LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 22 V1 It is better to be a responsible person than to have great wealth. It is better that people trust you than for you to receive silver and gold. V2 Rich people and poor people have this in common. God made them all.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom is more valuable than wealth (Proverbs 8:10). Other people should be able to trust us. Christians should be responsible people, who are always careful and sensible.... [ Continue Reading ]
God made everybody. So we are all responsible to him. God made rich people. He gave wealth to them, so that they could help poor people (Proverbs 14:31). God also made poor people. He cares about them (Isaiah 61:1). He will punish rich people who refuse to help poor people (Proverbs 17:5). V3 Whe... [ Continue Reading ]
A simple person has not learned to be wise. He does not watch for dangers. He does not go to a safe place. (See Psalms 46:1-2.) He suffers, because he is not wise.... [ Continue Reading ]
God is greater than we are. Therefore, we must be humble. The wise person respects God (Proverbs 1:7). God protects him and helps him. Some wise people are not wealthy (Proverbs 19:1). But their wisdom is more valuable than money (Proverbs 8:10-11). Really, they are wealthy, because God will give g... [ Continue Reading ]
In this book, Solomon warns us about many dangers. Wicked people suffer from all these dangers, because they refuse to learn wisdom (Proverbs 4:19). They even suffer from their own evil actions. They are like a stupid hunter, who falls into his own trap (Proverbs 5:22-23). But we can be safe from t... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is a lesson for teachers to learn. It is also good advice for parents. We should teach even the youngest children. We should teach them about wisdom. We should teach them to obey God’s commands. And we should encourage them to trust in Jesus. Science, languages and maths are good subjec... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon collected 3000 wise lessons (proverbs) (1 Kings 4:32). This section contains over 400 proverbs (Proverbs 10:22). Here, Solomon is almost at the end of his list. As he finishes his work, he repeats the main principles. Wealthy people are powerful, because of their money. They should use thei... [ Continue Reading ]
Evil actions are like seeds. If a man sows seeds, then he will receive a harvest. If a man does evil things, then he will suffer trouble. Other people might suffer from his evil actions. But the man himself will also suffer. God knows that the man is evil. God will punish him (Hosea 8:7). Sometimes... [ Continue Reading ]
God wants us to be generous. He wants us to share the wealth that he has given to us (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). God cares about poor people. If we help other people, then we are doing God’s work (Luke 6:38). So, God will reward us (Mark 10:29-30). V10 If a man makes trouble for other people, send him a... [ Continue Reading ]
People who cause trouble by their evil words do not deserve a welcome. Such people may lie or gossip. Or they may insult other people. We should send away these evil people (Matthew 18:17). The troubles will end when they leave. And perhaps our actions will warn them that their behaviour was evil (1... [ Continue Reading ]
Because Solomon was a king, his decisions affected many people. His friends needed to advise him and to inform him. He needed to choose the right friends. Solomon needed honest friends who would speak the truth. He needed friends who spoke kind words. He did not want angry friends or dangerous frie... [ Continue Reading ]
People may fail, but God’s word will never fail. God preserves his truth. Nobody can successfully oppose God. God will not allow anyone to destroy the truth. ‘Knowledge’ here means knowledge about God, and about what he requires. In Jeremiah 36:27-28, an evil king tried to destroy the words that G... [ Continue Reading ]
When Solomon writes about the lazy man, he usually uses humour. This lazy man has an excuse for everything. He cannot even leave his house. The lazy man tells us that there is a lion outside. We look, but we cannot see any lion. He tells us that a murderer is outside. We cannot see any murderer, ei... [ Continue Reading ]
A deep well is very dangerous. If you fall in, then you cannot easily climb out. Perhaps nobody will hear your cries. Perhaps nobody can rescue you. Perhaps you will die. Evil deeds are dangerous. If evil things tempt you, these things are dangerous. These things can cause many troubles. Perhaps s... [ Continue Reading ]
By ‘foolish’, Solomon means ‘evil’. We all do evil things (Romans 7:19). This is because men and women refused to obey God (Genesis 3). Even a child does wrong things. But the child can learn to do the right things. And we can all learn to obey God. First, we must ask God to forgive us. We must tru... [ Continue Reading ]
Solomon finishes this section of his book, with a puzzle. Solomon describes two men. Each man has a plan. Each man thinks that his plan will make him wealthy. However, both plans will fail. Both men will become poor. These men become poor, because their plans are not wise. Both plans are evil plans... [ Continue Reading ]
Wise lessons are valuable. And they are important. We need to study these lessons. We should learn them. These lessons teach us how we should live. And they will teach us how to answer other people’s questions. There are 30 wise lessons in Proverbs 22:17 to Proverbs 24:22. The number ‘30’ was impor... [ Continue Reading ]
Perhaps your boundary is ancient. Perhaps your family agreed the boundary with your neighbour’s family, many years ago. But perhaps now, you need more land. And your neighbour will not sell his land. You could just move your fence. Your neighbour might not even realise that the boundary has moved. A... [ Continue Reading ]
King Solomon built many great buildings. His workmen built palaces. And they built the magnificent Temple (house of God) in Jerusalem. Solomon respected a skilled workman. He knew that skills are important. He knew that a skilled workman deserves honour. As the king, Solomon selected the best workme... [ Continue Reading ]