Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22:1-29

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

• No one gives a eulogy focused on how much money someone accumulated in their life.  If they do, how pitiful was that guy’s life?
• We leave a legacy through our good deeds here on Earth.  We leave a legacy when people think of us together with goodness.  
• We represent God to many.  The only exposure to Jesus some will have is through us, those who are striving to be more Christlike each day.  
• When I die, will they say that "Greg was a good and godly man?  A man after God’s own heart?"

The rich and the poor meet together;

the Lord is the maker of them all.

• What you have or what you don’t have here is moot to God.  You are his creation, made in His image.  
• At the end of this path, your portfolio, your reputation in the business community, your material possessions will amount to squat.  
• God will judge the living and the dead based on our adherence to the law (for unbelievers), but for believers, He will see us all through the lens of Christ … rich or poor.  

The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

• The guy who hops out in front of a speeding car thinking, “God will save me!” is not thinking this through.  God gave us a brain, too.  Instinct to survive is actually part of God’s design.  To go against that is going against what God is telling you.  However, that doesn’t mean that you should swing too far in the other direction either.  Always playing it overly safe - or worse, worrying - is also not what God is telling us.  
• Simple = either naturally simple-minded without the ability to be more prudent (we are called to protect these people, and be prudent FOR them), or those who are ignorant of what God has to say.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord

is riches and honor and life.

• Humility and fear simply means you understand that you are nothing that God did not make you.  He is sovereign.  He’s in control.  We should have reverence for Him.  
• Acknowledging this is the first step toward wisdom, which leads to riches (spiritually) and honor (in God’s eyes) and life (life eternal – the real life).

Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;

whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.

• Thorns and snares are the temptations, the lies, the evil of this world.  They will trap us.  But the crooked … those who know better and are crooked anyway … will trip and fall, spiritually.  
• But for those who guard against these snares and thorns in this life will not be so tempted or so easily tricked.  
• I have seen this personally.  The longer I guard my soul, my heart and my mind from things I know will tempt me or trick me, the less I feel their pressures … the less I even notice them.

Train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it.

• You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  The converse is also true – it’s easy to teach a young dog the right way to do things.  And the earlier you do, the more they will naturally do those things when they are older.
• It is actually a form of child abuse not to discipline and direct a child.  By neglecting that, you’re making life harder for them later.  The older they get, and the longer they’ve known the wrong way (they don’t know it’s wrong, though), the more difficult it will be to erase bad habits.

The rich rules over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

• Put simply … Debt is not good.
• With debt comes obligation.  It’s a form of slavery.  In fact, they used to have Debtor’s Prisons for those who borrowed but could not pay back.  Unfortunately, our society has made matters worse by reinforcing bad habits with it’s continuous stream of “you deserve it” and “just file for bankruptcy”.  Never mind the financial institution or stores that trusted you.  
• Skirting your obligation to pay back what you’ve borrowed is THEFT, pure and simple.  Better to not take on debt in the first place and just live within the means God has provided for you.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of his fury will fail.

• I hate when the rod of my fury fails.  I digress ;) .
• The unjust – those who cheat, steal, lie, etc. - create a mess for those around them, and eventually for themselves.  
• Whatever an unjust person does will ultimately fail.  

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,

for he shares his bread with the poor.

• A “bountiful eye”.  I’ve never heard it said that way, but it’s a nice way to put it. 
• Those who see the need through God’s eyes and gives of what he has will be blessed.
• Whenever you help the least of these, you are helping me. —JC
• <Greg’s 2 cents>:  Giving of your surplus is definitely nice, but if you don’t miss it, was it really that big of a deal?  I’m not diminishing the value of giving of our discretionary funds, time, talents … but I think “real giving” is when you sacrifice.  Instead of doing what you want to do today, you help dig a well for a poor farmer.  Instead of going on vacation to Belize, you go to Nigeria on mission.  Instead of buying a new car, you go used or you just hold tight, and instead give that money to some humanitarian cause.  </ end Greg’s 2 cents>
• Jesus specifically points out the woman at the temple who gives her last two shekels vs the Pharisee who gives 100s of shekels from his surplus.  Who gave more?  Who had more faith that God who provide?

Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,

and quarreling and abuse will cease.

• A scoffer in a good community of people is like brownies with JUST a pinch of dog poop.  Ick.  Ruins the whole batch.  
• Scoffing is contagious.  Even with good people, they are tempted to follow suit.  Remove them and the temptation goes away.  
• Remove the poison from the well and no one gets sick and/or dies.  Simple as that.

He who loves purity of heart,

and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

• Who do you trust?  Who do you go to for advice on life?  I would hope, like most, you go naturally to those who seem to have a pure heart, who are reasonable and kind.
• Aspire to be one of these people.  The only way to do that is through absorbing the Word of God.  This will purify your heart, and gracious speech, good advice, and trust will follow.

The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he overthrows the words of the traitor.

• God is the creator of all knowledge.  The only Truth worth knowing is His Truth.  
• That said, the Enemy is always trying to taint that knowledge with worldly thoughts … ideas that sound right on the surface, but are 100% wrong.  And the Enemy is relentless.  God allows this, but holds out hope that you’ll check with Him before believing everything you hear.
• Ultimately, though, He will crush the lies and the liar.  In fact, He already has for those who accept Jesus into their lives.

