Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20120624.htm
THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Proverbs: Motivating Teens And Adults To Align With God's Fixed Moral Order
Part III: Solomon's Proverbs Reflecting God's Fixed Moral Order For Blessing, Proverbs 10:1-22:16
B. Proverbs With Directions On Righteous Living, Proverbs 16:1-22:16
17. Studying Proverbs 21:1-9
- Introduction
- Where Proverbs 10:1-15:33 contrasts wise, upright lives with foolish, wicked ones, Proverbs 16:1-22:16 focuses mainly on the upright life, guiding us on how to live righteously in many realms of experience.
- We thus view each proverb in this section to draw out its deeper insight that Proverbs 1:5-6 implies exists:
- Studying Proverbs 21:1-9.
- Proverbs 21:1 teaches the heart of a king is [as] irrigation channels (palge-mayim, cf. peleg, "channel," B. D. B., A Heb.-Engl. Lex. of the O. T. , p. 811) in the hand of Jahweh; wherever (al-kal-'asher, Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1179; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 81-84 ['asher, "particle of relation"]) He pleases (hapes, Ibid., p. 342-343) He inclines (natah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 639-641) it. God rules the decisions of the world's rulers, so we succeed in the face of their actions by simply relating well to God and obeying Him!
- Proverbs 21:2 claims all the ways of a nobleman (ish, Ibid., Kittel; Robert B. Girdlestone, Syns. of the O. T., 1973, p. 45-50) are right, just (yashar , Ibid., B. D. B., p. 449) in his [own] eyes, but Jahweh measures (takan, Ibid., p. 1067) the hearts (leb, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 524-525). If even a nobleman needs God to evaluate his motives, then all us certainly need to submit to His evaluations of our motives!
- Proverbs 21:3 asserts to do, practice (asah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 793) righteousness (sedaqah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 842) and justice (mishpat, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1048-1049) is to be chosen (bahar, Ibid., p. 103-104; Niphal = passive) [above] sacrifice (zebah, Ibid., p. 257-258) to [in the estimation of] Jahweh. Note how this verse matches the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 12:7.
- Proverbs 21:4 teaches haughtiness (rum, Ibid., p. 927) of eyes and arrogance (rahab, Ibid., p. 932) of heart, the lamp [here figurative of one's very life, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 950, 933] of the wicked, are sin (hatat, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 308-310). The wicked essentially live to express their pride, but, since pride is sin, it only leads to divine judgment and loss, so we must live humbly before God to be blessed!
- Proverbs 21:5 claims the plans (mahashabah, Ibid., p. 364) of the diligent (harus, Ibid., p. 358) surely (ak, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 36) yield abundance (motar, Ibid., p. 452), but all (kal, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 481-483) hastenings (us, Ibid., p. 21) surely (ak ) yield need (mahsur, Ibid., p. 341).
- Proverbs 21:6 asserts making (pa'al, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 821) treasures [a fortune] (osar, Ibid., p. 69-70) by a lying tongue is a vapor (hebel, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 210-211) driven about (nadap, B. D. B., p. 623; Niphal ptc. = passive) of seekers (baqash, Ibid., p. 134-135; Piel = intensive) of death [or, some mss, "and a snare of death," ESV, NIV]. Making a fortune by lying not only causes the fortune itself quickly to vanish, but entraps one in an early death as his cheating leads to costly reprisals.
- Proverbs 21:7 teaches the violence (shod, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 994) of the wicked will drag them away (garar, Ibid., p. 176) because (ki, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 471-475) they refuse (ma'en, Ibid., p. 549) to do, practice (asah, cf. Pr. 21:3) justice (mishpat, cf. Pr. 21:3). Practicing unjust violence against others will lead one himself to be dragged away [as a dead body slain by one's foe in that era], so one best practice what is right before the Lord and treat other people with fairness and kindness, cf. Proverbs 21:3.
- Proverbs 21:8 claims crooked [devious] (hapakpak, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 246) is the way of a nobleman (ish, cf. Pr. 21:2) who is guilty (wazar, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 255), but pure (zak, Ibid., p. 269) is the conduct, work (po'al, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 821) of the right, just (yashar , cf. Pr. 21:2)
- Proverbs 21:9 asserts more wholesome (tob, Ibid., Kittel, p. 1179 and 2 in citing Gen. 1:31 where God made the universe "wholesome" [tob]) is it to dwell (yashab, Ibid., Kittel, p. 1179; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 442-444) on the corner (pinah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 819) of a roof (gag, Ibid., p. 150-151) than [with] a contentious (madon, Ibid., p. 193) wife in a house of association (heber, Ibid., p. 288). More wholesome is it for one to dwell on the corner of a roof where he can easily fall and badly injure himself or be killed, and where he is exposed to the elements, than to associate with a contentious wife in a house!
Lesson Application: May we align with God's fixed moral order in each of these realms for blessing.