THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Proverbs: Topical Applications of Proverbs

III. The Proverbs Themselves, Proverbs 10:1-31:31

D. Proverbs On Security

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Securing one’s way of life is a desirable goal, but it is one that can often go unfulfilled:

(1) Security in the political career of even popular state officials can be fleeting: “Just . . . weeks ago,” Erin Stewart “was the favorite to be endorsed to run for governor at her (Republican) party’s statewide convention. Now, her future is clouded with uncertainty, accused of defrauding the city she led for 12 years . . . Connecticut State Police . . . are investigating Stewart’s . . . use of her city-issued credit card for personal and political expenses . . . Gary Rose, a longtime professor and scholar-in-residence at Sacred Heart University who has studied and written about state and national politics for decades . . . said a sense of entitlement is a common thread through each political controversy . . . ‘I think that’s what was happening with Erin. I think she felt as a six-term mayor ‘I’m really on top of the world, and nobody’s going to really bother and question what I do because it’s me.’” (Paul Hughes, Ken Dixon, “The rise and fall of Erin Stewart,” Republican-American, May 23, 2026, p. A1)

(2) Our legislature is hurting the financial security of people in our state: “(A) new national report underscores what many residents already feel: the state’s affordability challenges remain deeply entrenched . . . Strengthening Connecticut’s economic outlook . . . will require addressing structural challenges in taxation, spending and regulation. Instead, lawmakers are considering proposals that would increase taxes on high earners and businesses, including a potential statewide property tax, higher income tax rates, and a capital gains surcharge . . . (But) (i)ncreasing” such burdens “further may influence decisions about where individuals live, work, and invest. A shrinking tax base would have broader consequences, affecting revenue stability and the state’s ability to fund services.” (Andrew Fowler, “New rankings reinforce Connecticut’s decades-long affordability problem,” op. cit., April 24, 2026, p. A6)

(3) Our national political future looks bleak even to some analysts: Miranda Devine’s column observed, “Everyone’s angry with Donald Trump . . . (T)hings are getting ragged with just over five months left until the midterms . . . Under inhuman pressure, he has a tendency to talk too much . . . But – and this is a big but – don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good . . . Compare him to the alternative. Wherever you look . . . the alternative is horrendous . . . The new crop of Democrats makes AOC look like a moderate . . . As in 2020, when Trump unnerved the country with daily COVID press conferences alongside the sly Anthony Fauci, be careful what you wish for.” (Miranda Devine, “Dem disasters will only make things much, much worse,” New York Post, May 25, 2026, p. 11)

(4) Sometimes it’s a life-threatening crisis of insecurity: “(A) plane crashed through a paraglider’s canopy midair (recently), sending the woman spiraling through the sky screaming . . . Sabrina posted footage of her flying near the scenic Schmittenhohe mountain in northern Austria . . . when a small plane plows right through her rig – just feet above her head . . . She was somehow able to untangle the emergency chute and deploy it . . . finally landing hard with a loud grunt.” (Patrick Reilly, “Paraglider survives midair plane hit,” Ibid., p. 17)

Need: So we ask, “Does God’s ‘wisdom’ provide insight on obtaining security in life?”

I. God’s “wisdom,” His hokmah, or fixed eternal moral order for success and blessing, applies to many issues of human need including the need for security in all realms of life.

II. We view proverbs in the Book of Proverbs that reveal steps toward security in all realms of living:

A. One must relate well to the Lord to obtain security in life:

1. He must respect his accountability to God to obtain security in life, for God’s eyes are in every place, watching the wicked and the good (Proverbs 15:3) to hold them both accountable for all of their deeds (Proverbs 11:31; 12:2; 22:22-23; 15:25).

2. One must rely on the Lord for security regarding his livelihood (Proverbs 10:3; 28:25), for relating to intimidating people (Proverbs 29:25), for his physical welfare (Proverbs 10:27; 14:27) and for the security of his general way of life (Proverbs 19:23; 10:29; 30:5-6; 18:10; 21:31; 29:18).

