Day

Proverbs 4:18 – The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Job 22:28 – What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.

Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Application:

• ·         The godly have all the guidance and protection they need and are able to lead others to righteousness.
• ·         “Light will shine on your ways” through obedience to the word of God.
• ·         Although Jesus Himself fulfilled the mission of the Lord’s servant to be “a light for the Gentiles”, He expected His followers to carry on the work.
• ·         As Jesus’ followers reflect the light that comes from Him, they too are “the light of the world”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Violence

Proverbs 4:17 – They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 1:11-16 – If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.

Habakkuk 1:2 – How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Application:

• ·         Their goal is personal enrichment by theft or oppression, even if they have to commit murder.
• ·         The book of Proverbs teaches that wisdom brings the greatest riches people could ever gain.
• ·         At the time of Habakkuk, Judah was probably under King Jehoiakim, who was ambitious, cruel and corrupt.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Cannot Rest Until They Do Evil

Proverbs 4:15-16 – Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

Psalm 36:4 – Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.

Micah 7:3 – Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire—they all conspire together.

Micah 2:1 – Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.

Application:

• ·         The wicked do not meditate on God’s law “day and night”.
• ·         Power often corrupts.
• ·         The rich, oppressing classes continued to get rich at the expense of the poor because they controlled the power structures of their society.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Path Of The Wicked

Proverbs 4:12-14 – When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.

Isaiah 40:30-31 – Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Psalm 1:1-2 – Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

Proverbs 2:18 – Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Application:

• ·         The human weakness of those who hope in the Lord will be exchanged for God’s strength.
• ·         “Walk in step with the wicked” means order one’s life according to the deliberations and advice of the wicked. “Sinners” are those for whom wickedness is habitual—a way of life. “Mockers” are those who ridicule God and defiantly reject His law.
• ·         A life of immorality leads to the destruction and death of all who are involved.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Straight Paths

Proverbs 4:11 – I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

Psalm 5:8 – Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 23:2-3 – He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Application:

• ·         The psalmist prays that God will so direct him that his enemies will have no grounds for their malicious accusations.
• ·         He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal.
• ·         As a shepherd leads his sheep in paths that offer safety and well-being, so David’s Shepherd-King guides him in ways that cause him to be secure and prosperous. It is possible that “right paths” intentionally bears a double meaning, namely, that it also refers to paths that conform the psalmist’s life to God’s moral will.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Beginning of Wisdom

Proverbs 4:7-10 – The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Ezekiel 23:42 – “The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.

Proverbs 3:1-2 – My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.

Application:

• ·         Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of His word.
• ·         Drunkenness is consistently condemned in Scripture.
• ·         Fear of the Lord brings health to the body and “adds length to life”. When Solomon prayed for wisdom, God promised him riches as well as long life if he obeyed God’s commands.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Cherished

Proverbs 3:5,34-4:6 – He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame. Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Application:

• ·         “Cherished” means deeply loved.
• ·         David challenged Solomon to serve God “with wholehearted devotion”.
• ·         To love wisdom is to prosper; to hate wisdom is to “love death”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV