Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20000625.htm

PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER
Part III: Displaying God's Fixed Moral Order
D. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order
(Proverbs 13:1-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. After motivating a young man to heed an observed fixed moral order, the literary genre of the Egyptian sboyet that the Book of Proverbs uses works to supply actual proverbs to reveal that order, cf. Bruce Waltke, "The Book of Proverbs and Ancient Wisdom Literature," Bibliotheca Sacra, 136:543, p. 221-238.
    2. Solomon reveals that order to be God's order for his son to heed. We continue our study of that order:
  2. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order From Proverbs 13:1-25.
    1. A son must learn that he must heed his parents' instruction or he inevitably will turn into an undesirable scoffer who won't even heed a rebuke for his sinful deeds, Proverbs 13:1.
    2. A son must understand that the results of what he says before others eventually pays huge dividends either to bless or ruin himself; thus, he must take heed to the words he uses before others, Prov. 13:2.
    3. A son must see that to the degree he watches what he says will affect the degree he stays out of ruin, 13:3.
    4. A son must learn that the degree he is diligent and not slothful will affect how well he meets his own life's needs of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual areas (nephesh for KJV "soul"), Prov. 13:4.
    5. A son must learn that hating falsehood preserves himself from shame and disgrace, Proverbs 13:5.
    6. A son must learn that to the degree he adheres to righteousness will he find his lifestyle protected, 13:6.
    7. A son must learn that material wealth is not as valuable in life as spiritual wealth of the soul, Prov. 13:7.
    8. A son must learn to gain only the amount of wealth he needs, for wealth tends to attract oppressors, 13:8.
    9. A son must be told that the best and most effect kind of influence comes from being upright, not sinful, 9.
    10. A son must see that presuming he knows everything will only attract unproductive arguments where at least listening leads to acquiring both (1) some occasional good insight and (2) reducing quarrels, 13:10.
    11. A son must learn that his accumulating savings by consistent earnings makes his nest egg grow where quickly and illegally gained wealth tends to dwindle away the collection he already has, Proverbs 13:11.
    12. A son must see that setting attainable goals will keep him from discouragement and build confidence, 12.
    13. A son must be told that respecting even an unfit superior's role and effort positively affects himself, 13.
    14. A son must learn to value the teaching of those aligned to God's ways as it will turn him from going down a path in life that leads to an early grave, Proverbs 13:14.
    15. A son must see that a good personal reputation wins him favor where being treacherous spoils a good reputation, and makes finding favor from others very difficult, Proverbs 13:15.
    16. A son must learn the better he knows what he should do before he actually does it will affect how well he is respected, for doing so will affect his "batting average" before others in his life's efforts, Prov. 13:16.
    17. A son must see that to the degree his is trustworthy will affect not only how well he helps his superiors, but the degree of his own eventual welfare, Proverbs 13:17.
    18. A son must see it is in his best interests to pay attention to discipline to improve his way for his good, 18.
    19. A son must learn that the degree he heeds God's ways will affect how well he meets his own desires, 19.
    20. A son must realize that it is to his own eventual life's welfare to mix with other godly people, 13:20.
    21. A son must learn that to the degree he is upright, he will generally tend toward prosperity and not ruin, 21.
    22. A son must be told that righteousness tends to attract sufficient wealth where sin does the opposite, 13:22.
    23. A son must see that unrighteousness in a person negatively affects even a whole community's welfare, 23.
    24. A maturing son must learn that opposite what may be politically correct or momentarily easy for him as a future parent, it is helpful for his child and hence very loving for him to correct his child by spanking, 24.
    25. A son must learn that the degree he is upright will affect the degree he will be well fed in life, 13:25.
Lesson: From these proverbs, it is clear that a youth is much better off being told by his parents that heeding God's ways is to his own distinct advantage in the adult world.

Application: (1) We as parents need to have the courage under God's leading to inform our maturing sons and daughters of the VALUE of heeding God's fixed moral order. (2) As maturing children or as adult ourselves, we can apply these truths to our own lives for eventual blessings.