Further Wise Sayings of Solomon
25 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
5 Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
7 For it is better that he say to you,
“Come up here,”
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go hastily to a]”>[a]court;
For what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor has put you to shame?
9 Debate your case with your neighbor,
And do not disclose the secret to another;
10 Lest he who hears it expose your shame,
And b]”>[b]your reputation be ruined.
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Whoever falsely boasts of giving
Is like clouds and wind without rain.
15 By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.
16 Have you found honey?
Eat only as much as you need,
Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he become weary of you and hate you.
18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
20 Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
24 It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 As cold water to a weary soul,
So is good news from a far country.
26 A righteous man who falters before the wicked
Is like a murky spring and a c]”>[c]polluted well.
27 It is not good to eat much honey;
So to seek one’s own glory is not glory.
28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit
Is like a city broken down, without walls.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:8 Lit. contend or bring a lawsuit
- Proverbs 25:10 the evil report concerning you not pass away
- Proverbs 25:26 ruined
Honor Is Not Fitting for a Fool
26 As snow in summer and rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
So a curse without cause shall not alight.
3 A whip for the horse,
A bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the fool’s back.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
7 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling
Is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 a]”>[a]The great God who formed everything
Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.
11 As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the b]”>[b]streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
15 The lazy man buries his hand in the c]”>[c]bowl;
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, “I was only joking!”
20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no d]”>[d]talebearer, strife ceases.
21 As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a e]”>[e]talebearer are like f]”>[f]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the g]”>[g]inmost body.
23 Fervent lips with a wicked heart
Are like earthenware covered with silver dross.
24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips,
And lays up deceit within himself;
25 When h]”>[h]he speaks kindly, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 Though his hatred is covered by deceit,
His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:10 Heb. difficult in v. 10; ancient and modern translators differ greatly
- Proverbs 26:13 Or plazas, squares
- Proverbs 26:15 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
- Proverbs 26:20 gossip or slanderer, lit. whisperer
- Proverbs 26:22 gossip or slanderer
- Proverbs 26:22 A Jewish tradition wounds
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit. rooms of the belly
- Proverbs 26:25 Lit. his voice is gracious
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Chapter 25: 8-10. Rather than taking a neighbor’s personal offense to the world at large by taking it to the courts or shouting about his error from the rooftops to shame him, it is wiser to try to work things out privately with one’s neighbor first. Otherwise, it will be clear to others that the one offended has no discretion and no mercy or forbearance. Everybody makes mistakes, and it is no fun to have a neighbor that is a tattletale. Tattletales tend to lose a lot of friends fast. And the verse 26 further explains that, A righteous man who falls into temptation or who doesn’t stand against the schemes of the wicked perverts himself, makes God look small, and destroys his testimony. Even if it means death, a righteous person must not compromise.
Chapter 26:10. This verse may either declare how the Lord, the Creator of all men, will deal with sinners according to their guilt, or, how the powerful among men should disgrace and punish the wicked.verse 13 Means the slothful man hates every thing that requires care and labour. But it is foolish to frighten ourselves from real duties by fancied difficulties. This may be applied to a man slothful in the duties of religion. Verse 20-22 is talking about how contention heats the spirit, and puts families and societies into a flame. And that fire is commonly kindled and kept burning by whisperers and backbiters.And verse 24-26 warns to, Always distrust when a man speaks fair unless you know him well. Satan, in his temptations, speaks fair, as he did to Eve; but it is madness to give credit to him.
Chapter 25 verse 19 talked about a bad tooth because a bad tooth makes us doubt whether or not we can chew our food, and a weak foot makes us wonder if we will fall when we take our next step. This is the perfect analogy of the doubt that comes by having to put one’s faith and confidence in a weak, doubting, and faithless man when we need his help in time of trouble. This is why friends that are loyal, trustworthy, and full of faith to do what is necessary are so precious and valuable
Chapter 26 talks about Pride is the archenemy of humility which is required for those who come to the truth. Pride rejects the need for a Savior, and pride puts full confidence in the flesh. Pride enjoys flaunting its own strength and independence, but Christ is the only all-sufficient One. Thus, those who harbor pride are the ultimate in being unteachable. A fool doesn’t have much hope of turning from his error, but there is always hope that one day he will recognize that the life Jesus offers makes Satan’s offers look like pig slop. A prideful person recognizes just that, but he still rejects God because he wants it to not be true so badly. He is willing to defy God to the end just so that he can remain on the throne of his own life.
