Proverbs Chapters 2-3 John Karmelich

1. I call this lesson, "Understanding the "why" and "how" of living one's life for God."

a) One of the great questions a person can ask about Christianity is "why bother"? To live the life of a Christian requires discipline. It requires worshipping a god we cannot see. It means trusting in copies of evidence written over 2,000 years ago.

b) Yes, one can just "be saved" and then ignore God. If we do call Jesus "Lord" then we must obey His commandments. If Jesus is Lord, then He is in charge of our lives.

c) With that said, Chapters 2 and 3 of Proverbs focuses on the "how" and "why" issue regarding obedience to God. In other words, why should I live this way and how exactly do I live in obedience? Chapter 3 gives some examples of how one is to live.

2. I want to pause and contemplate the Book of Proverbs in terms of its structure:

a) Proverbs spends nine whole chapters as a big introduction into essentially, why we are to pay attention to the proverbs of this book. The proverbs themselves (as we think of proverbs) don't really start until Chapter 10.

b) The chapter breaks were not added until the 12th Century AD, but the point is a lot of the text of this book is one big introduction. It would be like having a diet book, with the first third of the book explaining why we should follow the diet. It isn't until we are one-third the way through the book that we get to how the diet actually works.

i) Grant it, that is not truly a fair analogy. There are some proverb-like guidelines in the first nine chapters. The point is the vast bulk of the Proverbs themselves don't start until we are one third the way through this book.

c) The answer to the question of "Why a nine-chapter introduction" can be compared to this statement by Jesus: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25, NIV)

i) The point of this parable is that Jesus is comparing his words to a good foundation of a house. Everybody will have trouble in their lives (i.e., "the bad weather" comparison), but Jesus words (i.e., the principals that He taught) are designed to get us through difficult times.

ii) Proverbs is similar in principal to Jesus' parable about a good foundation. The reason this book is so "obsessed" with its introduction is that God is trying to build a big, long foundation about the importance of obeying His commandments.

3. This leads us back to the purpose of these two chapters: To discuss why and how it is important to live a life of obedience to God.

a) The first issue of "why" it is important is that obedience has an effect on our salvation and relationship with God.

b) Remember most of Proverbs deals how to live a happy and satisfying life. A reason living a life for God is that it gives us far greater satisfaction than anything this life has to offer.

c) Does that mean every moment of our life will be one big party? ☺ Of course not. The principals taught in Proverbs teach us how to handle both the good and bad moments of life. It teaches us how to think. It teaches us how to make good decisions so that the joyous moments far outweigh the bad moments. It teaches us perspective.

d) This is why chapters like Proverbs 2 and 3 are necessary: First, it is to teach us why living for God is important. Once we get past that, the next lesson is to teach us how living for God is important. As a bonus, Chapter 3 gives us examples.

e) To sum up, these two chapters teach us the importance of living a life in obedience to God and they give us examples on these issues. What I ask in the introduction is that one keep the "how" and "why" questions in mind as we go through these two chapters.

4. Verse 1: My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, ² turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, ³ and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

a) These five verses make up one big sentence. It helps if one reads the first part and the last part by itself: "My son, if you accept my words �then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

b) Remember the title of my lesson is understanding the "why" and "how" of living one's life in obedience to God.

i) The "why" answers are in this five verse sentence. It is God saying in effect, "If you believe what I tell you in this book, then you will understand why you have to obey Me with your life."

ii) Verse 5 mentions "The Fear of the Lord". This is not a paranoia fear that God will strike us dead at any moment. This is a realization that we are accountable to God with our lives. This is the fear of disappointing the God that we love.

iii) In other words, this sentence is God saying, "Here is why we must live this way".

c) The next thing I want you to is notice all the "action words" in this paragraph:

i) They include, "store up, turning, applying, call out, cry aloud, look for it as silver, and search for it as hidden treasure".

ii) To put it another way, God wants us to seek Him as if our lives depend upon it.

iii) If we knew for sure, there was a billion dollars in buried gold somewhere in our backyard, we would start digging holes until we find it. God in saying in effect He wants the same sort of passion and effort in our lives toward Him as we would if we knew for sure that treasure existed.

d) Does this mean we have to quit our jobs and be that obsessed about God all day long? ☺

i) The answer is, "Why can't God be a part of our life as it is right now?" The point is to get God involved in anything and everything we do.

