Proverbs 23 Verses 17 to 18 Hope for your Future September 15, 2024

Proverbs 23 Verses 17 to 18 Hope for your Future September 15, 2024

The Search for Wisdom Lesson 11 Class Presentation Notes AAAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· James 4:13-17 (NASB) 13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you oughtto say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

· Matthew 6:26-27 (NASB) 26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

· Matthew 6:33-34 (NASB) 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

· Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NASB) 4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.

Main Idea:

· As we look to the future, we should not be filled with fear but with powerful hope. God’s Word is filled with promises of hope.

Study Aim:

· To understand that facing the future means being ready for whatever comes tomorrow.

Create Interest:

· Envying sinners (cf. 3:31; 24:1, 19; Ps. 37:1), wanting to do what they do, is senseless because they have no hope (24:20) whereas the wise and godly do. The immediate pleasure of sin cannot be compared with the ultimate hope associated with the fear of the Lord (cf. 19:23; 24:21).[1]

· Remember, to fear the Lord means to be submissive and obedient to Him. Believers are to love, revere, and obey the Lord all day, every day. But such a path of wisdom and righteousness is not always an easy road to travel. One of the reasons is spelled out in this proverb: sinners seem to have an easier road to follow throughout life than the righteous.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Thirty Sayings (22:17–24:22). Proverbs 22:17–23:14 contains striking parallels to the Egyptian Teachings of Amenemope. The Egyptian wisdom book appears to be older, which indicates that Solomon knew and used it. This is not surprising, since an Egyptian influence is seen throughout Solomon’s writings. These “sayings of the wise” contain several proverbs on proper etiquette in the presence of the rich and powerful, with the warning that it is foolish to try to ingratiate yourself before such men (23:1–8).

· Proverbs 23:15–24:22 resemble the discourses in the prologue. It again addresses the reader as “my son,” encourages the pursuit of wisdom, and warns of the dangers of the immoral woman. This may have been the original conclusion to the Book of Solomon, with 24:23–24 being the equivalent to an addendum or appendix.[2]

Bible Study:

Proverbs 23:17-18 (NASB) 17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORDalways. 18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

· The Piel stem (envy) can be used to envy someone. After Jacob had made the coat of many colors for Joseph, and Joseph had revealed his dreams to his family, his brothers envied him (Gen. 37:11).

o David admonished his readers not to display envy against the workers of iniquity (Ps. 37:1).

o The same idea appears in Ps. 73 through the voice of Asaph. He admitted that he almost slipped from his faith when he envied the foolish and saw the prosperity of the wicked (vv. 2f).

o We are commanded not to envy sinners, “but be you in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Prov. 24:1, 19f).[3]

· 17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. In many cases, unbelievers are able to indulge their fleshly cravings with little if any consequence. Seemingly, they prosper by lying, stealing, cheating or by twisting the law to their advantage. Sometimes, unbelievers are even allowed to ridicule, slander, and persecute believers without reprimand or restraint.

o Jeremiah 12:1 (NASB) 1 Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered?

§ Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? Discuss

· Vs. 17: It is better to regard the verb of the first clause as continued in the second. Thus, the one precept is set forth negatively and positively:

o ‘Strive not after [that is, seek not to imitate or be associated with] sinners, but after the fear of the Lord.’ How do we do this and still be in the world and not “of the world”? Consider the following😊

§ 1 John 2:15-16 (NASB) 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

o The heart striving becomes wise. So, then, wisdom is not the result of cultivating the intellect, but of educating the desires and aspirations.

§ It is moral and religious, rather than simply intellectual.

o The magnificent personification of Wisdom at the beginning of the book influences the subsequent parts, and the key to understanding that great conception is, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.’

o He is the wise man who fears God with the fear which has no torment and is compact of love and reverence. He is on the way to becoming wise whose seeking heart turns away from evil and evil men, and feels after God, as the vine tendrils after a stay, or as the sunflower turns to the light. For such wholehearted desire after the one supreme good there must be resolute averting of desire from ‘sinners.’ In this world full of evil there will be no vigorous longing for good and God, unless there be determined abstention from the opposite.[4]

· In a sermon on this verse, Charles Spurgeon gave a wonderful definition of the fear of the Lord:

o “The fear of the Lord is a brief description for true religion. It is an inward condition, promising hearty submission to our heavenly Father.

§ It consists very much in a holy reverence of God, and a sacred awe of him.

§ This is accompanied by a child-like trust in him, which leads to loving obedience, tender submission, and lowly adoration.”

· All the day: “Men must wake with God, walk with him, and lie down with him, be in continual communion with him and conformity unto him. This is to be in heaven beforehand.” (Trapp)[5]

· One of the dangers which a son faces is the prosperity of the wicked. Asaph knew this and struggled with it (PS 73). It is a test which virtually everyone faces at some time.

o To see men who live independent of God and yet who prosper can test a believer’s faith. He/she is in danger of envying sinners and desiring what they have. The solution for this is to be in “the fear of the Lord all the day long”.

§ This last expression, “all the day long/always”, suggests consistent and persistent contentment.

