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 themselves. 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 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 reasons 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. One of the
reasons that people give 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-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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Copyright; 2018 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved