Proverbs 22:11-21

TEXT Proverbs 22:11-21

11.

He that loveth pureness of heart,

For the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.

12.

The eyes of Jehovah preserve him that hath knowledge;

But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.

13.

The sluggard saith, There is a lion without;

I shall be slain in the streets.

14.

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;

He that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein.

15.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;

But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

16.

He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain,

And he that giveth to the rich, shall only come to want.

17

Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,

And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.

18.

For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee,

If they be established together upon thy lips.

19.

That thy trust may be in Jehovah,

I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee.

20.

Have not I written unto thee excellent things

Of counsels and knowledge,

21.

To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth,

That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 22:11-21

1.

What New Testament verse talks of pureness of heart also (Proverbs 22:11)?

2.

What blasphemous Assyrian king did God overthrow (Proverbs 22:12)?

3.

Do you really think there was a lion in the street (Proverbs 22:13)?

4.

What does God think of one who is guilty of adultery (Proverbs 22:14)?

5.

What are some examples of childhood foolishness (Proverbs 22:15)?

6.

What two classes will end up in need (Proverbs 22:16)?

7.

What does it mean to incline one's ear (Proverbs 22:17)?

8.

What is the antecedent of it in Proverbs 22:18?

9.

True knowledge should lead one to trust in whom (Proverbs 22:19)?

10.

What kind of teachings had the Proverb writer set forth (Proverbs 22:20)?

11.

Who had sent this person (Proverbs 22:21)?

PARAPHRASE OF 22:11-21

11.

He who values grace and truth is the king's friend.

12.

The Lord preserves the upright but ruins the plans of the wicked.

13.

The lazy man is full of excuses. I can-'t go to work! he says. If I go outside I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!

14.

A prostitute is a dangerous trap; those cursed of God are caught in it.

15.

A youngster's heart is filled with rebellion, but punishment will drive it out of him.

16.

He who gains by oppressing the poor or by bribing the rich shall end in poverty.

17-21.

Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord. In the past, haven-'t I been right? Then believe what I am telling you now, and share it with others.

COMMENTS ON 22:11-21

Proverbs 22:11. What a beautiful, wonderful person is portrayed by the words loveth pureness of heart and the grace of his lips, meaning a person with purity abiding in his heart and who has the ability to express himself in a courteous way. Kings may not always have been virtuous people, but they admired such. Even the wicked King Herod had a high regard for John the Baptist: Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; and she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly (Mark 6:19-20). Matthew 5:8 also exalts purity of heart.

Proverbs 22:12. The eyes of Jehovah here stand for his knowledge of the affairs upon earth and of His providential workings resulting from what He sees, He preserves those who have knowledge, who use their God-created faculties to acquire enlightment that He gives. It pleased Him that Solomon placed such a high value upon wisdom and knowledge (1 Kings 3:9-10; 1 Kings 4:29-34). God lamented in Hosea's day, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee (Hosea 4:6). When God overthrew Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35), it was an instance of His overthrowing the words of the treacherous (2 Kings 18:28-35).

Proverbs 22:13. The same sluggard excuse for not going to work is in Proverbs 26:13. Since wisdom would include one's physical safety, it is doubtful if there was a lion in the streets. All lazy people are full of excuses for not working, for they do not want to work. Just as where there's a will to do something, there is usually a way to do it, so where there is no will to work, there is usually a handy excuse for not doing it.

Proverbs 22:14. Many times in Proverbs does the father warn the son about the wicked, immoral woman (Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 5:3-23; Proverbs 6:24-35; Proverbs 7:5-27; Proverbs 23:27-28). Notice in the passages just cited how she uses her mouth (words and kisses) to break the young man down. Her mouth is said to be a deep pit into which men fall, and usually they do not get out! That God hates this sin in a terrible way, notice the strong language: He that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein. Ecclesiastes 7:26 says, I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

Proverbs 22:15. A child's actions often reflect lack of good judgment and his immaturity: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11). Oh, the foolish, unwise, careless, thoughtless things that children will do! What will drive it far from him? Proper, severe punishment. Other passages teaching such punishment; Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 19:18; Proverbs 23:13-14; Proverbs 29:15. Many parents do not do as God commands, and that foolishness remains engrained in the natures and ways of their rebellious children.

Proverbs 22:16. Proverbs shows that laziness and lack of industry can bring one to want (Proverbs 6:9-11), but this verse shows that oppressing the poor to get gain and trying to bribe the rich for one's own advantage can do the same. The man described in this verse is a man to beware of.

Proverbs 22:17. The sayings (a new saying each verse) is noticeably interrupted here for a five verse section urging the son to listen to the good instruction that he is receiving. God has given us ears with which to listen to what others say to us; they should be used when the wise are speaking. He has given us hearts or minds that can apply what we hear to our lives. The double commandment of this verse, then, is incline thine ear and apply thy heart.

Proverbs 22:18. To live as Proverbs 22:17 says brings a pleasant way to live. What we hear and apply we keep within us as knowledge, and they become proverbs or sayings upon our own lips.

Proverbs 22:19. True knowledge should cause us to trust in God, who is the First (the cause) and the Last (the judge). Remember, The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). That his son might come to trust in Jehovah was the purpose of the father's careful instruction.

Proverbs 22:20. The father here refers to the quality of his instructions. Compare Proverbs 4:1-2; Proverbs 8:6-8.

Proverbs 22:21. As a young man grows up, he is going to be subjected to many ideas of people, some being diametrically opposed to others. It is easy for a youth in the state of immaturity to be tossed to and fro by such (Ephesians 4:14). This is why it is so necessary that the truth that the father teaches be taught in such a way that his son is well grounded in that truth, for only as he knows the truth will he be able to detect the counterfeit. On the latter statement of the verse, if a son has been brought up to know truth, to respect it, and to tell it, when being sent by others on a responsible mission, he will be able to know what truth is, to evaluate the situation, and to bring back a true report.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 22:11-21

1.

What king in Bible days respected a pure man with good teaching (Proverbs 22:11)?

2.

What does eyes of Jehovah stand for in Proverbs 22:12?

3.

Why does a sluggard offer excuses (Proverbs 22:13)?

4.

What word in the second statement of Proverbs 22:14 goes with deep pit in the first statement?

5.

How does the strange woman use her mouth to the destruction of men (Proverbs 22:14)?

6.

Cite some instances of childhood foolishness (Proverbs 22:15).

7.

What will drive foolishness from a child (Proverbs 22:15)?

8.

According to Proverbs 22:16 what are two ways to become poor?

9.

Incline thine ....... and apply thy ....... (Proverbs 22:17).

(Proverbs 22:17).

10.

What does it mean for wisdom to be established upon thy lips (Proverbs 22:18)?

11.

True knowledge should lead one to ....... in Jehovah (Proverbs 22:19).

12.

How good should one's counsel be (Proverbs 22:20)?

13.

Parental teachings should be so clear that youth would not be ....... to and fro (Proverbs 22:21).