Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20120603.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Proverbs: Motivating Teens And Adults To Align With God's Fixed Moral Order
Part III: Solomon's Proverbs Reflecting God's Fixed Moral Order For Blessing, Proverbs 10:1-22:16
B. Proverbs With Directions On Righteous Living, Proverbs 16:1-22:16
14. Studying Proverbs 20:4-12
  1. Introduction
    1. Where Proverbs 10:1-15:33 contrasts wise, upright lives with foolish, wicked ones, Proverbs 16:1-22:16 focuses mainly on the upright life, guiding us on how to live righteously in many realms of experience.
    2. We thus view each proverb in this section to draw out its deeper insight that Proverbs 1:5-6 implies exists:
  2. Studying Proverbs 20:4-12.
    1. Proverbs 20:4 teaches that after the autumn harvest-time (horep, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 358), the sluggard (asel, Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1178; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 782) does not plow (harash, Ibid., p. 360); he will seek for a crop (sha'al, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 981-982) in the [next] harvest (qasir, Ibid., p. 894), but [find] nothing (ayin, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 34-35). Lazy people fail to plan and act with adequate foresight, so we must plan and act well now for a good future!
    2. Proverbs 20:5 claims deep (amoq, Ibid., p. 771) waters are the purposes (esah, Ibid., p. 420) in the heart of a nobleman (ish, Ibid., Kittel; Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the O. T., 1973, p. 45-50); a nobleman (ish again) of understanding (tebunah, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 108) will draw it out [as drawing water up from a well] (dalah, Ibid., p. 194). Wise people seek to understand the purposes of good leaders for their own beneficial learning and instruction, so they respectfully, patiently ask such leaders questions!
    3. Proverbs 20:6 asserts many a common man (adam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., Girdlestone) proclaims (qara', Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 894-896) he is a nobleman (ish, cf. Pr. 20:5) of loyal love (hesed, Ibid., Kittel; NIV & ESV), but a faithful (aman, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 52-53) nobleman (ish again) who can find? True reliability in anyone, even a nobleman, is rare, so we best not fully rely on any human being, and work at being reliable ourselves so that we do not fail others who rely upon us.
    4. Proverbs 20:7 teaches the righteous man walks about, lives (halak, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 229-237; Hithpael = intensive reflexive) in his integrity (tom, Ibid., p. 1070); blessed are his children after him. A life lived in righteous integrity blesses one's children, so it is very desirable that we live this way!
    5. Proverbs 20:8 claims a king sits on his throne to judge; he winnows out (qarah, Ibid., p. 279-280; Piel = intensive) all evil with his eyes. Kings are aware that people will try to deceive them because of their power, so they learn to read body language. Thus, if we stand before a judge, make sure to be very candid with him, for he will discern a lot about our integrity by even how we unconsciously relate to him!
    6. Proverbs 20:9 asserts who can say, "I have made, kept clean (zakah, Ibid., p. 269; Piel = intensive) my heart; I am clean (taher, Ibid., p. 372) from my sin?" The answer to this question is "No one!", a great complementary passage to Romans 3:23 in the New Testament, and a truth to remember in all dealings!
    7. Proverbs 20:10 teaches (literally) a stone and a stone, a measure and a measure [i. e., differing weight stones and differing ("ephah") dry good measures used in business transactions], even ( gam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 168-169) both of them are an abomination (to'ebah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1072-1073) to Jahweh. God detests cheating in business, so we must remain upright there for blessing.
    8. Proverbs 20:11 claims even (gam, cf. Pr. 20:10) a youth by his deeds (ma'alal, Ibid., p. 760) makes himself known (nakar, Ibid., p. 647-648; Hithpael = intensive reflexive), whether his work, achievements (po'al, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 821) are clean, pure (zak, Ibid., p. 269) or whether they are straight, right (yashar, Ibid., p. 449). Even children display the quality of their character by their actions, so, since we cannot hide what we are by our actions, we best have pure hearts and motives behind our actions!
    9. Proverbs 20:12 asserts the hearing ear and the seeing eye, Jahweh (in the emphatic position, preceding the verb "made") made even (gam, cf. Pr. 20:10) both of them. The emphatic position of "Jahweh" highlights God as the Giver of our ears and eyes. Thus, we must trust what our ears hear and our eyes see over what everyone else tries to tell us to the contrary, for God Himself gave them to us as His best means for us to have empirical insight! Heeding this protects us from deceptive manipulators and even verbal abusers!
Lesson Application: May we align with God's fixed moral order in each of these realms for blessing.