The Lord's Curse Is On The House Of The Wicked

Proverbs 3:32-33 – For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 18:9 – When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Genesis 18:17 – Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Zechariah 5:3-4 – And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’”

Application:

• ·         Magical or spiritistic arts were practiced in Canaan, and all were condemned and prohibited.
• ·         In Abraham is exemplified the great privilege of God’s covenant people throughout the ages: God has revealed His purposes to them and allows their voice to be heard in the court of heaven itself.
• ·         God’s word, whether promise or warning, always accomplishes its purpose.
• ·         The people of Judah had been guilty of infractions against the whole law.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Violent

Proverbs 3:29-31 – Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accuse anyone for no reason—when they have done you no harm. Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.

Zechariah 8:16-17 – These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

Job 2:3 – Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

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:

• ·         There are seven things the Lord hates, three of which relate directly here: “a lying tongue”, “a heart that devises wicked schemes” and a false witness who pours out lies”.
• ·         Though it is not always clear how, everything that happens is part of God’s divine purpose.
• ·         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

Life For You

Proverbs 3:21-28 – My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—when you already have it with you.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

2 Kings 18:5 – Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.

Luke 10:27 – He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Application:

• ·         When they chose the Lord, they chose life.
• ·         Hezekiah’s uniqueness is to be found in his trust in the Lord, while Josiah’s uniqueness is to be found in his scrupulous observance of the Mosaic law.
• ·         Whether a fourfold love or threefold, the significance is that total devotion is demanded.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Divided

Proverbs 3:19-20 – By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

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.

Genesis 1:7 – So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

Application:

• ·         Wisdom was already there when God began to create the world.
• ·         Humans, made in the image of God, represented the climax of creation.
• ·         “And it was so” was the only possible outcome, whether stated or implied, to God’s “Let there be”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Peace

Proverbs 3:1-2,17-18 – 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…Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Psalm 119:165 – Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Genesis 2:9 – The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Revelation 2:7 – Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Proverbs 4:6 – Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.

Application:

• ·         Normally the righteous are prosperous and happy, but sometimes it is the wicked who are strong and prosperous, temporary though that may be.
• ·         “Great peace” is complete security and well-being.
• ·         “Tree of life” was signifying and giving life, without death, to those who eat its fruit. Adam and Eve possessed both life and moral discernment as they came from the hand of God. Their access to the fruit of the tree of life showed that God’s will and intention for them was life.
• ·         “Paradise” was originally a Persian word for a pleasure garden. In Revelation it symbolizes the eschatological state in which God and believers are restored to the perfect fellowship that existed before sin entered the world.
• ·         To love wisdom is to prosper; to hate wisdom is to “love death”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Rubies

Proverbs 3:1-2,13-16 – 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…Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Job 28:18 – Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

Proverbs 31:31 – Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Application:

• ·         The value of a “wife of noble character”, who fears the Lord and is therefore wise.
• ·         Honor comes through “humility” and “the fear of the Lord”.
• ·         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

As A Father

Proverbs 3:12 – My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

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

Hebrews 12:5-6 – And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 – He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Application:

• ·         Discipline is rooted in love.
• ·         Suffering and persecution should be seen as corrective and instructive training for our spiritual development as God’s children.
• ·         God chastens us in order to correct our faults.
• ·         Bread sustains but does not guarantee life, which is God’s gift to those who trust in and live by His word: His commands and promises.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Do Not Despise The Lord's Discipline

Proverbs 3:1-2,11-12 – 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…My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Hebrews 12:5-7 – And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

Application:

• ·         Normally the righteous are prosperous and happy, but sometimes it is the wicked who are strong and prosperous, temporary though that may be.
• ·         Suffering and persecution should be seen as corrective and instructive training for our spiritual development as God’s children.
• ·         God chastens us in order to correct our faults.
• ·         God’s discipline is evidence that we are His children. Far from being a reason for despair, discipline is a basis for encouragement and perseverance.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Filled To Overflowing

Proverbs 3:8-10 – This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Numbers 18:12 – “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest.

2 Corinthians 9:8,10 – And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

Application:

• ·         Since the best items of produce were to be given to the Lord, these became the special foods of the priests and their families.
• ·         For those who bring to the Lord His tithes and offerings, God promises to pour out more blessing than they have room for.
• ·         Through His abounding grace God can enable each Christian to abound in generous deeds.
• ·         The God who is the ultimate source of the physical food that sustains all human life is the same God who supplies the spiritual nourishment that enables believers to flourish and serve.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Fear The Lord And Shun Evil

Proverbs 3:7 – Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

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

Psalm 111:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Exodus 20:20 – Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Job 1:1 – In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

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

Application:

• ·         Sometimes folly must be plainly exposed and denounced.
• ·         “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” is the classic Old Testament statement concerning the religious basis of what it means to be wise.
• ·         Do not think that God’s display of His majesty is intended simply to fill you with abject fear. He has come to enter into covenant with you as your heavenly King.
• ·         “Blameless and upright” means spiritually and morally upright.
• ·         Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of His word.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Submit To Him

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.