Compliment of the season
In chapter 25, verses 4-5 touches me most,
When extreme heat is applied to silver and it is melted down, the trash will come to the top and can be skimmed off and leave pure silver. This is very similar to a Christian. Sometimes God applies the heat (problems), to purify us. We are purged in the fire and made pure.
Verse 5 is associated with verse 4 above. Just as heat is applied to the silver and the silver is made pure, so is the kingdom made pure, so is the kingdom made righteous when the wicked are removed. The king has it in his power to remove whomever he will and to purify wickedness.
Chapter 26, Lessons learnt
• Honour is not fit for those who are unworthy and unfit for it.
• He that is cursed without cause, the curse shall do him no more harm than the bird that flies over his head.
• Every creature must be dealt with according to its nature, but careless and profligate sinners never will be ruled by reason and persuasion. Man indeed is born like the wild ass’s colt; but some, by the grace of God, are changed.
• We are to fit our remarks to the man, and address them to his conscience, so as may best end the debate.
• Fools are not fit to be trusted, nor to have any honour. Wise sayings, as a foolish man delivers and applies them, lose their usefulness.
• One of the verses emphasises how the Lord, the Creator of all men, will deal with sinners according to their guilt, or, how the powerful among men should disgrace and punish the wicked.
Season Greetings!!
Day 20. Proverb 20:1- 15 We are advised to be filled with the Holy Spirit and totally be under His control rather than under the control of alcohol, it is not wise to provoke a person in authority to anger with you, it is very dangerous and stupid to get those in authority angry or irritated.. Peace is a fruit of spirit, we should all desire the spirit to live peacefully with others.( Hebrew 12:4) A sluggard does not do the work required to reap harvest, but the wise person will enjoy the fruit of his labor ( Galatians 6:9) ,true love is full of grace and truth ( John 1:4) just as Christ Himself, a person who loves allow others to feel accepted for who they are and to be free to share what they are passionate about. What I can say to this verse is that so many people nowadays consider themselves to be loyal and trustworthy but the reality is that people of integrity are rare to be found, some destroy a friendship or relationship because of money or selfish gain ,May the Lord help us in this end time period o,a godly parent teaches the truth and then modest it before his/ her children so as for the children to have a great blessing and for the parents to have integrity ,when justice is sired to be meted out,crime is less prevalent, we all need a savior in Jesus Christ, for He alone can clean our hearts and make us pure from our sins,His forgiveness is the only hope we have as a Christian, not giving people what they paid for and stealing money from them with false weight and measures is great wickedness before God, words and deeds that are pure and right which come to define a person’s life and testimony is a strong reason to believe that their profession in Christ, we should present our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13) for God’s use to His glory rather than for sinful pleasures, when you work,you avoid hunger. We need to be very careful as a Christians that we don’t cross the line into telling lies ,pursue wisdom in Christ Jesus has a great eternal value than anything. Proverb 20: 16- 25 Don’t jeopardize your life by standing as a guarantor for anybody, it is very wise to analyze things from every angle before making a quick decision ( proverb 20:18) that could cause a grave danger. Gossipers are not good people to associate with because they are not trustworthy, if you hate your parents, you do not follow the example of Jesus Christ, the end of those who do not love is weeping and gnashing of teeth in hell( John 13:34-35), vanity upon vanity,the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil( 1Timothy 6:10) ,forgiveness and things over to God is the only path to life,hope and joy( Romans 12:19) ,let’s be careful about our eternal destiny ,the love of money leads to a sorts of evil. God gives us insight that we need to have to take the steps of faith that we need to take,to do righteousness and justice is decided by the love more than sacrifice.
Proverb 20:26- The innocent and good rejoice in a fair king that love justice and honor, our conscience either condemn us or confirm to us that we should have confidence in the day of judgement ( 1 John 3:19-21) ,as a leader that wants to rule long and well is best served by being fair and loyal and upholding truth and righteousness, in youth is when people typically have the most energy and thus it really helps to have wisdom while still been young,the discipline of Christ for we His children teaches us how to walk in truth and it keeps us from harming ourselves.
Proverb Chapter 25 can be summarised under the following headings
1.Title
2 – 6. A king
7 -10. Quarreling with a friend, keeping a secret
11. The value of a wise saying
12. The value of good reproach
13. A trusty messenger
14. Gifts not given
15. Patience
16. Too much honey
17. Do not wear out your welcome
18. False testimony
19. False trust
20. Attempting to cheer a person in sorrow
21-22. Do kindness to your enemy
23. Secrecy
24. A contentious wife
25. Good news
26. When the righteous fall before the wicked
27. Too much honey; too much honor
28. An impetuous man
Proverbs 25 is a collection of assorted sayings, and it is introduced as “the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.” Many of the chapter’s sayings use striking metaphors and similes, e.g., v. 14: “Like clouds, wind — but no rain — Is one who boasts of gifts not given.” Some of the topics include the king, eating too much honey, treating an enemy kindly, good news, and a messenger.
This chapter begins with a new batch of hot proverbs, delivered fresh from the mental oven of King Solomon. Actually, maybe they’re not exactly fresh—Proverbs claims they were recorded from old records of Solomon’s sayings by officials in King Hezekiah’s court.
The sayings kick off with a description of the way kings are supposed to rule. God hides things, but kings are meant to ferret them out—reveal rather than conceal.
Kings have deep and unsearchable minds, and you’d best avoid getting demoted by them or by other nobles.
In the same way someone removes dross (the dregs, worthless bits) from silver to make a vessel, the king should remove wickedness from his court.
Also, if we see our neighbour doing something wrong, we should not, immediately blab about it to the authorities. We should bring it up with our neighbour privately and see if we can work something out things.
King Solomon (or whoever) goes on to praise a few of his favorite things fitly-spoken words, a wise rebuke, faithful messengers, not boasting about gifts you haven’t given, patience, and a soft tongue.
Also, Solomon wisely counsels people against binge-eating honey, if they happen to find a honeycomb somewhere. One will end up puking.
We should continually visit your neighbour, or else they will get sick of us, and we also shouldn’t bear false witness against our neighbours.
We should continue listing likes and dislikes: we should not like faithless people, singing songs to heavy hearts (it just makes you sadder), backbiting, contentious wives, seeking honour after honour too ambitiously, and sorrow.
However, the chapter does like generosity to enemies (it fills them with shame like burning coals on their heads), good news from distant lands, those who refuse to give way to the wicked, and self-control.
Proverb Chapter 26 can be summarised verse by verse under the following headings:
1. The fool
2. A gratuitous curse
3-12. The fool
13-16. The lazy man
17. Minding one’s business
18-19. Cheating
20-22. The querulous man
23-28. The deceptive enemy
Summary of the Chapter is as follows:
Verses 4-5, which seem to contradict each other, were publicized by the Rabbis when they considered banning the book of Proverbs because of its many contradictions (b. Shabbat 30b). These two verses read as follows:
Do not answer a dullard in accord with his folly, else you will become like him.
Answer a dullard in accord with his folly, else he will think himself wise.
While the Rabbis attempt to resolve the contradiction by adding background information (v. 4 refers to matters of Torah, v. 5 refers to ordinary affairs), it seems that each proverb was meant to be used in different situations. Indeed, no single proverb says it all.
The proverbs continue: if you curse someone, and they don’t deserve it, the curse won’t affect them. It’ll just drift around aimlessly in space, like a sparrow in the breeze.
After stating that fools don’t deserve honor, Proverbs records two contradictory proverbs: the first says not to answer a fool “according to his folly,” or you’ll look like a fool; the second says to answer a fool according to his folly, or else the fool will think he or she is wise. (You get to be the judge here.)
