah 5:2 NKJV) “But you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
There’s a song that says,
There are things about tomorrow
That I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
Corrie ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a
known God.”
God can handle whatever you’re facing.
:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.
(Proverbs 21:2
HCSB) All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord evaluates the motives.
Lesson
Self-deception
One of the saddest things I see is when a person is convinced he’s doing
the right thing but is clearly self-deceived and can’t even see it.
In 1837 Hans Christian Andersen wrote a little story called “The Emperor’s
New Clothes”.
The vain emperor wants to be admired so much he hires a pair of weavers who
promise to make him the best suit of clothes. They claim that they will use a
magic fabric that can only be seen by smart people.
Of course the vain emperor eventually walks in a procession down the city
street wearing nothing but these magical clothes. It’s only when a small child
blurts out, “the emperor is naked” that he realizes that he’s been duped.
Please don’t ignore the warnings of folks around you, and especially the
warnings of God’s Word.
Don’t deceive yourself.
(1 John 1:8 NLT) If we claim we have no
sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
:3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
righteousness – tsedaqah
– justice, righteousness; truthfulness; righteousness (as ethically right)
justice – mishpat
– judgment, justice, ordinance
:3 more acceptable to the Lord
than sacrifice
(Proverbs 21:3 NLT)
The
Lord is more pleased when we do
what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.
Lesson
Obedience is best
The Old Testament teaches the principle of substitutionary sacrifice.
The idea is that an animal sacrifices it’s life in place of yours, it pays
the price.
This is the foundation behind our salvation, leading to the ultimate truth that
Jesus saved us by being our sacrifice, dying in our place.
(1
John 2:2 NLT) He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only
our sins but the sins of all the world.
This is the only way to forgiveness, having Jesus pay for your
sins.
There is nothing greater than Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
Today, you can have God’s complete forgiveness if you will
choose to put your faith in the sacrifice of Jesus.
Yet some people mistakenly think that they can still follow this principle of
sacrifice to earn forgiveness.
The Roman Catholic church used to practice the selling of “indulgences”,
that you could purchase forgiveness, or take time off or a person’s sentence in
purgatory by giving money to the church.
Keep in mind – the Bible doesn’t teach that a place called
purgatory exists. When you die, you either go to heaven or hell, and there’s no
changing your destination once you’re dead. The Bible also teaches that
forgiveness and salvation come through faith, not giving money or doing good
works.
Yet … there were some people who would even purchase
indulgences ahead of time. They knew they were going to visit a prostitute, so
they purchased their forgiveness before even sinning.
That’s just wrong on so many fronts.
Today because of Jesus, God provides forgiveness for your sins, but God
would rather that His people learn to obey Him in the first place so they wouldn’t
need to sacrifice.
King Saul had publicly disobeyed an order that God had given him, and felt
that he wouldn’t be in trouble with God as long as he made a nice sacrifice to
make up for it.
(1
Samuel 15:22 NKJV) So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
When you need forgiveness, God’s grace is always there. He will forgive.
Yet He’d much rather that you simply learn to obey.
The prophet Hosea spoke for God
when he wrote,
(Hosea 6:6 NKJV) For I desire mercy and
not sacrifice, And the knowledge of
God more than burnt offerings.
:4 A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are
sin.
(Proverbs 21:4 NLT) Haughty
eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.
There’s a word here in the Hebrew
that could be pronounced two different ways. If it’s pronounced nir, it means untilled or fallow ground.
If it’s pronounced ner, then it means
“lamp”. That’s why there are two different sets of translations:
(Prov 21:4 NKJV) A haughty look, a proud
heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.
The idea is that God not only hates
pride, but every work that a wicked person sets out to do.
(Prov 21:4 NIV) Haughty eyes and a proud
heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!
The idea would be that the thing
that delights a wicked person (like pride) are a sin before God.
:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of
everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty
(Proverbs 21:5 NLT)
Good
planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Lesson
How to get rich
We talk about this each week – that these are general principles and not
absolute promises.
The general principle here regarding wealth is: If you want to get ahead in
life, then learn diligence.
Learn to make plans, learn to think ahead.
Then be sure to do your part and work hard at what you’re doing.
