Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20120701.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
18. Studying Proverbs 21:10-18
  1. Introduction
    1. 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.
    2. We thus view each proverb in this section to draw out its deeper insight that Proverbs 1:5-6 implies exists:
  2. Studying Proverbs 21:10-18.
    1. Proverbs 21:10 teaches that the life principle (nepesh, Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1180 and 3 in citing Gen. 2:7 where God made man a nepesh with physical, emotional, mental and spiritual life) of the wicked desires ( awah, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 16; Piel = intensive) evil; his neighbor is shown no mercy (hanan, Ibid., p. 335-336; Hophal = causative passive) in his eyes. Evil people are so addicted to evil they can show no mercy to others in feeding their lust, so we must avoid their company.
    2. Proverbs 21:11 asserts that with the punishment (anash, Ibid., p. 778-779) of a mocker, the naive, untaught (peti, Ibid., Kittel; Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 907) become wise ( hakam, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 314), and with the instruction (sakal, Ibid., p. 968) to the wise, he gets himself (laqah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 542-544) knowledge. The wiser the party, the less painful his needed instruction, so be wise!
    3. Proverbs 21:12 claims the Righteous One [God] considers, ponders (sakal, cf. Pr. 21:11, other meaning) the house of the wicked and He overturns (salap, Ibid., p. 701) the wicked to ruin, calamity ( ra', Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 948-949). We are very accountable to a Righteous God, so we best be upright!
    4. Proverbs 21:13 teaches he who shuts up (atam, Ibid., p. 31-32) his ears from the outcry (ze'aqah, Ibid., p. 277) of the weak, poor, low (dal, Ibid., p. 195), even ( gam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 168-169) he (emphatic personal pronoun hu', Ibid., Kittel) will call aloud (qara', Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 894-896) and not be answered ( anah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 772-773; Niphal = passive). How well we respond to the outcry of other needy folk affects how well God will help us in our time of need!
    5. Proverbs 21:14 asserts that gifts (matan, collective noun, Ibid., p. 682) [given] in secrecy (seter, Ibid., p. 712) subdues (kapah, Ibid., p. 495) anger ( ap, Ibid., p. 60; Ibid., Kittel), and a present (shohad, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1005) in the bosom [secretly given] (heq, Ibid., p. 300-301) [subdues] fierce ( az, Ibid., p. 738) wrath (hemah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 328). Secret gifts do much to ease very angry parties!
    6. Proverbs 21:15 claims [it is] gladness (simhah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 970) to the righteous when justice is performed, but [it is] terror, ruin (mehitah, Ibid., p. 369-370) to the workers of vain evil ( awen, Ibid., Kittel; Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the O. T., 1973, p. 83). Justice greatly encourages the upright and greatly hurts workers of vain evil, so we best practice justice for the good of all society!
    7. Proverbs 21:16 teaches that the common man (adam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., Girdlestone, p. 45-50) who goes astray from the path of insight, understanding (sekel, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 968) will settle down ( nuha, Ibid., p. 628-629) in the assembly (qahal, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 874) of the ghosts [of the dead] (repa'im, Ibid., p. 952). The barely discernible drift from the path of insight may seem harmless enough, but it surely leads to certain death! Do not be fooled by a gentle path -- it may be a lethal one!
    8. Proverbs 21:17 asserts a nobleman (ish, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., Girdlestone) of poverty (mahsor, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 341) loves revelry, pleasure (simhah , cf. Pr. 21:15, other meaning); he who loves wine and olive oil (shemem, Ibid., Kittel; Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., v. II, p. 937-938) will not gain riches (asar , Ibid., B. D. B., p. 799; Hiphil = causative). One must cut spending to gain in riches or stay in a state of poverty!
    9. Proverbs 21:18 claims the wicked is a ransom (koper, Ibid., p. 497 - a half shekel of the sanctuary paid by each male 20 years old and upward at the census to avoid God's plague on himself) for the righteous, and in place of ( tahat, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1065-1066) the upright (yashar, Ibid., p. 449) [is] the treacherous (bagad, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 93) [a ransom]. God replaces wicked and treacherous folk with the righteous and upright, and destroys the evil parties! Thus, be upright to receive God's favor.
Lesson Application: May we align with God's fixed moral order in each of these realms for blessing.