Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20110717.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Proverbs: Motivating Teens And Adults To Align With God's Fixed Moral Order
Part II: Explaining The Value Of Heeding God's Fixed Moral Order, Proverbs 1:8-9:18
O. Motivating Teens To Adhere To God's Fixed Moral Order Due To Its Comprehensive Value
(Proverbs 8:12-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. Maturing teens generally think about and plan for what they want to achieve in their lives as adults.
    2. Solomon as an adult had gained great riches, honor (1 Kings 3:13) and wisdom, or hakmah, alignment to God's fixed moral order (1 Kings 3:12), and he informed his son in Proverbs 8:12-21 that there was a cause-effect relation between God's hakmah and acquiring success in such key realms of life.
    3. We view that passage for insight and encouragement by God's grace to align with His fixed moral order:
  2. Motivating Teens To Adhere To God's Fixed Moral Order Due To Its Comprehensive Value.
    1. God's fixed moral order (hakmah) supplies the healthy attitude that produces success in life's endeavors:
      1. God's hakmah is closely allied in experience with "prudence," or with ormah, that is, "cleverness or sensibleness" (Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament , p. 921, 907), Proverbs 8:12a NIV.
      2. God's hakmah also possesses "knowledge" and "discretion," or healthy caution, Prov. 8:12b,c NIV.
      3. So, God's hakmah offers the common sense, insight and cautious attitude needed for one to succeed!
    2. God's fixed moral order supplies excellent moral judgment: respect for God is the starting point of His hakmah (Proverbs 1:7a), and it leads one to hate evil, pride, arrogance, evil behavior and perverse, or abnormal, speech, Proverbs 8:13 NIV; Ibid., p. 922, 910.
    3. God's fixed moral order leads one to give sound advice and to have sound judgment, insight and valor, or courage, qualities so necessary for good leadership, Proverbs 8:14-16 NIV; Ibid., p. 922:
      1. God's hakmah provides the insight needed to deliver good advice and judgment, Proverbs 8:14a NIV.
      2. That "wisdom" also offers the needed "power" or courage for one to do the right under stress versus leaving him to doubt what to do and so sabotage his final achievement! (Proverbs 8:14b NIV; Ibid.)
      3. Thus armed, kings as executive officers reign well by means of God's hakmah, Proverbs 8:15a NIV.
      4. Also, rulers thus armed in legislative roles make just laws by God's hakmah, Proverbs 8:15b NIV.
      5. Finally, thus armed, princes and all nobles under them rule their subordinate, local realms effectively by God's hakmah. Thus, not only in top levels, but at the lesser ones, God's "wisdom" makes an overseer effective, Proverbs 8:16.
    4. This invaluable hakmah of God is not hard to acquire, either: it loves those who love it, implying it does good for those who appreciate it, and all who seek it "diligently" find it and are blessed, Prov. 8:17 ESV.
    5. Aligning to God's hakmah provides financial blessing and honor: it gives riches, honor, enduring wealth, prosperity in business, yielding values exceeding the price of fine gold and choice silver, Pr. 8:18-19 NIV.
    6. Indeed, aligning with God's fixed moral order gives one not only wealth, but added blessings mingled with the wealth that keeps that financial gain both enduring and pleasant (as follows), Prov. 8:20-21 NIV:
      1. God's hakmah makes its possesser order his life in the way of God's righteousness, Prov. 8:20a NIV.
      2. In so doing, one aligned to God's hakmah also walks in the paths of justice before God and in the view of others and his relationships with other people, Proverbs 8:20b NIV.
      3. Well, righteousness before God and justice before God and one's fellow man produces wealth for the one with God's "wisdom" because he loves "wisdom," and it makes his treasuries full, Prov. 8:21 NIV.
      4. Thus, God's hakmah leads one to be comprehensively fulfilled in his successes in life: he not only appreciates having gained success, but also keeping good relationships with God in being righteous and with man in being just in his dealings with other people, leaving his success an entirely fulfilling event!
Lesson: Maturing teens must be told that aligning with God's fixed moral order gives the blessings of common sense, moral judgment, the capacity to give good advice, have sound judgment, insight and courage, to be a good leader, to provide all sorts of economic advantages with good relationships, and that this wisdom is readily attainable if they love and diligently seek after it. (cf. also James 1:5)

Application: May we thus inform maturing teens on these facts that they might enjoy success in life!