Mouth Of An Adulterous Woman

Proverbs 22:13-16 – The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!” The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away. One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

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

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

Application:

• ·         The Hebrew for adulterous woman and wayward woman occurs again. The terms mean literally “stranger” and “foreigner” because anyone other than one’s wife was to be considered off limits, like a foreigner who worshiped another god. “Wayward woman/wife” is parallel to “neighbor’s wife and “adulterous woman”.
• ·         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.
• ·         “A bribe is seen as a charm” is a sad commentary on human behavior.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Eyes Of The Lord Keep Watch

Proverbs 22:10-12 – Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

Psalm 121:3-4 – He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

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

Proverbs 21:30 – There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

Application:

• ·         “He who watches over Israel” is the Lord of all creation and the guardian over Israel—the One in whom the faithful may put unfaltering trust.
• ·         God protects those who have knowledge.
• ·         “No plan that can succeed against the Lord” because He is sovereign and controls people and nations.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Share Their Food

Proverbs 22:7-9 – The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

Proverbs 10:15 – The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

Hosea 8:7 – “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.

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

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.

Deuteronomy 15:11 – There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Application:

• ·         Wealth brings friends and power—but ultimate security is found only in God.
• ·         Israel sowed the wind of idolatry and reaped the whirlwind of Assyria.
• ·         “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously”.
• ·         Generosity is the path to blessing.
• ·         Sharing food, lending money and defending rights are ways one can show kindness.
• ·         Even in the best of societies under the most enlightened laws, the uncertainties of life and the variations among citizens result in some people becoming poor. In such cases the Lord commands that generosity and kindness be extended to them.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Humility Is The Fear Of The Lord

Proverbs 22:2-6 – Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them. Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

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

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.

Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Application:

• ·         Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of His word.
• ·         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.
• ·         Instruction and discipline are primarily involved in starting children off.
• ·         Fathers must surrender any right they may feel they have to act unreasonably toward their children.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Victory Rests With The Lord

Proverbs 21:31-22:1 – The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

1 Samuel 17:47 – All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

Application:

• ·         God often cautions against trusting in horses and chariots for victory.
• ·         Both the Israelite and the Philistine armies were shown the error of placing trust in human devices for personal or national security.
• ·         Happy times generally teach us less than hard times.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

No Plan That Can Succeed Against The Lord

Proverbs 21:23-30 – Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—behaves with insolent fury. The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with evil intent! A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully. The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

Proverbs 13:3 – Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

Ephesians 4:28 – Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Isaiah 8:10 – Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

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.

Proverbs 16:4 – The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Application:

• ·         The ability to control the tongue is one of the clearest marks of wisdom.
• ·         It is not enough to cease from sin; one must do good.
• ·         “No plan that can succeed against the Lord” because He is sovereign and controls people and nations.
• ·         Only God’s plans and purposes will last.
• ·         God controls the lives and actions even of kings, such as Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus.
• ·         God is sovereign in every life and in all of history. God displays His power even through the wicked, and all evil will be judged.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Life, Prosperity And Honor

Proverbs 21:21-22 – Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.

Matthew 5:6 – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

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:

• ·         “Hunger and thirst for righteousness” means have a deep longing for both personal righteousness and justice for the oppressed.
• ·         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. Normally the righteous are prosperous and happy, but sometimes it is the wicked who are strong and prosperous, temporary though that may be.
• ·         Spiritual weapons ‘have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

All Scripture verses taken from NIV