Some kids hate school so much that they plan on quitting school at the
first chance. If they would take the time to think about what they were doing,
they might try staying in school.
Average
income for high school dropout (as of 2012): $20,241
Average income for high school graduate: $30,627
Average income for a bachelor’s degree: $56,665
In 1974 I was fresh out of high
school, I wanted to go straight into the ministry. I was sure that Jesus was
coming back soon and didn’t see the need to go to school.
I’m so glad my pastor talked me
into not only going to college, but going to seminary.
There are some things in life that you will NEVER accomplish unless you
plan for them and work hard to stay on that plan.
It might be financial – learn how to take control of your finances and save
money.
It might be your health – learning to eat right and exercise won’t solve
your health issues this very moment, but over time they will put you far ahead.
It works in the spiritual realm – learning to develop a daily habit of
spending time with God – reading your Bible and praying – will put you in a
significantly better place ten years from now.
:6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of
those who seek death.
(Proverbs 21:6 HCSB) Making a
fortune through a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a pursuit of death.
(Prov 21:6 ICB) Wealth that comes
from telling lies vanishes like a mist and leads to death.
Misrepresenting your product. Lying
to make a deal.
Those are not going to bring you
lasting wealth.
:7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do
justice.
:8 The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure,
his work is right.
(Proverbs 21:8 NLT) The guilty
walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.
:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a
contentious woman.
(Proverbs 21:9 NLT)
It’s
better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in
a lovely home.
We’ll look at this again in vs. 19
:10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his
eyes.
(Proverbs 21:10 The Message) Wicked
souls love to make trouble; they feel
nothing for friends and neighbors.
:11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; But when the
wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
(Proverbs 21:11 The
Message) Simpletons only learn the hard way, but the wise learn by listening.
So, what does it take for you to learn one of life’s lessons?
Do you need some kind of serious punishment to wake you up to the fact that
you’re going down the wrong road?
Or do you pay attention to simple instruction?
Sometimes “instruction” comes
across as “criticism”.
In J. Oswald Sanders’ Book, Spiritual
Leadership (pg.120), he writes:
Samuel Brengle, noted for his sense of holiness, felt the heat of caustic
criticism. Instead of rushing to defend himself, he replied: “From my heart I
thank you for your rebuke. I think I deserved it. Will you, my friend, remember
me in prayer?” When another critic attacked his spiritual life, Brengle
replied: “I thank you for your criticism of my life. It set me to
self-examination and heart-searching and prayer, which always leads me into a
deeper sense of my utter dependence on Jesus for holiness of heart, and into
sweeter fellowship with Him.”
:12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
(Proverbs 21:12 NLT) The
Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring
disaster on them.
:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and
not be heard.
If we don’t pay attention to those in need, there will be a day when we
will be in need, and nobody will help.
:14 A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong
wrath.
:14 A gift in secret pacifies anger
(Proverbs 21:14 The
Message) A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt
present cools a hot temper.
Lesson
Tactical Gifts
We’ve talked about bribes before. Solomon isn’t necessarily promoting the
paying of bribes but has stated before that they do work.
Sometimes our word “bribe” isn’t the way to look at this, but we should
talk about the value of a gift.
Jacob had to leave home because he had caused so much tension in taking his
brother Esau’s birthright and blessing, that Esau wanted to kill Jacob.
When Jacob returned twenty years later, it was a wiser Jacob coming back
(Gen. 32)
He sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau to get a
sense of what Esau was like, and they came back with the report that Esau was
coming to meet Jacob with four hundred men (Gen. 32:6), as if he was coming for
battle.
Jacob decided against taking a battle stance with his
brother, and instead sent waves of gifts on ahead to meet Esau.
By the time the two actually met, Esau was quite gentle
and the two were reconciled.
Sometimes in the “battle” we call “marriage”, our focus is solely on
winning the fight or justifying our actions.
Perhaps we could make more progress if we thought about a gift to calm
things down.
I’m not talking about bribing her with diamonds and
flowers (or am I ladies?), but perhaps doing the laundry, emptying the
dishwasher, or cleaning up the house might ease the tension so you can actually
talk about what you need to talk about.
:15 It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will
come to the workers of iniquity.
joy – simchah
– joy, mirth, gladness
justice – mishpat
– judgment, justice, ordinance
destruction – mechittah
– destruction, ruin, terror, a breaking
:16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the
assembly of the dead.
(Proverbs 21:16 HCSB) The man
who strays from the way of wisdom will come to rest in the assembly of the
departed spirits.
:17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and
oil will not be rich.
:17 wine and oil
Wine and olive oil were expensive things.
:17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man
Here’s another key to becoming wealthy.
Don’t love expensive things too much.
You’ll end up spending all your money on them.
When it comes to spending money on
things, the wise person will learn to exercise some restraint.
:18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the
unfaithful for the upright.
(Proverbs 21:18 NLT) The wicked
are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.
:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry
woman.
wilderness – midbar
– uninhabited land, wilderness
contentious – midyan
– strife, contention
angry – ka’ac
– anger, vexation, provocation, grief
:19 a contentious and angry woman
(Proverbs 21:19
NLT) It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome,
complaining wife.
Lesson
Tensions at home
Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. He probably
knew a little about the subject.
It seems to be one of his recurring themes, since he’s talked about it in
19:13 and 21:9.
(Proverbs 21:9 NKJV) Better
to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a
house shared with a contentious woman.
contentious – midyan
– strife, contention
(Proverbs 19:13 NKJV) A
foolish son is the ruin of his father, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
contentious – midyan
– strife, contention
As we mentioned last week, continually nagging your spouse isn’t going to
change them. It will probably cause resentment instead.
Sometimes a single person is so
afraid that they’re going to miss the boat when it comes to getting married
that they settle for the first person with a pulse.
I think Solomon would warn you that
it’s better to wait for the right person.
Illustration
J. Paul Getty, who at the time was
one of the richest men in the world said, “I would give my entire fortune for
one happy marriage.”
To be fair, it’s not always the
woman who is “contentious”. Men can be just as difficult.
Illustration
An efficiency expert concluded his lecture with a note of
caution. “You don’t want to try these techniques at home.”
“Why not?” asked somebody from the audience.
“I watched my wife’s routine at breakfast for years,” the
expert explained. “She made lots of trips between the refrigerator, stove,
table and cabinets, often carrying a single item at a time. One day I told her,
‘Hon, why don’t you try carrying several things at once?’”
“Did it save time?” the guy in the audience asked.
“Actually, yes,” replied the expert. “It used to take her
20 minutes to make breakfast. Now I do it in seven.”
A good marriage isn’t the absence of conflict, it’s learning to handle
conflict or disagreements fairly and cleanly.
Like the referees used to say to the boxers – no punching below the belt.
Some people handle their disagreements by refusing to acknowledge that disagreements
exist.
Illustration
A married couple was celebrating their 60th
wedding anniversary. At the party everybody wanted to know how they managed to
stay married so long in this day and age. The husband responded “When we were
first married we came to an agreement. I would make all the major decisions and
my wife would make all of the minor decisions. And in 60 years of marriage we
have never needed to make a MAJOR decision.”
Some people handle their disagreements with a little too much aggression.
Illustration
Another couple was celebrating their golden wedding
anniversary. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. A
local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy
marriage. “Well, it dates back to our honeymoon,” Explained the man. “We
visited the Grand Canyon and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by
pack mule. We hadn’t gone too far when my wife’s mule stumbled. My wife quietly
said, “That’s once.” We proceeded a little farther when the mule stumbled
again. Once more my wife quietly said, “That’s twice.” We hadn’t gone a half
mile when the mule stumbled a third time. My wife promptly removed a revolver
from her pocket and shot him. I started to protest over her treatment of the
mule when she looked at me and quietly said, ‘That’s once.’”
Maybe a wee too aggressive?
Others handle their disagreements with a good balance of knowing when to
speak up and when to let it go.
Illustration
On their 50th wedding anniversary, a couple
summed up the reason for their long and happy marriage. The husband said, “I
have tried never to be selfish. After all, there is no ‘I’ in the word
‘marriage.”” The wife said, “For my part, I have never corrected my husband’s
spelling.”
