Overview of Proverbs: 21-31 Pt. 3

Introduction: We now come to our final introductory message to the book of Proverbs. I truly hope that you have been enjoying these last few sermons.

   In this message, we will look at Proverbs 21-31. There is so much wisdom sandwiched in these chapters. We shall finish up the last 47 of the 375 Proverbs of Solomon (10-22:16), then take up the words of the wise (22:17-24:22). There are thirty wise sayings. Next, we will look at the Proverbs of Solomon gathered by the men of Hezekiah (25:1-29:27), consider the Proverbs of Agur, and then close with the Proverbs of King Lemuel’s mother.

   Are you ready to look at life from God’s point of view this morning? Here we go…

Proverbs 21 — Wisdom Reigns - 21:1–31

  Proverbs 21 opens with one of the most reassuring truths about God's sovereignty:

  Look at 21:1,

   The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

  No matter who is in power, God's hand is still on the wheel. We must NEVER forget this. We see this played out through all of Scripture:

· Joseph and the Pharaoh of Egypt.

· Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes.

· Esther and King Ahasuerus.

· Daniel and the leaders of three kingdoms.

   In this chapter, there are Proverbs that warn against:

· Pride — “haughty eyes and a proud heart...are sin” — 21:4

· Gaining treasures by a lying tongue — 21:6

   Several years back a “Christian” man said to me, “You’ll never get ahead in the business world by being honest.” That statement is NOT wisdom reigning.

· Loving pleasure more than being diligent – 21:17

   We also discover the value of wisdom reigning in a person’s life:

· Righteousness and justice are celebrated – 21:3

· The plansof the diligent lead to plenty – 21:5

· There is joy in doing what is just (what is right) – 21:15

· Guarding your tongue keeps your soul from trouble – 21:23

· Being a giver is encouraged – 21:26

   Here is the thing about Wisdom – it wants to reign in the life of the God-follower. Do you want the skill to live a successful life?

Proverbs 22 — Wisdom Goals - 22:1–29

   Proverbs 22 opens with one of the most memorable Proverbs in the entire book. Again, it is found in verse 1,

   A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.

   Protect your name! Your name matters! It matters to you, your family, and God.

   Thomas Paine once penned, “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”

   In this chapter we also have the classic parenting instruction. We read in verse 6,

   Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

   I hope you would agree that both of those Proverbs are great goals to have.

The Words of the Wise

   The second half of the chapter (22:17) begins thirty wise sayings (someday, that might be a sermon in and of itself). I want to point out three words found in verse 17. They are:

1. Incline – Pay attention.

2. Hear – Not merely listen, but take in.

3. Apply – Put what you hear into action.

   These Proverbs are a treasure chest of practical counsel covering every area of daily life.

   And how important are these Proverbs? Look at verse 20,

   Have I not written to you excellent things, Of counsels and knowledge.

   These Proverbs are excellent things. They are provided to give us counsel and understanding—what we need to hear and how to put it to use.

Proverbs 23 — Wisdom Alerts - 23:1–35

   Proverbs 23 continues the thirty wise sayings and delivers some of its most urgent warnings. I also would encourage you to go through this chapter and underline every place where you see the word “heart.” It is used some nine times (23:7, 12, 15, 17, 19, 26, 33). Now, let’s look at the alerts:

· Do not overwork to be rich (23:4). Why? Look at the next verse: Because riches make themselves wings and fly away (23:5).

· Do not remove the ancient landmark (23:10). Don’t steal your neighbor’s land.

· Do not withhold correction from a child (23:13). The word “beat” used in this verse means to discipline properly.

· Do not let your heart envy sinners (23:17).

· Do not mix with winebibbers (23:20).

   This chapter concludes with one of the most vivid descriptions of the dangers of alcohol in all of Scripture (23:29-35).

· Wine bites like a serpent and stings like a viper (23:32).

· Your eyes will see strange things (23:33).

· Alcohol is all consuming (23:35). First the man takes the drink, and then the drink takes the man.

   Now, on this day, September 27th you have received a word from wisdom concerning alcohol. The question is, will you heed it? The ball is in your court.

Proverbs 24 — Wisdom Constructs - 24:1–22

   Look at 24:3-4,

   By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

· By wisdom a houseis built – right skill.

