Proverbs 20:11-20

TEXT Proverbs 20:11-20

11.

Even a child maketh himself known by his doings,

Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

12.

The hearing ear, and the seeing eye,

Jehovah hath made even both of them.

13.

Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty;

Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

14.

It is bad, it is bad, saith the buyer;

But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

15.

There is gold, and abundance of rubies;

But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16.

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger;

And hold him in pledge that is surety for foreigners.

17.

Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man;

But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

18.

Every purpose is established by counsel;

And by wise guidance make thou war.

19.

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets;

Therefore company not with him that openeth wide his lips.

20.

Whoso curseth his father or his mother,

His lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 20:11-20

1.

What is the force of the word even in Proverbs 20:11?

2.

Select some of the intricate workings of the eye or ear that would disprove evolution and uphold divine creation (Proverbs 20:12).

3.

While sleep is necessary, can one sleep too much (Proverbs 20:13)?

4.

Why does the buyer say, It is bad, it is bad (Proverbs 20:14)?

5.

When he goes his way, of what does he boast (Proverbs 20:14)?

6.

Why are lips of knowledge compared with a precious jewel (Proverbs 20:15)?

7.

Explain Proverbs 20:16.

8.

Show how sin is often sweet at the time but not so afterwards (Proverbs 20:17).

9.

Whose false guidance ruined Absalom (Proverbs 20:18)?

10.

Why not company with such a person (Proverbs 20:19)?

11.

What is meant by one's lamp being put out (Proverbs 20:20)?

PARAPHRASE OF 20:11-20

11.

The character of even a child can be known by the way he actswhether what he does is pure and right.

12.

If you have good eyesight and good hearing, thank God who gave them to you.

13.

If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Stay awake, work hard, and there will be plenty to eat!

14.

Utterly worthless! says the buyer as he haggles over the price. But afterwards he brags about his bargain!

15.

Good sense is far more valuable than gold or precious jewels.

16.

It is risky to make loans to strangers!

17.

Some men enjoy cheating, but the cake they buy with such ill-gotten gain will turn to gravel in their mouths.

18.

Don-'t go ahead with your plans without the advice of others; don-'t go to war until they agree.

19.

Don-'t tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want them broadcast to the world.

20.

God puts out the light of the man who curses his father or mother.

COMMENTS ON 20:11-20

Proverbs 20:11. The Bible says we can know what a person really is by what he does (Matthew 7:16; Matthew 12:35; 1 John 3:10; 1 John 2:29). This verse shows that people begin to take notice of one's behavior and to form an opinion concerning him even when he is a young child.

Proverbs 20:12. Psalms 94:9 and Exodus 4:11 also affirm that God has made our equipment for seeing and hearing, and when one studies the intricacies of these valuable parts of our bodies, who else but God could make them? The theory of evolution is so inadequate to account for the origin of such sensitive, such intricate, such functional, parts of the human body. This is applicable not only to the eyes and ears but to all the body. R. G. Lee: The most wonderful camera in all the world is the human eye. The most perfect telephone is the human ear. The most perfect violin is the human larynx. The most perfect telegraph system is the human nerves. The most wonderful chemical laboratories is the intestinal tract. The most wonderful thatch is the human hair. The most perfect filter is the human lung. The most perfect screen is the human eyelid. The most perfect pump is the human heart.

Proverbs 20:13. We know that a person can sleep too little for good health. But we can also sleep too much to get the necessary things done. Clark: Sleep...is an indescribable blessing; but how often is it turned into a curse! It is like food: a certain measure of it restores and invigorates exhausted nature; more than that oppresses and destroys life. See Proverbs 6:9-11; Proverbs 19:15 also.

Proverbs 20:14. If there is something wrong with an object one is seeking to buy, it is not out of place for the buyer to take that into consideration with the seller when making the purchase and agreeing upon the price, but this verse knows human nature all too well: to knock the product mercilessly and unrighteously as if it were no good, but when the purchase has been made at a small price, oh how the purchaser does brag to his friends of the deal he made! Beware, traders and buyers!

Proverbs 20:15. Speaking of wisdom, Job 28:16-19 says, It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. See Proverbs 3:15; Proverbs 8:11 for similar comparisons. This verse is not speaking of wisdom and knowledge held for oneself but shared with others.

Proverbs 20:16. Proverbs 27:13 is very similar. This is exactly what happens when one has made himself surety for another's debts who cannot pay. Proverbs 22:26-27 warns against suretyship as do Proverbs 6:1-2; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 17:18.

Proverbs 20:17. The pleasures of sin seem great at the moment, but they can lead to very sorrowful consequences, and in the end to divine punishment in the lake of fire. Achan enjoyed much more the stealing of the forbidden from the spoils of Jericho than he did the afterwards (Joshua 7:20-25). It seemed sweet to Joseph's brothers to sell him and get rid of him, but the afterwards of it was not good (Genesis 42:21-22). The philosophy of the evil woman of Proverbs 9:17 is that stolen waters of sweet, but the man who drinks knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol (Proverbs 9:18). Look beyond the momentary pleasure derived from sin to the fearful consequences to which it leads (Hebrews 10:31).

Proverbs 20:18. This saying was given for those days when God had an earthly nation (Israel) and when their wars with the idolatrous was a part of God's plan (a 1500 year periodfrom Moses onward). Other verses on the same subject and for the same period: Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 24:6; Luke 14:31. Absalom was not wise in accepting Hushai's false counsel in preference to Ahitho-phel's wise counsel from his standpoint (2 Samuel 17:1-14; 2 Samuel 18:6-15). Just as they looked to counsel in their warfare, even so should we seek out good advice in pursuing major proposals.

Proverbs 20:19. The first statement is found also in Proverbs 11:13. A talebearer revealeth secrets wherever he goes. But be assured as he tells you the secrets of others that he in turn will reveal your secrets to the next ones to whom he talks. Therefore company not with him, says this verse's conclusion, and a good conclusion it is! Proverbs has nothing good to say about the talebearer and the whisperer, and what a poor way to live! Surely there is something far higher to live for than to be a talebearer and a gossip.

Proverbs 20:20. Other Scriptures about cursing and belittling one's parents: Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9; Matthew 15:4. Other passages on one's lamp being put out: Proverbs 24:20; Job 18:5-6. They always kept a small light burning in their houses at night, for utter darkness was one of the things they feared the most. The lamp of one's life, one's household, one's future lineage, would be cut off if he cursed his parents.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 20:11-20

1.

How early do people begin forming an opinion about us (Proverbs 20:11)?

2.

Why does the theory of evolution fall far short of explaining the abilities of the ear and eye (Proverbs 20:12)?

3.

What are the dangers of getting either too little or too much sleep (Proverbs 20:13)?

4.

Why do traders and buyers need Proverbs 20:14?

5.

How does Proverbs 20:15 describe the lips of knowledge?

6.

What passages besides Proverbs 20:16 contain teachings on suretyship?

7.

What word is so important in Proverbs 20:17?

8.

What kind of counsel was Proverbs 20:18 originally dealing with?

9.

Why is it wise not to be a companion of a secret-revealer (Proverbs 20:19)?

10.

Why did the ancients customarily leave a small light burning at night (Proverbs 20:20)?