LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 6 V1 My son, follow this advice when you make a mistake. Perhaps you promised to pay a neighbour’s debt. You thought that your neighbour would return your money. V2 But your plan failed. So your words became like a trap for an animal. V3... [ Continue Reading ]
In this poem, Solomon compares our mistakes to a hunter’s trap. When a hunter works, he may build traps. He hides his traps so that animals will not see them. He hopes that the animals will fall into his traps. Then he can kill and eat the animals. In our lives, our mistakes can be like traps. Perh... [ Continue Reading ]
Be humble! The Bible warns us not to be proud. Jesus said, ‘If you are humble, like a little child, then you will be great in heaven.’ (Matthew 18:7) James wrote, ‘Be humble. Then God will give you honour.’ (James 4:10) If Solomon’s son was proud, he could not escape. He is like an animal in a trap... [ Continue Reading ]
If we want freedom, then we must not be lazy. We must not delay until tomorrow. If we delay, then we might never take action. God calls us to trust him now. Do not be like King Agrippa. Paul spoke to the king about Jesus. Agrippa answered, ‘You cannot persuade me so quickly to become a Christian.’... [ Continue Reading ]
We should act quickly, like an animal that runs to escape from a hunter. V6 Do not be lazy! Think about the ant! (Ants are insects. They live in large groups.) Learn from the ant, and so be wise! V7 It has no king. It has no general and no ruler. V8 Without any leadership, ants store food in su... [ Continue Reading ]
As Christians, we should work. We might have a job. We might look after people, for example our families. We might do God’s work, perhaps as a church leader. We might do various tasks. Whatever we do, we should not be lazy. Solomon writes about insects. Ants are a common type of insect. Ants work t... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon emphasises that we must not be lazy. When it is time to work, we must not sleep. In verse 9, Solomon asks the sleeper how long he will sleep. In verse 10, we hear what the sleeper thinks. He does not want to get up. However, he must wake. It is time to work. It is as if a thief is at the doo... [ Continue Reading ]
Sometimes, an evil person is easy to identify. At other times, we must be careful. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 mentions a ‘secret’ evil power. The evil man in verses 12-15 is dangerous because his evil plan is secret. His signals are small, but these signals might help us to identify him. Matthew 7:15-20 e... [ Continue Reading ]
Verses 16-19 use a different style of poetry. The poet writes a list of things that God opposes. This style is also in Proverbs 30 and in the Book of Amos. The numbers in these lists are not important. However, the subjects are important. Here the poet tells us that God hates these evil actions.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Proud eyes’. The poet is describing someone who is proud. He mentions ‘eyes’, because we see other people with our eyes. The evil man thinks that he is greater than other people. Perhaps he even thinks that he is greater than God. God opposes proud people. God wants us to be humble. ‘Lies’ and ‘mu... [ Continue Reading ]
Today we might say ‘mind’ instead of ‘heart’. God knows our thoughts. He knows our secret plans.... [ Continue Reading ]
Contrast this verse with Psalms 133:1. ‘It is good when brothers live together calmly.’ The evil man wants to start an argument, or even a war. ‘Brothers’ does not only mean family members here. It can also mean neighbours and friends. It could even mean nations. Peace is good - it is God’s gift. S... [ Continue Reading ]
We should love wisdom. Wisdom should be in our hearts and in our minds. We cannot physically keep wisdom in our hearts. We might not physically carry wise words about our necks. But we can live in a wise manner.... [ Continue Reading ]
Life is like a journey. Wisdom will guide us each day. Wisdom will help us to make the right decisions. At night when we sleep, our wise decisions will protect us. As we wake, we can think about wisdom. The relationship between us and God must be like this. God will guide us to make good decisions... [ Continue Reading ]
This is similar to Psalms 119:105. ‘God’s word is like a lamp for my feet. God’s word is like a light for my path.’... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon is writing about sex, but he is also writing about other evil actions. Sometimes an idea about an evil action attracts us. Sometimes we want to do evil things. But we should refuse to do evil things. Solomon has taught this lesson to us before. See Proverbs 2:16-19, and Proverbs 5. He will a... [ Continue Reading ]
If a man has sex with a woman, she might use him for her advantage. She might ask for money. She might put him in danger. He might even die.... [ Continue Reading ]
Fire is dangerous. It can burn you. Use fire carefully! Sex is also dangerous. You should only have sex with your husband or wife. Otherwise, it is dangerous. Be careful! Our evil actions are dangerous. These actions can send us to hell. Escape from evil things! Trust in God! V30 We can understan... [ Continue Reading ]
This thief is hungry. He has no food. His family also have no food. So, this thief steals, because he needs food. We can sympathise with him. However, the law will punish him. The law does not forgive. The law does not ask if he needed food. His punishment is severe. Some people do wrong actions, b... [ Continue Reading ]
The thief (in verse 30) suffered a severe punishment. The man (in verse 32) will have a worse punishment. This man had sex with another man’s wife. The husband will punish him. There is a double punishment for the man who had sex with the wife. He receives punishment because his actions were evil.... [ Continue Reading ]