PROVERBS LESSON 42

     We will begin this lesson in Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of
to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

     The best Scripture in all the Bible to cover this is found in
James 4:13-15. James 4:13 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow
we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and
sell, and get gain:" James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what [shall be]
on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:15 "For
that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this,
or that." You see, our life is not our own. the Lord purchased us with
His shed blood and we are His. We live or die as He sees fit.

     Proverbs 27:2 "Let another man praise thee, and not thine own
mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips."

     If we honor ourselves, it is more like conceit and the honor is
not very valuable. If another begins to honor you then it is accepted
because it comes from an impartial person. Bragging on yourself is
very close, as I said, to conceit.

     Proverbs 27:3 "A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty; but a
fool's wrath [is] heavier than them both."

     We see in this that a fool's anger is almost too heavy to bear.
No physical weight in this world is as heavy as the weight of the load
this angry fool has brought. This heaviness this fool brings on is
heaviness of the heart, which is very difficult to bear. Have you ever
heard someone say, when you told them good news, you took a load off
my mind: This is the same thing.

     Proverbs 27:4 "Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but
who [is] able to stand before envy?"

     Wrath and sudden anger are sometimes shown through a big
fight, but when the anger goes away the fight is over. Many times
those angered with each other make up, especially if it is husbands
and wives. This envy in verse 4 seems, to me, to indicate jealousy.
Jealousy lingers on and is seldom settled. Jealousy is usually
unfounded. It primarily stems from a low self-esteem. Comparing
ourselves with those around us is a dangerous thing to do because it
brings on sins such as envy, strife, coveting, jealousy, hatred, etc.
Be satisfied with where you are in life and you will be much happier.

     Proverbs 27:5 "Open rebuke [is] better than secret love."

     I see even in  this "open rebuke", here, a sense that this is
more constructive criticism than rebuke. A person who truly loves you
will try to help you overcome problems in your personality. This
"secret love", to me, seems to say I am not really interested in you
at all. I care for you as long as no one but you and I know it. To me,
this is not caring at all. A person who takes someone for granted that
they love, will soon find themselves alone.

     Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the
kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful."

     When a friend (a true friend) wounds you for the moment, it is to
help you in the long run. As I said in the verse above, constructive
criticism is good. It helps you to improve. An enemy that flatters you
with his lips is trying to maneuver you to his advantage. He wants
something; and he thinks by flattering you, you will give him whatever
it is that he wants.

     Proverbs 27:7 "The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the
hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."

     When you are over full, even chocolate cake is not inviting. I
believe that is what is said here. If you are full, nothing sounds
good to you. If a person who has not eaten for a few days has a chance
at even a slice of bread, it is very sweet to him. To the hungry man,
beans and bread are a feast.

     Proverbs 27:8 "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a
man that wandereth from his place."

     We see in the bird leaving the security of home, that out in the
world there is great insecurity and uncertainty. At home, you at least
know what you have. There is no uncertainty. The prodigal son
discovered that this uncertainty of the world was not for him and,
like many others who venture away, came crawling back home again. A
bird in the hand is always better than 2 birds in the bush. The one
you have is certain. The 2 are a big question mark.

     Proverbs 27:9 "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth]
the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel."

     The smell of perfume makes a person even more pleasant to be
around. Good friends who bring you good counsel are always welcome,
too. It is wonderful to have a good friend that you can trust their
counsel. You have no fear of taking their advice, because you know
they have your interest at heart. Everyone needs a friend that he can
call on for advice.

     Proverbs 27:10 "Thine own friend, and thy father's friend,
forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy
calamity: [for] better [is] a neighbour [that is] near than a brother
far off."

     We see, here, that long-time family, oriented friendships are to
be held in high regard. We see that friendships built on mutual
interest and belief are many times stronger than friendship with a
blood relation who has no interest in what you are doing and is alien
to your belief. Many times a friend will come to your rescue in a
calamity quicker than a brother. Sometimes, the brother lives in
another state and is not close enough to help immediately. There is a
friend who sticketh closer than a brother. Soloman, perhaps, felt this
more than usual because his half brothers wanted him killed.

     Proverbs 27:11 "My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I
may answer him that reproacheth me."

     We could see from this what Paul felt toward Timothy. Paul taught
Timothy well, and he wanted to be glad about the activities of
Timothy. A parent, in a sense, is given credit or blame for what our
children become. We are their teacher and some of the blame or praise
should be ours.

     Proverbs 27:12 "A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth
himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished."

     "Prudent" here translated means cunning or crafty. We see a man
then that is totally aware of the situation around him. The prudent
man is not just going straight ahead with no thought of safety. If he
sees danger, he hides and protects himself. In contrast to this, the
simple man takes no thought of the direction of his life or even for
the dangers which show up along the way. He is punished, because he
takes no care at all in his walk. He steps in all the holes.

     Proverbs 27:13 "Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,
and take a pledge of him for a strange woman."

     We went into this fully in a previous lesson, but we must touch
on this again; because the fact that it is mentioned several times,
shows us that it is a very important lesson for us to learn. We see
how ridiculous it would be to offer to secure a note for someone you
hardly know with the clothes on your back. You could wind up naked and
cold. This "strange woman" (prostitute) charges for her affection and
will leave him in the, same or worse, shape than the putting up
security for a stranger.




















                         Proverbs 42 Questions


1.  Why should we not boast of tomorrow?
2.  What Scripture does the author believe describes this best?
3.  In this Scripture, we are warned not to promise what?
4.  What should we say about tomorrow?
5.  What does it appear to be if we praise ourselves?
6.  Who should praise us?
7.  What kind of weight is spoken of in the fool's wrath?
8.  Wrath is ________ and anger _________.
9.  What is even worse than wrath and anger?
10. What is better than secret love?
11. What is meant by faithful wounds of a friend?
12. The _________ of an enemy are deceitful.
13. The full soul loatheth what?
14. Why is everything sweet to the hungry?
15. When the bird leaves the nest, he leaves the ______of home.
16. What effect does ointment and perfume have on us?
17. Why do you not fear the counsel of a friend?
18. Who are we not to forsake in verse 10?
19. Why would a father's son be made glad at a son's success?
20. What 2 New Testament characters bring a vivid picture of this?
21. When the prudent man sees evil, what does he do?
22. What does "prudent" mean in verse 12?
23. What could happen to the person who puts up the clothes on his
    back for security for a stranger?
24. Who is the "strange woman" in verse 13?