9:1 Wisdom's Invitation

Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table; 3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the tops of the heights of the city: 4 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks understanding she says, 5 "Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 "Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding."

7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. 8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13 The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, 15 Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight: 16 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says, 17 "Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant." 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 10

10:1 Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked

The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother. 2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death. 3 The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject the craving of the wicked. 4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. 5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot. 8 The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined. 9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions. 13 On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding. 14 Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand. 15 The rich man's wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty. 16 The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment. 17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray. 18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool. 19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding. 22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. 23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, And so is wisdom to a man of understanding. 24 What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him. 27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. 28 The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes. 29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But ruin to the workers of iniquity. 30 The righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not dwell in the land. 31 The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.  

Proverbs 11

11:1 Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed. 7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, But the wicked takes his place. 9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting. 11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down. 12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent. 13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter. 14 Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory. 15 He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, But he who hates being a guarantor is secure. 16 A gracious woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches. 17 The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm. 18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. 19 He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death. 20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their walk are His delight. 21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered. 22 As a ring of gold in a swine's snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. 23 The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. 24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. 25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. 26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.  27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. 28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. 29 He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted. 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls. 31 If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner! 

Next time:
  Review chapter 11 then chapters 12 and 13.

Wisdom has hewn out her seven pillars.  Any thoughts at to what this means?
Seven means completeness or perfectness.

Interesting… This is God's wisdom and not our own.  Don't we often want to correct those that don't seem to understand?  However, a wise person knows that he can be improved by correction and knowledge and therefore is beneficial.  We often ignore the issues with those that are wise and focus on the unwise.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.  We have expanded upon the first precepts.

Let our wisdom be applied to ourselves and not to others.

The main message again is that wisdom and knowledge lead to life.

We are into some specifics now!
True

Work hard and pay attention.

Work while you have the youth and strength to endure.

Good people are remembered.

No real worries for those of integrity.  How we multiply our worries by the things that we do.

Jesus work on the cross.

Kingdom age when Jesus will rule with a rod of iron.

How often do we see rich people with a hopeless existence?  We can read or hear about it daily in the media.

Vs24 "fear" means fright.  This is a different word than "fear" of the Lord…
Fear is worth discussing.  Have you ever said, "I just knew this would happen!"   Job certainly said it.

Treat others fairly – especially when they don't know it.

Nope, money is pointless – eternally speaking that is..

This is historically true, but does anyone see a shift in the thinking of age in which we live?

Love conceals those things that are not edifying to others.  Why does our flesh want to bring others down?  Why are we so enamored of others shortcomings?
14 – Accountability?

Holiness tends to breed holiness, but wickedness tends to die out and leave no lasting descendents.