Sunday School Lesson

2. Proverbs 5:3-11, 15-23
When Wisdom Was Not Enough.
How could the wisest man on earth
lose his fear of the Lord?
July 5, 2020
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi 39216
USA

3. What’s the number one thing?
The Glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do all to the glory of God.

4. References
•Jeremiah, David, Seeking Wisdom-Finding Gold
(Atlanta, GA, Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, 1994).
•Palmer, Edwin H., The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids,
Zondervan, 1985).

5. Focus of Lesson Today
•Solomon’s early years as king and his lifestyle.
•Solomon’s sins and downfall.
•Lessons from Solomon’s downfall.

6. Introduction to “The Book of Proverbs”
•A collection of 513 of the over 3,000 proverbs
pondered by King Solomon.
•Proverbs 9:10 NIV
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

7. What is wisdom?
•Charles H. Spurgeon: “The right use of knowledge.”
•Samuel Coleridge: “Wisdom is common sense in an
uncommon degree.”
•Mark Twain: “Wisdom is knowledge using its head.”

8. The 7 Pillars of Wisdom – Proverbs 1:1-7
1. Wisdom is Development.
2. Wisdom is Discipline.
3. Wisdom is Discernment.
4. Wisdom is Dignity.
5. Wisdom is Discretion.
6. Wisdom is Depth of Understanding.
7. Wisdom is Devotion to God.

9. How does wisdom come to believers?
•1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who
has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our
righteousness, holiness and redemption.
•1 Corinthians 2:16b NIV
16b But we have the mind of Christ.
•Jesus Christ is our wisdom from God.
•He (wisdom) dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.

10. King Solomon’s Early Years
•1 Kings 4:29-30 NIV
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight,
and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the
sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was
greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,
and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

11. King Solomon’s Early Years
•1 Kings 4:31-32 NIV
31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the
Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the
sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the
surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand
proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

12. King Solomon’s Early Years
•1 Kings 4:33-34 NIV
33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon
to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke
about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all
nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom,
sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his
wisdom.

13. God’s Instructions for Kings
•Deuteronomy 17:14-15 NIV
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving
you and have taken possession of it and settled in it,
and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the
nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a
king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from
among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner
over you, one who is not an Israelite.

14. God’s Instructions for Kings
•Deuteronomy 17:16 NIV
16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers
of horses for himself or make the people return to
Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you,
“You are not to go back that way again.”

15. God’s Instructions for Kings
•Deuteronomy 17:17-18 NIV
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led
astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of
silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his
kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of
this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.

16. God’s Instructions for Kings
•Deuteronomy 17:19-20 NIV
19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days
of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his
God and follow carefully all the words of this law and
these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than
his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right
or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a
long time over his kingdom in Israel.

17. Summary of God’s Instructions for Kings
•God’s choice.
•An Israelite.
•Limited number of horses.
•Do not return to Egypt.
•Do not take many wives.
•Do not accumulate large amounts of silver & gold.
•Read and study the law (Torah).
•Obey God.
•Do not be prideful.

18. King Solomon Disobeys God
•1 Kings 11:9-10 NIV
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his
heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of
Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he
had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon
did not keep the Lord’s command.

19. King Solomon Disobeys God
•1 Kings 11:11 NIV
11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your
attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my
decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly
tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of
your subordinates.”

20. What contributed to King Solomon’s downfall?
1. He had an incredible appetite for wealth.

21. King Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Palace
•1 Kings 6:37-7:1 NIV
37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in
the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh
year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple
was finished in all its details according to its
specifications. He had spent seven years building it.
1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete
the construction of his palace.

22. King Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Income
•1 Kings 10:14-15
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly
was 666 talents, 15 not including the revenues from
merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings
and the governors of the territories.
•Solomon received 25 tons of gold annually.
•Price of gold today makes this over $1B annually.

23. King Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Gold
•1 Kings 10:21-22 NIV
21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the
household articles in the Palace of the Forest of
Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver,
because silver was considered of little value in
Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships
at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three
years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and
apes and baboons.

24. King Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Horses
•1 Kings 10:26 & 29a NIV
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had
fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand
horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also
with him in Jerusalem.
29a They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred
shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.

25. King Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Throne
•1 Kings 10:18-20 NIV
18 Then the king made a great throne covered with
ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six
steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides
of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside
each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps,
one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever
been made for any other kingdom.

26. King Solomon described his wealth & lifestyle
• Ecclesiastes 2:8 & 10 NIV
8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of
kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers,
and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.

27. What contributed to King Solomon’s downfall?
1. He had an incredible appetite for wealth.
2. He had an incredible appetite for women.
- Solomon wrote warnings in Proverbs 5.
- Notice stark imagery in descriptions of adultery
and faithfulness in marriage.

