PROVERBS LESSON 1

     The book of proverbs has been known as the book of wisdom from
the very beginning. Most of the writing of Proverbs has been credited
to the pen of Solomon. God has given Solomon the wisdom to rule his
people fairly. Proverbs is actually a book of instructions on how to
live a life pleasing to God and how to be more peaceful with all of
mankind. It is a wonderful book for people of all ages to study how to
live moral, peaceful lives. The purpose of the book is for moral
instructions on everyday living.

     The main topic is the fear of the Lord. In fact the "Fear of the
Lord" is mentioned fourteen times. Solomon's instructions were very
good. He would have been better off if he had heeded his own
instructions. Solomon, in his later life strayed from his own
teaching.

     A "proverb" is a wise saying. It is similar to a parable in fact
it bears a hidden message.

     Proverbs 1:1 "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of
Israel;"

     We see that these wise sayings are of Solomon, who is the second
son of David and Bathsheba. David and Solomon were each king of Isreal
for forty years.

     Proverbs 1:2 "To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the
words of understanding;" Proverbs 1:3 "To receive the instruction of
wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;"  Proverbs 1:4 "To give
subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."

     "Wisdom" is the ultimate goal, so we see it mentioned here.
"Instruction" can flow out from the greatest teacher of all time and
still we will be no more the wiser. The point made here is to receive
the instruction into your being and in so doing become the wiser. We
have to receive the instructions for it to help us. We must open up
"perceive" our understanding. The "equity", "judgement", and "justice"
are the fruits of wisdom. A wise man will be just, etc. To give
"subtilty to the simple" just means a knowing of surroundings so as
not to be tricked into anything. This "knowledge" and "discretion" has
to do with teaching a youth to weigh out right from wrong. To make a
proper decision after thinking it over, would be an even simpler way
of saying this.

     Proverbs 1:5 "A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning;
and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:"

     Be quick to listen and slow to speak is a very good way of
learning. A man of understanding will want to be counseled by older,
wiser men. They will be quick to be instructed by someone who has
already experienced the same  thing. These wise counsels can save many
mistakes.

     Proverbs 1:6 "To understand a proverb, and the interpretation;
the words of the wise, and their dark sayings."

     Jesus said that now we look through a dark glass. We cannot
understand the secrets of proverbs and parables now. We understand
them to the extent that the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Even the
disciples had Jesus interpret his parables. The Holy Spirit, working
as a teacher, helps us interpret the hidden meanings.

     Proverbs 1:7  "The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of
knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

     There is very little left to say about this statement. We know
the fear of anything other than God is lack of faith. This type of
fear of God would cause reverent worship of him. In James 1:5 "If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men]
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." A fool does
not even realize that instruction and wisdom will benefit him. He goes
away ignorant as before, because he will not let anyone instruct him.

     Proverbs 1:8 "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and
forsake not the law of thy mother:"

     The two people in the world who want you to have the best of
everything are your mother and father. The instructions they are
trying to get you to heed are to save you headache and troubles. They
have your welfare at heart. Accept their instructions so that you can
gain from their experience and not have to make the same mistakes they
have already made. They wish you only good, not evil.

     Proverbs 1:9 "For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy
head, and chains about thy neck."

     The greatest gift a parent can give to a child is the gift of
good moral teaching. This "grace" above, I believe, is just that.
These parents have set high moral standards and passed them on to
their children.  This "grace on the head" just means the crown of life
they will receive if they stay with these high morals.

     Proverbs 1:10  "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou
not."

     You see, we are a free moral agent. We decide whether we will sin
or not. Just because the crowd is sinning, is no reason to get
involved. Use your own free will and say "no" to sin, even if it is
inviting. In the long run, we are responsible for our own decisions.

     Proverbs 1:11 "If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for
blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:" Proverbs
1:12 "Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those
that go down into the pit:" Proverbs 1:13 "We shall find all precious
substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:" Proverbs 1:14 "Cast
in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:"  Proverbs 1:15 "My
son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their
path: Proverbs 1:16 "For their feet run to evil, and make haste to
shed blood."

     This is warning not to keep evil company. There is guilt by
association. You may not be guilty of their sins; but if you are
caught with them, you will pay the terrible penalty with them. Many a
youngster has gotten into serious trouble because he wanted to be part
of the gang. Children's favorite saying to parents is, "everyone is
doing it".  Sometimes peer pressure causes a youngster to join a gang.
He probably has no idea they are stealing or killing when he joins;
but the longer he stays, the more deeply  involved he becomes. The
only way to avoid this is just what the Scripture advises. Don't go
with them in the first place. The time to say "no" is before you get
in deep.

