Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20001008.htm

PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER
Part III: Displaying God's Fixed Moral Order
P. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order
(Proverbs 25:1-28)
  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 that study of that order:
  2. Viewing Specific Proverbs Of God's Fixed Moral Order From Proverbs 25:1-28.
    1. A son must learn that God expects him not to be mentally lazy, but to use his powers of observation and thinking to investigate all matters about which he makes decisions if he would rule well, Proverbs 25:1-2.
    2. A son must see that when he becomes an overseer, it will be in his interests not to reveal everything he himself knows to others: some things leaders know are best left quiet for the welfare of their rule, 25:3.
    3. A son must learn that as a leader one day, it will be in his best interests to remove wicked men from his administration so that his reign will succeed with God's blessing, Proverbs 25:4-5.
    4. A son must learn that he will gain more advancement in the workplace by being "discovered" for his achievements rather than promoting himself to be what he cannot deliver, Proverbs 25:6-7.
    5. A son must see that he had better do his homework before going into something as solemn as a court case unless he fails to his humiliation for lack of necessary preparation, Proverbs 25:8.
    6. A son must learn that it is risky publicly to take another party to court: doing so may lead to betraying a confidence in order to win the case to an irreversible loss of one's reputation, Proverbs 25:9-10.
    7. A son must learn to use his words well, watching both the vocabulary and the timing of their use: such words can even be used in cases of rebukes to produce great blessing and advance, Proverbs 25:11-12.
    8. A son must learn highly to value reliability in his own workmanship and in those under him if he would be blessed: reliability, especially as a courier, is a delightful blessing, Proverbs 25:13.
    9. A son must see that he should promise only what he is sure he can deliver if he would bless others, 25:14.
    10. A son must learn to respond to the intense wrath of others with patience and gentle words if he would avoid making a bad situation worse, and actually cause a bad situation to improve, Proverbs 25:15.
    11. Like eating honey, too much exposure even to one's beloved friend can be unpalatable; thus, a son must learn not to "wear out his welcome", but to relate to others just enough to keep relationships good, 25:16f.
    12. A son must see that false testimony in a court of law does enormous damage to one's neighbor: the truth is what serves the interests and welfare of all involved, Proverbs 25:18.
    13. A son must learn that distressful times mean dependence only on reliable people: when the stakes get high, he needs to put his confidence only in those who have proven their reliability to him, Prov. 25:19.
    14. A son must learn to be sensitive to the emotional hurts of others by not making light of their hurts, 25:20.
    15. A son must learn to respond to trials his enemies face by treating them well to make them friends, 25:21f
    16. A son must learn to avoid speaking slanderously if he would avoid angry responses from others, 25:23.
    17. A son must learn to avoid wedding a quarrelsome spouse at all costs; it is better to live single in the corner of a house than to have one's own home and be married to such a spouse, Proverbs 25:24.
    18. A son must learn to broadcast positive news far and wide as it encourages others, Prov. 25:25.
    19. A son must learn never to compromise his stands under pressure lest he forever soil his reputation, 25:26.
    20. A son must learn to avoid the delicious' temptation to seek his own honor or it will backfire, 25:27.
    21. A son must learn to have self-control if he would enhance his protection from the manipulations of others: otherwise, evil people can control his attitude to his great loss and their unjust gain, Proverbs 25:28.
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 eventual blessings.