· By understanding it is established - Applying wisdom.

· By knowledge the rooms are filled – making changes.

   This chapter also gives one of the most encouraging promises for those who have fallen. We read in verse 16,

   For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.

   God's people may fall, but they don’t stay down – they rise again.

   I want to point out once again that these Proverbs are a part of the wise sayings. We read in verse 23,

   These things also belong to the wise:

   And the chapter closes with a warning about laziness. It provides a vivid picture of a vineyard in ruins and the results: a life of poverty (24:30-34).

Proverbs 25 — Wisdom Facts - 25:1–28

   We have looked at over 400 Proverbs from Chapters 1-24, and now we begin a new collection as we open chapter 25. We are told here that these Proverbs of Solomon were gathered and preserved by the men of King Hezekiah. It is believed that they gathered them about 250-300 years after Solomon’s death. These Proverbs were gathered during a season of revival. Since Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), we have every Proverb God wanted us to have.

   As I read over these Proverbs, I notice that verses 1-7 deal with one’s interaction with a king. For us, it would be rulers in high places.

   Verses 8-10 tell us not to be quick to go to court, but to seek to take care of the problem between us and our neighbors.

   Verse 11 is a fantastic verse. We read,

   A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In setting of silver.

   Now, that is a good fact. Carefully spoken words are beautiful.

   Finally, this chapter also gives us some of the most practical social wisdom in Proverbs:

· Don't wear out your welcome (25:17).

· Don’t be an unreliable person (25:19). An unreliable person is like a bad tooth, or a foot out of joint.

· Win over your enemy with kindness (25:21-22).

Proverbs 26 — Wisdom Exposes - 26:1–28

   Proverbs 26 dedicates itself almost entirely to three characters we never want to become:

1. The fool (26:1-12).

   The fool is like a dog returning to its vomit (26:11), a sobering picture of someone who refuses to change.

2. The lazy man (26:13-16).

   The lazy man refuses to bring his hand back to his mouth after dipping it in the bowl (26:15). This is a comical image that makes a deadly serious point.

3. The busybody (26:17-28).

   He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ear. (26:17) That is not smart.

   The chapter closes with a word about lying lips and a flattering tongue (26:28).

Proverbs 27 — Wisdom Cultivates - 27:1–27

   In verse 1 we read:

   Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

   The point: Live one day at a time. Let God take care of tomorrow.

   Proverbs 27:17 speaks about men challenging men,

   As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

   Proverbs 27:21 tells us where a man finds his true value,

   The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others says about him.

   This chapter closes with the call to every shepherd. We read in verse 23,

   Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.

   This applies to every pastor, every parent, and every leader God has placed in authority.

Proverbs 28 — Wisdom Behavior - 28:1–28

   Behavior matters! How you and I conduct ourselves daily shows forth our wisdom. Consider these verses:

· The wicked flee (run) when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (28:1)

· Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich (28:6).

   This is the last of what are called the “Better” Proverbs: 21:9, 19; 27:5; 27:10.

· One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination (28:9).

   If you are unwilling to follow God’s law, why should you expect God to hear you pray?

· He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (28:13)  

  Underline two words: covers and confesses. Some people seek to cover their sins, and others are quick to confess them.

· Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity (28:14).

· He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward Than he who flatters with the tongue (28:23).

   The point that is being driven home is behavior matters!

Proverbs 29 — Wisdom Responsibility - 29:1–27

   Proverbs 29 opens with a chilling reminder. Look at verse 1,

   He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

   Please allow people who genuinely care about you to speak rebuke into your life.

   But the chapter's most memorable verse is the great leadership principle found in verse 18. Here is how it reads in the King James Bible:

   Where there is no vision, the people perish

   What is vision? It is a clear sense of where God is taking us—and it is what holds a church, a family, and a life together.

   Some translations use the words “prophetic revelation.”

   The chapter closes with a final contrast between the fear of man and the fear of God. Look at verse 25,

   The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Proverbs 30 — Wisdom Wonders - 30:1–33

   We have now come to the Proverbs written by Agur. His name means “gathered,” and that is about all we know about him. His father’s name is Jakeh, and it means “obey” or “blameless.” Many believe that Agur was a student of King Solomon. We also read that he wrote these Proverbs to his two friends, Ithiel and Ucal, and that they were his students.