Don’t send messages by fools, give honor to or hire them—also, proverbs sound weak when fools try to say them.
Fools keep returning to their folly, like a dog who goes back to lick up its own vomit (a nice image).
People who falsely believe that they are wise are, however, even worse than straight-up fools—they have less hope.
Sticky Dishes
A few sayings run through familiar observations on lazy people: lazy people stick their hands in dishes and are too lazy to remove them; they love to luxuriate in bed; and they have an undue amount of self-esteem (too much of it).
You shouldn’t meddle in someone else’s quarrel, or make incendiary comments and then claim that you were “just joking.”
The chapter ends by inveighing against people who whisper maliciously, who might speak softly, but have evil intent. Anyone who acts like this, concocting schemes and plots, will eventually be undone by their own efforts.
Day 21. Proverb 21:1- 10 This proverb presents the same truth of the sovereignty of God in a slightly different way,the Lord behold the heart and takes notice of the pride in a way like a worm of the root,he who is commended by God, not he who commends himself is approved God always placed righteousness and equity above ceremonial observances, as He does today, so it is with man away from God and with those who to Him in contrition of heart ,Ruches accumulated by means of honest ,wholesome toil give pleasure and a measure of satisfaction to their possessor ,but the hasty gathering of wealth by lying will bring sorrow and shame with it ,all is vanity( Ecclesiastes 5:10-17) He who walks with God will be above reproach for he will avoid every form of evil ,the work of the pure is right ,his life is like an open book which explain itself and silence his enemies, happy will be the family where relationship follow the lovely order of God’s word ,the home will be a sweet foretaste if that eternal one ,seek goodness and virtue in his neighbor is almost certain to find something worthy of raise ,but he who goes about looking for evil can readily find something in most people which he can gloat over.
Proverb 21: 11- 24. One who mocks the truth is permitted to go without rebuked ,the just man will not be overly depressed and anxious when he sees the present prosperity of the wicked because he Knows that their joys are empty and their days of boasting, we had a positive statement regarding the Lord’s assurance that he who comfort the poor will be richly repaid ,nothing so readily defeats hatred and anger as doing good to one who harbors malice it must done quickly and unpretentiously, who wanders away from the path of sound wisdom will remain with congregation of dead,she that liveth in the pleasure is dead while she liveth(1Timothy 5:6) True abundant life is only enjoyed by the upright who sets the Lord always before them,the intemperate lover of folly and pleasure is likely soon to reach the depths to which the prodigal sank,justice demands the punishment of the guilty ,in order that the guiltless may be delivered, but love gave the guiltless one to die that the guilty might be justified. No creature is more lovely than a woman who exhibits the precious graces of the spirit of God but a woman beret of thoughtfulness and kindliness seems almost to be a misnomer,the wise man does not live for the present but for he prudently considers the coming Yeats when strength will fail and he will be unable to labor as in his youth and prime,the empty glory of this world and the praise of worldly people are worth little after all but to be honored by God and by those who love Him ,abides forever, to diligently guide the mouth and the tongue,is to avoid many a grief and bitter memory ,we need the wisdom that comes from God and His word to overcome the powers of evil an humble man is a gentle man,he will not be given to outbursts of wrath or indignation.
Proverb 21:25-26 Selfishness is his strongest characteristic,on the other hand,the righteous man is a producer ,he loves to acquire but only in order that he may provide things honest in the sight of a men. Proverb 21:27 The sacrifice of the lawless is always detestable and unacceptable in the eyes of God, this is especially true when the offering is just a cover for hypocrisy, the false witness may be believed for a moment but his destruction is certain to come ,he who testifies truthfully according to what he has heard and knows will be able to maintain his position consistently and speak in challenged, the trusting soul rest on the fact that the counsel if the lord will never be defeated,therefore, the fears not the wisdom or understanding or the plots of his foes
Proverb 25
Here vs 4 says when a man pass through tribulation or test ,becomes better.
In vs 5,remove the wicked from before the righteous for the righteous or good person to maintain his or her righteousness.
Vs 6talks about need to avoid pride
Vs 9 highlight guilt of many child of God when issues occur with people,is good we settle it with ourselves.
Vs 15 talks about gentility in solving issues
Vs 16 &17 we need self control
Vs 21 forgiveness for as many who offended us.
Vs 24 needs to marry right
Vs 26 talks about motivation to human hearts
Vs 27 need to avoid pride
Vs 28 self control
proverbs 25
As Christians ,we are supposed to stand up for what is right. An attack on a Christian is actually an attack upon their Lord. For a Christian to be degraded by the wicked is like a beautiful spring of water that has been corrupted.
Christians’ words come from a pure heart which is sometimes spoken of as a river which never has an end. This river from within is pure, because it comes from God.
A conceited person is not admired by anyone. In 2nd Timothy, we shall read of a person in the end times who does just that.
2 Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
Proverbs 26
Jesus is the Judge of all, the just and the unjust (transgressors). As Christians,we shouldn’t judge people . We should leave God to be the judge of all.We have mentioned so many times in all these lessons, John chapter one that tells that the word (Jesus), created all things. So we know the rewarder is Jesus.
Matthew 5:45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
The reward, here mentioned, is not a good one. The transgressor, unrepentant, is headed for an eternity in hell, and the fool who has turned down salvation is headed there also. The reward of the righteous is eternal life.
Hebrew language is obscure on this so they can be many interpretations of what this verse is saying. Since it is impossible to know exactly what it said in the original, it is impossible to know exactly what it means. The translation might be: “Much brings forth from itself all; but the reward and the wages of the fool pass away.”
This could mean, reasonably, that although he who possesses much and has great ability may be able to accomplish all he wants, that is not the case when he makes use of the work of fools, who not only do not accomplish anything, but destroy everything.
Day 25. Proverb 25:1- end.
The saying kick off with the description of the way kings are supposed to rule. God hides hides things,but the kings are meant to ferret them out reveal rather than conceal.
Kings have deep and unsearchable minds,you would have best avoid demoted by them or by other nobles .
In the same way someone remove dross from silver to make a vessel, the king should remove wickedness from his court.
Also,if you see your neighbour doing something wrong,don’t immediately blab it to the authorities, bring it up with your neighbour privately and see if you can work something out.
King Solomon goes on to praise a few of his favor things,filthy spoken words, a wise rebuke faithful messengers not boasting about gifts you have not given,patience and a soft tongue.
From this passage we learnt that fools don’t deserve honor, proverb records to contradict proverbs: the first says not to answer a fool according to his folly, or else the fool will think he or she is wise.
Don’t send messages by fools, give honor to hire them also, proverb sound weak when fools try to say them.
Fools keep returning to their folly, like a dog who goes back to lick up its own vomit.
People who falsely believe that they are wise are however, even worse than straight up fools they have less hope.
You should not meddle in someone else quarrel, or make incendiary comments and then claim that you were just joking.
This chapter ends by inveighing against people who whisper maliciously, who might speak softly, but have evil intention. Any one who acts line this, concocting schemes and plots will eventually be undone by their own efforts.
This chapter define those who live foolishly
Foolish people has no integrityV
Verse 4&5 make us to know that u must not stoop to the moral level of a fool let learn to rebuke one who is behaving foolishly
Verse 27,u will usually reap what u sow for ur neighbor
Chapter 25 is talking to us on our behaviour to people.
Is telling us to humble ourselves irrespective of who we are. It’s good to humble your6and is better for people to recognize you.
It’s okay sometimes to have misunderstanding but we should be able to settle our dispute with people without third party knowing about it.
This chapter is also telling us to treat our enemy well, do them good cos by so doing we are heaping coals of fire on them, our reward is from God.
Chapter 25l6
Verse 3-12 of this chapter is telling us how to deal with the folly. We really need to be careful in dealing with people. We need to study verse 4and 5 with understanding so we can know what to say to people at some particular time so we won’t be like them and also for them not to think wise of themselves. Some sit8will call for us to talk while some call for silence so is now left to us to have the wisdom to deal with people and situations.