Proverbs 11

Lesson 11 of 28

7. CURSING
Proverbs 26:2 - As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. - Cursing means asking God to do some evil thing to your enemy. Some people curse others without any good reason, but God will not punish anyone unfairly. These curses are like birds flying in the air, they will not come down on one who has done no wrong. Baalam tried to curse Israel, but God turned it into a blessing, - Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. Numbers 22:6; And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. Numbers 22:12; Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. Nehemiah 13:2.

No Christian should curse anyone, - Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14 and God will not hear a curse against any of His children.

8. FEW WORDS
We can say so many evil things with our tongues that you might think it would be better not to say anything at all. This is wrong because we can also say many good and beautiful things. Many people talk too much and we will now read four proverbs which advise them to say little.

Proverbs 17:27 - He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. - Much talking is no sign of much knowledge. True knowledge makes a person humble, and he will not always be talking about himself and how much he has learned. Another thing: a wise person will not quickly get angry; he knows how to control his tongue.

Proverbs 17:28 - Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of unders tanding. Proverbs 17:28. - A foolish person speaks up, and everyone soon knows that he had nothing valuable to say. He should keep quiet and people would not know how ignorant and stupid he is.

Proverbs 21:23 - Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. - Only God can give us the power to control fully our mouths and tongues. Often we get into trouble because of what we ourselves say.

A young man told David what he thought was good news, and died for it. - And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered; I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. 14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? 15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and
fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed. 2 Samuel 1:13-16.

The third servant was judged by the lord because of what he said. - And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Luke 19:22.

We sinful men can hardly say a great deal without sin. We may talk about other people or flatter someone, or else we may become proud, or say something that is not quite true. These things are wrong.

The only perfect man was the Lord Jesus Christ. He was silent when He could have defended Himself. - But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God Matthew 26:63; Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. Luke 23:9; The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: Acts 8:32. Yet He always said the right words at the right time for God’s glory.

B. THE HEART, GOOD THINGS

We have seen that the tongue can speak things both good and bad. But the mouth speaks the things which we are thinking in our hearts, - But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. Matthew 15:18.

Now we will read many proverbs about the heart, good things; and bad things from the heart.

9. Wisdom
10. Mercy
11. Joy
12. Hard Work
13. Self-control
14. Thoughts

9. WISDOM

We have here seventeen proverbs (22 verses): Five advise us to get wisdom and twelve teach us that it is good to have wisdom. Solomon often told his sons to listen and get wise:

Proverbs 1:8 - My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Proverbs 2:1 – My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Proverbs 3:1 - My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

Proverbs 3:21 - My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Proverbs 4.1 - Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Proverbs 4:10 - Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

Proverbs 4:20 - My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Proverbs 5.1 - My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

Proverbs 6.20 - My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Proverbs 7.1 - My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

In Proverbs 23:12-19 - the other wise men do the same: hear, be wise, turn your mind in the right way, and apply yourself to learning. - Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Proverbs 23:12-19.

Proverbs 18:15 - The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. - The wise person seeks and gets more knowledge to have wisdom in our hearts and minds.

(a) Get Wisdom

Proverbs 23:12-19 - Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. - The proverbs of the wise men are found in Proverbs 22:17 to Proverbs 24:34.

In his heart he desires to know more, so he listens with his ears and learns from other people.

Proverbs 16:16 - How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! Proverbs 16:16. - Wisdom and understanding are better than lots of money, -

Proverbs 2.4 - thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure.

Proverbs 3.14 - For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

Proverbs 8.10 - Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

Proverbs 8.19 - My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

Some people work very hard and spend their whole life earning money, but they end up as fools because they have not received the wisdom of God.

Proverbs 23:23 - Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. - We should be willing to spend time and money to learn the truth of God, and never give it up for any false teaching, - I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. Revelation 3:18; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:4.

The same applies to wisdom and learning.

(b) The value of Wisdom

Eight of these 13 proverbs were written by Solomon, and the other five by other wise men.

Proverbs 19:8 - He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good. - You should be wisdom for your own good. The truth of God alone can save your soul.

Never give up the truth, - Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23:23.

Proverbs 19:20 - Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. -

It takes your whole life to become wise. We need to seek the wisdom of the Lord and study God's Word every day so that we will not be fools in our old age.
Proverbs 16:21- The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning - People will know that you have real wisdom and you will help others to learn. To do this it is necessary to speak with kindness. Teachers should never lose their temper.

Proverbs 19.25 - Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

Proverbs 21:11 - When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

There are three kinds of people in these verses. Some people laugh at sin, as in - Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour. Proverbs 14:9, and do not like to have anyone try to teach them, - A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise. Proverbs 15:12.

When they do wrong they will be punished and this is a lesson to others, those who may be ignorant but are willing to be taught, - To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. Proverbs 1:4; O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Proverbs 8:5. But a wise man is always ready to learn more.

Proverbs 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. - A righteous man produces life by telling others how to be saved, and the wise man can win souls for Christ. Indeed it takes great wisdom to show people the way of life so they want to accept the Lord. The Lord Jesus Himself showed His wisdom in the different ways He spoke to Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria, John Chapters 3 and 4.

We are commanded to tell others how to get life. If we disobey, people may die without hearing the Gospel. But we also need wisdom. God will give us this wisdom if we ask for it in faith, - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:5-6.