B. One must live righteously and not wickedly to obtain security in his life:

1. He must live righteously to secure good mental and emotional health (Proverbs 10:24; 11:23; 29:6).

2. He must live rightly to secure a living, Prov. 13:25; 10:30; 12:3; 13:21; 14:11; 16:17; 12:28; 28:18; 14:32.

3. He must live righteously to secure his children’s welfare (Prov. 14:26; 11:21; 28:10; 17:13; 12:7; 13:22).

4. He must live righteously to help secure the welfare of his community and his country (Proverbs 14:34).

5. He must live righteously to be able to address life’s crises well (Proverbs 11:5, 6, 8; 10:25; 13:6; 29:16).

C. One must watch his use of words to secure his way of life:

1. He must speak righteously to affect his own personal security in every realm of life (Proverbs 13:3; 14:3; 17:20; 19:9; 12:13; 29:20).

2. He must speak righteously for the security of his neighbors (Proverbs 11:9, 11).

D. One must relate well with others in organizations to secure his welfare in them:

1. If one is a subordinate in an organization, he must not exalt himself before his overseers but humbly relate to them as the overseers will tend to elevate him to roles of leadership if he is humble (Proverbs 25:6-7).

2. If one is an overseer, he will secure his oversight role with the following actions:

a. He must stick to his oversight role without straying into other roles or suffer harm (Proverbs 27:8).

b. He must express loyal love and faithfulness to secure his oversight role (Proverbs 20:28).

c. He must hate taking bribes and not be tyrannical to his subordinates to secure his role (Proverbs 28:16).

d. He must remove wicked people from his presence to secure his oversight role (Proverbs 25:4-5).

e. He must provide just judgments for the productivity and stability of his subordinates, and thus for the security of his own role as overseer (Proverbs 13:23; 29:4, 14).

E. One must view and handle financial affairs with caution for security in life:

1. He must realize that generally speaking, the wealth of the rich is their fortified city where poverty is the ruin of the poor (Proverbs 10:15).

2. However, he must realize that overly relying on wealth can bring drawbacks to one’s security:

a. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but they can view their wealth is an unscalable wall, that it will withstand every calamity, a faulty assumption since wealth can fail (Proverbs 18:11 with 23:5). Similarly, though a man’s riches may ransom his life, the poor man hears no threat to material loss, for he has nothing to lose in the material realm (Proverbs 13:8).

b. Similarly, Proverbs 30:7-9 is one’s call for God to provide just enough wealth to keep him free from the temptation to steal to meet his living needs but not to give him too much lest he unwisely disown the Lord!

F. One must exercise wisdom in life to ensure that his lifestyle remains secure:

1. One must be teachable to benefit from the security that learning from wisdom can provide:

a. If he relies on his own heart, he is a fool, but if he walks in God’s wisdom, he is secure, Proverbs 28:26.

b. If he gains understanding, it will be a fountain of life, but folly will bring him punishment, Proverbs 16:22.

c. If he has no good, wise counsel, he will fail, so he must seek multiple counselors for safety, Prov. 11:14.

2. One must have a positive attitude in life to obtain security:

a. If he seeks good, he will find goodwill, but seeking calamity leads to his own calamity, Proverbs 11:27.

b. Expressing loyal love benefits his own life, but cruelty brings trouble upon himself, Proverbs 11:17.

c. Avoiding envy so as to be at peace in one’s heart secures better health for himself, Proverbs 14:30.

d. If one continually dreads erring morally, he will be blessed, but if he hardens his heart against all advice or warning to the contrary, he will eventually fall into calamity, Proverbs 28:14.

e. Being morally twisted leads to many trials, but staying upright guards the inner man, Proverbs 22:5.

3. One must have good character to obtain security: Personal integrity versus being devious in one’s ways provides security and an advance in blessing versus failure and a shorter lifespan, Proverbs 10:9; 15:24.

Lesson: God’s “wisdom” provided in the Book of Proverbs provides the insight we need for a secure life.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) May we rely on the Holy Spirit for the behavior control we need to heed the proverbs in the Book of Proverbs for security in our lives (Galatians 5:16, 22-23).

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and/or provide additional guidance . . .)

Decades ago, a salesman who sold computer programs to CEOs of large corporations was telling me about his interactions with customers, and in passing I referred to Proverbs 10:10 KJV that states, “He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow . . .” Years later, the salesman reported back to me that a CEO to whom he was making a sales pitch kept winking his eye, so the salesman, based on our conversation, backed out of making the sale. He was grateful, too, for the CEO later proved to be a deceitful man. The salesman’s heeding Scripture had kept him out of trouble!

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we rely on the Holy Spirit to heed the proverbs on security to enjoy God’s security in life.