Husband

Proverbs 31:9-11 – Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

Proverbs 1:1-7 – The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Genesis 2:18 – The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Application:

• ·         Proverbs urges people to get wisdom, for it is worth more than silver of gold.
• ·         Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of His word.
• ·         Without female companionship and a partner in reproduction, the man could not fully realize his humanity.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

It Is Not For Kings...To Drink Wine

Proverbs 31:4-8 – It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Isaiah 1:17 – Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Application:

• ·         Woe to the land whose rulers are drunkards.
• ·         Those who overindulge in wine and beer become mockers and brawlers.
• ·         Rulers were warned not to take advantage of the weak and oppressed.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Your Strength On Women

Proverbs 30:25-31:5 – Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces. “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt. “If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.” The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

Jeremiah 22:16 – He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord.

Nehemiah 13:26 – Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.

Application:

• ·         Woe to the land whose rulers are drunkards.
• ·         “To know me” means to love God fully, which results in living a pious life and serving those in need.
• ·         In later years Solomon’s foreign wives led him to worship other gods, so that he built a high place for Chemosh, the god of the Moabites.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Adulterous Woman

Proverbs 30:17-28 – “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman. “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress. “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Proverbs 2:16-17 – Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.

Proverbs 9:17 – “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”

Application:

• ·         Anyone other than one’s wife was to be considered off limits, like a foreigner who worshiped another god.
• ·         The banquet prepared by Lady Folly seems poorer than the wine and meat of wisdom.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Filth

Proverbs 30:7-16 – “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. “Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. “There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful; those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind. “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

Jeremiah 2:23-24 – “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel running here and there, a wild donkey accustomed to the desert, sniffing the wind in her craving—in her heat who can restrain her? Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves; at mating time they will find her.

Micah 2:2 – They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance.

Application:

• ·         Instead of running here and there, the people of Judah should have been obeying the Lord, not turning aside either “to the right or to the left”.
• ·         Those who plan iniquity, those who plot evil covet in violation of the tenth commandment.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Those Who Take Refuge In Him

Proverbs 30:5-6 – “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Genesis 15:1 – After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

Proverbs 14:32 – When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.

Deuteronomy 4:2 – Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

Application:

• ·         Shield stands for king. The Lord was Abram’s King.
• ·         The righteous faith in God gives them hope beyond the grave.
• ·         The revelation the Lord gives is sufficient. All of it must be obeyed, and anything that adulterates or contradicts it cannot be tolerated.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

It Is From The Lord That One Gets Justice

Proverbs 29:26-30:4 – Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that one gets justice. The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright. The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man’s utterance to Ithiel: “I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!

Proverbs 21:1 – In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.

Psalm 1:6 – For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Proverbs 8:23,30-31 – I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be…Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.

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 135:7 – He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Application:

• ·         God controls the lives and actions even of kings, such as Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus.
• ·         For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
• ·         Wisdom was already there when God began to create the world.
• ·         Humans, made in the image of God, represented the climax of creation.
• ·         Those who trust in the Lord or look expectantly to the Lord will exchange their strength
• ·         The Lord, not Baal or any other god, brings the life-giving rains.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Whoever Trusts In The Lord Is Kept Safe

Proverbs 29:19-25 – Servants cannot be corrected by mere words; though they understand, they will not respond. Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent. An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies; they are put under oath and dare not testify. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Proverbs 22:6 – Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

1 Samuel 15:24 – Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.

Proverbs 28:26 – Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

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.

Application:

• ·         Start children off in the right way, the way of wisdom.
• ·         Saul’s confession retains an element of self-justification and a shift of blame.
• ·         “Who walk in wisdom” equals “whoever trusts in the Lord”.
• ·         “Commit your way to the Lord”, like Israel’s ancestors, who trusted in God and were rescued.
• ·         Be ever mindful of God and serve Him with a willing, faithful and obedient heart. He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Instruction

Proverbs 29:15-18 – A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

Proverbs 13:24 – Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Proverbs 22:6 – Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

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.

Psalm 119:1 – Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.

Exodus 32:25 – Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.

Application:

• ·         Parents are encouraged to apply the rod of punishment to drive out folly so that the child will not follow a path of destruction. The rod and a reprimand “impart wisdom” and promote a healthy and happy family life. Discipline is rooted in love. “Rod” was probably a figure of speech for caring discipline of any kind.
• ·         Instruction and discipline are primarily involved in starting children off.
• ·         Blessed is the one who does not order their life according to the deliberations and advice of the wicked, who does not position himself in the way of those for whom wickedness is habitual—a way of life, who does not settle himself in the company of those who ridicule God and defiantly reject His law.
• ·         “Meditates on His law” means seeking guidance for life in God’s law rather than in the deliberations of the wicked.
• ·         Bless are those whose ways are blameless
• ·         Anarchy reigns among people who refuse to obey and worship the Lord.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Forever

Proverbs 29:11-14 – Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked. The poor and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever.

Psalm 72:1 – Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

Isaiah 9:7 – Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Proverbs 27:23-24 – Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Application:

• ·         Solomon asked for the necessary wisdom so he could govern God’s people justly.
• ·         In spite of the sins of kings like Ahaz, Christ will be a descendant of David who will rule in righteousness forever.
• ·         Even kings may lose their wealth and power.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Bloodthirsty Hate a Person Of Integrity

Proverbs 29:8-10 – Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger. If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace. The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

James 3:18 – Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

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.

Application:

• ·         Discord cannot produce conduct pleasing to God.
• ·         The goal of sinful men 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.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Righteous Care About Justice For The Poor

Proverbs 29:4-7 – By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down. Those who flatter their neighbors are spreading nets for their feet. Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad. The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Proverbs 17:8 – A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.

Jeremiah 22:16 – He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord.

James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Application:

• ·         “A bribe is seen as a charm” is a sad commentary on human behavior.
• ·         “To know me” means to love God fully, which results in living a pious life and serving those in need.
• ·         Keeping oneself from being polluted by the world is not the world of nature but the world of people in their rebellion against and alienation from God.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Wealth

Proverbs 28:28-29:3 – When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive. Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Luke 15:28,31-32 – “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him… “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Application:

• ·         The forgiving love of the father symbolizes the divine mercy of God, and the older brother’s resentment is like the attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who opposed Jesus.
• ·         The father loved both brothers. The parable of the Lost Son shows a contrast between the self-centered exclusiveness of the Pharisees, who failed to understand God’s love, and His joy over the repentance of sinners.
• ·         “This brother of yours was dead and is alive again” was a beautiful picture of the return of the younger son, which also pictures Christian conversion.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Will Lack Nothing

Proverbs 28:27 – Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

Proverbs 14:21 – It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

Proverbs 11:24 – One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

Application:

• ·         Generosity is the path to blessing.
• ·         Sharing food, lending money and defending rights are ways one can show kindness. Such a person “honors God” and “will lack nothing”.
• ·         By contrast, the stingy do not make friends and hurt themselves in the long run.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Who Walk In Wisdom

Proverbs 28:23-26 – Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys. The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper. Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Proverbs 19:26 – Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

Proverbs 11:25 – A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

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.

Application:

• ·         Children were expected to take care of their parents when they were sick or elderly. Robbing them and attacking or calling down curses on them were serious crimes.
• ·         “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously”.
• ·         “Who walk in wisdom” equals “whoever trusts in the Lord”.
• ·         David challenged Solomon to serve God “with wholehearted devotion”.
• ·         Be ever mindful of God and serve Him with a willing, faithful and obedient heart. He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

To Show Partiality Is Not Good

Proverbs 28:21-22 – To show partiality is not good—yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread. The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

Proverbs 18:5 – It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

Ezekiel 13:19 – You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

Proverbs 23:4 – Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

Proverbs 11:25 – A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Application:

• ·         Favoritism of any kind was condemned in the law.
• ·         Involvement in religious matters of any kind for mere gain is consistently condemned in the Bible.
• ·         The desire to get rich can ruin a person physically and spiritually.
• ·         “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Whoever Hardens Their Heart

Proverbs 28:14-20 – Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign. Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back. The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit. Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty. A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

Exodus 7:13 – Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

Jeremiah 39:18 – I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Proverbs 23:4 – Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

Application:

• ·         A hardened heart refers to a stubborn refusal to take God and His word seriously.
• ·         Ebed-Melek had expressed his faith in God by securing Jeremiah’s release from the cistern.
• ·         The desire to get rich can ruin a person physically and spiritually. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Good Inheritance

Proverbs 28:9-13 – If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance. The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are. When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Hebrews 6:12 – We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Proverbs 26:5 – Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

2 Samuel 12:13 – Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

Leviticus 5:2-5 – “‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt—when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.

Psalm 32:2 – Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Application:

• ·         The blameless will receive a good inheritance.
• ·         Sometimes folly must be plainly exposed and denounced.
• ·         There is joy in forgiveness.
• ·         David experienced the joy of knowing his sin was forgiven.
• ·         The offerers had to acknowledge their sin to God in order to receive forgiveness.
• ·         Only those honest with God receive pardon.
• ·         It indicates that God’s response toward those who confess their sins will be in accordance with His nature and His gracious commitment to His people.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Who Seek The Lord

Proverbs 28:5-8 – Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully. Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse. A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

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

Proverbs 23:20-21 – Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Luke 14:13-14 – But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Leviticus 25:36 – Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you.

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 condemned.
• ·         “The righteous” are those who have been pronounced so by God on the basis of Christ’s atonement and who have evidenced their faith by their actions.
• ·         The main idea of not taking interest was that no one should profit in any way from another’s misfortune; rather, the needy should be given assistance.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Instruction

Proverbs 27:25-28:4 – When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants. The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order. A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops. Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.

Psalm 119:53 – Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.

Ephesians 5:7 – Therefore do not be partners with them.

Application:

• ·         Israel’s rebellion often brought frequent and rapid change in leadership
• ·         Zeal for God’s law awakens righteous anger against those who reject it and brings abhorrence of all that is contrary to it, but it draws together those who honor it.
• ·         Although Christians live in normal social relationships with others, as did the Lord Jesus, they are not to participate in the sinful lifestyle of unbelievers.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV