Proverbs 2:1-22 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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Moral Benefits of Wisdom
Comments for Study 2

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Memory Verse: 4
Questions
Outline

I. The Lord Gives Wisdom (2:1-9)

Come Unto Me

* The engraving from unknown author depicts Jesus teaching people his wise words. The passage is Matthew 11:28.

>1. What is the first four things the author want his son to do? (1-2)

* Proverbs 2:1-2 "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding"

* "My son"

* "if you accept my words"

* "store up my commands within you"

* "turning your ear to wisdom"

* "applying your heart to understanding"

>What are the next three things he asks his son to do? (3-4)

* Proverbs 2:3-4 "and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure"

* "if you call out for insight"

* "cry aloud for understanding"

* "if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure"

*

>How does Jesus ask us the same things? (Luke 11:6-13)

* "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:6-13)

*

>2. If his son does those seven things what will be the reward? (5)

* Proverbs 2:5 "then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

* "then you will understand"

* "the fear of the LORD"

* "LORD"

* "find the knowledge of God"

*

>What is the fear of of God and the knowledge of God and how are they related?

* "I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me." (Deuteronomy 9:19-10:12)

* "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

* "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved." (1 Ch 16:25-30)

* "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." (Acts 9:31-32)

* "When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." (Acts 19:17-20

*

>How is this like taking up a joke with Jesus as he states in Matthew 11:28?

* Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

*

The Sermon on the Mount

* The engraving from unknown author found in the Holmon Bible now in public domain depicts Jesus during his sermon on the mount.

>3. How does the Lord give wisdom? (6)

* Proverbs 2:6 "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

* "For the LORD gives wisdom"

* "from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."<

*

>How can living by faith in Jesus then help us in our day-to-day activities?

*

*

* I view these words as God talking to me. God is my Father. I am his son (1). He has great compassion for me. He wants and seeks the best for me. He wants me to grow up and be an adult. He wants me to be just like His Perfect Son, Jesus. He wants me to reach the full potential of what he is making me be.

My heavenly Father tells me to accept his words and store up his commands (2). And why not? He loves me and he is incredibly wise. He created me and sees all of time. So when he tells me to turn my ear to his wisdom and apply my heart to understanding him (2), then yea, I sure will.

God my Father in wisdom, knows that in order for our relationship to improve and in order for me to mature I need to seek insight and understanding with great passion and need. I need to cry out for them (3). I need to be like an infant telling my parent in the only way I can, with a loud voice in the darkest night. I need to want it as if mining for silver (4) and humbly ask for it.

When I accept and apply my heavenly Father's commands within my heart and mind, then he will grant me fear of the Lord. I will understand who I am. I will understand my imperfection and sin. I will know my weakness and his strength. When I search my heart as a miner searches for silver, my Father will show me all the places I need to repent and improve. I will know the fear of my Father and find the knowledge of God (6).

Listen to the above comments on Proverbs 2:1-6.

>4. What four things is promised to God's people? (7-8)

* Proverbs 2:7-8 "He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."

* "He holds victory in store for the upright"

* "he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless"

* "for he guards the course of the just"

* "protects the way of his faithful ones."

>What did Jesus tell Satan when he used words like these tempt him? (Matthew 4:5-7)

* "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matthew 4:5-7)

*

>What is right and just and fair?

* Proverbs 2:9 "Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path."

* "Then you will understand"

* "what is right"

* "and just"

* "and fair"

* "every good path."

*

>Considering the life Jesus and the apostles lived how can we apply these promises to our lives?

* Faith, hope, and love. These three remain for eternity. The follower of Jesus has faith in Jesus, hope in the future he will bring, and dwell in and emanate his love. "In this world we will have trouble," Jesus said, "but take heart, I have overcome the world."

*

II. Wisdom Will Save You (2:10-22)

>5. Why is practical application of God's words the only way to know what these things are? (Luke 6:46-49)

* "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49)

*

* God equips his people so they are able to make sound decisions. "It is better to teach a person how to fish than to give them fish every day," goes an old saying. So when verse 7 states that God holds victory in store for the upright and verse 8 says God guards the course of the just this is because as verse 11 points out it is because God explains to them and gives them discretion.

