PROVERBS LESSON 32
We will began this lesson in Proverbs 20:16 "Take his garment
that is surety [for] a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a
strange woman."
We see in this that this man has carelessly put up his garment
for security on another's loan; and when the other man could not pay,
they have taken his garment. His mistake was going on the note in the
first place. It appears that he has learned a lesson the hard way, he
lost his garment in the process. The word that was translated
"strange" describing this woman means foreign, non-relative, and
adulterous. We see from this that the pledge in the second part of
verse 16 has to do with a woman other than his relative. Possibly, she
is a woman of ill repute. There is a story in the 38th chapter of
Genesis where Tamar took pledge of her father-in-law, Judah. Read the
whole 38th chapter to get the story. I believe this last half of verse
16 is speaking of a pledge given to a harlot woman.
Proverbs 20:17 "Bread of deceit [is] sweet to a man; but
afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel."
We see in this "bread of deceit" that he has nourished himself
with the sins of the flesh. Hebrews 11:25 calls sin a pleasure for a
season Hebrews 11:25 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;" Sin
seems to be pleasure, but the end is sorrow and regret. This statement
"His mouth shall be filled with gravel" means that this sin leaves a
bad taste in his mouth. Gravel indicates grating of teeth.
Proverbs 20:18 "[Every] purpose is established by counsel: and
with good advice make war."
We see here again, good counsel is a must. Only a terribly
conceited person or a fool would refuse good counsel. War should
certainly be gone into only after good consideration. War is serious
business and to jump into war unadvisedly could mean disaster.
Proverbs 20:19 "He that goeth about [as] a talebearer revealeth
secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips."
If a person talks about someone else to you (talebearer), they
will talk about you when you are out of sight to someone else. A
talebearer is to be avoided. They reveal secrets and stir up strife.
Proverbs 20:20 "Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp
shall be put out in obscure darkness."
We see in this Scripture the opposite of "honor thy father, and
thy days will be long upon the earth". Our mother and father's love is
probably more than anyone else's. To curse them is, in essence, to
curse yourself.
Proverbs 20:21 "An inheritance [may be] gotten hastily at the
beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed."
Usually, things that we do not earn don't last. It is the old
saying, "easy come, easy go". An inheritance sometimes ruins the
person receiving it. I knew a family who were hard working people, and
were just getting along fine. They received $100,000 dollars
unexpectedly and it ruined their lives. The husband quit his job and
started drinking. In a year, all the money was gone; he had no job and
his wife had left him. He lost his house to pay the taxes on the
$100,000. Their lives were ruined. Unexpected inheritance can ruin
you. Instead of it being a blessing, it winds up a curse many times,
because we are not prepared to handle it. God knows just how much He
can trust you with. Be content with what you have.
Proverbs 20:22 "Say not thou, I will recompense evil; [but] wait
on the LORD, and he shall save thee."
Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. The thing a fleshly man would
do is go and get even, but if we are believers, we are not allowed
this. We are to do good to those who persecute us. We must plead our
case with the Lord, and He will see us through. The Lord is our shield
and our defense.
Proverbs 20:23 "Divers weights [are] an abomination unto the
LORD; and a false balance [is] not good."
We dealt with this earlier in these lessons. The Lord hates
dishonesty of any kind and especially dishonesty with trickery
associated with it.
Proverbs 20:24 "Man's goings [are] of the LORD; how can a man
then understand his own way?"
This first man is taken from a word that means mighty man, and
man in the second part means human creature. We see, then, that the
man of God's goings are of the Lord. How then can a human creature
understand his own way? As we have said before, if Jesus is our Lord,
everything that happens to us, good and bad, has to be okayed by Him.
A man of the world does not understand his own way. A worldly man just
gropes around trying one thing and another until he finds the Way,
which is Jesus.
Proverbs 20:25 "[It is] a snare to the man [who] devoureth [that
which is] holy, and after vows to make inquiry."
There are many varied opinions of the meaning of this Scripture,
but I believe this is saying it is a sin for man to use up the things
dedicated to the Lord and then pretend that they just disappeared
without his knowledge. When we promise something to the Lord, it is
very important to keep the promise. If you were not able to keep the
promise, you shouldn't have made the promise in the first place.
Proverbs 20:26 "A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth
the wheel over them."
We see in this that the wise king is separating the bad from the
good. In the wheel coming over the wicked here, we see the king
conquering or perhaps even destroying these wicked.
Proverbs 20:27 "The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD,
searching all the inward parts of the belly."
The spirit of man is the breath that the Lord breathed into man
that gave him life. You could even call it our conscience. The
candlestick was in the church shining to remove the shadows. The
Light of Jesus shines within all believers and destroys darkness. It
searches out all the hidden sins and brings them to light. We are
told by Jesus in Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven." God's Light shining within us separates us from the darkness
of the world. The light that is within us is the Light of Jesus.
Proverbs 20:28 "Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne
is upholden by mercy."
We see in this that if a king wants to continue to be a king he
must not be cruel, he must be merciful. Just as we Americans say that
George Washington was the father of our country, people living in
countries that have kings, look on the king as the father of their
country. A king that rules with mercy and truth will be king for a
long time.
Proverbs 20:29 "The glory of young men [is] their strength: and
the beauty of old men [is] the grey head."
This is a very true statement of young men. They are proud that
they are strong. Young men will pump iron or exercise to make them
even stronger. Paul warns about putting too much emphasis on the
bodily exercise. I Timothy 4:7 "But refuse profane and old wives'
fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness." I Timothy 4:8
"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come."
The beautiful grey hair of an old man shows wisdom and
experience. For a man to live long enough to have grey hair, God would
have to have blessed him.
Proverbs 20:30 "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so
[do] stripes the inward parts of the belly."
These stripes in the belly indicate punishment that is felt with
our inner most being. We are supposed to see in the bruises and in the
stripes that correction has come for the sins in our lives.
Proverbs Questions 32
1. In verse 16, what has he put his garments up for?
2. What does the word that has been translated "strange" mean?
3. In the 38th chapter of Genesis, who took pledge of her father-in-
law?
4. "Bread of deceit" means what?
5. What does "having my mouth full of gravel" mean?
6. Every purpose is established by what?
7. Who would refuse counsel?
8. What is a person that reveals secrets called?
9. What shall happen to a person who curses father and mother?
10. A hasty gotten inheritance sometimes ends how?
11. Sometimes sudden riches does what to a person?
12. If we are to recompense evil, what are we to do?
13. Who is our shield and defense?
14. The _________ ________ _______ goings are of the Lord.
15. It is a snare to a man that devoureth ______ ______ ______ ____.
16. In verse 26, a wise king scattereth the wicked, what else does he
do?
17. In verse 27, what is the candle of the lord?
18. In Matthew 5:16, what are the Christians told to do?
19. What two things preserve the king?
20. What is the glory of young men?
21. What is the beauty of the old man?
22. Blueness of a wound cleanseth away what?
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