Journey through the Bible: the Book of Proverbs

Journey Through The Bible
The Book of Proverbs:
The Way of Wisdom
Bible Readings:
Proverbs 4:1-27 (Page 451)
Matthew 7:13-23 (Page 685)
1
Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Human wisdom
Wise sayings
•“If a man is righteous, people will follow him with out
being told; but if he is not, then no amount of orders
will make them follow.” Confucius
2

Human wisdom
Wise sayings
•“How can a swallow know the aspirations of a swan?”
Chen Sheng 208 BC
(Qin Dynasty)
3

Wise sayings in the
Bible
•Proverbs are based on the
ethical and moral teaching
of God’s law.
•The book of proverbs
doesn’t contain human
wisdom but wisdom from
God the creator of all
things.
•They have an authority
and application for all
people for all times.4

Wise sayings in the
Bible
•The book of Proverbs is a
compilation of 5
collections of proverbs.
•From King Solomon’s
reign 950 BC until the
restoration of the kingdom
around 450 BC.
•Originally written in
Hebrew poetry with verses
of two lines.
5

Parallel Lines
•“A wise son brings joy to his
father,
but a foolish son grief to his
mother.” 10:1
•The ﬁrst line makes a statement
and the second states an
opposite the contrast adds
meaning.
•“The heart of the righteous
weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked
gushes evil.” 15:286

Parallel Lines
•The pictures and words are very
compact and hard hitting.
•The reader has to stop and
think about the meaning and
how to apply it.
•“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who
shows no discretion.” 11:22
(discretion = reason,
taste,understanding)
7

Use different translations to help understanding
• Proverbs 16:28 (NIV84)
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates
close friends.
8

close friends.
• Proverbs 16:28 (NKJV)
A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best
of friends.
8

close friends.
of friends.
• Proverbs 16:28 (NLT)
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best
of friends.
8

close friends.
of friends.
• Proverbs 16:28 (NLT)
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best
of friends.
• Proverbs 16:28 (NIrV)
A twisted person stirs up ﬁghts. Anyone who talks about others
comes between close friends. 8

Wisdom in Five Areas
of Life
1. Wisdom
2. Work
3. Family
4. Friendship
5. Words
9

Wisdom and Folly
•God teaches us to
understand what a wise
man does by showing us
how to recognize the
opposite of wisdom, the
fool.
•Psalm 14:1 “The fool has
said in his heart “There is
no God”.
•In the Bible a fool acts as
though there is no God.10

Seek Wisdom
•The ﬁrst 9 chapters are a
passionate plea urging
people to seek wisdom
with all their heart and
mind and leave behind
foolish i.e. ungodly ways
of thinking.
•Wisdom is pictured as a
beautiful woman crying
out in the streets urging
people to take the gifts
that she offers.11

Seek Wisdom
Proverbs 8:1–6 (NIV84)
1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her
voice?
On the heights along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her
stand; beside the gates leading into the
city, at the entrances, she cries aloud:
“To you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain
understanding.
Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
12

What Wisdom Offers
Proverbs 8:18–21 (NIV84)
With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than ﬁne gold;
what I yield surpasses choice
silver.
I walk in the way of
righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
bestowing wealth on those who
love me
and making their treasuries full.
13

Wisdom is worth more than gold
• Wisdom is worth more
than anything else in the
world.
“The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of
knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and
discipline.”
• A fool is recognised by
the fact they don’t like
discipline and lack self
control and don’t seek
God’s wisdom.14

The nobility of work
• The Suggard.
• Proverbs 26:15 (NIV84
The sluggard buries his hand
in the dish; he is too lazy to
bring it back to his mouth.
• The picture is of someone
who starts something but
never ﬁnishes.
• A sluggard always has
excuses for why he or she
can’t do something.
• Proverbs is not saying we
should be workaholics.
• The deeper issue the attitude
to work.15

