Proverbs 11:22-31

TEXT Proverbs 11:22-31

22.

As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,

So is a fair woman that is without discretion.

23.

The desire of the righteous is only good;

But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24.

There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more;

And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.

25.

The liberal soul shall be made fat;

And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

26.

He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;

But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

27.

He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;

But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.

28.

He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;

But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

29.

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;

And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

30.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;

And he that is wise winneth souls.

31.

Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth;

How much more the wicked and the sinner!

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 11:22-31

1.

Illustrate a woman with discretion (Proverbs 11:22).

2.

What is the comparison between her and the hog with a gold ring(Proverbs 11:22)?

3.

Do desire and expectation in Proverbs 11:23 stand for hope or for what actually results?

4.

Find the agricultural setting in Proverbs 11:24.

5.

What is meant by liberal in Proverbs 11:25?

6.

What is meant by fat (Proverbs 11:25)?

7.

What New Testament passage does the last statement in Proverbs 11:25 call to mind?

8.

How do we know that withholdeth in Proverbs 11:26 means won-'t sell?

9.

Why would the owner withhold the grain (Proverbs 11:26)?

10.

Whose favor is obtained in Proverbs 11:27God's or man's (or both)?

11.

Cite instances of people's seeking evil (Proverbs 11:27)?

12.

Show from the Bible that man should not trust in riches (Proverbs 11:28).

13.

What does Psalms 1:3 say about the leaf of the righteous (Proverbs 11:28)?

14.

How does one trouble his own house (Proverbs 11:29)?

15.

Give an illustration of the foolish serving the wise (Proverbs 11:20;.

16.

What is meant by tree of life in Proverbs 11:30?

17.

In Solomon's day what did winning souls mean or involve (Proverbs 11:30)?

18.

What are some of the earthly recompenses upon the righteous (Proverbs 11:31)?

19.

What are some of the earthly recompenses upon the wicked (Proverbs 11:31)?

PARAPHRASE OF 11:22-31

22.

A beautiful woman lacking discretion and modesty is like a fine gold ring in a pig's snout.

23.

The good man can look forward to happiness, while the wicked can expect only wrath.

24, 25.

It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.

26.

People curse the man who holds his grain for higher prices, but they bless the man who sells it to them in their time of need.

27.

If you search for good you will find God's favor; if you search for evil you will find His curse.

28.

Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God and flourish as a tree!

29.

The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left. He shall be the servant of a wiser man.

30.

Godly men are growing a tree that bears life-giving fruit, and all who win souls are wise.

31.

Even the godly shall be rewarded here on earth; how much more the wicked!

COMMENTS ON 11:22-31

Proverbs 11:22. We might ask, What is a ring of gold if it be on a swine's snout? Does it make the hog? And what is physical beauty if the woman has no discretion? Is physical beauty all that counts?

Proverbs 11:23. Instead of wrath, Young's Literal translation gives transgression, and the Septuagint gives shall perish. The passage means that the righteous desire only that which is good while the wicked desire that which is wrong (transgression) or that which brings God's wrath, causing them to perish. How wonderful to have right desires! And how bad to crave the wrong thing!

Proverbs 11:24. Scattereth here has reference to giving to the needy (Psalms 112:9). Judiciously helping the needy does not impoverish us (God blesses us), but if we withhold from them, God will withhold from us. 2 Corinthians 9:6: He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. An old epitaph: What we spent, we had; what we saved, we lost; what we gave, we have.

Proverbs 11:25. Liberal here means generous; fat means prosperous. Promised also in Luke 6:38: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Proverbs 11:26. Often the rich withhold selling grain during shortages to let the price go higher and higher. How the people will curse such a character! But how the same people would bless him for not waiting for higher prices but releasing to their need!

Proverbs 11:27. One who seeks to do right will obtain the favor of both man and God. As a young man Jesus advanced...in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). So did the child Samuel (1 Samuel 2:26). So will a virtuous person (Proverbs 31:28-31). Those who traffic in evil will have evil (trouble) come upon them: Esther 7:10; Psalms 7:15-16; Psalms 9:15-16; Psalms 10:2; Psalms 57:6.

Proverbs 11:28. This man trusts his riches rather than God, something consistently condemned in the Bible: Job 31:24; Psalms 52:7; Mark 10:24; 1 Timothy 6:17. The righteous are often compared to the flourishing tree or leaf: Psalms 1:3; Psalms 52:8; Psalms 92:12; Jeremiah 17:8.

Proverbs 11:29. God is displeased with one who makes trouble for his parents and brothers and sisters. He will inherit the wind (get nothing) rather than be included in the family inheritance. In life the foolish serve or work for the wise. The man wise enough to choose what he wants to succeed in and prepares himself for it gets much farther than the man who idly drifts from job to job and from day to day.

Proverbs 11:30. Men draw good from the lives of the righteous. To partake of the good from their lives is like eating of the tree of life. The righteous wisely win souls from the wrong to the right. This is a great Old Testament verse on the good influencing the bad over to the right way of life.

Proverbs 11:31. The New Testament mainly points to the final reaping of what we have sown (Galatians 6:7-9), yet there are earthly as well as eternal consequences of our sowing (Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 4:8). There are two yokes that one can wear in life: Christ's and Satan'S. Christ invited those worn out with the terrible load of sin (wearing Satan's yoke) to come to Him and to take His yoke instead, promising them soul-rest and a much better and easier way to live (Matthew 11:28-30). When one considers the sorrows and disappointments and intrigue and distrust that sin brings to a person, truly the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15).

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 11:22-31

1.

In what way is a beautiful woman with no judgment like a hog with a gold ring in its nose (Proverbs 11:22)?

2.

What do some other versions give instead of wrath in Proverbs 11:23?

3.

Tell in your own words what Proverbs 11:24 means.

4.

What are the meanings of liberal and fat as used in Proverbs 11:25?

5.

Withholdeth grain in what sense (Proverbs 11:26)?

6.

What two things are different people seeking, according to Proverbs 11:27, and what are their prospects at succeeding at their endeavor?

7.

Trusting in riches is set over against trusting, in .............. (Proverbs 11:28)

8.

Cite two passages that liken the righteous to a flourishing tree or leaf (Proverbs 11:28).

9.

What will one inherit from his family who has caused them endless trouble (Proverbs 11:20)?

10.

In life who serves whom among the wise and the foolish (Proverbs 11:29)?

11.

Discuss the question of the righteous person's influence from Proverbs 11:30.

12.

What are some of the earthly recompenses of the

12.

What are some of the earthly recompenses of the righteous right in this life (Proverbs 11:31)?

13.

What are some of the earthly recompenses of the wicked in this life (Proverbs 11:31)?