LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 18 V1 An unfriendly man is selfish. He is not sensible. V2 A fool does not like knowledge. A fool likes to speak his own opinions. V3 The words ‘evil’ and ‘hate’ belong together. The words ‘shame’ and ‘punishment’ belong together.... [ Continue Reading ]
Look after people that you do not know! Sometimes angels (God’s servants from heaven) are our guests. (Hebrews 13:2) A sensible person should be friendly. If someone is not friendly, then he is selfish. He cares about himself, but he does not care about other people. And he refuses to consider thei... [ Continue Reading ]
A fool hates wisdom. He really knows nothing, but he loves his own ideas. He thinks that his thoughts are more important than the truth. We should not behave like this. Instead, we should listen to other people. Then we shall learn to be wise.... [ Continue Reading ]
Often, an evil person hates other people. He hates, because he is evil. He is evil, because he hates. This person will receive both shame and punishment. He will feel shame, when he receives his punishment.... [ Continue Reading ]
A man’s words may be hard to understand. The man may try to hide his real thoughts. It is difficult for a swimmer to dive down to the deep water. Wisdom is easy to understand. It is easy to distinguish good things from evil things. It is easy to distinguish right things from wrong things. Wisdom is... [ Continue Reading ]
We should be fair to everyone, especially in court. An evil person does not deserve honour. He should not benefit from his evil actions. If he is guilty, he deserves punishment. We should respect an innocent person. He should not receive punishment. Be fair to him!... [ Continue Reading ]
A fool hates wisdom. A wise man thinks carefully about his words. But a fool does not think before he speaks. So the fool’s words cause arguments. His words cause trouble. And the fool deserves punishment for his evil words.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is the same as Proverbs 26:22. People listen, when someone gossips. They enjoy the stories. They even believe that the stories are true. This is dangerous. These stories are like food, because of how they affect us. The stories enter the mind, even as food enters the stomach. These stori... [ Continue Reading ]
If you are lazy, then this may cause trouble for other people. To be lazy is almost the same thing as to be dangerous. V10 God is like a strong castle. Good men are safe, when they trust in God. V11 A rich man’s wealth is in his castle. He thinks that nobody can enter it. V12 A man is proud, un... [ Continue Reading ]
These two verses are about different castles. A castle was a strong building, which would be safe, even during a war. A good man trusts in God. He can relax, because God will keep him safe. A rich man trusts in a strong building. He thinks that his money is safe in his castle. He trusts his castle... [ Continue Reading ]
The Bible teaches that a truly great man is a humble man. See Mark 9:33-35.... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise man listens carefully before he advises anyone. A fool (that is, an evil man) does not need to listen. He already has plenty of foolish ideas to tell you. The fool thinks that he knows everything. Really, he knows nothing. He is wrong, because he hates wisdom. So he has never learned anythin... [ Continue Reading ]
Your spirit needs to be strong. Your spirit can help you when your body is weak. If your spirit is weak, then you will struggle. Our spirits will become strong, if we trust God. Like our bodies, our spirits need exercise. We should study the Bible and pray to God. We should go to church and meet ot... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is a little poem about the parts of the body. The wise man’s mind loves wisdom. So he studies to be even wiser. The wise man always listens with his ears. He listens so that he will hear more knowledge. Then his mind can learn it, and the man will become wiser. In particular, a judge n... [ Continue Reading ]
King Solomon was also a judge. These verses are about judgements in court.... [ Continue Reading ]
Bribes (secret gifts) are evil. They tempt people to do wrong things. Judges must be aware of the dangers of bribes (secret gifts).... [ Continue Reading ]
A judge must listen to both opposing sides. Everyone believes the first person to speak. The lawyers must ask hard questions. Then they will discover whether this person’s words are true. We should not believe everyone who speaks about God. The speaker might seem right. But we must ask questions, t... [ Continue Reading ]
If strong men oppose each other, then they might want to fight. The argument could cause great pain and trouble. This problem seems impossible to solve. However, a very simple solution might be possible. The two men might settle their argument by lot (that is, by chance). People in the Bible often... [ Continue Reading ]
Family arguments can be serious problems. Relatives can struggle to solve an argument, if you upset them. It is hard to persuade your brother to forgive you. If you have hurt him, then he might refuse to accept you. When the relationship is close, it can be much harder to solve such problems. We sh... [ Continue Reading ]
Our words make us what we are. Bad food makes a man weak. Bad words will also make a man weak. Bad words are, for example, lies or evil plans. Good food makes a man strong. Good words will also make him strong. Good words are, for example, true words or words that encourage. Good words bring many... [ Continue Reading ]
When a judge makes his judgement, he can punish a man with death. When a thief makes an evil plan, his words can plot a man’s death. Our words also bring results. We can tell people how to become Christians. We can advise people wisely. We can help people with our words. Words are powerful.... [ Continue Reading ]
See Proverbs 31:10-21. When a man marries a woman, this is good. See Genesis 2:20-24. God has been good to them, so they love each other. They should look after each other. They should encourage and help each other. They must try to be a good husband and a good wife. God has been kind to them, so th... [ Continue Reading ]
This is terrible. The rich man is greedy. He does not think that God cares about the poor man. The rich man does not use his wealth to help the poor man. Instead, the rich man wastes his money on luxury. God will punish him.... [ Continue Reading ]
The friends ought to help the first man. But when he needs help, they all avoid him. This often happens. Many friends are not loyal. When troubles come, such friends leave. The second man has only one friend. But this friend is a different type of friend. There is real love in this friendship. When... [ Continue Reading ]