Practical Wisdom

Chapter Ten

Focus Verse: Prov 4:7 Lesson Verse: Prov 10:1

I. Introduction to Practical Wisdom

A. For the next 15 chapters, until Chapter 25, God lays out a direct comparison of the following thoughts – contrasting, and comparing them

1. The wise and the foolish

2. The rich and the poor

3. The just and the unjust

4. The righteous and the wicked

5. The virtuous and the shameful

B. It is important to note the method God uses to teach us about the right things

1. He contrasts right with clearly wrong

2. He compares two opposites

3. He repeats Himself over and over, using slight variations to show you the full colour of the truths being taught – you won’t appreciate until you have read all of Proverbs

C. This is so that God lays out the principals of truth, and righteousness, and then leaves it to us to apply those principals to ANY present situation

D. That is what makes the Bible so super-natural

1. It is not tied to any culture, or time-period

2. It is general enough to provide the framework for:

a. Governmental law and legislation

b. Home authority – how to operate a home

c. Church

d. The job

e. Living the Christian life in the first century

f. Living the Christian life in the twenty-first century!

E. Five areas of life are dealt with in this chapter

1. The Value of Righteousness

2. The Value of Diligence

3. The Value of Submission

4. The Value of Openness

5. The Value of Right Words

6. The Value of Love

7. The Value of the Fear of the Lord

II. Lesson - Practical Wisdom - Chapter Ten

A. The Value of Personal Righteousness/being Justified/being Upright

1. It is a priceless GIFT – unearned, but must be retained (10:2)

2. It is the key to the satisfaction of the SOUL

a. Godliness with contentment is great gain (1Tim 6:6)

b. You may go through “lean” times as a Christian, but you will never famish (10:3)

c. As a matter of fact, he who finds satisfaction, has only a continual feast (Pr 15:15)

d. The satisfaction given by the Lord has no sorrow with it (10:22)

e. Only a fool would get pleasure in doing sin (10:23)

3. It is the main reason for getting prayers answered (10:24; Jam 5:16)

4. It is the reason for blessings in your life instead of violence (10:6)

5. It has a good effect on others

6. It gives you confidence/experience/stability (10:9)

7. It makes for a VERY LONG life (10:25,29) outliving all your enemies – living ETERNALLY as a matter of fact!

8. It makes you strong (10:29) – sin weakens you, and will lead to DEATH if not dealt with (Rom 6:23)

B. The Value of Diligence – Hard work (Pr 10:4,5,16,26) in the yoke/harness

1. The NT term for it is being “not slothful/lazy in business, fervent in spirit”

2. It conquers laziness and poverty

a. The thing to conquer poverty is NOT Government programmes

b. It is PLAIN HARD WORK

c. The government should be there to make sure business doesn’t take advantage of its workers – PERIOD!

d. Even if your boss takes advantage of you, God still will bless you for not being lazy!

3. It makes you rich/wealthy – nothing wrong with money – it is only the LOVE of money that is wrong (1Tim 6:10)

4. It makes for a better life

a. Healthier – you were made to work, and work hard

b. Smarter – common sense comes with hard work only – not books

c. Wealthier – you have money instead of always needing it

C. The Value of Submission (Pr 10:8,17)

1. Only a wise person will listen and learn - Accepting Instruction

a. A sure sign of wisdom is the fact you receive instruction – not too proud to be quiet and listen – not always have to show off how much you know – which is usually very little!

b. Instruction includes REPROOF (2Tim 4:2) – are you ready to receive THAT every now and then?!

1) Rejecting reproof is the way of the fool

2) Accepting reproof is the mark of a mature believer

2. Only a submissive/soft attitude will have less troubles in life

a. The hard-hearted/stubborn person’s life is FULL of troubles

b. It is a spiritual law (1Pet 5:5)

3. Pride, stubbornness, unyielding obstinance is only stupid!!!

4. LEARNING at the feet of someone is far better than GETTING ahead of anyone (10:14; 1Tim 4:13; Lk 8:35)

D. The Value of Openness (10:10)

1. People are bad enough having secrets and covert lives – unreal

2. Worse with prats – all talk – like politicians

a. A prating fool makes no time to listen – only just talks and talks and talks

b. They talk to hide their inabilities

c. They talk and talk to hide their real intentions

E. The Value of Right Words (Pr 10:11,20)

1. Right words are a source of life and treasure

a. Your words are either a source for life, or a source of violence

b. Your words are either a source of wisdom, or a reason for punishment (10:13,31) – your words will get you into more trouble than most anything else!

2. Right words, and usually few in number

a. Notice how few words Jesus said. Notice how short the bible is, yet you could preach it for a million years, expounding, and commenting, and exhorting!

b. If you talk a lot, you are bound to sin (10:19) – by saying something wrong, or provoking people to wrath for the wrong reason

1) So, Pray for your Pastor

2) Preach the Gospel with the most attention and care!

3. Right words are valued most by the hearer

a. We have so many “words” coming at us – TV, radio, books, books, and more books

b. People are numb – their heart is “gross” or full

c. Choice words will stand out – soft answers

d. Words from a wicked heart are of little value (10:20)

e. Your words with either feed yourself and many others, or leave everyone starving (10:21) – How can that be?

1) What you say can actually bless your own heart – amazing - when you speak right words, you give something for others to think about, and ponder, and feed on

2) Jesus was our greatest example of this (Jn 6:68)

3) We all begin by feeding on God’s word (Mt 4:4) – not snacking

4. Right words are discrete (10:32)

a. We must know what is acceptable, and right to say – not politically correct, but BIBLICALLY correct

b. Otherwise our words will only be forward/obnoxious to the hearers

F. The Value of Love (10:12,18)

1. Contrasted with hatred

a. Both are motivating forces – they drive us to unbelievable ends

b. Both love and hatred are in the extreme

2. Love with find a way for sins to be covered – not ignored, but dealt with and then forgotten

3. Hatred will only seek to stir up more wrath – it feeds on it

4. Jesus knew the meaning of this command, and loved this world enough to deal with all its sins – didn’t ignore them

5. The source of 99% of all hatred is the old nature – confess it and forsake it

G. The Value of the Fear of the Lord (10:27)

1. Gives you longer life than you deserve (Pr 9:11)!

2. A wicked life is a short life – no matter how long it may seem (Ps 55:23)

III. Conclusion and Study Questions

A. Look again at the contrasting terms

The Righteous	The Wicked
The Just	Refuses Reproof and Correction
The Upright	The Prat
The Wise	The Fool
The Diligent	The Shameful
The Rich	The Poor
The Lover	The Hater
Has Understanding	Lacks Understanding
Talks Little	Talks a lot
Long Life	Short and Wasted Life

B. Five areas of life were dealt with in this chapter

1. The Value of Personal Righteousness – are you saved?