BS Proverbs Chapter 4 ,5 & 6

Hi ladies,

It has been hectic on my side, work, and a bible challenge I'm doing this month( reading three gospels in 1 month). But here I am ready to get into the word. So let us begin:

Chapter 4:

Let's read:

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;

    pay attention and gain understanding.

2 I give you sound learning,

    so do not forsake my teaching.

3 For I too was a son to my father,

    still tender, and cherished by my mother.

4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,

    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;

    keep my commands, and you will live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding;

    do not forget my words or turn away from them.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

    love her, and she will watch over you.

7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.

    Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.

8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

    embrace her, and she will honor you.

9 She will give you a garland to grace your head

    and present you with a glorious crown.”

10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,

    and the years of your life will be many.

11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom

    and lead you along straight paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;    

when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;

    guard it well, for it is your life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked

    or walk in the way of evildoers.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

    turn from it and go on your way.

16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;

    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness

    and drink the wine of violence.

18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,

    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;    

they do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;

    turn your ear to my words.

21 Do not let them out of your sight,

    keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them

    and health to one’s whole body.

23 Above all else, guard your heart,

    for everything you do flows from it.

24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;

    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;

    fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet

    and be steadfast in all your ways.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

    keep your foot from evil.

If you noticed each new paragraph starts with "my son" or "listen my son".

Chapter 4 Summary

v1-9       His advice

v10-19    Evil v Good

v20-27    Wisdom affects the body

Verses of Interest

v1-2 gain understanding....sound learning.....don't forsake my teaching...all linked to each other. Solomon had gained it all and his next words are of importance.

v3 Gives insight into the stage of growth his son was in. - still tender and cherished by his mother.

v4-9 it is important to get wisdom.

v12 - walk - steps not hampered; run not stumble ; a great promise from great God.

v14-15 list the ways you must not do evil: Do not set foot on the path or walk in the way;avoid it; do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. These verses really give you a lot to think about. Everyone of them say NO!

v16-17,19 Gives more characteristics of the evil person: can not rest; are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

 v19 like deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble. You don't want to mess with these guys!

v18 I love how it says "the path of the righteous is like the morning sun shining ever brighter" v18 follows after v17 speaking about how evil the evil person, it is a reassurance that the evil person will not prevail!

v20 -27 the whole body is mentioned in these verses and each has a function: 

ears - turn to his words

heart - keep them within your heart

whole body - health to

Heart - guard

mouth - free from perversity

lips - keep away corrupt talk

eyes - look straight ahead

feet - careful thought to your path

v23 is considered very important: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. How true is this, our hearts need to be guarded and should not be open to anybody's abuse.

Chapter 5

My son, pay attention to my wisdom,

    turn your ear to my words of insight,

2 that you may maintain discretion

    and your lips may preserve knowledge.

3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,    and her speech is smoother than oil;

4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,

    sharp as a double-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death;

    her steps lead straight to the grave.

6 She gives no thought to the way of life;

    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;

    do not turn aside from what I say.

8 Keep to a path far from her,

    do not go near the door of her house,

9 lest you lose your honor to others

    and your dignity[a] to one who is cruel,

10 lest strangers feast on your wealth

    and your toil enrich the house of another.

11 At the end of your life you will groan,

    when your flesh and body are spent.

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!

    How my heart spurned correction!

13 I would not obey my teachers

    or turn my ear to my instructors.

14 And I was soon in serious trouble

    in the assembly of God’s people.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,

    running water from your own well.

16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,

    your streams of water in the public squares?

17 Let them be yours alone,

    never to be shared with strangers.

18 May your fountain be blessed,

    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—

    may her breasts satisfy you always,

    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?

    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,

    and he examines all your paths.

22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;

    the cords of their sins hold them fast.

23 For lack of discipline they will die,

    led astray by their own great folly.

Chapter 5 Summary

v1 - 6 Describes an adulterous woman

v7 - 14 Consequences of an affair

v15 - 20 Advice take your wife instead

v21 - 23 Lord's view

Verses of interest

v2 "maintain discretion" is very much in line with an adulterous woman.

v3 an adulterous woman is described as lips drip honey; her speech is smoother than oil...BUT in the end she is as bitter as gal, sharp as a double edged sword.

Have you tasted gal? Jesus tasted it mixed with some other stuff when he was hanging on the cross. It is not nice. Horrible.

She is a really bitter and evil/vindicate person.

v6 she doesn't know her way, she is so lost.

How can you avoid such a woman:

v8 Path from her;do not go near the door of her house; This is so serious don't even go as far as the door.

v9 Consequences of having an affair: losing your honour to others and dignity to one who is cruel.

Another consequence is v10 the adulterous woman is like a stranger to you! even though she might twist you with her words.

Whats the best advice Solomon can give?

Drink water at your cistern, rejoice in your wife, A man would think he is intoxicated in the adulterous woman but he isn't really she is a stranger!

v21 remember God has Full View and examines our paths, nothing is hidden from him.

We are in the homestretch now, One more chapter to go and let us start reading:

Chapter 6

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

  if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

2 you have been trapped by what you said,

    ensnared by the words of your mouth.

3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,

    since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:

Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a]

    and give your neighbor no rest!

4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,

    no slumber to your eyelids.

5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

    like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;

    consider its ways and be wise!

7 It has no commander,

    no overseer or ruler,

8 yet it stores its provisions in summer

    and gathers its food at harvest.

9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

    When will you get up from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,

    a little folding of the hands to rest—

11 and poverty will come on you like a thief

    and scarcity like an armed man.

12 A troublemaker and a villain,

    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,

13     who winks maliciously with his eye,

    signals with his feet

    and motions with his fingers,

14     who plots evil with deceit in his heart—    he always stirs up conflict.

15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;

    he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

16 There are six things the Lord hates,

    seven that are detestable to him:

        

        a lying tongue,

        hands that shed innocent blood,

        feet that are quick to rush into evil,        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command

    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

21 Bind them always on your heart;

    fasten them around your neck.

22 When you walk, they will guide you;

    when you sleep, they will watch over you;

    when you awake, they will speak to you.

23 For this command is a lamp,

    this teaching is a light,

and correction and instruction

    are the way to life,

24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,

    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty

    or let her captivate you with her eyes.

26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,

    but another man’s wife preys on your very life.

27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap

    without his clothes being burned?

28 Can a man walk on hot coals

    without his feet being scorched?

29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;

    no one who touches her will go unpunished.

30 People do not despise a thief if he steals

    to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.

31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,

    though it costs him all the wealth of his house.

32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense;

    whoever does so destroys himself.

33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,

    and his shame will never be wiped away.

34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,

    and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35 He will not accept any compensation;

    he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.

Chapter 6 Summary

v1-5 Freeing yourself

v6-11 The ant and its ways application

v12-15 The evil man

v16 The lord hates

v20-35 Adultery

Verses of interest:

v6-11 the ant is an example to the son, we get the impression that Solomon regards his son as lazy and needs to be inspired by the ant.

v12 -14 again the body parts are used and this time for an evil man:

corrupt mouth; malicious wink in the eyes;feet signal and motions with finger;plots evil with deceit in the heart. These are many signs to tell an evil person.

 v16 god doesn't like lying; murder;doing evil and stirring up conflict.

v25 Chapter 5 spoke about her words, now Chapter 6 about her beauty.

v27-29 Playing with fire! You will get burned

v30-35 The man that commits adultery faces many punishments.

Well that's it for this week. God bless you all.

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