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PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER
Part III: Displaying God's Fixed Moral Order
G. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order
(Proverbs 16:1-33)
  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 15:1-33.
    1. A son must learn God is sovereign over events, so he must consider God's will to plan well, Prov. 16:1.
    2. A son must learn God views his motives so he must submit his heart to God in planning effectively, 16:2.
    3. A son should thus learn that the best way to plan is to submit all his plans to God for His approval, 16:3.
    4. A son must see even those who oppose God are pawns of His: thus, it is useless to plan against God, 16:4.
    5. A son must learn to remain humble as God will surely counter and punish the proud, Proverbs 16:5.
    6. A son should learn though God forgives, respecting Him keeps one from ever sinning in the first place, 6.
    7. A son must see that if he pleases Jahweh, even his enemies are made by God to be at peace with him, 7.
    8. A son should learn that it is more wholesome for him to earn less uprightly than more unrighteously, 16:8.
    9. A son must learn that since real life is ruled by God, all of his planned steps are subject to modification, 9.
    10. A son must see the higher in influence he rises, the more potent his words, so he must guard his words, 10
    11. A son must learn to respect an earthly ruler's rule of order as the God of order and justice supports it, 11.
    12. A son must learn to value righteousness if he would have a good reign, for it establishes a reign, 16:12.
    13. A son must learn to value truth in particular if he would reign, for truth establishes a good kingdom, 16:13
    14. A son must learn the only profitable way to relate to any ruler is to heed God's moral order, for a ruler can stand only by God's will, so submitting to God should give one peace with the human ruler under God, 14
    15. A son must learn that winning a human ruler's favor promises a good future much like fresh rain, 16:15.
    16. A son must learn to choose to align to God's moral order earns a much better life than money itself, 16.
    17. A son must learn choosing to reject evil and to go for upright ways will guard his inner man from loss, 17.
    18. A son must see that pride is to be avoided as it will lead inevitably to failure, Proverbs 16:18.
    19. A son must see that it is more wholesome to be humble among the oppressed than proud with winners, 19.
    20. A son should learn relying on Jahweh coincides with heeding instruction, and that breeds success, 16:20.
    21. A son must see that heeding God's moral order makes him discerning of the hearts of others, equipping him to speak words that maximize his hearer's positive response to the benefit of all, Proverbs 16:21.
    22. A son must see the degree he heeds God will he have life-giving insight and not suffer punishment, 16:22.
    23. A son must see the degree he heeds God will his heart prudently guide his speech to promote teaching, 23.
    24. A son should learn that pleasant, appropriate words rising from alignment to God's ways really help, 24.
    25. A son should see that just because a path seems upright to some, if it is sinful, it will produce death, 16:25
    26. A son must learn God's way to respond to painful needs is to use them motivate him to fill them well, 26
    27. A son must learn to discern worthless people to avoid as those who plot evil by use of hurtful words, 27.
    28. A son must learn to discern perverse people to avoid as those who stir up dissension by gossip, 16:28.
    29. A son must learn to spot violent people to avoid as those who entice others to ways that ruin them, 29.
    30. A son must learn to spot bad people to avoid as those who use excessive body language in relating, 30.
    31. A son should learn to spot generally upright people as those who have lived long as God's reward, 31.
    32. A son must learn it is more productive to wait rather than take action out of quick fury if wronged, 32.
    33. A son should to adjust to man's elections as even they are under God's sovereign oversight, 16:33.
Lesson: From these proverbs, we learn that a youth is much better off learning from his parents that heeding God's ways is to his own distinct advantage in the adult world.

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