     Proverbs 1:17 "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of
any bird."

     As a bird flies into a net and is caught, so will the sinner get
caught if he goes head long into sin. We know the net is there, but
get into it anyway.

     Proverbs 1:18 "And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk
privily for their [own] lives."

     A person laying in wait to kill someone else is actually sealing
their own doom.

     Proverbs 1:19 "So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of
gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof."

     Greed for things that do not belong to you is certainly the cause
of most sin toward your fellow man.

     Proverbs 1:20  "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in
the streets:" Proverbs 1:21 "She crieth in the chief place of
concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her
words, [saying],"  Proverbs 1:22 "How long, ye simple ones, will ye
love simplicity?  and the scorners delight in their scorning, and
fools hate knowledge?"

     An idle mind brings on sin. Wisdom is a gift from God, and we
must pray to receive it. Knowledge is accumulated learning that we
study and acquire by effort upon our part. Only a fool will turn away
from the knowledge and wisdom of God.

     Proverbs 1:23 "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my
spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

     God is telling the people to learn by His reproof. God is
offering to pour out His Spirit. God the Holy Spirit will reveal the
meaning of the word to us if we will accept His Spirit into us.

     Proverbs 1:24  "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have
stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;" Proverbs 1:25 "But ye
have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:"
Proverbs 1:26 "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when
your fear cometh;"  Proverbs 1:27 "When your fear cometh as
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress
and anguish cometh upon you."

     Those who refuse the call of Jesus Christ as Savior or those who
have not reached out to receive the Lord have nothing good to look
for. In their time of trouble, they have no one to turn to. The Lord
will have no sympathy for those who have rejected His salvation.

     Proverbs 1:28 "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not
answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:"

     There is a time when the Lord will turn his back on us if we
totally reject the Lord. When that time comes, The Lord will not hear
our plea any more.

     Proverbs 1:29 "For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose
the fear of the LORD:" Proverbs 1:30 "They would none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof."

     This shows that they had totally rejected everything that the
Lord had offered them. They did not want to learn the ways of the
Lord.

     Proverbs 1:31 "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own
way, and be filled with their own devices."  Proverbs 1:32 "For the
turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of
fools shall destroy them."

     This is just another way of saying: If you reject the Lord, you
will reap whatever you sow. Having your eyes and desires set on things
of this world can do nothing but destroy you. There is no eternity in
earthly desires.

     Proverbs 1:33 "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely,
and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

     This is a beautiful description of the security and peace that
comes when we are hidden in the Lord Jesus. Fear will not be a part of
our vocabulary, because it is the opposite of faith. If we have faith
in the Lord, there is no fear.










                     Proverbs 1 Questions

1.  What is the book of Proverbs known as the book of?
2.  Who penned the book?
3.  Proverbs is actually a book of_______on how to_______  ________
    __________  ___________?
4.  How many times is the "Fear of the Lord" mentioned in proverbs?
5.  What is a proverb?
6.  How is a proverb and a parable alike?
7.  Who was Solomon's father and mother?
8.  How long did Solomon reign?
9.  What does "perceive" mean?
10. What three things here are fruits of wisdom?
11. A wise man will hear and ____________  __________.
12. Be quick to _________  and slow to ___________.
13. Who helps us to understand the hidden meaning of Scriptures?
14. What is the beginning of Knowledge?
15. Who despise wisdom and instruction?
16. Fear is ______________ _____________ ____________.
17. In James 1:5 we read how to receive wisdom. How do we receive it?
18. "....hear the instructions of thy ______, and forsake not the law
    of thy __________."
19. What is the greatest gift a parent can give a child?
20. This "grace on the head" in V-9, means what?
21. In V-10 we are told not to be enticed to sin. How is that our
    decision to make?
22. V-11 through V-16 is warning us against what?
23. What gets many innocent young people involved in sin today?
24. As a bird flies into a net and is caught, so the sinner ______.
25. What causes many people to sin against their neighbor?
26. An idle mind brings on what?
27. What is knowledge?
28. In verse 23, God is telling us to do what?
29. Those who reject the Lord will find the Lord doing what at His
    calamity?
30. In contrast, V-33 is a beautiful description of what?
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