Proverbs 24:1-34
LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 24 V1 Do not be jealous of evil men. Do not try to meet them. V2 They make cruel plans in their minds. And they discuss how to cause trouble.... [ Continue Reading ]
LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 24 V1 Do not be jealous of evil men. Do not try to meet them. V2 They make cruel plans in their minds. And they discuss how to cause trouble.... [ Continue Reading ]
You should not join a group of evil people. Their secret plans are cruel. And they plot trouble with their conversations. You should not be jealous of these people. You do not want to suffer their punishment. V3 Wisdom is like someone who builds a house. And intelligence is like the person who est... [ Continue Reading ]
The writer describes a fine house. Perhaps the house is really a palace, because the house has rare and beautiful objects. This house can be like our lives. A house is safe if its builder was skilled. And our lives are safe, if we are wise. And we should use our intelligence. And we should study to... [ Continue Reading ]
You can count the number of soldiers in an army. But the number of soldiers does not win the battle. Your soldiers may be strong and brave. But this does not win the battle. The army needs a wise commander. And the commander needs good advice. One adviser is not enough. The commander needs many advi... [ Continue Reading ]
In ancient Israel, the men from a city would meet at the city gate. They would discuss the city’s problems together. Sometimes they would act like judges in a court. Sometimes they would decide whether to fight a war. All the men would gather. But the oldest men would speak first. The people though... [ Continue Reading ]
This man makes evil plots. And the people hate him. They hate him because all his ideas are evil. Perhaps he wants to cause trouble. Or perhaps he wants to benefit himself unfairly. V10 If troubles make you weak, you are never strong.... [ Continue Reading ]
We must learn to be strong, even when we have troubles. We must learn to advise well, even when people oppose us. We must teach God’s message, even if people hate us. V11 If someone is going to die, then rescue him! Save him from death! V12 You cannot say, ‘I did not know about this.’ God knows... [ Continue Reading ]
You should not pretend that you do not see someone else’s troubles. Help that person! Perhaps you can save him. God knows your actions. God will be your judge. See Ezekiel 33:1-9. God told Ezekiel to warn the people about their evil actions. If Ezekiel warned the people, then Ezekiel would save his... [ Continue Reading ]
Honey was a valuable food. Other foods do not taste like honey. And honey is useful as a food and as a medicine. Wisdom is also special. Wisdom is precious. Sometimes we must study hard to become wise. But wisdom is good. We all need wisdom. V15 Do not wait as a thief outside a good man’s house.... [ Continue Reading ]
In verse 15, the writer uses humour. He writes a lesson for thieves. Of course, the writer really thinks that thieves are evil. But he pretends that he is teaching thieves. He advises the thieves not to steal from good men. If they try to steal from a good man, they will fail. But even if the thiev... [ Continue Reading ]
When your enemy suffers, perhaps you are glad. But you should not be glad. Instead, you should be cautious. Perhaps your enemy is suffering because God has punished your enemy for his evil actions. But if your own actions are evil, then God will punish you, too. We all must ask God to forgive our ev... [ Continue Reading ]
Perhaps you are afraid of evil people. Or perhaps you are jealous of their money or importance. Then, remember what will happen to them. In the end they will die. God is a fair judge. And he will punish them for their evil behaviour. So serve God! And learn to avoid evil actions! V21 Respect God, a... [ Continue Reading ]
God is like a king. God will punish his enemies. You might escape from an angry king. But you cannot escape from God’s anger. So do not be an enemy of God. God wants you to confess your evil actions. He sent Jesus to die for you. Jesus is God’s son; and Jesus suffered the punishment for your evil be... [ Continue Reading ]
The 30 Wise Lessons are complete. They are important lessons. But there is more wisdom that the writer wants to teach us. An unfair judge is terrible. God will punish that judge. But a fair judge makes the right decision. He deserves honour. V26 An honest reply is like a kiss on the lips.... [ Continue Reading ]
If someone loves you, then that person will be honest. You might not like your friend’s honest words. Those honest words might be bad news. You might even prefer someone who lies. But honest words are better than a kiss. Your enemy could kiss you. But honest words prove that your friend really loves... [ Continue Reading ]
This is good, practical advice. You need to work in the fields to grow your crops. Without food, you will die. If you still have energy, afterwards you can build your house. But the person that builds his house first will have no food. We should carry out our most important work first. V28 Do not... [ Continue Reading ]
If you speak false evidence against your neighbour, your attitudes are wrong. You should not be opposing your neighbour without a proper reason. If your neighbour is guilty, then God will punish your neighbour. God is the judge. So you should not punish your neighbour if he has upset you. Instead,... [ Continue Reading ]
There ought to be crops in this field. But the lazy man did not sow any seed. There ought to be food in this garden. But the lazy man did not look after the food plants. Now the garden is wild. Now there are only weeds. The writer does not tell us whether the lazy man died. But we know that the la... [ Continue Reading ]