This document provides the lesson plan from the "His Followers Sunday School Class" at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. The lesson discusses wisdom literature in the Bible like Proverbs, focusing on Proverbs 14:8-15. It examines the structure and themes of these passages, including comparisons between foolishness and wisdom. The document encourages readers to recognize attacks on biblical beliefs and find clarity in scripture. It closes with passages about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

1. Proverbs 14:8-15
Living Wisely
July 19, 2020
His Followers Sunday School Class
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
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.
In preparing this lesson I drew heavily on materials provided by LifeWay and on
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Zondervan.
The Bible translations are noted.
Can there be such a thing as an environment that promotes Contemplation and
Philosophy?
I am a strong believer in studying geography to better understand the nature
and behavior of the inhabitants of a land. Geography includes terrain, climate,
weather, resources such as water, soil, forest, and minerals, access, natural
means of communication and transportation, natural energy resources, and I’ve
only scratched the surface.
In the case of the Holy Lands, climate, weather and terrain work together near
the coast to create dependable winds that cycle every day. As the sun is rising,
dew is carried inland from 15 to 40 miles depending on the immediate
conditions. As the sun begins to set, a dry afternoon breeze blows out to sea.
Jews had the habit of eating an early evening meal so the men would be able
to enjoy the comfortable evening time in the company of other men.

2. This was their primary opportunity to visit, discuss the news, engage in
intellectual discourse, and recount the history of their people. Of course,
naturally cool spots like the shaded gates of larger cities provided this
opportunity during the day.
There are numerous references to the elders of a city sitting in the gate. Of
course! It was the coolest spot available.
The Hebrew Bible has several examples of “Wisdom Literature.”
• Proverbs ‒ Short, pithy statements.
• Ecclesiastes ‒ Speculative monologues.
• Job ‒ Speculative dialogues.
Wisdom literature was common in the ancient world. Quite a bit of it has been
preserved from Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom Egypt.
“General knowledge of wisdom sayings across the ancient Near East as well as
specific interchange between Egypt and Solomon’s court make a literary
connection likely.” Ross, Allen P.
The six lessons we have enjoyed so far have come from a section of Proverbs
that might come under the heading, “A Father’s Admonition to Acquire
Wisdom.”
Chapter 10 begins a section some call, “The First Collection of Solomonic
Proverbs.”
A very quick summary of chapters 10-13:
In Proverbs 10, Solomon began to share a lengthy series of short sayings with his
son. Generally speaking, he seemed to arrange the sayings with determination
to compare foolishness with wisdom and wickedness with righteousness. In the
initial verses of this section, for example, he provided a comparison of two sons.
One of the sons was wise, and the other son was foolish. From there Solomon
covered a wide range of topics. He pointed out that a wicked person would try
to get rich using unscrupulous approaches, However, a righteous person would
make money through hard work, honesty, endurance, and responsibility.
Chapters 11-13 continue developing these themes including integrity, the
willingness to receive instruction and discipline, humility, arrogance, emptiness,
satisfaction, joy and grief.

3. We seem to be in a time when every headline is meant to shock and every story
is meant to excite us. This past Wednesday, an article by Byron York appeared
in the Washington Examiner. He was reporting on one of the educational
themes of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. His story
generated a lot of heat but very little light.
The Aspects & Assumptions of Whiteness & White Culture is actually drawn from
an article copy written in 1990. The exhibit presents traits such as hard work is
the key to success, working before you play, planning for tomorrow, objective
rational linear thinking, and respecting the nuclear family with a father, mother
and children, as all being characteristics of U.S. White people. If I had picked
this up in 1968, I would have assumed it was written by some racist and
distributed by the Klan. Byron York concluded his article by stating that it was his
experience that these traits were common to successful people whether they
were white, black, brown or whatever color Asians are. My conclusion is that
this exhibit is actually at issue with the Biblical teachings we see in Proverbs and
other Wisdom Literature in scripture.
Can we recognize an attack on our Biblical beliefs in the midst of attacks on our
laws, history, and institutions?
We need to be clear on what may be from the Enemy. Proverbs can help.
A “chiasm” refers to a literary form used often in the Old and New Testaments.
It draws its name from the Greek letter “Chi” which resembles our “X”.
Ideas in a simple chiasm are presented
A B
X
B A
Mark 2:27 NASB
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath.”
Matthew 23:12 NASB
12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall
be exalted.”
These are examples of simple A, B, B, A chiasms.

4. A more complex chiasm might be:
A, B, C, D, D, C, B, A
This is the form we see in Proverb 14:8-15.
Proverbs 14:8, 15 NIV
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
but the folly of fools is deception.
15 The simple believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps.
wicked (evil) vs just (righteous)
foolish (rash) vs wisdom
simple vs prudent
Proverbs 14:9, 14 NIV
9 Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright.
14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,
and the good rewarded for theirs.
Proverbs 14:14 AMP (Amplified Bible)
14 The backslider in heart will have his fill with his own [rotten] ways.
But the good man will be satisfied with his ways [the godly thought and
action which his heart pursues and in which he delights.]
Proverbs 14:10, 13 NIV
10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can share its joy.
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and rejoicing may end in grief.
Proverbs 14:11, 12 NIV
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.

5. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
Proverbs 17:1 NIV
1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
Jesus spoke of a house built on sand.
Matthew 7:24-25 NIV
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it
did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears
these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man
who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the
winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Proverbs 14:12 KJV
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death.
Matthew 7:13-14 NASB
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that
leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is
small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
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.”

6. Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
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.
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.
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.
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.”

7. Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
https://www.firstbaptistjackson.org/contact-us/