Proverbs 22:1-16
Proverbs 22:1-16
New King James Version (NKJV)
1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common,
The LORD is the maker of them all.
3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the LORD
Are riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow,
And the rod of his anger will fail.
9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed,
For he gives of his bread to the poor.
10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.
13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
My Thoughts:
- So let’s start with (v. 2) we read “The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.”
- When we segregate for any reason God is displeased with us. If I have learned one thing throughout my life it is that in the end we are all the same. God does not see us based on our color, religion, age or even our standing in life. What He does see is our hearts and how we live our lives and he invites all who have a pure heart to come and sit at his table.
- In (v. 6) we read “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
- I truly believe in this Proverb. Yes our children my leave the church but in the end they will have the foundation they need to see them through the tough times. (Eph. 6:4) says “and you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” I also see that we should not force feed religion to or children, if we show them the loving God we know they too will see Him.
- And we will finish today with (v.11) “He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips”
- I agree that the best reading for this text should be “…and hath grace in his lips.” This is the proper order, for there cannot be grace in the lips if there is not pureness of heart, for evil speaking, scornfulness, etc., comes from a bad heart. Even earthly kings had not use for evil hearted men who were hypocritical in their speaking. How much more so the King of kings. We have before noted God’s hatred of lying in any form.
Thought of the Day
“If we take care of our character, our reputation will take care of itself! –Moody“
It takes years to build a reputation–and just a moment of indiscretion to destroy it.
I think of this when I recall a college friend who never got in trouble or caused any difficulty. But one day, in a moment of mischief, he threw a match into a waste can and started a fire that left part of our dorm scorched and his reputation burned beyond recognition. Whatever else he has done since then, his name remains associated with that reckless prank.
Often we think young people should be the most careful about their reputation, and indeed they need to protect their good name. But adults too can throw away their good name through one poor choice.
Think of David, who for many years bore the stigma of his sinful, adulterous liaison with Bathsheba. Even though he was forgiven, his reputation had been stained. We can’t be sure of the specific occasion for the writing of Psalm 38, but in it David describes the agony of living with the results of his sin. To avoid such pain, Scripture tells us to guard our heart (Prov. 4:23), to walk wisely (Eph. 5:15), and to follow in Jesus’ steps (1 Pet. 2:21).
It takes just a moment to destroy your good name and your testimony for God. Don’t let it happen to you. —Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
THINKING IT OVER
Why do we think we can get away with sin?
What happened to David? (Ps. 38:2-12).
How did he react to his sin? (v.18).
To whom did he turn? (vv.21-22).
Personal Reflection and Discussion
- What do you think (v. 15) is saying?
- What other things do you see in the text?
Prayer Activities
- Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
- Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
- Pray with them and ask for the following;
- For God to give us the strength to raise or children in His ways.
- For God to walk with our children as they grow in Him.
- For the individuals on your pray list.
- Let’s use (1 Tim. 5:17) for today’s prayer verse.
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There are so many good verses in this chapter. Verse 15 is one of those that can be controversial in todays times. I feel it is saying that children tend to be foolish. They don’t think things through. They get caught up in the moment. We are to use the “rod of correction on them when needed. This does not mean we should beat our children. Never! We should not discipline when we are angry, because we are not thinking clearly at that time. These days, parents beg their children to behave. They say please don’t do that, and never raise their voices, although that is probably a good thing(the voice). Time out work on some children but others need more. I spanked the boys when they were younger and learning right and wrong. Just a quick swat and that was it. They learned fast and I didn’t have to do it but a couple of times. It is true though, it hurt me more than them. I also learned to pick my battles. What a life saver that was.
This chapter seems to focus on how to be truely successful. Humilty and grace goes a long way in true success. It shouldn’t be measured in riches in exccess, but in pleasing God and being a blessing to men. Vrs 7,9 & 16 shows us that when we have an exccess we’re suppose to give to those who need; and that means give, not lend, making them into a servant striving to pay you back… and definetly not making a profit off them to add to your riches. The poor also are taught not to see themselves as lower than a rich person just because the amount in our bank account is lower.
In my personal opioin, I strongly suggest a person struggling not to borrow just because they don’t want to be without. I’m not talking about basic neccessities, but the extras like car payment or other bills. It’s better to suffer and see God work His good through it, then borrow and and loss your self worth (seeing yourself as poor and a servant) and struggling again, trying to pay it back and fighting to maintain the status quo. To often we’re so caught up in competting with the Jones. We think being the most successful means having the most money or reflecting the life styles and comforts we see on tv.
I like vrs 8 ” He who sows in iniquity, reaps sorrow,” and the other side of the equation must be true; he who sows in sorrow, reaps righteouness… or he who sows in righteouness, reaps joy. And the interesting thing about joy is that it’s not conditional on material good or riches or anything…it rooted in being content with our lot… even if other’s see it as little. Remember, success is a mindset or on what we set our mind on. Let it be set on God, His grace and love.
It is true that we can loss our focus on what is truly important in life and that is why we need to keep looking up and thank God for all He has given us.