In week seven we finished the 30 wise sayings and saw more of Solomon’s typical one liner proverbs, I hope you dug into anything that interested you outside of what we covered in the lessons, or that you’ll take some time to go back after you finish the study next week.

Chapter 24 contained wise saying 19-30. Verses 1-2 are advice not to envy or associate with the wicked. It is true that you become like the people you spend the most time with, so we should take care not to put ourselves around those who might cause us to stray from the path of wisdom.

Verses 3-4 compare wisdom to constructing a house, which is a symbol of a person’s life. We should build our lives on wisdom, which means building it on the fear of the Lord, and use wise judgement in applying knowledge to our every day.

Verses 5-6 talk about the strength of wisdom. When used properly, and combined with guidance from others living in wisdom, it brings success.

Verse 7 puts a fool silent at the gate, which is where business was typically conducted in the Old Testament. When faced with serious discussion, the fool does not know what to say. The conversation goes straight over their head.

Verses 8-9 tell us the reputation of a man who “plans to do evil.” He is known as “a schemer” and “an abomination to mankind.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want the word abomination anywhere in the conversation when people are talking about me. Be sure your actions line up with the type of person you want to be.

Verse 10 should encourage us to be strong and courageous when we face adversity. We all go through hard times, and they typically reveal our strength, or lack thereof. If you feel lacking in this area, pray “to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

Verses 11-12 tell us that God expects us to help people we know are in trouble. He knows our hearts, and our motives for avoiding people. Like God’s heart, ours should always motivate us to seek justice for others.

Verses 13-14 compare wisdom to the sweetness of honey. Just as honey is “sweet to your taste,” wisdom is sweet for your whole life, especially the rewards of a future and hope.

Verses 15-16 tell us it is useless to try to destroy the righteous. God (generally) does not allow injustice to succeed against His people. Although the righteous may fall, they rise again because it is the Lord lifting them up.

Verses 17-18, on the other hand, warn the righteous not to celebrate the downfall of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11 tells us God takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” While we are reveling in the stumbling of our enemy, the Lord may choose to have mercy on them for the purpose of producing repentance. So always be praying for your enemy in line with God’s heart and desires for them.

Verses 19-20, similar to verses 1-2, again tell us not to envy the wicked. It may seem like they are successful, but their success will be short lived because “the evil man has no future.”

The final wise saying of this section, verses 21-22, tell us to respect both divine and human authority, in the form of government.

The final section of this chapter begins by talking about justice and not showing partiality. We are to be honest and integrous when judging and even speaking with others. The final five verses tell us not to be like the lazy man. Being committed to continual hard work is a part of being on the wise path.

Chapter 25 begins King Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s proverbs. The first seven verses talk about a king, which we can apply to our government. In verse 2, the glory of God is mentioned before the glory of kings because the king is ultimately under God’s authority. The king can search out the things of God, but he must remain humble, not thinking he can figure everything out himself. Verses 4-5 talk about the importance of the king having advisors with good character. Verses 6-7 are a warning against self-promotion. We should display humility all the time, but especially when in the presence of someone in authority. Jesus tells a parable in Luke 14:7-11 to the same effect. He sums up the parable in verse 11 by saying, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Verses 8-10 give advice for relating to your neighbors when you have a conflict. Again, Jesus gives similar advice in Matthew 5:25-26 to settle your conflicts outside of court.

The next few verses all relate to speech. 11-12 tell us it’s wise to say the right thing at the right time to a person who is willing to listen. Verse 14 speaks against someone who makes false promises in order to look good.  In situations where we may need to be persuasive, verse 15 tells us to speak gently and exercise patience.

Verses 16-17 remind me of the modern proverb about too much of a good thing. We should display good manners and be considerate of others. My grandfather has a saying: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after 3 days.” I’d say that’s his paraphrase of verse 17.

Verses 18-20 describe a man who is dishonest, untrustworthy, and insensitive. We should take care that these verses do not describe us.

Verses 21-22 instruct us to treat our enemies with compassion and generosity, a theme we see repeated in the New Testament. By treating our enemies well, they may be led to repent of their wickedness, which would bring glory and joy to the Lord.

 Verse 24 repeats the same proverb about a quarrelsome wife from chapter 21 verse 9. Clearly this is something we want to guard against in our marriages.

Verse 26 teaches us not to compromise before the wicked. We must have the courage to remain pure and stand for what is right, even when no one else is.

Verse 28 is a warning to have self-control. A man without it is a fool, because he is left open to the attack of the enemy.

Chapter 26 begins with 12 verses all about the fool. Verse 1 describes three things that just don’t go together: snow in summer, rain in harvest, and honor for a fool.