ii) Does that mean I have to pray through every decision? Let me put it this way: Is it is necessary to say, "Lord, shall I brush my teeth this morning? God gave us a brain and He expects us to use it. If we study His word for guidance and pray to Him for wisdom, we then just "go through our lives" using our best judgment on making decisions. That is how we get God involved in all that we do.

e) Now let's get back to the opening words, "My son". Remember that King Solomon is describing how his father, King David would teach him (Solomon) as a young man. King Solomon is saying in effect, "When I was a prince, my father would tell me to seek God as if my life depended upon it. My father told me to make every effort to seek God's guidance in all that I do." That in effect, is these first five verses of Chapter 2.

i) The point of these verses is "effort". Remember this section of focuses on the "why" and the "how" issue: That is, the question of why and how we should seek God. The first point is to make an effort as if our lives depended upon it.

ii) Remember that Godly wisdom is about applying "good knowledge" to our lives. We can't apply that knowledge if we don't know the stuff in the first place. That is an underlying idea being taught in these verses.

5. Verse 6: For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

a) If one lectures a young person to seek God with all of their effort, the first question that young person might ask is, "Why should I bother?" In other words, "How do I know God is even aware of my efforts?"

b) Verse 2 is the answer to that question. God gives us a conditional promise.

i) The bible is full of unconditional and conditional promises. A conditional promise is "I'll do this if you do that. An unconditional promise is one where we are not required to do anything in regards to that promise.

ii) An example of an unconditional promise would be God's promise that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish nation. There were "no strings attached" to that promise made to Abraham in Genesis 11.

iii) A conditional promise by God includes the one here in Verse 6. God is saying that if we seek Him with a strong effort, then God promises to give us wisdom.

iv) In other words, it is never a waste of time to seek God. It is a promise that if say, one prays regularly for God's guidance, He promises to answer that prayer. Do you ever wonder if your prayer life is effective? Pray for God's guidance. He promises to answer that prayer! If one makes a strong, regular effort to read one's bible, God promises us to give us the knowledge to make good decisions in life based on what is taught.

c) So why doesn't God speak to us audibly? How do I know if that "voice in my head" is God telling me what to do, or is it my instinct or my imagination?

i) First of all, I don't trust "voices in my head". If a voice in my head tells me to say, steal something, that voice is not God. God will not tell us to do anything that is contradictory to His commandments.

ii) Remember that if "God is god", He can give us a visual or audible sign whenever He wants and not whenever we want.

iii) The reason God does not speak to us audibly every moment is that God is training us to "walk by faith". As I've taught in other bible studies, you can't teach a child to ride a bicycle unless you let go of the handlebars. Teaching people "to walk by faith" is about trusting in God even though we can't sense His presence.

iv) Now let's get back to Verse 6: It is a conditional promise that God will guide us if we seek Him. That does not mean God is obligated to speak out loud to you if we seek Him. It means that God is working in our lives to do His will. God does promise to guide our lives, but one also has to accept we live on His timing, and not on ours.

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

a) This is Solomon's poetic way of saying "God's promises hold true". Remember that the early verses of this chapter are Solomon giving a speech in a "father to son" style. Solomon is telling us to seek God's wisdom as if he is a loving father trying to teach his children right from wrong.

b) Notice these phrases in these verses: "Holds victory", "he is a shield" and "he guards". The point is a promise of protection by God for those who choose to follow Him.

c) Does that mean that if one is seeking God, nothing will ever go wrong? Of course not. God allows difficult situation in life, among other things, in order to strengthen us. We as Christians are not immune to the fact we live in a sinful world where tragedies happen.

d) This promise is about guidance, not about every situation being blissful and utopia-like.

e) Another way to look at this verse is God saying, "In the end, if you choose to follow Me, you will win. It is not only about salvation, but you can look back at your life as making a positive difference in all that you did!"

7. Verse 9: Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path.

a) The first word is "then". The point of this verse is that in hindsight, we can see how God has worked in our lives. In hindsight, we can see how we made the right choices in life in ways that is pleasing to God. Remember the "why bother question" of living in obedience to God: It is so we can look back at our lives of serving God and see a difference. We don't always see how living for God is beneficial. It is in hindsight where one sees how one makes a difference.

