PROVERBS LESSON 40

     We will begin this lesson in Proverbs 25:1 "These [are] also
proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied
out." Proverbs 25:2 "[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but
the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter."

     We know there is a secret of God that will not be revealed till
the end of the world. We know that the Lord revealed himself in part
to the disciples and to all believers in Christ. He reveals to each of
us what He desires us to understand. We read a little of this in
Romans 16:25 "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to
my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world
began," Romans 16:26 "But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures
of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God,
made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:" You see, God is
a mystery. Jesus revealed the mystery somewhat in coming to the earth
and telling us about God. All will not be known until we live in
heaven with Him. A king, on the other hand, tells us what he knows. It
makes him appear smarter. A king has to get to the bottom of the facts
so that he can judge a matter fairly.

     Proverbs 25:3 "The heaven for height, and the earth for depth,
and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable."

     A man can never search out all the heavens and cannot go to the
center of the earth, neither can he really know what is in the heart
of a king.

     Proverbs 25:4 "Take away the dross from the silver, and there
shall come forth a vessel for the finer."

     When extreme heat is applied to silver and it is melted down, the
trash will come to the top and can be skimmed off and leave pure
silver.  This is very similar to a Christian. Sometimes God applies
the heat (problems) to purify us. We are purged in the fire and made
pure.

     Proverbs 25:5 "Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and
his throne shall be established in righteousness."

     Verse 5 is associated with verse 4 above. Just as heat is applied
to the silver and the silver is made pure, so is the kingdom made
pure, so is the kingdom made righteous when the wicked are removed.
The king has it in his power to remove whomever he will.

     Proverbs 25:6 "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,
and stand not in the place of great [men]:"  Proverbs 25:7 "For better
[it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou
shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes
have seen."

     Don't pretend to be great and try to take the best places with
the highest seat near the king. If he sees you and you do not belong
there, he will tell you to sit in a lower place and that would
embarrass you. If you stand in the background and the prince calls you
up closer, then you feel real good. This is just another way to say
don't think too much of yourself.

     Proverbs 25:8 "Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know
not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee
to shame."

     Quick anger causes embarrassment. The end to quick anger is
repentance for what is said.

     Proverbs 25:9 "Debate thy cause with thy neighbour [himself]; and
discover not a secret to another:"

     This is telling us how to solve a problem with a neighbor. If you
have a peeve, go and tell the neighbor. Have prayer with the neighbor,
treat him as you would want to be treated yourself, and your argument
will be over. Don't go gossiping to other neighbors. Settle it between
just the one the argument is with and yourself. You will gain a closer
friend.

     Proverbs 25:10 "Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and
thine infamy turn not away."

     This is speaking of your being faithful in your witness. An
unreasonable person who will not talk out his problems, winds up
ashamed by all his neighbors because of his or her unreasonable
attitude.

     Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in
pictures of silver."

     These "words fitly spoken" mean that these words come from a pure
heart. Apples are fruit much desired and gold has to do symbolically
with the purity of God. We see, here, the fruit of these lips come
from a heart filled with the pureness of God. These "pictures of
silver" are beautiful in symbolism, as well. Silver symbolizes
redemption.  When we see a person who speaks beautiful Godly words, we
see a person we know has been redeemed.

     Proverbs 25:12 "[As] an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine
gold, [so is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear."

     We see, here, that the message this reprover brings is a pure
message.  We, also, see, here, the listener takes the good advise as
part of his body, because an earring is attached to the body. This
"ornament of fine gold" means that this pure message is ever before
him. He has hung it around his neck.

     Proverbs 25:13 "As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, [so
is] a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the
soul of his masters."
     We see, here, a refreshing coolness which helps in the time of
harvest. A heavy snow would bring disaster, but this is just a cooling
off and refreshing. A faithful messenger is refreshing to his master.
His master can depend on him to carry a true message.

     Proverbs 25:14 "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift [is like]
clouds and wind without rain."

     Clouds and wind ordinarily bring rain. To expect rain and it not
to come is very disappointing. We see that someone who promises a gift
and then doesn't give it is disappointing, as well.

     Proverbs 25:15 "By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a
soft tongue breaketh the bone."

     We see in this a person who remains calm and speaks without anger
and prejudice, a king will listen to and be persuaded. Soft words will
have more influence than force. You can break a person's bones and
still not convince him, but a soft word is easy to listen to and will
be more acceptable.

     Proverbs 25:16 "Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is
sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it."

     A certain amount of sweetness is wonderful, but after you are
full, extra sweetness can make you sick.

     Proverbs 25:17 "Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house;
lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee."

     We see in this that we are not to wear our welcome out with our
neighbors. Close friends enjoy each other, but they also know when its
time to go home.

     Proverbs 25:18 "A man that beareth false witness against his
neighbour [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow."