:20 There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the
wise, But a foolish man squanders it.
(Prov 21:20
ICB) Wise people store up the best foods and olive oil. But a foolish
person eats up everything he has.
Are you saving or spending?
Alf Peddler in Kalamazoo says “A penny saved is a congressional oversight.”
-- Associated Press 10-30-90
:21 He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness and
honor.
righteousness – ts@daqah
– justice, righteousness; truthfulness; righteousness (as ethically right)
mercy – checed
– goodness, kindness, faithfulness
life – chay
– life, some other interesting ideas in this word: flowing, fresh (of
water); revival, renewal
honor – kabowd
– glory, honor, glorious, abundance
Do you want to find life,
righteousness, and honor? Then follow the right things.
Some make a point of following
righteousness, but they have no mercy towards others or themselves. Follow both
righteousness and mercy.
:22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the
trusted stronghold.
(Proverbs 21:22
NLT) The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in
which they trust.
Don’t be afraid of facing enemies that seem bigger and stronger than you.
Moses raised his staff, the Red Sea parted, and while the Israelites
crossed on dry ground, the Egyptians all drowned.
Young David took on a giant named Goliath.
Hezekiah was surrounded by the Assyrians, prayed, and God sent one angel.
What did they all have in common? They trusted God.
You may be facing enemies of a different sort –
Addictions, worldly influences, the atheist’s arguments.
Be the wise man and scale the walls.
:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
:23 Whoever guards his mouth
Don’t you wish sometimes you had just kept your mouth shut?
A wife walked into the den and asked, “What’s on the TV?” Her husband
replied “Dust”.
And that’s how the fight started...
And that’s how the fight started...
A man asked his wife, ‘Where do you want to
go for our anniversary?’ It warmed his heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation.
‘Somewhere I haven’t been in a long time!’ she said. So he suggested, ‘How
about the kitchen?’
And that’s how the fight started...
:24 A proud and haughty man—“Scoffer”
is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.
(Proverbs 21:24 NLT) Mockers are proud and haughty; they act
with boundless arrogance.
I
can’t help but think of politicians giving their speeches.
:25 The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to
labor.
desire – ta’avah
– desire, wish, longings of one’s heart; lust, appetite, covetousness (bad
sense)
This verse seems to continue on with…
:26 He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not
spare.
:25 The desire of the lazy man kills him
The lazy person wants things like the rest of us, but his desire for things
only hurt him because he’s too lazy to do anything about it.
While the lazy person is thinking all day about what he wishes for, the
righteous person is out doing things for others.
:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when
he brings it with wicked intent!
This is similar to what we talked about in vs. 3
(Proverbs 21:27 HCSB) The
sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable— how much more so when he brings it
with ulterior motives!
:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is
an abomination
This is in line with what we talked
about back in verse 3 –the principles of substitutionary sacrifice.
If a wicked man is truly repentant
and wants to change, then his sacrifice is a good thing and God is pleased.
But when a wicked man has no intent
on changing, then his sacrifice is horrible in God’s eyes.
:28 A false witness shall perish, But the man who hears him will
speak endlessly.
(Proverbs 21:28
NLT) A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be
allowed to speak.
The second part of this verse is
difficult to translate and has been translated about three different ways. Bottom line – don’t be a false witness.
There are a variety of ways this has
been translated.
(Proverbs 21:28 NIV84) A false
witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.
The idea is that even after a false
witness is gone, their words can echo on long after by those who were following
them – think of the various cults.
(Proverbs 21:28 NASB95) A false
witness will perish, But the
man who listens to the truth will speak forever.
Here the idea is lies vs.
truth. Lies perish but truth lives on.
(Proverbs 21:28 The Message) A lying
witness is unconvincing; a person
who speaks truth is respected.
:29 A wicked man hardens his face, But as for the upright, he
establishes his way.
(Proverbs 21:29
NLT) The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before
they act.
:30 There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the Lord.
(Proverbs 21:30
NLT) No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?
:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is
of the Lord.
(Prov 21:31 ICB) You can get the horses ready for battle. But it is the Lord who
gives the victory.
It’s not bad for a nation to be prepared militarily, but ultimately
deliverance comes from God.