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PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER
Part III: Displaying God's Fixed Moral Order
M. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order
(Proverbs 22:1-29)
  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 22:1-29.
    1. A son should learn that keeping a good reputation is more wholesome to his own life that great riches, for a good name protects one's capacity to be trustworthy in future business transactions, etc., Pr. 22:1.
    2. A son must learn that it is in his best interests to respect God even if he becomes rich, for God's sovereignty is unaffected by the amount of wealth any human being possesses, Proverbs 22:2.
    3. A son must learn to respect rightful authority or expect to pay painful consequences for opposing it, 22:3.
    4. A son should value humility as akin to respecting God, for both yield riches, honor and a long life, 22:4.
    5. A son should learn to avoid being twisted in his ways, for such a lifestyle produces pain and loss, Pr. 22:5.
    6. A son must see that raising his son well will include identifying the occupational bent God has put in each individual child, and then showing him the right way to traverse the path of that occupation, 22:6.
    7. A son should see that adhering to God's fixed moral order leads him to try building rather than spending his financial resources, and that doing so will produce better long-term financial welfare, Proverbs 22:7.
    8. A son must learn to avoid using power abusively to his own ends or it will backfire to his harm, Pr. 22:8.
    9. A son must learn to share with those who cannot repay him as this reveals true character, building trust, 9.
    10. A son must learn as a ruler to drive out a mocker if he would want strife, quarrels and insults to end, 22:10
    11. A son must see that pure motives resulting in gracious speech deliver rewarding contacts with others, 11.
    12. A son should see that speaking only known truth will cause him to enjoy God's protection, but speaking what is deceitful abandons divine protection to one's harm, Proverbs 22:12.
    13. A son must not talk about serious needs, but do something about it if he would not be unjustly lazy, 22:13
    14. A son should learn to draw a sharp contrast between the seductive words of an immoral party and God: they just do not mingle as associates at all, with incredibly opposing consequences, Proverbs 22:14.
    15. A son must see that a child has a bent to violate God's fixed moral order, so he must be disciplined, 22:15.
    16. A son should learn that using his money unjustly with the poor or the rich will alike produce poverty, 16!
    17. A son should see that Solomon's proverbs are valuable for his welfare: his heeding them will bring him delight, for they will build his confidence in Jahweh to equip him to relate skillfully to all men, 22:17-21.
    18. A son must learn to respect and honor the poor as Jahweh is their Protector and Avenger, Pr. 22:22-23.
    19. A son must learn to avoid associating with ill-tempered men lest their ways rub off on his own outlook and behavior to his own eventual harm, Proverbs 22:24-25.
    20. A son must seek to keep his financial matters independent of the business decisions of others if he would protect his own financial welfare, Proverbs 22:26-27.
    21. A son must see that violating the inherited property rights of others violates God's fixed moral order, and will bring divine judgment on him, Proverbs 22:28 with Deuteronomy 19:14.
    22. A son must learn the best way to be promoted is to do skillful work in his current occupation: "Hearing about a good worker, a king (or other leader) will want to hire him." (Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 956)
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 of 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 our eventual blessings.