Proverbs Chapters 22-24 John Karmelich

1. In this lesson, we actually finish this section of Proverbs that started back in Chapter 10.

a) Chapters 10-24 form one big section of the book.

b) It is not the end of the book of Proverbs, but it is the end as Solomon originally intended it to be. The next 5 chapters are also proverbs written by Solomon, but they were not added to this collection until centuries later.

c) The entire book of Proverbs was not completely organized until several centuries after Solomon lived. From Chapters 1 through 24 is how Solomon originally intended the book to be. Remember the Chapter breaks were not added until the Middle Ages.

2. Around the middle of Chapter 22, Solomon starts a "wrap up process". He says to the reader, here are thirty principals that I want you to remember. Those principals run from the later part of Chapter 22 to near the end of chapter 24. Solomon then gives some final proverb like thoughts after those 30 principals.

a) As we go through these thirty "saying's", we will discover there is little new ground covered. It is essentially the same themes being discussed since Chapter 10. It's almost as if Solomon is saying, "Here is a summary of what we've been discussing all this time."

b) What does change in this section is that instead of just one line proverbs, each proverb can take up to six lines. The proverbs in this section range from one to six lines each.

c) This collection of 30 "sayings" doesn't begin until the middle of the chapter. Until then, Solomon gives some additional one-line sayings to add to his collection.

d) Finally, the 30 "sayings" in this section ends about 10 verses short of the end of Chapter 24. Solomon adds some final things over and above the "30" that wrap up this section.

e) May God help us to learn what He wants us to learn from this lesson. ☺

3. Chapter 22, Verse 1: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

a) The idea of this proverb is that it is more important in life to have a good name (a good reputation in one's community) than to have lots of money or lots of stuff.

b) A great question here is, "What does one do when they have their name slandered?" Does one go to court? If one is falsely accused of wrongdoing, it may be necessary. If it is something that can be worked out between two people, try that method first. Sometimes, if one is falsely accused, we may just have to let God deal with it.

c) The important point is to watch what one says in life and make every effort to always say the truth and one "just will" develop such a reputation for having a good name.

4. Verse 2: Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

a) There is a danger in life to think, "God didn't make me rich or famous. He may not care for me as much as that other person over there". One must remember that God made and cares for everyone and wants us all to repent and turn to Him. Some people don't and that's hard to reconcile with the concept of God's love. Our job is not to try to "out-think" God, but just to be witnesses for Him in all that we do. The point of this proverb is to realize that God cares for you and me no matter what is our social status in life.

5. Verse 3: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

a) Sometimes there are situations in life where one sees danger and has to "run and hide". Those who are not wise just keep going forward and ignore the danger and suffer for it.

b) Need a few examples? Suppose the economy is changing for the worse. A prudent person plans for rough times as well as good times. Another example might be a bad leader coming to power. A prudent person seeks some sort of refuge to wait it out. A simpler example might be a rainstorm on the horizon. A wise person might be traveling and say, "Let's stop our traveling for a bit and wait out this storm!"

c) In life it is best to hope for the best and reasonably plan for the worst. ☺

6. Verse 4: Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

a) The secret of "eternal life" is to get our priorities straight in this lifetime. If one lives with a healthy "humility and fear of God", it brings eternal wealth, honor and life. More often than not, it also leads to a good life here on earth where one is respected in their community as one who is trustworthy.

b) Let's tie the first four proverbs together. The first was about the importance of developing a good name in life. The second is the reminder that God cares for all people. The third is the reminder to seek refuge when there is danger a foot. These three proverbs all make the point that God is in charge of our lives and we are to seek Him for guidance. That leads to the fourth one, which is the reminder of "how" to live life before God: That is to live in a sense of humility before God and fear of His judgment.

7. Verse 5: In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

a) A wicked person will not only suffer for eternity, but in most cases suffers in this lifetime for the life they have chosen. The idea of "thorns and snares" is because the wicked live a life of stealing, so they are always in danger of being caught and having to hide from authorities. Thus they suffer for their crimes.

b) The second part simply says that the person who cares about their soul stays far away from such a person!

