LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 10 THE PROVERBS (WISE WORDS) OF SOLOMON (PROVERBS 10:1 TO PROVERBS 22:16) The second major section in the Book of Proverbs is Proverbs 10:1, to Proverbs 22:16. This section contains 375 short poems. Most poems have two lines, and each poem... [ Continue Reading ]
Several words in this verse contrast with other words. ‘Wise’ contrasts with ‘foolish’. ‘Father’ contrasts with ‘mother’. ‘Joy’ contrasts with ‘pain.’ It does not matter whether you are young or old. It does not matter whether you are a man or a woman. It does matter whether you are wise or foolis... [ Continue Reading ]
‘If you steal money, then it has no value.’ You could argue that this is not true. If someone steals money, then he can still spend it. He can buy many things. A thief can become wealthy. But Solomon argues that this wealth is worth nothing. Wisdom is better than money, because wisdom can save your... [ Continue Reading ]
A good person is someone who trusts God. A good person always tries to respect God. This person may make many mistakes, but he loves God. God looks after the good person. An evil person loves cruelty. He plots to destroy other people. God opposes the evil person. God will ruin this person’s plans.... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise person is not lazy. He is not afraid to work hard. He does not steal to make himself rich. He does not expect other people to give money to him. A wise man learns from his studies. But a wise man can also learn when he works.... [ Continue Reading ]
God gives good things to the good man. God helps the man. God gives honour to the man. Other people respect the good man, because God is pleased with that man. The evil man is not like this. He hates God’s wisdom. He loves cruelty. Evil things surround him. Even his words cause trouble.... [ Continue Reading ]
Good things happen when we are with good people. Evil things happen when we are with evil people. We do not even need to meet them. When we remember them, this is enough. A memory about a good person makes us happy. But we try to forget evil men. We prefer not to remember them. We ourselves shoul... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise man obeys instructions. He tries to learn from other people. If you give instructions to a fool, he does not listen. By ‘fool’, Solomon means a person who refuses to obey God. A fool only thinks his own thoughts. He only hears his own words. He only does what he wants to do. A fool is proud... [ Continue Reading ]
Life is like a journey. If we follow God’s commands, then we choose the right way to live. God will protect us. If we refuse God’s wisdom, then we are in danger. This is like a traveller who wanders in the wrong direction. Our wrong actions will lead us to death and hell.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Look out for the evil man! Look out for the thief! His mouth is speaking false words. Look out for his signals! He shuts his eyes. He moves his feet. He taps his fingers. He is plotting evil plans in his heart. He starts arguments. His punishment will be sudden. There will be no remedy for him.’ (P... [ Continue Reading ]
When a good man speaks, we should listen. His words bring life to us. They are like water that pours from a fountain. His words, like the water, are plentiful and good. And his words bless everyone who listens to him. When an evil man speaks, do not listen! His words always cause trouble for everyo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Love covers everything that is wrong.’ This is a beautiful line. When we love someone, we try not to think about their mistakes. Our love covers their mistakes, so that we do not think about their errors. God loves us. He sent Jesus. When Jesus died, he suffered our punishment. Because of this, Go... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise person studies. He wants to learn more knowledge. A person who refuses God’s wisdom is a fool. A fool hates God. God will punish him for his evil deeds. However, the fool will also punish himself. His words cause trouble, both for himself and for other people. V15 Great wealth protects a ri... [ Continue Reading ]
This is true, but it is not good. A rich man can use his money to protect himself. A poor person cannot do this. When there is danger, the poor man suffers first. As Christians, we should care about poor people. We should give money to help them. See Ephesians 2:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wealth brings some good things, but wealth cannot give a good life. Solomon does not write, ‘a rich man earns a good life’. He writes, ‘a good man earns a good life’. We can be confident of this. This is like wages for a job. However, we cannot earn heaven. This is because we cannot make ourselves... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise person accepts correction. He wants advice. Other people will benefit from this. They will copy the wise man’s actions. The wise person leads other people. He shows them the right way to live. A church leader must be careful. Other people will copy his actions. ‘God will be a strict judge wi... [ Continue Reading ]
Other people can benefit from our wisdom. Other people will suffer if we refuse God’s wisdom. These verses explain this.... [ Continue Reading ]
We should forgive other people. Even when someone hurts us, we should not hate that person. Instead we should pray for them. Many people secretly hate someone else. The first line says that this is like a lie. Other people talk about the person whom they hate. Perhaps they actually tell lies about... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon is not saying that we should not speak. However, some people speak too much. If we want to help people, then we should listen to them. We should try to understand their problems. Then, maybe, we can help them. We can pray for them. Perhaps we can advise them. Perhaps we can take them to som... [ Continue Reading ]
If we serve God, then our words will help other people. Our words are valuable, so we should use them wisely. We should use them: • to encourage other people • to sympathise • to help people. An evil man wants evil things. He makes evil plans. He tries to destroy other people. This is why his de... [ Continue Reading ]
The words of a good person are valuable to other people. This may be like a mother, whose own food feeds her baby. In some countries, a mother will take food from her own mouth. Then, she will give this food to her child. In the same way, a good man’s words are like food. His words feed other peopl... [ Continue Reading ]
If God gives wealth to a good person, then this is good news for everyone. By his kindness, God is good to the rich man, and his friends and neighbours. Everyone benefits, because the man will use his wealth wisely. He is generous. This rich man does not worry, because he trusts God to protect him.... [ Continue Reading ]
In this verse, Solomon asks us what we love. A wise person loves wisdom. We might think that wisdom is good. This is not enough. We might think that wisdom is powerful. Many people think these things, and some of them are fools. ‘You believe in one God. This is not good enough! Even the devils b... [ Continue Reading ]
If you desire the right things, then God will give them to you. If you desire wisdom, then God will give wisdom to you. In the same way, a wicked person will suffer the troubles that worry him. He is afraid of death and hell. His wicked behaviour will bring him to death and hell. He will lose every... [ Continue Reading ]
These proverbs are about time. Solomon discusses different situations. He explains what will happen in the future.... [ Continue Reading ]
A storm will sweep away wicked people because they have no firm security. But God will keep safe the person who trusts in him. See Matthew 7:24-27.... [ Continue Reading ]
There is humour in this verse. If you send a lazy man with a message, your message may never arrive. Instead, send a wise man with the message. It will soon arrive.... [ Continue Reading ]
The good man respects God. He will have a long life. He will be happy. The evil man refuses God’s wisdom. The evil man will die soon. His plans will fail. He will achieve nothing. These verses are rather general. Some good people die young. Some evil people live long. Solomon is explaining simple... [ Continue Reading ]
Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’ (John 14:6) Our lives are like journeys. We must live God’s way. God will take us to the place where we belong. This is good news for Christians. We belong in heaven. This is bad news for evil people. The Bible says that they will go to hell.... [ Continue Reading ]
See my notes on ‘the land’, under Proverbs 2:20-22. In verse 30, Solomon compares a good man to a tree. Both belong in the place where God has planted them. Even when trouble comes, they can stand firm. ‘A storm passes. And wicked people cannot last. But good people are always safe’ (verse 25). Go... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 32 encourages us. Many people worry that they will say the wrong thing. A good man always says the right thing. If we trust in God, then God will help us. If we study the Bible, then we shall speak God’s words. If we pray, then God will guide us. We do not need to worry. We need to be humble.... [ Continue Reading ]