Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20000206.htm
PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER FOR BLESSING
Part II: Sparking The Reader's Motivation To Heed God's Fixed Moral Order
A. Aligning To God's Fixed Moral Order Of WHO One HEEDS To Affect His Destiny
(Proverbs 1:8-19)
- Introduction
- After noting the foundation to God's fixed moral order that one follows for blessing, Solomon supplied a sixteen-part section in the Egyptian sboyet format to spark the reader's motivation to heed that order.
- The first section reveals that heeding God's fixed moral order brings one honor, a positive pull on the reader toward making him yearn to heed that order as follows:
- Aligning To God's Fixed Moral Order Of WHO One HEEDS To Affect His Destiny, Proverbs 1:8-19.
- The Kittel text of the Hebrew Old Testament is arranged to treat verses 8-19 of Proverbs 1 as a single literary paragraph, ed. Kttel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1155-1156.
- As such, there is a study in contrast of the results of heeding one party over another as far as gaining success in life is concerned, Proverbs 1:8-9, 10-19:
- On the one hand, heeding God's Word taught by godly parents would bring honor and position, 1:8-9:
- Not only did Solomon mention the need for one to heed his parents, but he named the mother's "teaching" by using the Hebrew word, torah, or "law." This is teaching of the Mosaic Law or of the Word of God for which many times the term, torah referred, Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 908.
- The results of heeding this instruction would be twofold: (a) it would produce a garland about the head, signifying honor, and (b) a chain around the neck which signified a position or job of headship, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. Four, page 400.
- Thus, heeding God's Word as taught by one's godly parents would produce honor and position.
- Conversely, heeding the greedy, heartless route to meeting life's goals taught by sinners would yield not only a lack of honor and position, but lead actually to disaster in life, Proverbs 1:10-19:
- In contrast to godly parents who teach God's Word, Solomon warned against following the godless words of sinners who entice hearers to gain what had belonged to others by violence, Prov. 1:10-13.
- Solomon noted a warning for the evil path wherein one throws in his lot with others on a common purse instead of earning gain by personal, individual effort, Prov. 1:14 in light of Micah 4:4.
- Solomon warned against going along with such advisers, against setting foot in their pathways, and noted that such men rush to sin and shed innocent blood, Proverbs 1:15-16.
- In doing so, their pathways inevitably backfire, for such selfish, ruthless, cruel ways only serve to set a trap of disaster in the end for one who follows it, Proverbs 1:17-19: not only is one left without honor and position, he even pays for it with his life! One cannot choose a path of taking unjust advantage of others without inevitably inciting the wrath of others who react to attack him in return!
Lesson: (1) Correct SOURCES of advice that bring blessing come by way of God's fixed moral order of (a) Biblically-sanctioned sources within God's chain-of-command (like a child's parents, a wife's husband, one's church leaders, etc.), (b) th rough ideas that align with Scripture and (c) through ideas that promote God's value of respecting one's neighbor and his possessions. (2) Failing to look to such sources for advice and failing to follow these sources' advice that respects the honor and possessions of others leads to personal DISASTER.
Application: (1) To enjoy God's blessings of honor and position in life, one should heed the Word of God as it is taught within the Godly chain-of-command order such as one's godly parents, etc.. Conversely, he should (2) avoid the advice of (a ) unbiblical sources outside of God's fixed moral order, or chain-of-command that (b) seek to grab what belongs to others by forcible violence, (c) that seeks gain by a common purse or by an easy money route rather than by use of Biblical individual effo rt and (d) that takes harmful advantage of others. Avoiding these sources of advice will do much to preserve one from eventual disaster.