8. Verse 6: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

a) This is one of the most quoted and often most misunderstood proverbs in the book.

b) The main point is teaching a child about the proper "way to go" in life is never a waste of time. When the child is grown, he or she will remember all of that good training and it will eventually pay off.

c) So what is the misunderstanding? The proverb says to train up a child in the way he (or she) should go. It does not say to train up a child in the way you want them to go. What is the difference? Let's say as a father and mother, the family business is farming. Yet, the child has a natural gift for some other calling in life. The point is to train up a child in the way they should go, not the way you want them to go.

i) So how do you know which way a child should go? You watch them and see what is their natural ability. The point is we are to encourage what they are good at as opposed to the career path we want for them.

9. Verse 7: The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

a) Here's another proverb that teaches, "How life works". The point of the proverb is that in this world, the rich people rule over the poor and the borrower does what the lender tells them to do.

b) This verse is not teaching to be one type of person or another, just stating facts.

c) If one can have money or be a lender, it is better than being poor or a borrower. Again, this is a non-salvation issue, just a statement of how the world works!

10. Verse 8: He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

a) Here's a proverb about what happens to people in life that focus on being wicked. They "reap trouble" and what they "develop" will be destroyed.

b) Part of this proverb is about the "next world", in that if such a person wastes their life with wicked deeds, they will be punished in the hereafter. Over and above that, I believe this proverb is teaching a principal about what generally happens to such people in this lifetime: That is the deeds of such wicked people get put down, as society doesn't want to put up with them!

11. Verse 9: A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

a) We've had a few proverbs in this book stating that one who gives to the poor will be blessed. The general idea is that God rewards those who share with the poor. God will reward our generosity when we share with the less fortunate.

b) What does that mean practically? Do we give all we have to the poor? This proverb does not say that! The point is those who are financially blessed are expected to do "something" as opposed to doing nothing to help the less fortunate. If you're not sure what, ask God for advice on this!

c) Notice proverbs likes to go back and forth between the type of behavior to avoid and the type of behavior God wants of us. This book is constantly going back and forth between good and bad examples of behavior that God likes and detests!

12. Verse 10: Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.

a) If one can eliminate the "mocking" person from our lives, it will cut down on the amount of strife, quarreling and insults we have to deal with!

b) Suppose the "mocker" is a close relative and we have to deal with them. This proverb is teaching to cut down on our dealings with them as much as possible. What if the mocker is a member of our immediate family? Then pray to God to help that person and help us in our dealings with them!

c) All relationships go through difficult periods and that's a separate topic. Proverbs like this are describing the kind of person withy no interest in getting along with the Godly!

13. Verse 11: He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

a) Does this mean that every person with a "pure heart" and with gracious speech will be a personal friend with the king (or leader)? No. It does mean such a person will have a good life and will be the type of person a king wants around him.

b) The bible teaches that no one is perfect before God. Notice the text does not say one is perfect all the time, but they have a "love" of a pure heart. The point is such a person is always interested in pleasing God and living a life pleasing to Him. To have "gracious speech" is about saying what is right and speaking positive things as much as possible.

c) Personally, if I were a king or a leader, I'd want a person like this as a friend!

14. Verse 12: The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

a) The point is God acts to "vindicate the truth". When we are living a life pleasing to God, He somehow "gets involves" in the process and watches over us. It doesn't necessary mean God is going to verbally comment on what we say, but somehow He "watches over us" when we speak the truth and helps the "truth" come out and "be truth!"

b) God "frustrates" the words of the unfaithful. To those who live a life where they don't care about God, somehow he "frustrates" those words. What it most likely means is that over the long term, God doesn't allow their words to come to pass. They may appear to be "winning" in the short run, but in the long term, they lose.

15. Verse 13: The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

a) The point of this proverb is a sluggard is one who is too lazy to go out and "make a difference" (be it get a job or get involved with life), as they are too afraid of negative things that might happen to them.