Proverbs 20:24 - Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?

Even if we get wisdom we must always remember that God is over all. The wisest man must still trust the Lord - He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Proverbs 2:8.

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. Proverbs 5:21.

Now we have five proverbs by the wise men, and one by Solomon. These five all include two or three verses each.

Proverbs 22:17-19 - Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. - We should pay attention and try hard to learn the true wisdom of the Bible. The words of wisdom will bring pleasure and we will be ready to teach others also, - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15.

Proverbs 22:20-21 - Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? The wise men wrote good words of wisdom so that we might be sure of what is true. God’s word is true and pure - Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth John 17:17; - The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psalms 12:6. We should know what the Bible teaches and not be easily moved by every new doctrine - That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Ephesians 4:14. In this way we will be able to answer anyone who teaches differently.

Proverbs 22:22 to Proverbs 24:22; - Some translators say that the wise men wrote thirty sayings and divide these verses into thirty proverbs. We will study them according to what each one teaches and put them together with other proverbs about the same subject.

Proverbs 24:3-4 - Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. It takes wisdom to build a good house, and to put nice furniture in it properly arranged. It takes far more wisdom to provide a good Christian home for a family and to bring up children so they will love the Lord Jesus. This is what fathers and mothers should do, - And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4.

Proverbs 24:5-6 - A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is better than mere strength, but wisdom makes a man stronger. A small army with wise leaders can often defeat a larger army – Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war Proverbs 20:18; He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof. Proverbs 21:21-22; Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Ecclesiastes 9:15; And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. 2 Samuel 5:6-7.

Proverbs 24:13-14 - My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. - The wise man advises his son to get wisdom because it is sweet like honey and will be good for him. Wisdom brings its own reward, and those who get wisdom will not be disappointed. So these proverbs teach us to seek for wisdom because it has many advantages. You will find more proverbs on wise and foolish people.

10. MERCY

Mercy is another good thing which we should have in our hearts and show in our lives. God shows His mercy to us and we should show it to others, - Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Luke 10:3.

Proverbs 22:9 - He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. We should be ready to look at poor people, be kind to them and give them food when they are hungry, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, - And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10. In Proverbs 22.9 God promised to bless those who help the poor, - He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. Psalms 112:9.

Proverbs 21:13 - Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. But sometimes we do not listen to poor people when they ask for help. God will punish us by not listening to us when we pray. But the poorest people are those who need the Gospel. Christ will supply the needs of His own people, but sinners may be rich in money but poor in spiritual treasure. Lazarus was really richer than the man who lived like a king, - And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; Luke 16:22. Perhaps God does not answer our prayers because we fail to give the Gospel to many who are spiritually poor.

Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. The Lord will reward those who are kind to poor people. It is like lending to Jehovah, He will surely pay us again. The good Samaritan promised to pay the innkeeper whatever it cost him to care for the poor man, - And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Luke 10:35. God will not be in debt to anyone.

Proverbs 11:25 - The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. This proverb also tells us that generous people will be blessed. A man may help the plants in his garden by giving them water, but it will give him better crops. Give your friends some spiritual truth, it will bring you real joy to do so.

Proverbs 20:28 - Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. The king should also show mercy and help poor people. Still he must judge righteously and according to truth and not give special favours to either rich or poor, - Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Exodus 23:6; Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Leviticus 19:15; And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. Deuteronomy 1:16-17; Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 2 Chronicles 19:7;

Proverbs 24:23 - These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. People will not respect a king who does not judge fairly. You can see that both mercy and truth are necessary for the king or any judge or official. In Proverbs 3:3, the king advised his son to hold fast to mercy and truth. (Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart)

Some translations use different words for mercy and truth, but the same ideas are found together in Psalms 85:10 – (Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other) and John 1:17 - (For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ).

We will read more about poor people.

Proverbs 16:15 - In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. The king has great power, he can put a person to death or let him live, - 1 Kings 2.31 - And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.

1 Kings 2:46 - So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. 

Acts 12.19 - And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

In the king’s court a criminal might carefully watch the king’s face. If he smiled the criminal would know that the king believed he was not guilty, or that he would not receive great punishment.

11. JOY

It is good to have real joy in the heart. What will make a person happy?
Proverbs 15:30 - The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

A smile will often make others happy. It must come from the heart and show in the eyes. People can tell if you really love them. Good news also makes people happy. News is called bad news if it makes people sad.

We should love people because God our Father loves them. We must tell them the good news that God loves them and Christ died for them. If they believe this they will indeed have true joy in their hearts.

Proverbs 25:25 - As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Man’s body needs water, and cold water to drink is very precious when you are really thirsty. The heart wants very much to know about those we love when they are far away. Jacob wanted to know if his ten sons were well, - And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. Genesis 37:12-14; and Paul was concerned about the new believers in Thessalonica, - Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone; 1 Thessalonians3:1 and For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. 1 Thessalonians 3:5. Paul heard good news about them when Timothy came back, - But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: 7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8, it was like cold water when a person is thirsty.

Proverbs 14:10 - The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. But no man can know the joys and sorrows of the heart except the person himself. Everyone’s heart is private, and people should not try to find out the feelings of someone else. Only God has the right to know my heart, and He knows all my thoughts. It is not possible to keep anything from God.

Yet He loves me just the same!