8. Verse 10: For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

a) Remember Solomon is explaining why someone should seek God. Here in Verse 10 is another promise that God will enter one's heart (i.e., give us wisdom) if one seeks God.

b) Verse 10 is continuation of the promise that God will guide us if we seek Him. Notice the word "will" is in this verse twice. That is God emphasizing the fact He will guide us.

c) Notice the phrase, "pleasant to your soul". Let's face it; doing things "God's way" is not always pleasant. It means saying no to things that are tempting to us. The idea of pleasant to our soul is about long term benefits.

9. Verse 11: Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. ¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, ¹³ who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, ¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

a) In Proverbs Chapter 1, an illustration was given of a bunch of "thugs" asking us to join them in their plot to steal and murder. The point here is that if we seek God, He gives us the discretion to say no to temptation.

b) When sin entices us, we don't hear an audible voice of God telling us not to do that. We have this "instinctive knowledge" to know it is wrong. That instinct comes from God. It comes from learning God's laws and applying it to the situation around us. It is about being in a bad situation and saying, "Wait a minute, I can't do this because the bible says it is wrong. I have to say no even though it would hurt someone's feelings."

c) Notice in Verse 14 it says evil men "delight in doing wrong". In other words, there is a high, an adrenaline rush, in doing something people instinctively know is sinful. Obviously, there must be some sort of short term benefit to commit some sort of sin, or else people wouldn't do it in the first place. These verses are here to understand the long term benefit of "saying no" over the short term joy one might get out of this sin.

d) Notice this verse does not say, "If you seek God, you will never be tempted". The bible never teaches Christians are free from temptation. Life doesn't work that way. The promise of God is a happy life if we 1) have the knowledge to tell the difference between right and wrong and 2) apply that knowledge to our lives.

10. Verse 16: It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, ¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. ¹⁸ For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. ¹⁹ None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

a) One of the common themes one will read in Proverbs is the comparison of temptation to a female prostitute. The idea is that sin is tempting as a prostitute is tempting to a young man. The idea is not that temptation is only for men. It is just a word-picture that all people can relate to: Comparing the temptation of a prostitute to that of sin.

b) One of the first commands given to Adam was, "A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24, NIV). God's ideal for human society is for one man to have one woman in a marriage commitment.

i) For what it is worth, being celibate, going through divorces, widowhood and remarrying are all separate topics from my point here. God is saying the "ideal" model for society is one man and one woman.

ii) The reason God designed marriage that way is to teach loyalty. Men and women are different by nature and it takes work and God's help to keep it going.

iii) In comparison, when one makes a commitment to serve God, He expects us to honor that commitment in easy times and in difficult times. That same principal applies in marriage. The idea is we are to honor that commitment.

iv) This is why prostitution is a common, negative word-picture in Proverbs. It is a good illustration about things that can draw us away from our commitment to God just as prostitution can draw us away from our marriage commitment.

c) Let's talk about what this verse is not saying: If one commits adultery, it is an unforgivable sin. Adultery is wrong, and is still a sin, but the only unpardonable is a lifetime denial of Jesus as Lord and as payment for ones sins.

d) This verse is saying that that sin does lead to death. What is meant is that if one continues to live a life where one is ignoring God and choosing to turn to that sin as opposed to turning to God, it not only leads to a bad life, but ultimately to hell itself. (See James 1:15).

e) Looking at this verse in context of the surrounding verses, the main idea is to teach young people to make the right choices in life. The older we get, the more set we get in our ways. It is easier to change when we are young then when we are old. Remember the issue at hand is about what sort of lifestyle one chooses. The word prostitute is used as an illustration of making the wrong choices in life.

11. Verse 20: Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. ²¹ For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; ²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

a) These verses finish Chapter 2. The main theme of this chapter has to do with why someone should seek God. The chapter gives both positive and negative statements about why we should seek commit our lives to serving God.

b) The first word is "thus" in Verse 20. The idea is if we choose to follow God's laws, then we will walk down the correct path in life.

c) Notice the word "blameless" in Verse 21. That does not mean we are perfect, it means we are perfectly forgiven. It is a contrast to Verse 22 that teaches that those who do not seek God will eventually go to hell.

d) To answer the great "why" question of this chapter, a big motivation is that those who seek God get to heaven and those who don't go to hell. That should be a good motivator all unto itself. The point of this chapter is to think about the long term consequences. The idea of "long term" could be the rest of one's life on earth, or it could be eternity.

e) Let's assume that we are all born-again Christians reading this study and already know this stuff. We know that Christian obedience involves seeking God and making the right decisions in life. What practical ideas can I get out of this chapter?