16. Verse 14: The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the LORD's wrath will fall into it.

a) Back in the early chapters of Proverbs, there were whole chapters dealing with the dangers of adultery. We're now back to that topic. The idea of the first half of this proverb is that one who is an adulteress likes to talk a lot and draw men into her trap.

b) The important point is the second half. This proverb is teaching that those who are under the Lord's "wrath" are susceptible to this trap. It means that those who turn from God are more likely to get involved with such a woman.

c) I will argue that for married people, the only close relationship with the opposite sex should be with one's spouse. Marital problems occur when others get too close.

d) What about all the Christians we hear of having affairs? This proverb is not stating any sort of salvation principal, just the way life works. I have found that when God-fearing men fall into the trap of adultery, it usually starts with problems at home and then escalates into an affair. Good martial relationships require constant attention to make them work. (For what it is worth, I am grateful that I have a wonderful wife and this is not an issue for me, and I hope it never will be!)

17. Verse 15: Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

a) Here's a proverb on the importance of disciplining one's children. The term "rod of discipline" does refer to using some sort of stick instrument to say, hit one's children on the bottom. The two key rules are 1) Don't hit children when you are angry and 2) only hit them on the bottom. If one can manage do only do those two, one can't go wrong with disciplining one's child.

b) Getting beyond that issue, the point of the proverb is that children are naturally drawn to "folly" in their behavior. The real point of the proverb is about the importance of disciplining one's child to drive out bad behavior. The other point is such discipline does work in driving out the bad behavior.

18. Verse 16: He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.

a) This proverb is teaching two ways on how not to be rich: 1) By oppressing poor people in order to increase one's wealth and 2) by giving gifts to the rich.

b) I have found that people who engage in these two have some financial benefits in this lifetime, but that's it. They end up in hell for living such a lifestyle.

c) Do I believe salvation is about accepting Jesus payment for one's sins? Of course. Proverbs such as this one is a "sign" of an unbeliever. Remember the concept of accepting Jesus is not just making a verbal statement, but a change of lifestyle. This proverb is a prime example of living a lifestyle unpleasing to God.

19. Verses 17-21: Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, ¹⁸ for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. ¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. ²⁰ Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, ²¹ teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?

a) Way back when started proverbs, I stated that most of the proverbs are single line or two sayings that teach principals of life. I also stated that sometimes in proverbs, they are combined in four line or six line sayings. We'll see a lot of multiple line proverbs over the next few chapters.

b) These five lines are a summary of a key principal of proverbs, which is to "listen carefully to what they are saying, so that we may be wise in all we do. Further, these proverbs are designed to teach us to trust God in all that we do.

c) Notice in Verses 20 it says "Have I not written thirty sayings for you" and it goes on from there. First of all, what is the "thirty"? The most likely answer is the next 30 points that Solomon wants to make. After these "thirty sayings", we'll only have 10 verses left in Chapter 24". Solomon even says at that point, "Here are a few more things I want you to remember (before I wrap it up). I suspect that Solomon had 30 key principals in this book as He originally intended it.

i) I'll also add that we don't read any principals in the next few chapters that not already been covered in the book so far. They are just listed out in this format over the next few chapters.

d) The final line of this text says these proverbs can help us give sound answers to him who sent you. What does that mean? For starters, it refers to God Himself as He is in control of our lives and we as believers are ultimately to be pleasing to Him.

e) I believe Solomon had a second intent with this last line as well: Remember that Proverbs is written in a style of a father teaching a son how to live life. Notice the final line is not saying you can give a sound answer to those who receive you, but those who sent you. Solomon is saying to his son, this is how to live a life pleasing to God.

20. Verses 22-23: Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, ²³ for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

a) The first of the "thirty sayings" is about the issue of not exploiting those who are poor, either in court or in life. The second verse states that God himself will defend the poor and harm those who are harming them because they are poor.

b) Again, this principal is nothing new. In fact, we've had a proverb on the proper treatment of the poor already in this chapter and in the past few lessons.

c) Notice how Solomon puts this principal first. Remember that Solomon was a king and he was writing this proverb to his son and future king. The first principal being taught has to do with "fairness" by those who are in charge!

d) The underlying point is a king may "think" he is getting away with something by oppressing the poor, but the point is that king doesn't realize God is watching out for the poor and will protect them. The help of the poor may come in this lifetime or it may refer to eternal salvations and rewards.

