Proverbs 20 #Wisdom #Folly #TheTongue #Speaklife #Knowledge #understanding #integrity

Contents

• RELATIONSHIPS. 
• Relationships With People.
• Our Communications with them
• Parenting.
• Relationship Skills.
• Leadership: How to.
• Our Relationship With the Godhead
• THE REWARD OF ACTING FOOLISHLY. 
• INTEGRITY
• THE BENEFITS OF WISDOM

RELATIONSHIPS

Parenting

• 11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. 
• 20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

Leadership: How-tos

2 The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. Basically, don’t feed the lion! He might just eat you. Understand that the king has the final say as far as our earthly life goes.  When his wishes are contrary to God’s then we obey God.  Recently someone cited a part of Scripture and left the most important part out. It was in support of a “leader’ and his position. So let me put the scriptures here.here. Hebrews 13:17 (KJV) “ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”  clarifies Paul position even more. See Romans 13:1-4 below

1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4.  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. [ Note here Paul is talking about a minister of God!] But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Now Paul speaks to servants who are Christians: From the English Language Learner’s Bible 1 Peter 2: Obey people who have authority over you

v13 Obey all people who have authority in this world. Obey them, because that will make the *Lord happy. Obey the king, who rules everyone. [Note here Paul is talking about ancient near eastern kings. This king had no authorities over them. They had no Congress to whom they were accountable. There was no election for the position of king.] v14 Also obey those officers of the government that the king has chosen to rule you. They *punish people who do wrong things. And they say good words about people who do right things. v15 God wants you to do what is right. Then you will stop silly people, who do not know anything, from saying bad things about you. v16 You are people who are free. But do not think, because of that, that you have the chance to do bad things. Do not think that God will excuse you for bad things. Instead, do those things that God’s servants should do. v17 Always do what is right and proper to all people. Love all those people who are like brothers and sisters to you. They are like your brothers and sisters because, like you, they believe Christ. Always remember how great and powerful God is. Always remember to obey the king. v18 You servants must obey your masters. You must always remember that they are important. You must obey not only masters who are good and kind. You must obey also masters who are cruel and not fair. v19 Sometimes a person may have trouble and pain when he has done nothing wrong. But if that person really wants to obey God, he should continue to be patient and brave. That is a good thing and it will make God happy. v20 If you do something wrong, then people ought to *punish you. They might hit you. And you might be patient when they hit you. But that is no reason why anyone should say good things about you. But you may have trouble and pain because you have done good things. If you are patient during that trouble, then God will be happy about you. v21 God has chosen that you should be patient like this. Christ had trouble and pain on your behalf. And he is the person that you should copy. So you should do the same kind of things as Christ did. v22 The Bible says this:

•   ‘He never did anything that was wrong.
•   He never said anything that was not true.’  [Isaiah 53:9]

v23 People said bad things about Christ, but he did not say bad things back to them. People did bad things to him and they caused him trouble and pain. But he never said that he would do bad things to them. Instead, Christ continued to believe that God would help him. God always decides only what is right and fair. v24 Christ himself took away all the wrong things that we have done. He took them in his own body to the cross. He did this so that we should not continue to do wrong things. So we can be like people who are dead to wrong things. We are dead to them because those things do not rule us any more. Instead, now we can do the right things that God wants us to do. People hurt Christ’s body, but, because of that, you have become well. v25 Before, you were like sheep that were going the wrong way. But now you have returned to Christ, your *Shepherd, who keeps all of you safe.” 

God expects his children to that which is right in His eyes. He tells us to love all people. TO be fair in our dealings with people. It is never acceptable for us to trash talk to ANYONE. Look at Jesus’ example! It is never ok for us to act against the rule of law. However, if the rule of law is contrary to what God’s word says then we have to  “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” Corinthians 11:11 (KJV) That should be clear enough. If the leader is breaking any part of God’s commandments we are not to follow them. If their behavior is contrary to God’s law of law for Him and our neighbors we are not to follow them. It is a common ploy of persons in power to use part of these scriptures to solidify their position on a specific action and or their specific leadership style. It doesn’t matter if they are the CEO of a corporation or a school district. Follow Christ and we will be just fine! Be careful the minute we say we will do whatever the leader tells us to do they will take us to a point that leads us to sin. If they say take down the 10 Commandments will we? If they say don’t read your Bible at your desk during your break will we?

• 8 A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. An astute leader will know the truth they are faced with it.  Remember the story of Solomon and the two mothers? 26 A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. 28 Mercy and truth [Note the clarifiers here about the king’s behavior. He is merciful and he speaks the truth at all times!] preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. 

Our Relationship With the Godhead

• 9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? 12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. 24 Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
• 27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. We are the salt and light in a dark world. Therefore; we should never have an ‘evil for evil’ attitude! 22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. 25 It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, [To say that we are offering up something to God and then to change our minds because it is not convenient, or it is not going as we expected is evil in His sight. Remember Ananias and his wife in the book of Acts. This is a Scripture worth reading before you commit to the work of God and then turn your back against it!] and after vows to make enquiry.  [We are saved by grace and not by anything that we do ourselves. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made. Use them for His glory! 

THE REWARD OF ACTING FOOLISHLY

3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. A foolish person never knows when to stop causing strife, division, and confusion. They are always stirring the pot

INTEGRITY

• 1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Drinking wine is not a sin. Christ made, served, and drank wine. However, if you know that it is a weakness of yours and you have no control over it, maybe you should stay away from it.  When one is drunk they have no control over their thoughts, actions, or emotions! Eph. 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit”. Gluttony that is a sin. How many times do we hear people preaching about that?
• 4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. Laziness can lead to starvation and homelessness. This is not saying that a poor person is lazy. Neither is it saying that a homeless person is lazy. Never judge a book by its cover. Open the book and find out why the cover looks the way it does.
• 6 Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? A braggadocios person will glorify themselves for their growth in the Lord. They will state just look at me. Look at what I have done instead of proclaiming the faith that has been established in their lives because of the very grace of God. It is God who transforms us we do not transform ourselves. If our works could save us then we would not need a Savior!
• 7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.  What an amazing promise! When we walk justly according to God’s meter and measurement of what living justly looks like, our families are blessed. 1 Corinthians 7 declares “14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. [Imagine that our children are considered “holy” because we answered the call of God and His covering is over our entire family!! 15But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. 16For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
• 19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
•  30 The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Cheating our customers! 

• 10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them area like [an] abomination to the LORD.
• 23 Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. Verse 23 clarifies verse 10.  Back then they used scales to weigh everything even the money used to purchase goods.  A storekeeper could tip the scale in their favor by making it appear that things were heavier or lighter than they appeared to be.
• 14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. This is like going to a dealership to buy a car and they tell you that it is just fine. Then you find out that they sold you a lemon!

• 13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. Remember the scriptures about the sluggard? Now, this is rephrasing those scriptures.
• 16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange [non-native, adulterous, foreign, non-relative, or] woman. [Never sign for a person unless they have given your their collateral to ensure that they don’t run off and leave you in debt. 
• 17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Fool me once, but you will never fool me twice so to speak.

THE BENEFITS OF WISDOM

• 5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
• 15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Priceless!
• 18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. Never plan for a war, an argument, an important step in your life such as marriage until you take counsel and understand what you are getting ready to do. Why? It will change your life forever!
• 21 An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. The prodigal son’s story comes to mind here.
• 29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head. Glory is correlated with age!