i) If you are a "veteran" Christian, then not only should you still be practicing this stuff, but it should be teaching it to others. When Paul was on his missionary journeys, he took on young associates, as he knew others would have to carry on after him. We should all find or ask God for others we can mentor. There is always another generation coming after us that is naive about God's ways.

ii) Another issue that all of us know is that sin is just a temptation away. It's easy to read this stuff and have the head-knowledge to know right from wrong. The hard part is applying in everyday life. Chapter 3 coming up gives us examples on how to apply God's commands to our lives. Before we can learn how to apply God's commands, it is essential to know why it is important in the first place: to remind us that we are accountable to God in all that we do. Our problem is we have short term memories. It's hard to focus on a God we can't see. That is why regular effort is needed to seek God to remind ourselves of our accountability.

12. Chapter 3, Verse 1: My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, ² for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

a) Verses 1 and 2 give another sentence as to why we should obey God's commandments: "They will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity."

b) Does this mean that if we obey God's commandments, we are guaranteed a long life and lots of money? Not exactly. On the other hand, if we don't steal or murder someone, are chances of living a long and healthy life have just increased dramatically. ☺

c) Think of the idea of "prolonging your life" in comparison to stress. It is a common health fact that stress harms one's live and shortens it.

i) If we are not on the run from the law, we have less stress. If we are not battling some sort of addiction, most likely, we will have a longer and healthier life.

d) The idea of "prosperity" is not just more money, but the idea of a satisfied life. The idea is one is happier in their circumstances of they accept God's laws.

e) OK, let's ask the tough question: This verse says in effect that obedience to God will bring one long life and prosperity. Everyone knows saved people who died young, or are suffering from cancer or some other issue. How do you reconcile that with this verse?

i) First of all, this verse is a generalization. That means this principal is true for the vast majority of cases, but there are always going to be exceptions.

ii) Second, it includes "eternity" as part of the program. Saved people will live for eternity and be blessed in that regards.

iii) The bible never guarantees how long one will live. The bible gives us a model of how to have a rich, fulfilled life during the time we do have on earth. That is the main idea being taught in this verse.

f) The idea of "prosper" for the Christian is not about making the big bucks. There are both rich and poor devout Christians in the world. The idea of prospering is about Christians getting God's will done in our lives. It is about being effective witnesses in all that we do. If we use our God-given talents for His glory, it is a promise we will prosper in that our lives will make a difference for God. We may not always see the result, but it does work.

13. Verse 3: Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

a) I can summarize verse 3 in one word: Persistence. The idea is to persist in seeking God and making His commandments part of our lives.

b) The idea of "love" is to make God's will a priority of our lives over our own will. Our love of God should be a motivational factor for obedience.

c) The idea of "faithfulness" is being loyal to God in all we do.

d) The rest of the sentence is a poetic way of being persistent.

14. Verse 4: Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

a) Whenever you see the word "then" in English, one should look for the "if". Verse 4 says that we will win favor and have a good name after "we do something".

b) The answer is the previous verse. The essential idea is to seek God and make Him a priority in all that we do. These two chapters say in effect, "Give God all you've got to make Him a part of one's lives. Be diligent to pray and study His word. Do your best to obey His commandments to the best of one's ability".

i) If we do that, then comes the promise of Verse 4: Having a good name.

c) Let's talk about what it means to "Have a good name".

i) The one thing most people want to know about God is "Am I good enough? Or, "Am I doing the right thing?" People want to know if they are going to get into heaven and does God approve of their lifestyle.

ii) In other words, Verse 4 has hints of a salvation message. Yes, one needs to be forgiven, and that is another topic. Once we have accepted Jesus as payment for one's sins, one cannot be "more forgiven" by good behavior. On the other hand, one can be a good witness for God to others. That is one reason behavior matters.

iii) Proverbs will speak a lot more about "having a good name" through this book. The idea is about living life that is pleasing to God.

iv) This verse is also promising that if we are diligent to seek God, we will have a good name to other people. This is not just your fellow church goers. It includes others in the community. Remember that people instinctively know right from wrong. Being a good upstanding member of one's community means that others will trust us in our words and actions. This part of the verse is a promise that if we seek God in all our lives, we will have a good reputation in our community.

15. Verse 5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

a) Here we have arguably the most famous verses in Proverbs. It is common for children to memorize these verses in Sunday school classes. If you haven't memorized these yet, put this on your to do list for today. ☺

b) Verse 5 summarizes a lot of what I have been preaching for the last few pages.