21. Verses 24-25: Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, ²⁵ or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

a) These two verses are considered "Saying #2 of the 30". Like the first one, it is about a type of behavior to avoid: These two lines are teaching about what type of person to avoid in life. If we associate with one who is easily angered, we end up like them.

i) Again, this principal is nothing new to the book of Proverbs and has been stated a number of times in different forms.

b) The underlying principal is God wants us to be careful who we choose as companions and friends. The type of person who gets angry very easily is the type of person God wants us to avoid in life.

22. Verses 26-27: Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; ²⁷ if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

a) Here's another principal that we've covered a bunch of times. The idea is not agree to put up security for a debt for others. When your friend fails to pay, the person to whom the debt is owned will collect from you personally and even take your bed if necessary!

b) The principal taught throughout this book is about not putting up security for another. The main emphasis is not about one's immediate family, but friends and acquaintances that we want to help. The point of this proverb is we end up hurting ourselves more than helping our "friends". If our "friend" can't afford this item, they should not have agreed to want to buy it in the first place!

23. Verse 28: Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

a) Here is "Saying #4 of the 30". The idea is to respect the land boundaries set up by our parents and ancestors and not try to cheat people out of their land. Remember that Solomon is writing these proverbs to the future leaders of Israel and it would be fairly easy for them to get away with such an act.

b) The underlying principal is about being honest in our deals with others.

24. Verse 29: Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

a) The point is when a person is skilled in their work, they will serve before "kings" and (leaders) and not obscure people in life. The point is when one develops a very good skill, it will be appreciated and the important people of this world will take notice.

b) So why is Solomon passing on this bit of advice? If the proverbs are being written to the future leaders of Israel, the point is for them to notice who is particularly skilled in their work and to raise them up to a higher level in terms of who they work for! It also teaches to watch for people who are developing such skill and help them to grow.

25. Chapter 23, Verses 1-3: When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, ² and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. ³ Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

a) We are now on "Saying #6 of the 30". This proverb (saying) is a principal not yet directly addressed in this book.

b) Remember Solomon is writing to the next ruler of Israel and maybe other family leaders. The point of this proverb is that when as a ruler, one dines with other rulers, watch out what you eat. The other rulers "want something from you" and one has to keep that in mind when one dines with such people.

c) Let's personalize this one. I'm not going to be a king anytime soon. ☺ How does this apply to me? The principal may be when we sit down for a business meal we need to think about why the person invited us and what do they "really want". In other words, don't just concentrate on the food, but think about the purpose of the meal!

d) This proverb uses colorful terms to remind us to be careful in such situations. The proverb says for example to "put a knife to our throat if gluttony is a temptation". Again, the underling point is not so much about eating, but to think about the purpose of the meal and what does the man want who invited you to that meal.

26. Verses 4-5: Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. ⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

a) These two verses are about having the proper perspective about "riches". The problem with "riches and stuff" is there is no finish line. There is never enough. The proverb is not against earning a living or supporting one's family. It is about perspective. It is about having our focus primarily on God and "earning a living second".

b) Another point of this proverb is that even when one has riches, they don't last forever. One cannot take them with you in the next life. They don't do you any good on judgment day. Verse 4 says to not "wear ourselves out" getting rich. Again, it is about perspective. The point is not to work late hours night after night just to "get rich". One has to have a balance between work and other aspects of our lives.

27. Verses 6-8: Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; ⁷ for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you. ⁸ You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.

a) There are some people who just can't enjoy life, as they are always worried about the cost. There have been times in my life where I worry about money, which means I battle this sometimes, but hopefully, I will never get to the stage of this proverb!

b) The point is if you know someone who is stingy about the cost of things, don't associate with him or her if possible. You can't even enjoy a meal with them as they are focused on the cost.

c) Just so we keep tract, this one is "Saying #8 as we work our way up to 30!"

28. Verse 9: Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.

a) If someone is a fool, they don't care for "Godly wisdom". Once one has determined that someone is such a fool, one should not waste one's time trying to change them.

b) God wants us to have wisdom as to "who" we witness to. Yes, we are "always" on the clock, but the idea is to focus our efforts to those who show some interest in God.

c) Let's say one's "brother" is a fool. Sometimes it is necessary to eat with a fool if he or she is a close relative. The point here is not to waste time and effort trying to witness to such a person if we perceive they don't care for the things of God.