LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 17 V1 One man eats dry bread in a calm and quiet place. But that man’s meal is better than the food at a party where there are arguments. V2 A wise servant will gain authority over an evil son. This servant will share the family’s wealth wi... [ Continue Reading ]
Dry bread is not a good meal. We might prefer the rich food at a party. But a quiet place is better than a place where people argue. A party can be noisy and unpleasant. Any arguments will upset people and spoil the meal. The man would be happier if he stayed at home. For this man, dry bread is bet... [ Continue Reading ]
An evil son deserves to be a servant. A wise servant deserves to be a son. If the evil son does not change his ways, he will lose his inheritance. (An inheritance is the family’s money and possessions. Normally, a child receives an inheritance when his parents die.) The wise servant will receive a... [ Continue Reading ]
The hottest fire cleans gold and silver. The fire burns waste materials. This is how the gold and silver become pure. In the same way, God tests our hearts. He wants us to be free from evil thoughts and desires. See Isaiah 6:6-7 and Malachi 3:2-4.... [ Continue Reading ]
Some people do not like honest words. They want to listen to evil plans. Then they copy the evil plans, and they do evil things themselves.... [ Continue Reading ]
See Proverbs 14:31. God cares about poor people. He does not want them to suffer. He wants us to help them.... [ Continue Reading ]
This is how God wants families to behave. Grandparents should be proud of their grandchildren. Children should be proud of their parents. However, evil behaviour prevents this. See Proverbs 10:1. If we are evil, then we bring troubles to our families. V7 A fool should not speak proud words. A rule... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon uses humour here. A fool (an evil person) should be careful about his words. His words will cause trouble. Instead, he should say nothing. Certainly, he should not try to speak in a clever way. (Of course, a fool would not obey Solomon’s advice.) However, some things are much worse than a f... [ Continue Reading ]
Again, Solomon uses humour. He does not want us to give bribes (secret gifts). Solomon teaches that bribes are terrible. Bribes encourage people to do evil things. See Proverbs 15:27. A bribe (secret gift) is like magic, because it changes people. Suddenly, people forget to do the right thing. Inst... [ Continue Reading ]
Sometimes we do not need to point out a mistake. We should forgive other people, and help them not to repeat their errors. See Matthew 18:21-22.... [ Continue Reading ]
By ‘fool’, Solomon means someone who hates wisdom. Because of his attitude, he will not learn from a punishment. You could whip the fool 100 times, and he would still do evil things. A wise man does not need a punishment, when he makes a mistake. A few words are enough to correct a wise man. This i... [ Continue Reading ]
This evil man refuses to change his behaviour. Even punishment will not stop his evil behaviour. A ruler will send an official to put the evil man in prison.... [ Continue Reading ]
Bears are very dangerous animals. Even when a bear is content, you are in danger. This bear is a very angry bear, which you must avoid. The bear could kill you. A fool is someone who hates wisdom. He loves evil things and he hates God. A ‘foolish fool’ is even worse. You must avoid him. It is safer... [ Continue Reading ]
It is evil to hurt people who help you. But some evil people do this. As we help other people, we should realise this. The people that we help may not be honest. They might be cruel or unfair. As Christians, we serve God, rather than other people. We help them, because we love God. God rewards us.... [ Continue Reading ]
When people argue, they might become angry. If they become angry, then they might fight. If they fight, then they will hate each other. A simple argument might cause serious troubles. It is easier to stop an argument when it begins. Later, this might be impossible. We should not allow our arguments... [ Continue Reading ]
Judges should make fair decisions. We all must be honest. A judge should not accept a bribe (secret gift). He should not follow his own feelings and emotions. He should listen to the evidence. He should try to make the right decision. A judge is evil if he does not punish guilty men. A judge is ev... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon uses humour here. By ‘fool’, he means a person who hates wisdom. The fool wastes his money. He might buy ordinary things, or even sensible things. However, Solomon says that the fool wastes his money. The fool did not get the one thing that he needed. Wisdom is the only thing that a fool re... [ Continue Reading ]
A real friend does not forget you, if you become poor. He helps you when you have troubles. A brother or sister should be a true friend. Solomon uses humour here. He says that your brother was born to help you. Even his birth was God’s plan. God knew that you would need help one day.... [ Continue Reading ]
The unwise man agrees to pay money that his neighbour owes. He is unwise, because he cannot trust his neighbour. If the neighbour refuses to pay, then the unwise man will suffer. See Proverbs 6:1-5.... [ Continue Reading ]
There will be results from our actions. Some people like to argue. These people will cause problems. They will cause hate and anger. A proud man might build a high gate to protect himself from other people. Or, he might build the gate to show that he is important. God hates proud people (Proverbs... [ Continue Reading ]
The first man has an evil heart. This means that his desires are evil. He cannot be successful, because God will punish him. The second man tells lies. And he will suffer because of his lies. They will cause many troubles for him. V21 If your son is a fool, then you will be sad. The father of a f... [ Continue Reading ]
A fool hates God, and hates wisdom. By ‘fool’, Solomon means someone who is evil. Because the son is evil, the father suffers. The father might suffer, because the son makes evil plans against his father. Or the father might be sad because he sees his son’s evil actions. People might become wealthy... [ Continue Reading ]
Happiness is like a medicine for our spirits and for our bodies. We feel stronger and healthier, when we are content. Our emotions are powerful, so we should try to control them. We can be content even when we are poor. This is because God has forgiven us. If we have God’s gift of wisdom, then our t... [ Continue Reading ]
The people might not know why a judge makes a wrong decision. They might think that he made a mistake. The truth is often that someone is evil. Perhaps a policeman, or a lawyer, or the judge himself, received a bribe (secret gift). Bribes are evil, because they cause the law to be unfair. See also v... [ Continue Reading ]
Life is like a journey. The wise man is like a traveller who chooses the right route. This is because the wise man is aiming to get to heaven. So the wise man is careful to choose the correct path. He thinks carefully about his decisions, because he is wise. The fool hates wisdom. He does not think... [ Continue Reading ]
This son refuses to learn to be wise. So, the son acts foolishly. He upsets his parents. And they suffer because of him. V26 Do not punish an innocent man! Do not whip honest officials! V27 A man who has knowledge, chooses his words carefully. A wise man keeps his temper under control. V28 A fo... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is good advice for any person who has authority. When there is bad news, many people would blame innocent people. Many rulers do not want to hear about troubles. Sometimes people hate an honest adviser. (See 1 Kings 22.) However, someone with authority needs to know the truth, even if t... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise man thinks carefully. He does not suddenly become angry. Other people might think that he is slow. They are wrong, because it might take a long time to make a good decision.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is good advice for a fool. Solomon is using humour here, because a fool hates wisdom and good advice. Actually, Solomon is pretending that he is advising a fool. He does this because he has a good lesson to teach us all. A fool’s words are all evil and foolish. So he should be silent. T... [ Continue Reading ]