Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20110501.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Proverbs: Motivating Teens And Adults To Align With God's Fixed Moral Order
Part II: Explaining The Value Of Heeding God's Fixed Moral Order, Proverbs 1:8-9:18
E. Valuing God's Fixed Moral Order For The Surpassing Quality Of Life It Produces
(Proverbs 3:13-20)
  1. Introduction
    1. A maturing teen or young adult who is about to launch out into the adult world obviously wants to attain a fulfilling life, to enjoy a high quality of life and thus be happy.
    2. Generally, many young adults believe that having money, living a long life, being famous and having possessions so they can live in comfort and security with few problems comprise that quality of life.
    3. Proverbs 3:13-20, wisely constructed by Solomon to appeal to young princes in the Egyptian sboyet format, reveals that alignment with God's fixed moral order provides a surpassing quality of life in view of such ideals by young adults and maturing teens (as follows):
  2. Valuing God's Fixed Moral Order For The Surpassing Quality Of Life It Produces, Prov. 3:13-20.
    1. Solomon wrote that if one finds wisdom, or hakmah, aligning with God's fixed moral order (Kittel, Bib. Hebr., p. 1157), and if he gains understanding of that order, he is "blessed," or happy, Proverbs 3:13 NIV.
    2. This blessed happiness involves a surpassing quality of life as described in Proverbs 3:14-20 as follows:
      1. Though wealth is often thought to be the key to producing happiness, wealth often fails to bless as teaches Ecclesiastes 5:10-12, but such is not the case with hakmah, aligning with God's fixed moral order: hakmah is more profitable than silver, it (lit.) "brings a higher yield" than gold and is more precious than rubies, Prov. 3:14-15a; Bible Knowledge Com., N. T., p. 912. The terminology here is typical of the language of investors, meaning alignment with God's fixed moral order produces a better quality of life than anything investors gain by investing with silver, gold or rubies! (Ibid.)
      2. Indeed, Proverbs 3:15b claims that nothing one can desire can compare with the fulfillment hakmah provides, and Solomon thus returns to personify God's fixed moral order (hakmah ) as a desirable woman a young prince would want to have as his spouse.
      3. What God's hakmah thus richly offers as seen in lady wisdom's offering them in both hands (Ibid.), is long life in her right hand of ability, and riches and honor in her left hand as a bonus, Prov erbs 3:16.
      4. Besides, lady wisdom's ways of providing abundantly long life, riches and honor are themselves pleasant in great contrast to those who seek or even gain long life, riches and honor apart from wisdom in ways that leave them struggling with pain and discomfort, Proverbs 3:17a.
      5. In addition, lady wisdom's paths are ways of peace in great contrast to the efforts by many who seek long life, riches and honor apart from God's wisdom at the cost of unrest in their lives, Proverbs 3:17b.
      6. In fact, lady wisdom is a tree of life, that is, a perpetual source of blessing relative to long life, riches and honor for all who heed God's fixed moral order, and those who firmly stick with applying God's fixed moral order in their lives are called blessed as a result of such perpetual fulfillment, Prov. 3:18.
      7. However, going even further than providing a perpetual surpassing quality of life, aligning with God's fixed moral order causes one to overcome unhappy failure to gain wholesomeness, Proverbs 3:19-20:
        1. God Himself utilized His hakmah in creating the universe, Proverbs 3:19.
        2. Now, a central part of that creative activity was God's overcoming the chaotic state of what began as a formless and empty earth (Gen. 1:2 NIV) to form the land, the seas and the heavens, and then to fill them with life forms and the stellar bodies to make a wholesome universe, Genesis 1:3-30, 31.
        3. If God so utilized His hakmah to create this wholesome universe out of what had been a chaotic formless and empty start, then if we align with God's fixed moral order in our lives, doing so will aid our own victory over the unwholesome effects of a world badly afflicted by chaos-inducing sin!
Lesson: The maturing teen, the young adult and even all adults must realize that aligning with God's fixed moral order not only offers a quality of fulfillment that surpasses what long life, riches and honor without wisdom offers, it also wonderfully creates wholesomeness out of the chaotic failures of sin!

Application: (1) May we be motivated and motivate others to heed God's fixed moral order for blessing! (2) May we be encouraged and encourage others to address sin's chaotic effects with God's "hakmah"!