PROVERBS LESSON 36

     We will began this lesson in Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness [is]
bound in the heart of a child; [but] the rod of correction shall drive
it far from him."

     Children are mischievous. The way children learn right from wrong
is by their parents training them. A lesson is best learned by making
mistakes and being punished by those mistakes. A good paddling along
with correction drives the lesson home. The child, who is punished for
doing things he has been told not to do, learns quicker than if he is
just talked to. It is a natural tendency for a child to misbehave. A
loving parent will spank him for bad behavior, and he will learn to do
better.

     Proverbs 22:16 "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his
[riches, and] he that giveth to the rich, [shall] surely [come] to
want."

     First of all, it would be foolish to try to increase from the
poor. They don't have anything. It would be like trying to extract
blood from a turnip. It doesn't have any blood, so you can't get it.
The rich do not need what you have. Either endeavor would lead to no
gain at all.

     Proverbs 22:17 "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the
wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge."

     We see here "bow down thine ear" means humble yourself enough
that you will hear. Someone can talk all day, but if you do not
receive it, you have done nothing. "Apply thine heart unto my
knowledge" is speaking of the knowledge of God being applied to the
heart.

     Proverbs 22:18 "For [it is] a pleasant thing if thou keep them
within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips."

     Verse 18 is an extention of verse 17. The knowledge of God
applied to the heart is a pleasant thing. If you keep it hidden away
in your heart forever, your words will be coming from a pure heart and
you will be speaking pure words. The knowledge God has revealed to you
should not be a shame to you, but a joy to speak.

     Proverbs 22:19 "That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made
known to thee this day, even to thee."

     We see, we are not to trust in ourselves or even the people
around us, But in the Lord who will never let us down. God has
revealed Himself to us. This last sentence in verse 19 is saying
(believe it or not} I have revealed it unto you.

     Proverbs 22:20 "Have not I written to thee excellent things in
counsels and knowledge,"

     The previous counsels have been the same. He is just reminding
them here that they already have been instructed in God's way.

     Proverbs 22:21 "That I might make thee know the certainty of the
words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them
that send unto thee?"

     I Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be]
ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason
of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" One of the reasons
we learn the truth is so that we can pass it on to others after we
have applied it to our lives. Not only are we to get saved by the
truth of God, but we must minister truth everywhere we go.

     Proverbs 22:22 "Rob not the poor, because he [is] poor: neither
oppress the afflicted in the gate:"

     We see, here,  a warning not to oppress those who cannot help
themselves. It also is saying not to judge them guilty because they do
not have money enough to plead their own case. In the gate is where
the judgement took place. If they were rich, they might have been able
to buy favor, but the warning is not to judge them harshly because of
their poverty.

     Proverbs 22:23 "For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil
the soul of those that spoiled them."

     We read in Hebrews that we have an advocate with the Father. God
always helps them who cannot help themselves.

     Proverbs 22:24 "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a
furious man thou shalt not go:" Proverbs 22:25 "Lest thou learn his
ways, and get a snare to thy soul."

     We are told over and over throughout the Bible to be careful who
we fellowship with. We are warned not to be unequally yoked with those
of unbelief, as well. A man or woman becomes like the people they
spend a great deal of time with. You pick up their bad habits. Angry
men, and especially furious men, sometimes have murder in their
hearts. If you are with them when they commit some of these crimes,
you are guilty by association. The courts would call you an accomplice
to the crime. If you are around people that use bad language, you will
use bad language, too. You get used to hearing his, and it becomes a
bad habit. Fellowship has a tendency to teach you the evil ways of the
one you fellowship with.

     Proverbs 22:26 "Be not thou [one] of them that strike hands, [or]
of them that are sureties for debts." Proverbs 22:27 "If thou hast
nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?"

     This again, is warning of the trouble you can get into by going
on another's note. You can loose what you have worked hard to get,
because the other fellow doesn't pay his debts. You can even lose the
bed you sleep on to make someone else's note good.  When you sign
another's note, it is you taking on his debt; because if he doesn't
pay it, you will have to. You have nothing to gain and everything to
lose.

     Proverbs 22:28 "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy
fathers have set."

     These boundaries were set by holy men of God on direct
instructions from God. This is a terrible sin. One of my pet peeves in
our real estate business here in the United States is to buy a piece
of acreage 40 acres "more or less." If the more or less is a few feet,
it is understandable; but if it winds up several acres short, I
believe it is deliberate deceit. I am sure the Lord would frown on
such dealings.

     Proverbs 22:29 "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he
shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men]."

     We see, in the first part of this, a man who puts out tremendous
work in his business. He puts every skill he has to the task. He works
long hours and many days to make his business prosper. Most young
people today will not put out the effort that it takes to make a
business a real success. They spend too much of their time doing other
things and neglect their business. For the king to take notice of your
business, it has to be very successful and the business community has
to have great respect for your ability and dedication to duty. He will
not be foreclosed upon or taken to court, because his dealings will be
fair and upright. No mean men will judge him.



























                     Proverbs Questions 36

1.  What can drive the foolishness out of a child?
2.  Who is a child's first teacher of right from wrong?
3.  What two kinds of people in verse 16 shall surely come to want?
4.  Why is it foolish to try get from the poor ?
5.  What does "bow down thine ear" mean?
6.  What are we to apply our hearts to?
7.  The knowledge of God applied to the heart is a _________ ______?
8.  What kind of words comes from a pure heart?
9.  Where should our trust be?
10. God has written to us excellent things in what two ways?
11. What are we to do with the truth once we get it?
12. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to do what?
13. Rob not the poor, neither oppress the  ________.
14. What does this "in the gate" mean?
15. Who will plead the case of the poor and afflicted?
16. Who are we to make no friendship with?
17. Why?
18  What happens when you are with someone who commits a crime?
19. We are not to be one of those who strike hands or do what?
20. What might happen if you go on someone's note?
21. In verse 28, we are warned not to do what?
22. What is one of the author's pet peeves on real estate?
23. Describe someone diligent in business?
24. Who will the diligent man stand before?
25. What 2 attributes must the business man have to be recognized of
    the king?