Isaiah 38:3 – “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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

Isaiah 40:3 – A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Hosea 4:1 – Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

Hosea 6:6 – For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings

Application:

• ·         David challenged Solomon to serve God “with wholehearted devotion”.
• ·         Like David, Hezekiah was truly faithful.
• ·         Be ever mindful of God and serve Him with a willing, faithful and obedient heart.
• ·         The psalmist prays that God will so direct him that his enemies will have no grounds for their malicious accusations.
• ·         John declares that repentance is necessary to prepare the way for Christ.
• ·         “Faithfulness” is loyalty to the covenant Lord and right dealing with others
• ·         Sacrifice apart from faithfulness to the Lord’s will is wholly unacceptable to Him.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God And Man

Proverbs 3:3-4 – Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Psalm 85:10 – Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Jeremiah 31:33 – “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Romans 12:17 – Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

Application:

• ·         These expressions (“love and faithfulness…righteousness and peace”) of God’s favor toward His people are here personified, and the vivid portrayal of their meeting and embracing offers one of the most beautiful images in all Scripture of God’s gracious dealings with His covenant people.
• ·         “Write it on their hearts” so that it effectively governs their lives, in contrast to the ineffectiveness of merely presenting it in writing, though inscribed on durable stone.
• ·         Christian conduct should never betray the high moral standards of the gospel, or it will provoke the disdain of unbelievers and bring the gospel into disrepute.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Cut Off From The Land...Torn From It

Proverbs 2:21-3:2 – For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it. 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.

Psalm 37:9 – For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

Application:

• ·         God warned that if the people refuse to obey him, they “will be uprooted from the land”.
• ·         Those who hope in the Lord—i.e., trustfully look to Him to bestow life and its blessings as a gift—will inherit the land, not those who apart from God and by evil means try to take possession of it and its wealth.
• ·         Fear of the Lord brings health to the body and “adds length to life”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Live In The Land

Proverbs 2:16-22 – 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. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.

Deuteronomy 4:1 – Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

Psalm 37:9,11 – For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land…But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Application:

• ·         The “marriage bed should be kept pure”.
• ·         A life of immorality leads to the destruction and death of all who are involved.
• ·         God’s call to His people to hear and obey is a frequent theme in Deuteronomy and elsewhere in the Old Testament.
• ·         Those who hope in the Lord—i.e., trustfully look to Him to bestow life and its blessings as a gift—will inherit the land, not those who apart from God and by evil means try to take possession of it and its wealth.
• ·         Meek are those who humbly acknowledge their dependence on the goodness and grace of God and betray no arrogance toward others.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Delight...Rejoice In...Evil

Proverbs 2:12-17 – Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. 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 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.

Proverbs 5:20 – Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

1 Kings 11:2 – They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

Application:

• ·         The author uses two major enticements that confronted the young man as examples of the way of folly: (1) to get rich by exploiting others and (2) to be drawn into illicit pleasure by immoral women who fail to honor their marriage vows.
• ·         The book of Proverbs teaches that wisdom brings the greatest riches people could ever gain.
• ·         Wayward woman means literally “stranger” and “foreigner” because anyone other than one’s wife was to be considered off limits, like a foreigner who worshiped another god.
• ·         In light of the sheer joy found within the bonds of marriage and the “serious trouble” outside it, why commit adultery?
• ·         “They will surely turn your hearts after their gods”, as indeed they did.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Straight Paths

Proverbs 2:12-15 – Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

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.

Romans 3:12 – All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

• ·         People love darkness instead of light.
• ·         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.
• ·         The night is the present evil age. 

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Understanding Will Guard You

Proverbs 2:10-18 - For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. 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. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Proverbs 4:6 – Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.

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:

• ·         To love wisdom is to prosper; to hate wisdom is to “love death”.
• ·         The term wayward woman means literally “stranger” and “foreigner” because anyone other than one’s wife was to be considered off limits, like a foreigner who worshiped another god.
• ·         People love darkness instead of light.
• ·         A life of immorality leads to the destruction and death of all who are involved.
• ·         The author uses two major enticements that confronted the young man as examples of the way of folly: (1) to get rich by exploiting others and (2) to be drawn into illicit pleasure by immoral women who fail to honor their marriage vows.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Right And Just And Fair

Proverbs 2:7-9 – He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.

Hebrews 5:11,14 – We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand… But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

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:

• ·         Instead of progressing in the Christian life, the readers had become spiritually sluggish and mentally lazy.
• ·         “Mature” were those who had progressed in spiritual life and had become Christians of sound judgment and discernment.
• ·         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.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Blameless

Proverbs 2:1-8 – My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

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.

Job 1:1 – In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Application:

• ·         Whether “shield” or “sovereign” is meant, the reference is to the Lord as Abram’s king. As elsewhere, “shield” stands for king.
• ·         “Store up…within you” just as the psalmist hid God’s word in his heart to avoid sin.
• ·         “Blameless and upright” means spiritually and morally upright.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Knowledge Of God

Proverbs 2:1-5 – My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

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

Philippians 3:10-11 – I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Application:

• ·         Wisdom is not just acquired information but practical insight with spiritual implications.
• ·         “Knowledge of God” involves having a personal relationship with God and knowing what He is teaching.
• ·         Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of His word.
• ·         This knowledge is not merely factual; in includes the experience of “the power of His resurrection”, of “participation in His sufferings” and of being “like Him in His death”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV