LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM
PROVERBS
_KEITH SIMONS_
CHAPTER 22
V1 It is better to be a responsible person than to have great wealth.
It is better that people trust you than for you to receive silver and
gold.
V2 Rich people and poor people have this in common.
God made them all.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom is more valuable than wealth (Proverbs 8:10). Other people
should be able to trust us. Christians should be responsible people,
who are always careful and sensible.... [ Continue Reading ]
God made everybody. So we are all responsible to him.
God made rich people. He gave wealth to them, so that they could help
poor people (Proverbs 14:31).
God also made poor people. He cares about them (Isaiah 61:1). He will
punish rich people who refuse to help poor people (Proverbs 17:5).
V3 Whe... [ Continue Reading ]
A simple person has not learned to be wise. He does not watch for
dangers. He does not go to a safe place. (See Psalms 46:1-2.) He
suffers, because he is not wise.... [ Continue Reading ]
God is greater than we are. Therefore, we must be humble. The wise
person respects God (Proverbs 1:7). God protects him and helps him.
Some wise people are not wealthy (Proverbs 19:1). But their wisdom is
more valuable than money (Proverbs 8:10-11). Really, they are wealthy,
because God will give g... [ Continue Reading ]
In this book, Solomon warns us about many dangers. Wicked people
suffer from all these dangers, because they refuse to learn wisdom
(Proverbs 4:19). They even suffer from their own evil actions. They
are like a stupid hunter, who falls into his own trap (Proverbs
5:22-23).
But we can be safe from t... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is a lesson for teachers to learn. It is also good advice
for parents.
We should teach even the youngest children. We should teach them about
wisdom. We should teach them to obey God’s commands. And we should
encourage them to trust in Jesus.
Science, languages and maths are good subjec... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon collected 3000 wise lessons (proverbs) (1 Kings 4:32). This
section contains over 400 proverbs (Proverbs 10:22). Here, Solomon is
almost at the end of his list. As he finishes his work, he repeats the
main principles.
Wealthy people are powerful, because of their money. They should use
thei... [ Continue Reading ]
Evil actions are like seeds. If a man sows seeds, then he will receive
a harvest. If a man does evil things, then he will suffer trouble.
Other people might suffer from his evil actions. But the man himself
will also suffer. God knows that the man is evil. God will punish him
(Hosea 8:7).
Sometimes... [ Continue Reading ]
God wants us to be generous. He wants us to share the wealth that he
has given to us (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). God cares about poor people. If
we help other people, then we are doing God’s work (Luke 6:38). So,
God will reward us (Mark 10:29-30).
V10 If a man makes trouble for other people, send him a... [ Continue Reading ]
People who cause trouble by their evil words do not deserve a welcome.
Such people may lie or gossip. Or they may insult other people. We
should send away these evil people (Matthew 18:17). The troubles will
end when they leave. And perhaps our actions will warn them that their
behaviour was evil (1... [ Continue Reading ]
Because Solomon was a king, his decisions affected many people. His
friends needed to advise him and to inform him. He needed to choose
the right friends.
Solomon needed honest friends who would speak the truth. He needed
friends who spoke kind words. He did not want angry friends or
dangerous frie... [ Continue Reading ]
People may fail, but God’s word will never fail. God preserves his
truth. Nobody can successfully oppose God. God will not allow anyone
to destroy the truth.
‘Knowledge’ here means knowledge about God, and about what he
requires.
In Jeremiah 36:27-28, an evil king tried to destroy the words that G... [ Continue Reading ]
When Solomon writes about the lazy man, he usually uses humour. This
lazy man has an excuse for everything. He cannot even leave his house.
The lazy man tells us that there is a lion outside. We look, but we
cannot see any lion. He tells us that a murderer is outside. We cannot
see any murderer, ei... [ Continue Reading ]
A deep well is very dangerous. If you fall in, then you cannot easily
climb out. Perhaps nobody will hear your cries. Perhaps nobody can
rescue you. Perhaps you will die.
Evil deeds are dangerous. If evil things tempt you, these things are
dangerous. These things can cause many troubles.
Perhaps s... [ Continue Reading ]
By ‘foolish’, Solomon means ‘evil’. We all do evil things
(Romans 7:19). This is because men and women refused to obey God
(Genesis 3). Even a child does wrong things.
But the child can learn to do the right things. And we can all learn
to obey God. First, we must ask God to forgive us. We must tru... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon finishes this section of his book, with a puzzle.
Solomon describes two men. Each man has a plan. Each man thinks that
his plan will make him wealthy. However, both plans will fail. Both
men will become poor. These men become poor, because their plans are
not wise. Both plans are evil plans... [ Continue Reading ]
Wise lessons are valuable. And they are important. We need to study
these lessons. We should learn them. These lessons teach us how we
should live. And they will teach us how to answer other people’s
questions.
There are 30 wise lessons in Proverbs 22:17 to Proverbs 24:22. The
number ‘30’ was impor... [ Continue Reading ]
Perhaps your boundary is ancient. Perhaps your family agreed the
boundary with your neighbour’s family, many years ago. But perhaps
now, you need more land. And your neighbour will not sell his land.
You could just move your fence. Your neighbour might not even realise
that the boundary has moved. A... [ Continue Reading ]
King Solomon built many great buildings. His workmen built palaces.
And they built the magnificent Temple (house of God) in Jerusalem.
Solomon respected a skilled workman. He knew that skills are
important. He knew that a skilled workman deserves honour. As the
king, Solomon selected the best workme... [ Continue Reading ]