Discretion is the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation. Consider the discretion of an investor. The discretion of an investor knows what will increase in value and what will decrease. They have financial know-how. With experience and instinct, they are about to make a profit.

Likewise, God gives the excellent gift of wisdom thru fear of him and knowledge of him. The gift is understanding what is right and just and fair - every good path (9). The wonderful gift of God is that wisdom enters the heart, and knowledge is pleasant to my soul (10). Through this gift, God enables me to have life victories.

Listen to the above comments on Proverbs 2:7-11.

The Dog: The Guard Is Recommended to Everyone

>6. What are descretion and understanding to a believer in Jesus? (10-11)

* Proverbs 2:10-11 "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you."

* "For wisdom will enter your heart"

* "knowledge will be pleasant to your soul"

* "Discretion will protect you"

* "understanding will guard you."

* The engraving from a book; "Beschouwing der wereld : bestaande in hondert konstige figuuren, met godlyke spreuken en stichtelyke verzen / door" by Luiken, Jan (1649-1712) now in public domain is titled "The Dog: The Guard Is Recommended to Everyone". Proverbs 2:10-11 is cited. Three large dogs lie in the forefront of this image. Behind the dogs are a house and a man walking a little dog; in the background, a couple and a dog. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649-1712) was responsible for drawing this emblem and composed the poem that accompanies it. The etching was executed by Jan Luiken or his son Casper Luiken (1672-1708) who adapted this image from one used in an earlier work. Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.

The motto is "Evil flees, From a good noise.". The accompanying poem is:

The watchful Dog, guards his Master's house and garden,
And barks, and growls fiercely at the stranger's arrival:
Where is the Guard before the Soul's house and court,
So that neither murderer, not thief would surprise it?
Or is that well-considered concern for salvation,
Not worth the necessary attention?
So many a house is broken into by surprise attacks
And robbed, and the master killed.
That is shameful neglect: Judgment and reasonableness,
That leads the house of the human heart, into the valley of dangers,
Where many foes lie in wait with cunning,
To carry away the richest insides of the empty hull;
Contemplate thy Soul with respect to much greater harm,
So that one pays better attention to one's affairs;
And the stinking Pig-sty, of transient things,
(Compared to the everlasting goods so little and trifling,)
Is not futilely cared for, but carefully locked,
And the house and court is not left as loot for the robber:
But that the fear of God may stand guard in front of the heart's house,
So as not to succumb to the great danger of eternal death.

(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)

>What can be learned about the life of faith in Jesus? (John 14:15-24)

* "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:15-24)

*

>7. What will save us from? (12)

* Proverbs 2:12 "Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,"

* "Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,"

* "from men whose words are perverse"

*

>How did Solomon see truth applied to a small city once? (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18)

* "I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded. The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good." (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18)

*

>How is being perverse definded in verses 13 thru 15?

* Proverbs 2:13-15 "who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways."

* "who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways"

* "who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil"

* "whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways."

*

* Enacting on wisdom has some benefits. One is that it will save from the ways of the wicked (12). Some celebrate wickedness. They believe that devious ways will provide wealth, prosperity, and power. Though they may succeed in gaining these, they find that these alone do not bring peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, self-control, and goodness. Usually the wicked find that other wicked people seek their harm.

The person who is weary of the ever-continuing submersion into deeper darkness can find a rescue with wisdom. Executed wisdom will save from those whose words are perverse and leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways (12,13).

Some delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil until the wickedness they have sown becomes a weed that starves them of delight and joy. Then they seek salvation only to find they cannot obtain it from the evil friends and aquatints they have surrounded themselves in.

Yet, hope exists. The wisdom of the Son of God changes weeds into fruitful gardens. "Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:44-26)

Listen to the above comments on Proverbs 2:12-15.

