Proverbs 22:5

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:5, “Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.” A forward person is a contentious and contrary person. In other words, they are a trouble-maker. In other words, they are hard to get along with. In other words, people do not like being around them. That is why they end of up with “thorns and snares.” If they were more cooperative and considerate, things would go much better for them. If you are a wise person, you will stay “far from” people like that because you know that the way to avoid trouble is to avoid those kinds of people.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The responsibility of parents is to train children. To train means to teach. That is why it says in Ephesians 6:4, “And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” “Nurture and admonition” are two words that refer to training and teaching children. The responsibility of children is to honor their parents and learn from them. And then the child can transfer that attitude of submission and having a teachable spirit to the Lord and to learning from Him. If you do not have parents that teach you, you can still learn from the Lord. He will be your Savior and your Father. One of the truths from Proverbs 22:6 is that life-long habits often get formed in youth. The best life is to come to know the Lord Jesus as early as possible, and start following Him as early as possible. Some people start in a certain direction in their youth and they never leave it, whether it be for good or for evil. There are dangers in having children because there are no guarantees. Each child will eventually decide for himself or herself. The first child born into the world, Cain, became a murderer. Jesus said about families in Mark 13:12, “Now brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” The first part of verse seven tells us something that should be evident. Those who have the money have the power. Instead of hating the rich, you might come out better if you show them respect and honor, because in some practical ways they do have more power than you. The Bible is a very practical book. It encourages work, it encourages paying your own way in life, and it encourages not being in debt like it says in the second half of verse seven. If you ever want to be rich or at least financially independent, then you must get rid of your debts. When you owe someone money, they have a lot of power over you. If you value freedom and independence, then get out of debt whenever you can. Work hard, live frugally, and pay off your debts. It says in Romans 13:8, “Owe no man anything, save to love one another…”

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:8, “He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.” We reap what we sow. That is a fact of life that is true for all people: saved and lost. One of the explanations for what happens to you is that you are simply reaping the consequences of what you have done. Of course, that is not the only reason for what happens, but it is one of the reasons. The person who sows iniquity will reap vanity: in other words, the results of what they do will be of no value and will be empty and useless. The person who sows iniquity is usually an angry person. They cannot control their anger either. But their anger will also fail. They will be held accountable for what they do, but God is in control and God will turn the tables.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:9, “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” Christians are the most generous people in the world. That is because once we accept Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit puts a real heart in us that feels for others. Today we have all kinds of social programs that help take care of those in need. And when we pay our taxes, we are helping to take care of them. But in centuries past, there were no social programs, so poor people really relied on any help that generous souls would give to them. God loves a cheerful giver.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:10, “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” Some people are trouble-makers. When they make trouble, they make trouble for a lot of people. If they are not going to turn to the Lord, then it is best to have no contact with them. One reason that they cause contention and strife and reproach is that they are scorners. A scorner is someone who rejects and refuses good advice. A scorner speaks against what is good and true. That is why they must be cast out. They had their chance, and they threw it away, and so the best solution now is for them to go their way.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:11, “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.” There are many benefits to believing on the Lord Jesus and following Him, and the greatest benefit is the forgiveness of sins. But another benefit is that as you follow the Lord, you will learn to be a better person and that includes being a better worker and a better citizen. A wise leader will understand the value of Christians who are honest, who work hard, and who obey those in authority. A wise leader will not persecute Christians, but will reward them for the good citizens that they are.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:12, “The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.” The spiritual warfare going on in the world involves a contest of words. The Lord preserves “knowledge.” The most important knowledge is the knowledge of God through faith in Christ: God’s knowledge He has given to man through His precious Word. Of course, God did not only give His Word originally, but God also preserved His Word. That is why we know the Bible is without errors. Supernaturally and miraculously God has preserved “knowledge.” There are words that are in opposition to the Word of God: all of the ideas and philosophies that have sinful man as their source. Humanistic man tries mightily to spread his words: false religion, false news media, much of the educational system, much of the entertainment system. But no matter how many get corrupted or confused or deceived by the words of sinful man, God will overthrow the words of the transgressor.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:13, “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” If someone does not want to do something, they will always find an excuse to not do it. That includes turning to the Lord Jesus and getting right with God. That includes going to a church service to hear the Word of God. One of the reasons that people have for not doing things they really should do is how dangerous the world is. The real question should be: what does God want me to do? If God wants you to do something, the Lord will protect you. Most fears that people have never happen. What are the odds of there being a lion right out there in your street? If there really is a danger, then you have every right to protect yourself. The point of verse 13 is that lazy people always have excuses such as: they do not like working for other people, they do not like office politics, they cannot find the type of work that they really want to do, they are afraid of one thing or another, and the list goes on. Lazy people can always find an excuse. But work is one of the purposes of life. God created. Jesus worked. We must work, or else we are wasting our lives and wasting the opportunities that God gives us to accomplish something.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:14, “The mouth of strange women is a deep pit; he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.” God has made very clear how men and women relationships should work. God made Adam, and then God brought one woman to Adam: Eve. Jesus said in Mark 10:7 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife.” That is God’s plan, and that is God’s way. If you are blessed to find the one you love and the one who loves you from God, then you get joined to them through the marriage bond. That person that you marry becomes the only person with whom you seek or accept romance. God established marriage that way because marriage symbolizes a believer’s relationship with God, and we ought to serve and love the one true God and no other god. It says in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

If a man chases after a woman who is not his wife, that man is warned that he will fall into “a deep pit.” Do not believe Hollywood. Do not believe the temptation. It will not work. It will cause you sorrow and woe and regret. God has established the holiness of the marriage bond. Jesus said in Matthew 19:6, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” God abhors whoever breaks or dishonors or violates this marriage bond.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Children are born with a sinful nature which manifests itself by selfishness. Also, children do not understand the law of consequences. And children do not have wisdom until they learn from a parent or from God. And so children will need correction to help them learn. All Christians need correction. No one has arrived. No one is everything they ought to be, and so everyone needs correction, not just children. It says in Second Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” We are corrected when our actual words or actions are compared to what they should be. Correction can be a “rod” figuratively speaking because it can be quite humiliating to be confronted by the fact that your behavior is not what it should be. But also people cannot do what is right if they do not know what is right. That is especially true of children.

Be careful of the phrase “the rod of correction” in regards to children. We already spoke of the figurative rod. If you insist that this must be a physical rod, be careful. This is a verse from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is known for its harsh punishments. But we live in the days of the New Testament. We live under grace and not under law. If a parent is going to use verses like this to think they need to spank their children, they need to realize that they are not told to spank in this verse, but they are told to correct the child. There are no verses in the New Testament that in any way encourage spanking, and so that must be taken under consideration. A parent’s primary responsibility is to teach a child, and that involves “correction.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:16, “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” This Bible verse says that there are two ways to guarantee that you will lose your substance. One way is to oppress the poor in order to increase your own well-being. That kind of a thief is a low-down dirty rotten rat. You will also lose if you give “to the rich.” Many things in life involve competition, and you better know your competition. People who are rich have learned how to compete and come out on top. You do not need to help them out by giving them free stuff. You will need to learn how to hold on to your material substance. That is part of the practical side to life.

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