     He is a very destructive person who bears false witness against
his neighbor. The sword show what his cutting words can do. The maul
shows how it beats others down with words of falsehoods (maul), and
then we see the piercing effect of sharp words as sharp arrows. A
person who does these viscous things is more destructive than any of
these weapons.

     Proverbs 25:19 "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of
trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint."

     We would be hard pressed to depend upon a foot that was out of
joint to get you anywhere. When you was stepping on it, it would hurt
so badly you would not be able to walk. You would not even be able to
eat because of a broken tooth. It would be a painful situation to
depend on someone who was unfaithful.

     Proverbs 25:20 "[As] he that taketh away a garment in cold
weather, [and as] vinegar upon nitre, so [is] he that singeth songs to
an heavy heart."

     When you have a heavy heart, you are in no mood to sing or have
someone to sing to you. To take away someone's coat when it is cold,
would be a cruel thing to do. Vinegar stings when applied wrongly.
When our brothers and sisters are sad, it is cruel to rejoice in their
sorrow.

     Proverbs 25:21 "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;
and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:" Proverbs 25:22 "For
thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward
thee."

     This is what Jesus taught that believers should do to their
enemies. Be good to those who persecute you. Our rewards are not for
this world, Jesus said over and over, "In as much as ye have done it
unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew
25:40). Jesus even taught that if your enemy slaps you on the one
cheek, turn to him the other also. Christians are to be Christ like.
While Jesus was in great pain on the cross, He said, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). it is not the
natural (fleshly) thing to do to be good to someone who is cursing
you, but it is the way of the Spirit. Jesus fights our battles for
us.  Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. The Lord will punish them, we
do not have to.

     Proverbs 25:23 "The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an
angry countenance a backbiting tongue."

     An angry look will sometimes stop a person from saying slanderous
things about someone. The cold comes from the north and usually clears
up the weather.

     Proverbs 25:24 "It is] better to dwell in the corner of the
housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house."

     We see, here, that what makes a home is not the size of the
house, but it is the peace and rest there. To live with an angry
brawling (fighting) person (man or woman) is miserable.

     Proverbs 25:25 "[As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, so [is] good
news from a far country."

     When you are hot and thirsty, there is no better drink that money
can buy than a cool drink of water. To receive good news is always
nice, but to hear from a distant land is even better.

     Proverbs 25:26 "A righteous man falling down before the wicked
[is as] a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring."

     Christians are supposed to stand up for what is right. An attack
on a Christian is actually an attack upon their Lord. For a Christian
to be degraded by the wicked is like a beautiful spring of water that
has been corrupted. Christians' words come from a pure heart which is
sometimes spoken of as a river which never has an end. This river from
within is pure, because it comes from God.

     Proverbs 25:27 "[It is] not good to eat much honey: so [for men]
to search their own glory [is not] glory."

     A conceited person is not admired by anyone. In 2nd Timothy 3:2
we shall read of a person in the end times who does just that. II
Timothy 3:2 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy," This is sin. If you eat too much honey, you will get sick at
your stomach. If you brag on yourself, others will get sick at their
stomach.

     Proverbs 25:28 "He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is
like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls."

     A city without a wall is in peril. It has no protection. A man's
spirit is what he is. If he loses control of the spirit, he has lost
control of himself. The spirit of a man must control the flesh, or
else, the man will go the way of the flesh which leads to hell.
































                       Proverbs Questions 40

1.  Whose men copied out some of Solomon's proverbs?
2.  It is the glory of God to ________ a thing.
3.  It is the honor of the kings to _______ _______ a matter.
4.  What does the Lord reveal to us?
5.  How long has God's secret been kept?
6.  Why does the king reveal what he knows?
7.  What three things are unsearchable?
8.  When the dross is removed from the silver, what does it make the
    silver?
9.  How are the impurities removed from the silver?
10. Take away the wicked from before the king, and he shall be
    established in __________.
11. When you are in the kings presence, where is it better for you to
    stand until called?
12. Quick anger causes what?
13. What is the end of quick anger?
14. Who are you to discuss your neighbor's problems with?
15. A word fitly spoken is like ________ of gold in pictures of_____.
16. What is verse 11 really trying to say?
17. What is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear compared to?
18. What is a faithful messenger compared to in verse 13?
19. When someone promises a gift and doesn't deliver it, what is it
    compared to?
20. A soft tongue breaketh the ______.
21. If you eat too much honey, what will happen?
22. What does it mean by a neighbor being weary of you?
23. A man who bears false witness is compared to what three
    instruments?
24. Confidence in an unfaithful man is compared to what 2 hurtful
    things?
25. When a person sings songs to someone with a heavy heart, what is
    it compared to?
26. What are we to do if our enemy is hungry?
27. What will God do to your enemies when you are good to them?
28. What drives away a biting tongue?
29. What is good news from a far country compared to?
30. A righteous man falling down before the wicked is compared to
    what?
31. What is a man called who glories himself?
32. Which should rule us, our spirit or our flesh?