Why Work?
• Work is part of God’s
character.
• God displayed His
wisdom by His work in
creation.
• God gave Adam and
Eve work to do; they
had to care for God’s
creation in the garden.
16

Why Work?
One who is slack in his
work is brother to one
who destroys.
Do you see a man
skilled in his work.
He will serve before
kings; he will not serve
before obscure men.
17

The Importance of Family
• Proverbs begins and
ends with two portraits:
the foolish woman and
the wise wife.
• The woman who ignores
God is a curse to her
family and husband.
Her house is a highway
to the grave, leading
down to the chambers
of death.
18

The Importance of Family
• At the end of the book
chapter 31:10-21 is
poem which praises the
wise wife and shows
what a blessing she is to
her whole household
and community.
Give her the reward she
has earned,
and let her works bring
her praise at the city
gate.19

Faithfulness in Marriage
• Proverbs 5:18–23 (NIV84)
May your fountain be blessed, and may you
rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always, may
you ever be captivated by her love.
Why be captivated, my son, by an
adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of
another man’s wife?
For a man’s ways are in full view of the
Lord, and he examines all his paths.
The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare
him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He
will die for lack of discipline, led astray by
his own great folly.20

Faithfulness in Friendship
• Proverbs teaches us that good
friendship is to be valued like
wisdom itself. But good friendship
is not always effortless and
natural. We have to work at being
good friends.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
Wounds from a friend can be
trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.
21

A man who has friends must
himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks
closer than a brother.
Ointment and perfume delight
the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s
friend gives delight by hearty
counsel.
22

• Good friendship
requires sensitivity.
• Proverbs 27:14
(NKJV)
He who blesses his
friend with a loud
voice, rising early in
the morning,
It will be counted a
curse to him.
23

The Power of Words
• Proverbs teaches us just
how powerful words can
be.
24

The Power of Words
be.
• God used words to create
all things.
24

The Power of Words
be.
all things.
• Words have power to
create or destroy lives,
friendships, love, wealth,
happiness, kingdoms and
even our eternal destiny.
24

The Power of Words
be.
all things.
• Words have power to
create or destroy lives,
friendships, love, wealth,
happiness, kingdoms and
even our eternal destiny.
• We need to possess
wisdom before we open
our mouths.
24

The Power of Words
• Proverbs 10:19 (TNIV)
Sin is not ended by multiplying
words, but the prudent hold
their tongues.
25

The Power of Words
their tongues.
A person ﬁnds joy in giving an
apt reply— and how good is a
timely word!
25

The Power of Words
their tongues.
A person ﬁnds joy in giving an
apt reply— and how good is a
timely word!
• Proverbs 16:23–24 (TNIV)
The hearts of the wise make
their mouths prudent, and their
lips promote instruction.
Gracious words are a
honeycomb, sweet to the soul
and healing to the bones.25

The Power of Words
Do you see someone who
speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool
than for them.
26

The Power of Words
speaks in haste?
than for them.
The words of the reckless
pierce like swords, but the
tongue of the wise brings
healing.
26

The Power of Words
speaks in haste?
than for them.
The words of the reckless
pierce like swords, but the
tongue of the wise brings
healing.
• Proverbs 18:21 (NIrV)
Your tongue has the power of
life and death. Those who love
to talk will eat the fruit of their
words.26

The Power of Words
27

The Power of Words
• Proverbs 4:5–7 (NIrV)
Get wisdom. Get
understanding.
27

The Power of Words
Get wisdom. Get
understanding.
• Don’t forget my words.
Don’t turn away from them.
27

The Power of Words
Get wisdom. Get
understanding.
• Stay close to wisdom, and
she will keep you safe.
Love her, and she will
watch over you.
27

The Power of Words
Get wisdom. Get
understanding.
• Stay close to wisdom, and
she will keep you safe.
Love her, and she will
watch over you.
• Wisdom is best. So get
wisdom. No matter what it
costs, get understanding.
27

Journey through the Bible: the Book of Proverbs

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