The Matrimony Commitment

>8. What else will wisdom save us from according to verse 16?

* Proverbs 2:16 "It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,"

* "It will save you also from the adulteress" -The Hebrew for "adulteress" is "zur" meaning "stranger" and "strange woman". The term (along with ward wife) occurs in 2:16, 5:20, and 7:5. They mean anyone other than one's owm wife is off limits, like a foreigner who live and worship in another land to another god. (1 Kings 11:1)

* "the wayward wife" -The Hebrew word "norki" translated "wayward wife" and "stranger" is parallel to "immoral woman" in 6:24 and "prostitue" in 23:27.

* "with her seductive words" -The Hebrew words "halaq emer" translated "seductive words" and "divided sayings" is equal to the "smooth tongue" of 6:24 and "smoother talk" of 7:21.

* Many forms of sexual temptation abound in life. Most at least once are meet with deductive words that are hard to resist. We must be prepared if we mean to keep the covenant of marraige.

* Hebrews 13:4 " Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."

*

>What is marriage considered in the Bible? (17-19)

* Proverbs 2:17-19 "who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life."

* "who has left the partner of her youth"

* "ignored the covenant she made before God"

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>How then is adultery defined?

* "For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead."

* "None who go to her return or attain the paths of life."

*

* Enacting on wisdom has some benefits. Another one is that it will save from giving into the adulteress wayward wife which her deductive words (16).

Marriage is a covenant made before God (17). Marriage is making a life-long commitment to another soul. A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They're often, but not always accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. Covenants define obligations and commitments, but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal.

Breaking a marriage covenant is called adultery. Adultery is a very serious sin in the Bible mentioned fifty-two times, more than most other sins. Adultery is having sexual relations between a married (or betrothed) woman or man other than one's spouse (Mark 10:11-12, Luke 16:18, 1 Cor. 6:15-16) Jesus also taught that when a person looks lustfully at another other than their spouse is committing adultery in the heart. (Matthew 5:28)

Wisdom will save me from the death trap of adultery and its paths to the spirits of the dead.

Listen to the above comments on Proverbs 2:16-19.

>9. What is the meaning of the promise in verse 20?

* Proverbs 2:20 "Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous."

* "Thus you will walk in the ways of good men"

* "keep to the paths of the righteous."

*

>Is it possible to walk in good ways and righteousness?

* Although the Bible is clear that no one is perfect in the eyes of God it is also clear that we should do our best to walk in good ways and righteousness.

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>10. What is promised the upright and blameless?

* Proverbs 2:21-22 "For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it."

* "For the upright will live in the land"

* "the blameless will remain in it"

*

>What is promised the wicked and unfaithful?

* "the wicked will be cut off from the land"

* "the unfaithful will be torn from it."

*

* The Father concludes this chapter's wisdom with a promise, "Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous." I thank God that he taught me these and gave me the strength to change my pattern of living when I was in my early twenties.

Oh, if I had only heeded his words earlier. Then I would have found a better way and avoided sin, error, and troubles. Wisdom lies in not dwelling on such thoughts. I recognize and accept the grace and mercy given me, keep my thoughts on the day, and hope for tomorrow. The Father's words are for the present and future, not the past.

The Father tells me another very good reason for keeping to the good walk. He tells me his plans for the future. The future will come to the present and be the day of reckoning. The upright will live in the land and the wicked will be cut off from it (21,22).

The day that is coming when God will judge the living and the dead based on the decisions made. One decision will decide if a person will remain or be torn from the land. This decision is whether or not the person has decided to accept the words of the Father and his one and only Son Jesus (John 8:27-30), for the person who accepts the Son accepts the Father, and he who accepts the Son keeps his words (Mark 8:38)

Jesus taught, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49).

Listen to the above comments on Proverbs 2:20-22.

>When will this promise be fulfilled? (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17, 12:13-14; Matthew 25:31-35; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

* "And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment-wickedness was there, in the place of justice-wickedness was there. I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17)

* "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

* "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25:31-35)

* "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

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