Fatherly Counsel for living - Pt. II
Deer Creek Community Study- Proverbs • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsLooking at the value and the negatives for a life filled with wisdom.
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Fatherly counsel
Fatherly counsel
We look at some fatherly counsel last week, we looked at six keys for a good life.
Key to long and peaceful life (Pro3:1-2)
Key to popularity (Pro3:3-4)
Key to successful ventures (Pro3:5-6)
Key to good health (Pro3:7-8)
Key to prosperity (Pro3:9-10)
Key to accepting the Lord’s discipline (Pro3:11-2)
So, today we will pick up from there with the value of fatherly, godly counsel
Q: What does value mean? Can you get an example?
Our Text
Our Text
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.
Q: I know it was a long passage, but did anything still out to you?
Again, our topic, our theme for today is counsel for godly living, or Fatherly counsel for living, Pt. II. Either way is just fine. Last week it was six keys for a good life, today we will look at 3-points to the value of wisdom. Then time permitting we will look at six-negatives for a wise life.
Value: Seen in Solomon’s praise of wisdom
Value: Seen in Solomon’s praise of wisdom
Provides true happiness, contentment for those with wisdom and understanding (3:13)
Q: Do you think that the happiness here in (v.13) is circumstantial, or positional?
Circumstance can make us happy or sad.
Positional is being happy, content regardless of circumstance.
Another way is to call true joy, joy of contentment
Profits one more than silver and gold (3:14)
Q: what is something that is more, worth more, has a better value than silver and gold?
Wisdom and knowledge do. It is a great value for living today and our eternal life.
More precious than rubies, nothing we desire can compare with her (3:15)
Q: Why do you think wisdom is more precious than rubies, or anything we can desire?
There is the offer of length of days, riches and honor (3:16)
I cannot ask questions on every one if we are going to get through this off.
The length of days is really the qualities of the days we are given. Some are a long life, and some are a shorter life. The riches and honor do not necessarily equate to finances and position, but riches in glory, riches in mercy, riches in forgiveness.
Her paths are ways of pleasantness and peace (3:17)
If you stay on wisdom and knowledge’s path it will help you have pleasantness and peace.
This is God’s peace, not like man’s peace. This really goes with being content regardless of situations as mentioned a few minutes ago.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold, happiness to those who retain her. (3:18)
Q: how can we take hold, how can we retain her? Her being wisdom and knowledge.
Do we share in the view that Solomon and put before us, the high estimation of the value of wisdom?
God’s use of wisdom
God’s use of wisdom
In His acts of creation (3:19-20)
To create the earth and heavens (Gen1:1)
To break up the depths of the sea, and create the clouds above (Gen1:6-9)
The worlds beauty and harmony of creation and peace made possible by the use of godly wisdom (Pro8:22-31)
Now, consider how this applies for us.
The same wisdom is being offered to us (Jm1:5-8)
The same wisdom may provide our lives with harmony and peace (Jm3:17-18)
Don’t we want to have the same divine wisdom guiding our lives?
Q: How do you think we can obtain this wisdom?
Seen in what wisdom can do for us and in us
To make our lives a “thing of beauty and joy forever”. (3:21-22)
By offering wisdom and discretion
Wisdom can give “life to your soul, and grace (an adornment, beauty) to your neck
This goes with Jesus words
10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
and
11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
To make our lives safe and secure (Pro3:23-24)
Our steps will be directed by wisdom
We avoid many pitfalls experienced by others.
Consider
8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
or
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.
To help us to sleep securely
For we will not be anxious about what is, or may come
For the Lord will guide, guard, protect His saints
5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
Don’t we want to have lives filled with grace and security?
With such praise of the value of wisdom, maybe we can and will be more open to the sage fatherly advice for living that Solomon has to offer. Now, there are some negatives in wisdom. Sometimes wisdom comes in the form of “thou shall not.” which we find in the bible in our our passage when reading the KJV. In most other versions is may say “do not.”
Six Negatives for a wise life.
Six Negatives for a wise life.
Sometimes wise things come in a negative way. I think we should read the scripture for each of these points as we get to them.
Do not be afraid (3:25-26)
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.
Don’t be afraid of sudden terror/fear, or trouble from the wicked
The Lord will be your confidence
Besides that fear is indicative of weak faith.
26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
Remember faith over fear, let your faith be strengthen are your fear weakened and removed as your faith grows.
Do not deny good (3:27)
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
Do this especially when we owe it and when we have it.
We are to owe love to everyone
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Do know good and not do good would be sin (Jm4:17)
Paul’s golden rule is “do good unto all men as you have opportunity (see Gal6:10)
Do not delay good
Do not delay good
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.
Do not delay doing good when it is in your power to do it today.
Don’t be selfish and put it off in a hope that the person will forget about it or find someone else. Have an open, willing heart.
Do not delay in doing good for you may not have another opportunity to do good.
Procrastination, putting off doing good is a great evil, don’t be caught in it. See it, do it and thank God you were able to do it.
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Do not devise evil (3:29)
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
Especially against your neighbor who dwells near you for safety’s sake
Be neighborly as a neighbor would expect you to be, and you would expect your neighbor to you.
A heart that devises evil, well its an abomination to the Lord.
16 There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
So, to wrap that up, think well of your neighbor, that he and God might think well of you.
Do not strive (struggle or fight vigorously) without cause (3:30)
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.
Especially if he has done no harm.
Strife if unchecked, without cause can easily escalate.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
Strife can easily ruin one’s reputation
8 Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you? 9 Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another, 10 Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away.
Vengeance is mine says the Lord is what the scripture says, so leave it to Him. Seek to overcome apparent evil with good. (check out Rom12:18-21)
Finally, do not envy oppressors (a person or group that exercises authority or power over another in a harsh and burdensome way) (3:31)
Do not envy, nor choose his ways
They will get caught in their own snares one day
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.
Let the Lord be the avenger of those who oppress the poor
22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or crush the afflicted at the gate; 23 For the Lord will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.
The Lord will bless the upright, the just and the wise
32 For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.
But the Lord will curse the wicked and the perverse (see Pro21:12)
He will scorn the scornful, and then shame will be the legacy of fools.
Don’t be jealous of the prosperity of the wicked, they will never be as rich (eternally) as the righteous!
So, there you go, that is it for today
(Prayer)