  Look at verse 1,

   The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel – to Ithiel and Ucal.

   The word “utterance” can also be translated as prophecy, burden, or weighty message.

   Agur begins with one of the most disarming openings in all of Scripture. Look at 30:2-3,

   Surely I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

   Agur’s humility is breathtaking. And yet from that place of humility, he gives us profound wisdom:

· He speaks of God’s word (30:4-5). It’s everything we need, and we don’t get to add to Scripture.

· Two things he requested (30:7-9). Things we too should request: 1. Keep from falsehood. 2. Keep from poverty and riches. (Only prayer in the book of Proverbs).

· He speaks about a generation of people (30:11-14). It is almost as if he is describing our present generation.

· He speaks about the leech and her daughters — Give and Give! (30:15). The daughters almost sound like our federal government and local principalities.

· He speaks about the four things that are never satisfied – the grave, the barren womb, the earth, and fire (30:15-16).

· He speaks about the four things that he can’t understand: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin (30:18-19).

   Agur has Proverbs about the immoral woman (30:20), four things that perturb the earth (30:21-23), small things yet wise creatures (30:24-28), four majestic animals (30:29-31), and closes with some wise counsel (30:32-33).

Proverbs 31 — Wisdom Portraits - 31:1–31

   Proverbs 31 closes the book with a double portrait. First, King Lemuel's mother gives him godly counsel:

· Avoid immorality– 31:2-3. (Holiness).

· Avoid alcohol – 31:4-7. (Sobriety).

· Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves – 31:8-9. (Compassion).

   Then the book closes with the famous portrait of the virtuous wife. What is interesting is that each verse is built off the Hebrew alphabet—it is argued that this woman is a complete picture of a woman of wisdom from A to Z. And as we read these final Proverbs, we see a woman living out wisdom before her household.

   Bible teachers agree that this is arguably the most celebrated portrait of a godly woman in all of Scripture.

   The wise wife is industrious, wise, generous, kind, and strong. She rises before dawn and works into the evening. She provides for her household, reachesout to the poor, and makes her husband known in the gates. Her children call her blessed. Her husband praises her.

   And the capstone is the final two verses of the entire book. Look at verses 30-31,

   Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

   The book began with the fear of the Lord. It ends with the fear of the Lord. Everything in between is the application of that one great truth.

   Any fruitwe may have in our lives is WISDOM being lived out.

Conclusion: We have walked through eleven chapters, and I want to leave you with the whole picture before we go.

A Quick Review

   In chapter 21, wisdom reigns, and God's hand is still on the wheel. In chapter 22, wisdom sets our goals: a good name and children trained in the way they should go. Chapter 23 sounded the alerts, and chapter 24 showed us how wisdom constructsa house. Chapter 25 gave us the facts, and chapter 26 exposedthe fool, the sluggard, and the busybody. In chapter 27, wisdom cultivatesus, iron sharpening iron. Chapter 28 reminded us that behaviormatters, and chapter 29 laid out our responsibility. With Agur in chapter 30, we stood in wonder. In chapter 31, we saw wisdom's portraitlived out before a household.

   Wisdom reigns, sets goals, alerts, constructs, states the facts, exposes, cultivates, shapes behavior, assigns responsibility, wonders, and paints a portrait. That is not a list of nice sayings. That is a whole life lived from God's point of view.

The Fear of the LORD

   Remember where this book began: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (1:7). Remember where it ends: "a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised" (31:30). These two verses are the bookends of Proverbs, and everything in between them is the house wisdom builds.

Christ the Wisdom of God

   The book of Proverbs gives us the portrait of wisdom, and the New Testament gives us the Person of wisdom. Paul tells us that Christ Jesus "became for us wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 1:30). You cannot live out wisdom without first receiving the One who is Wisdom. Before Proverbs can change your behavior, Christ must change your heart (2 Corinthians 5:17).

   Have you received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Wisdom will follow that decision.

   When I shared Proverbs 22:17, I shared three key words: Incline. Hear. Apply. Have you inclined your ear this morning, and have you heard wisdom speak? If you have, what’s left? Application—will you and I apply what we have heard?

   Agur said, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (30:5). This is where the book of Proverbs is going to take us. And like I said, this is going to be an epic journey. I hope we are ready for it.