28. Proverbs 5:3-6 NIV (Solomon’s Warnings)
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not
know it.

29. Proverbs 5:7-11 NIV (Solomon’s Warnings)
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.

30. Proverbs 5:15-18 NIV (Solomon’s Warnings)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

31. Proverbs 5:19-20 NIV (Solomon’s Warnings)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer —
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s
wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

32. Proverbs 5:21-23 NIV (Solomon’s Warnings)
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
•Did King Solomon follow his own advice?

33. King Solomon’s Appetite for Women
•1 Kings 11:1-2 NIV
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women
besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites,
Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from
nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites,
“You must not intermarry with them, because they will
surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless,
Solomon held fast to them in love.

34. King Solomon’s Appetite for Women
•1 Kings 11:3-4 NIV
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three
hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As
Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after
other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the
Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.

35. King Solomon’s Appetite for Women
•1 Kings 11:5-6 NIV
5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So
Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not
follow the Lord completely, as David his father had
done.

36. How could a wise man, blessed by God, do this?
•Key – Solomon’s words to Israel when dedicating the
Temple built for God.
•1 Kings 8:61 NIV
61 “And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord
our God, to live by his decrees and obey his
commands, as at this time.”
•Answer – Solomon’s heart was not fully committed to
God.

37. A Heart Not Fully Committed to God
•1 Kings 11:4 & 6 NIV
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after
other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the
Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.
6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not
follow the Lord completely, as David his father had
done.

38. Solomon knew better! He wrote these verses!
•Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.

39. Idolatry – Not Fully Committed
•Idol – Anything that replaces God in any area of your
life.
•Idolatry is our most basic sin, and in it an exchange is
made: God reveals His truth about Himself, and we
trade that truth and walk out with a lie.
•We exchange the glory of God for the glory of the
creation.

40. Idolatry – Worshipping the Creation
•Romans 1:25 NIV
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and
worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator—who is forever praised.
•Solomon went from worshipping the Creator to
worshipping the creation (wealth, pleasure).

41. Lessons from Solomon’s Downfall
1. No person is immune from temptation.
2. No plateau is safe from sin’s allure.
3. No position is safe from sin’s snare.
4. No privileges will protect you from Satan’s reach.
5. At no point can you be lenient toward sin.

42. 1. No person is immune from temptation.
•Wisdom does not automatically immunize anyone
against the sickness of sin.
•1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is
common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out
so that you can endure it.

43. Jesus understands temptation
•Hebrews 2:18 NIV
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted,
he is able to help those who are being tempted.
•Hebrews 4:15 NIV
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who
has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he
did not sin.

44. Be careful when:
•You say, “_____ is not a temptation for me.”
•You say, “Just this one time only.”
•You say, “No one will know.”
•You say, “God wants me to be happy.”
•HALT - Be careful when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely
or Tired!

45. 2. No plateau is safe from sin’s allure.
•Age.
•Married.
•Financially secure.
•Empty Nest.
•Retirement.
•Life’s goals are met.

46. 2. No plateau is safe from sin’s allure.
•1 Kings 11:4 NIV
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after
other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the
Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.
•Solomon compromised his faith trying to please his
foreign wives.

47. 3. No position is safe from sin’s snare.
•Solomon was the King and God’s chosen.
•He was the wisest man on earth.
•Satan intensifies his attack on people who should set
the godly example.
•Satan is out to make Jesus’ followers look and act like
hypocrites.

48. 7 Seasons When You Are Vulnerable to Temptation.
by Reverend Colin Smith
1. Young and single.
2. Beautiful or good looking.
3. Worked hard and become successful.
4. When you have opportunity.
5. Away from home.
6. No one holding you accountable.
7. Temptation over a long period of time.

49. 4. No privileges will protect you from Satan’s
reach.
•1 Kings 11:9 NIV
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his
heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of
Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
•God had talked directly to Solomon twice.
•God had chosen and blessed Solomon.

50. 4. No privileges will protect you from Satan’s
reach.
•1000 available women did not keep Solomon from
lust.
•Having knowledge and wisdom does not mean godly
actions will naturally follow – free will.
•Wealth does not keep you from greed and envy.
•Being “smart” does not keep you from acting stupid.

51. 5. At no point can you be lenient toward sin.
•1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone
to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that the family of believers
throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.

52. 5. At no point can you be lenient toward sin.
•Satan’s tricks:
•Desensitization (slowly lose guilt and shame).
•Delayed punishment from God.
•Doubt – “Did God really say?” (Garden of Eden).
•Pleasure must intensify over time for satisfaction.
•Pride – “I did it my way!”
•Entitlement – “I deserve it!”

53. Solomon’s Final Words on Life
•Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

54. Closing Scriptures - Forgiveness of our Sins
• 1 John 1:9 NIV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
• 1 John 2:1-2 NIV
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not
sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the
Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the
sins of the whole world.

55. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16-17 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me.”

56. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this
life to pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death”
explained in Revelation 21:8.

57. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the
lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation
21:8, will experience the “second death,” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn
away from sin and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.

58. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will
be his God and he shall be My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explain to us how to be overcomers.

59. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

60. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900
or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/