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!

I shall be killed in the streets!”

• What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard for someone’s laziness?  Sluggards will make any excuse to avoid work, from “It’s his fault” to “I hurt my back” to … “There is a lion outside!” (okay, you probably hear that last one less frequently).  
• The next time you find yourself making excuses, think of the sluggard making the “a lion ate my homework” excuse, then suck it up and get to work.  That’s what God has to say.

The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;

he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.

• For anyone, the forbidden fruit is alluring.  It started with Adam and Eve, and it continues today.   Why can’t we just be satisfied with what God has provided up with?  We’re are pitiful.
• This allusion of the “mouth of forbidden women (or men, for the lady-folk)” is an example of that forbidden fruit.  And it’s a deep pit … meaning, once you fall in, good luck climbing out.  
• Why would the Lord allow someone to fall into a pit like that?  Answer:  To draw that person closer to Him.  When do we express our need for God most?  Answer:  When we’re in that pit, unable to get out on our own.   We cry out for God to help us.  THAT is what He is hoping for.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

• Folly = What fools do.  
• Spare the rod, spoil the child.  Not disciplining when discipline is needed is neglectful.  It is not helping the child, it is hurting him or her.
• Without boundaries, rules … instructions (whatever your preferred way of looking at it) … And discipline, we’d all be a bunch of sophomoric morons running aground dong whatever pleases us, without regard for others or our own well being.  We are the children here.
• But God loves us too much to let that happen.  He won’t force us to – he’ll give us the choice – but He will tell us the right way, and correct us along the way until we seem to get it.

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,

or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

• Payday Loan places come to mind.  Man, how evil.  Many who go to those places have no idea that you can open your own account at the bank and put your money there.  But for the love of money, those operations prey on the lower socioeconomic classes.  
• Equally, someone who gives to a politician (for instance) just so they can become wealthier, instead of thinking about the “least of these”, is equally guilty.  This shows a love of money over love for God and His children.  But this is where MANY Americans are.  Whether it’s the rich focused on getting richer, or the “artificially poor” (the lazy) looking for handouts.  
• Either way, they will come to poverty – spiritual poverty.

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,

and apply your heart to my knowledge,

for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,

if all of them are ready on your lips.

• “Apply your heart” … not just your mind.  There are many who understand the Word of God, but that is a far cry from allowing it to enter your heart and drive your actions.  
• So, listen, learn and understand … but don’t stop there.  Stopping there would be like hearing someone yell “Fire!”, then just sitting there and doing nothing.  Or, as God put it, it’s like seeing yourself in a mirror, then walking away and forgetting what you look like.  
• I’m told often to memorize scripture, then absorb those verses into your heart.  I fail miserably at this, to be honest.  Something I need to dedicate myself to. 
• Bottom line, I’ve been in MANY situations where the right words from the Creator would have made all the difference for someone.  I need to work on this.

That your trust may be in the Lord,

I have made them known to you today, even to you.

• Do you know God?  If you truly do, you will trust Him.If you can’t trust Him?  Who CAN you trust?
• This message is not only general, but directed to every individual soul, you included.  

Have I not written for you thirty sayings

of counsel and knowledge,

to make you know what is right and true,

that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

• Translate as, "I’ve written to you MANY times with my advice, based on knowledge.”
• The point of writing these these over and over is in recognition that we need repetition for things to finally sink in.  
• With this world that never stops trying to tell us what is “right and true”, based on nothing solid, we need that repetition so that when we are asked, or when we are in a given situation, we know the answer – God’s answer, counsel and knowledge.

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate,

for the Lord will plead their cause

and rob of life those who rob them.

• Do unto others as you’d have done to you.  
• Forgive us our trespasses as (the same way that) we forgive those who trespass against us.  
• No deed – good or bad – will go unnoticed in the end.  

Make no friendship with a man given to anger,

nor go with a wrathful man,

lest you learn his ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

• Monkey see, monkey do.  Hang around a group who acts a certain way, or believes a certain thing that seems absolutely crazy … given enough time with them … you will come to believe that is the norm and act and believe the same.  
• So, be careful with whom you yoke yourself.  Hang out with a person who picks fights, is always offended, and is all about wrath and revenge?  Count on being in a few fights.

Be not one of those who give pledges,

who put up security for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should your bed be taken from under you?

• Don’t go into debt.  But certainly don’t help someone else go into debt.  Why would you do that to yourself?  Why should your car be re-po’d for someone else’s bad decision?  

Do not move the ancient landmark

that your fathers have set.

• Our ancestors spent 70-100 years of life making mistakes, learning, sharing, making more mistakes, learning, sharing … and so on.  But all of a sudden, we think we know better.  Silly?  Yes.
• "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."  Ecclesiastes 1:9
• I suppose we are destined every few generations to forget the "ancient landmarks” our forefathers worked so hard to build.  They did it so we wouldn’t make the same mistakes, but we think we know better.  What an arrogant, prideful species we are.  

Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.

• We all have certain skills.  We should gravitate toward them – God gave them to us.  And when we use them, we should put our all into them.  
• When we do things, we should do them for God.  And that means dong them to the absolute best of our abilities.  Take pride in your work.  This is pleasing to God.  
• And live this life to the fullest, too.  At the end, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  
• Go for the greater reward, not what this world has to offer, but what eternity has in store.