📷 It is not merely being satisfied with what I have but being satisfied with God and His will for my life.

§ Psalm 16 could express a person’s contentment with God’s person, people, portion, plan, pathway, and prospects.

📷 Psalm 16:1-10 (NASB) 1Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You." 3 As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips. 5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. 7 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

· The Lord Jesus could rejoice at a very dark hour because, “even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy (the Father’s) sight” (Lk 10:21). He was content with whatever the Father’s will meant. No chafing, no struggling, no crisis surrenders. He delighted in that will and in what it cost.

o Can we do the same.?

§ Luke 10:21 (NASB) 21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

Let’s dig a little deeper into Luke 10:21 for more clarity

· We can well understand the joy of the Seventy as they returned to report their victories to Jesus. He had given them power and authority to heal, to cast out demons, and to preach the Word, and they were successful! In the midst of their great joy, they were careful to give God the glory (“in Thy name”).

o They had seen individual victories from city to city, but Jesus saw these victories as part of a war that dethroned and defeated Satan (note Isa. 14:4–23; John 12:31–32; and Rev. 12:8–9).

o As believers, we are weak in ourselves, but we can be “strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10ff).

o Each victory is important to the Lord, no matter how insignificant it may seem in our eyes. Satan will not finally be judged until Jesus casts him into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10), but God’s people can today claim Christ’s Calvary victory by faith (Col. 2:15).[6]

Scriptures to soak on

· 1 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB) 1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Proverbs 23:18 (NASB) 18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

Definition to Focus on😊 Hope introduced in Vs. 18

· Hope: noun derived from the root verb qāwāh(HED # 7245), “to wait,” “to long for,” “to hope,” tiqwāh is found thirty-two times in the OT in both negative as well as positive contexts. For the wicked (Job 11:20; Prov. 10:28), there is no ultimate hope because they are opposed by God. But positively, the OT portrays hope as coming from God’s intervention in the affairs of individuals (Pss. 62:5; 71:5) and nations (Hos. 2:15; Zech. 9:12).[7]

· Vs. 18: For surely there is a future(eternal life): If this life was all there would be, then we would have much more reason to envy sinners. Yet, as the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates, surely there is a hereafter, and therefore wisdom means that we should live in the fear of the Lord.[8]

· There is one huge difference however: for the unbeliever, death contradicts all they have lived for and terminates all their hopes.

o For the Christian, death affirms all our values and confirms all our hopes. This may be what Paul meant when he wrote that all things are ours: “Whether … life, or death … all are yours” (1 Cor 3:22).[9]

§ 1 Corinthians 3:18-23 (NASB) 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; 20 and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS." 21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.

· All the hopes of unbelievers are cut off—suddenly destroyed—at death, but the expectations of the wise will continue to be realized throughout eternity (24:14).

o Therefore, anchor your soul in hope.

§ Though the present often seems dark, the future is bright and glorious for the sons and daughters of God.

§ The wicked have hope only for this life (11:7; 24:20), but the righteous have an eternal hope.

Thought to Soak on:

· Believers are often tempted to look around rather than up and ahead.

· When this happens, we must take our eyes off the world and we must stay focused on the Lord. Jesus Christ was faithful to the end, even enduring the cross, by keeping His eyes focused on the hope of the future.

o Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB) 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

· God has given us some wonderful promises, and He cannot lie.

o In the storms of life, we must anchor our souls in His promises (He. 6:18–19).

o Although unbelievers seem to rule and prosper in this present world, Jesus will one day reign, and we will reign with Him. Evildoers will be cut off and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Ph. 2:10–11).

o The difficulties of today cannot be compared to the glories of tomorrow, for Jesus will come and establish His kingdom throughout the entire universe (Ro. 8:18).

o We will live with Him throughout eternity!

§ Look up and look ahead!)[10]

· This verse may point only to the tendency for justice to be served, or it may look beyond this life to the certain eventuality of divine justice. Such justice will reward both the wicked and those who continue in the fear of the Lord according to the many warnings and promises of this Book. It thus encourages patience and perseverance in believing and living according to what is right.[11]

Scriptures to soak on

· Psalm 25:1-6 (NASB) 1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. 4 Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.

· 2 Timothy 1:12 (NASB) 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

· Isaiah 33:6 (NASB) 6 And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

· Psalm 130:7 (NASB) 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.

[1]Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 957. [2]Duane A. Garrett, “The Poetic and Wisdom Books,” in Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 240. [3]Thoralf Gilbrant, “קָנא,” The Old Testament Hebrew-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1998). [4]Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: Esther-Ecclesiastes (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 243. [5]David Guzik, Proverbs, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2017), Pr 23:17–18. [6]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 211. [7]Thoralf Gilbrant, “(2) תִּקְוָה,” The Old Testament Hebrew-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1998). [8]David Guzik, Proverbs, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2017), Pr 23:17–18. [9]A. J. Higgins and E. Currie, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, What the Bible Teaches (John Ritchie, 2008), 262. [10]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Proverbs, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2012), 360. [11]Gregory A. Lint, ed., Proverbs–Song of Songs, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 1998), Pr 23:17–18.