Verse 2 is another proverb that points to God’s sovereignty. God does not allow “a curse that is causeless” to have any power. The fool that tries to curse the righteous person is just wasting his breath.

Verses 4 and 5 are often seen as contradicting each other, but this is one of those places where it’s important to remember that proverbs are general principles that govern life. They are not absolutely true in every situation. Sometimes you shouldn’t respond to a fool, or you might be seen as foolish yourself. Other times, you should respond to a fool, in order to correct them. We must rely on wisdom to know when to apply each of these proverbs.

Verses 7-11 each make a comparison in regards to the fool. These “like” statements show us that the fool is useless, dumb, and lazy. Two of these verses, 7 and 9, compare something to “a proverb in the mouth of fools.” Proverbs are only meaningful when we understand and apply them, but a fool does not know how to apply the wisdom contained in these sayings to himself. “Like one who binds the stone in the sling” (v. 8), he is unaware of how it is to be used. Just as it is the nature of the dog to return to his vomit, it is the nature of the fool to continue in foolishness. The revulsion we have for the dog eating his own vomit should be the same revulsion we have for ourselves when we return to our foolish sinning.

Verse 12 tells us the biggest fool is the one who does not know he is a fool, but sees himself as wise. This makes him stubbornly unteachable and will leave him stuck in his prideful ways.

Verses 13-16 are comments on laziness. The first three of these proverbs are almost comical in their description of the sluggard. Verse 16 is a warning that the lazy man, like the fool, is trapped in his pride because he sees himself as wise.

The rest of this chapter all has to do with speech. Proverbs exhorts us to be careful with our words. We should not involve ourselves in arguments that have nothing to do with us (v. 17). We should speak openly and honestly, not deceptively (vs. 18-19). And we should avoid gossip that stirs up conflict (vs. 20-22).

Verses 23-28 warn against the dishonest man who disguises his lies with gracious words. We should not be fooled when someone seems to speak well, but look to the heart of their words. Eventually, Proverbs tells us, this person will be ensnared and exposed by their own deceit. Their sins will lead to their destruction.

Chapter 27 begins by calling us to humility. We should not presume that we are guaranteed tomorrow. “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15). We also should not be found pridefully praising ourselves. Anything good about us should come from another.

Verses 5-6 are a call to honesty. It is better for a friend to call us on our stuff so that we can repent and change any wrong behaviors in our lives. The “wounds of a friend” are for our good, but “the kisses of an enemy” are nothing but fake. Verse 9 encourages us to keep friends around who can give good advice. If you don’t have someone you can go to who will speak truth to you, look for another mature believer in your church and ask them to be that person in your life.

In the last chapter we saw two verses back to back that seemed to be contradictory, but really were just offering different wisdom for different situations. The same can be said for Proverbs 27:12 and 28:1. We need to rely on wisdom to tell us when it would be foolish to walk into danger, and when we should show courage.

Verse 14 contains good neighborly advice. First off, no one wants to hear “a loud voice…early in the morning.” This “blessing” is fake flattery, which is really a curse. If you are already buttering me up first thing in the morning, you probably want something from me.

Another annoyance is given in verse 15: the quarrelsome wife. Like a dripping that just won’t stop is a woman who can’t stop pushing and arguing. Verse 16 warns the husband it will be impossible to change her. Take the advice of Proverbs and don’t be this woman in your marriage.

Verse 17 is one of those often quoted proverbs, and I think too often people use it without really thinking about what it means. I know I have been guilty of this. When you think about how iron sharpens iron, it happens by rubbing against each other, or creating friction. So if we are sharpening each other in the same way, this is not always a comfortable experience. Within our friendships, we should be offering encouragement and constructive criticism, holding our friends accountable for the changes they need to make. This is how we sharpen each other and get better.

Verse 19 tells us our heart shows who we truly are. The next few verses go on to reveal a few general things about our hearts. We are often greedy, when we should be satisfied with what God has given us. We are prideful in the face of praise, and we are helplessly foolish. Only when God gets a hold of our hearts and leads us to wisdom do we begin to experience true heart change. But we must remember it takes effort to stay on this path, or we will fall right back into our old sinful habits.

This chapter concludes with 5 verses about wise stewardship. These verses encourage us to be aware of all that God has given us so that we can manage it wisely. Most of us probably do not own flocks and herds, but translated to modern times we are rich in other ways, and we should use what God has given us in ways that honor Him.

Are you using the wisdom He is giving you in a way that honors Him? Are you worshiping Him with all your physical, mental, and spiritual resources? As you prepare for the final week of this study, I hope you are digging deeper into the path of wisdom, and surrounding yourself with others who are on the same journey and can help call out when you stray from the path.