Proverbial Wisdom – 4:10-19

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Proverbs 4:10-19 (KJV)

Recently, a powerful tornado ripped through the countryside, ten to fifteen miles from my home. It destroyed houses, trees, and everything in its path. It buried cars under debris and it twisted trees out of the ground. The wreckage from the storm was horrendous. Many people were hurt and even a couple of people lost their lives!

The aftermath of a natural disaster, whether it is caused by a flood, earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, or tornado, is devastating. You are overwhelmed by the fact that so much damage can happen so quickly. Lives are lost, people are injured, and properties are destroyed.  Moreover, sometimes it all takes place in just a few short minutes. 

However, no matter how extensive the property damage is, the most catastrophic loss is the loss of lives. Houses can be rebuilt, vehicles can be replaced, and trees can be replanted. But a life cannot be replaced. Once someone is gone from this earth, he or she is gone. All that is left is the memories of his or her short earthly life.

If the individual had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then that individual receives an eternal heavenly body…one that will never die. Thus, death for them is a stepping-stone to eternal glory.

But not everyone has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Some people refuse to accept God’s gift of His Son. Since these souls have never accepted Jesus Christ, then they have not been reborn through the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus said, “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Heaven will not be their home…their souls are lost.

That is the most catastrophic lost that there can ever be…a soul dying without Jesus!

My purpose in writing these short lessons is to point you to the Lord and to encourage you in your journey with the Lord. Things of this world are quickly changing, but the wisdom and the knowledge of God are eternal—these will never fade. No man can enter into the presence of God except through Jesus. Jesus is the only Way. He is the Light, the Truth, and the Word. Except you come through Him, you will not see the Father.

Several lessons back, I stated that true wisdom comes through knowing Jesus Christ and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. “…For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself” (1 Corinthians 1:30, NLT). Wisdom that you gain from knowing and accepting Jesus Christ will lead you towards the right paths, helping you to make good choices. But this wisdom cannot be found in college textbooks; rather, this wisdom is only found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and by the anointing of God’s Spirit. It is wisdom from God.

When you know Jesus Christ and follow His Spirit, you are led down the right paths of life. He protects you by shining His light of truth on obstacles that the enemy throws into your pathway. If you do make a mistake and trip, He will help pick you up. Thus, when you hold firmly to the Word and follow the Word’s instructions, never letting its wisdom slip away, you will have a long life…eternal life. It cannot get any longer than that.

True godly wisdom helps you recognize and avoid the evil deeds of lost souls. You are walking through a battleground of deceit and many people will come at you with great lying words. Their deceitful words may appeal to your pride, they may appeal to your lustful flesh, or they may even appeal to your hunger for power or money. No matter what kind of deceit that the wicked spew forth, do not be entangled in their snare. Avoid them…walk away…have nothing to do with their web of lies.  

The wicked man thrives upon creating chaos and lies. He feeds upon the flesh of the innocent. Upon his bed at night, the wicked man plans more traps for his prey. He, the wicked man, is lost and he is stumbling around in the darkness of his soul. His hunger for destruction will not be satisfied until he has ensnared you in the darkness of hell.

Flee from the wicked man. Run straight into the welcoming arms of the Lord. There you will find love, peace, and eternal life. Run!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6 (KJV)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  This earthly life can change in a single minute.

2.  Jesus is the only Way to the Father.

3.  Avoid becoming ensnared by the deeds of the wicked man.

Proverbial Wisdom –3:21-35

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3:21-35

I’m late and I am sorry. This week I went camping at the ocean for a few days, and I just could not make myself sit down and write this week’s lesson. But I will try to do better in the future. Forgive me.

We are going to cover the rest of chapter 3 this week. You may have noticed that I’ve taken the liberty of breaking our Scriptures into three parts. The first part, verses 21-26, lists some personal benefits for keeping sound wisdom and discretion. The second part, verses 27-32, tells us how we should treat other people. Then the last part, verses 33-35, is a comparison of different types of people.

As we have already discovered on our journey through Proverbs, we are to seek and retain wisdom, understanding, discretion, and knowledge…never letting them slip away. They bring us inward strength “life unto thy soul” and outward beauty “grace to thy neck.” This week, we learn that wisdom and discretion also bring safety, stability, rest, and protection.

God’s Holy Spirit teaches us wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, “shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). Therefore, when God’s Spirit dwells within us and we are walking under His direction, we have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. But not everyone has God’s indwelling Spirit because there are specific requirements for being anointed with God’s Spirit.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:15-17).

To be anointed with God’s Holy Spirit, we must love and obey the Lord. However, some rebellious people refuse to obey God, thus they do have not His Spirit. Consequently, they are not His children (John 15:10, 1 John 2:3-6, 2 John 1:6, Romans 8:9). Since they do not belong to God, they cannot receive nor can they understand God’s indwelling Spirit.

God is a Holy God and He will not dwell with sin. In fact, God says that He will turn His eyes and His ears away from sin (Isaiah 59:2, Ezekiel 39:23-24).

On the other hand, some people truthfully love God, which is evident by their submission and obedience. As such, the sacrificial blood of the Lamb has washed their sins away. Now that they are clean, they are marked with God’s indwelling Spirit. They belong to God because they have been reborn into the family of God.

God is a protective Father and He takes care of His own. Therefore, God’s children need not “be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day” (Psalm 91:5). Nor should His children be afraid of pestilence and destruction (Psalm 91:6). Many people may fall all around them, yet they remain safe in God (Psalm 91:7-9). At night, they lie down and sleep in peace because God is their refuge (Leviticus 26:3-6). If they fall, God picks them up (Psalm 37:24). God orders their steps and protects them as they walk in those steps because they have determined within their hearts to love and obey the Lord.

Let’s move onto our second part for this week, which tells us how to treat other people. We should treat people with love and respect (Matthew 22:39). That means living in peace with all mankind, at least as much as is in our control. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Quickly, we should repay that which we have borrowed, we should never cheat anyone (Deuteronomy 24:14-15), we should graciously help those in need, and we should strive to be good neighbors (Luke 10:25-37). Read 1 Kings 17:9-16 to learn about a widow woman who was a good neighbor to Elijah.

Our last part for this week, compares the wicked, the scorners, and the fools with the just, the lowly, and the wise. Let me give you some sound advice right up front. You do NOT want to be in the first group of people…the wicked, the scorners, and the fools.

The wicked (as well as his household) will be cursed, the scorners will be scorned, and then the fools will be put to shame. God hates evil and pours His wrath out on the unjust. “And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord” (Zechariah 8:17).

The Bible contains many stories about people who planned wickedness against God’s children. Much to their dismay, these wicked people found themselves caught in the very trap that they had set for God’s children. God turned their own wickedness back upon them (Daniel 6:24, Esther 8:7).

Compare that with the just who will be blessed, the lowly who will find grace, and the wise who will inherit eternal glory. I want to be in that group. How about you?

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me (Psalm 101:6).

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure…(Psalm 18:25-26).

Three Key Concepts:

1.  God is a protective Father and He takes care of His children.

2.  Live at peace with people as much as it depends upon you.

3.  God pours out blessings, shows grace, and gives eternal glory to His children.