PROVERBS 22 (KING JAMES VERSION)

PROVERBS 22    (KJV)

   1) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,
     and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

   2) The rich and poor meet together:
     the LORD is the maker of them all.

   3) A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself:
     but the simple pass on, and are punished.

   4) By humility and the fear of the LORD are
     riches, and honour, and life.

   5) Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward:
     he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

   6) Train up a child in the way he should go:
     and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

   7) The rich rules over the poor,
     and the borrower is servant to the lender.

   8) He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity:
     and the rod of his anger shall fail.

   9) He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed;
     for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

   10) Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out;
     yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

   11) He that loveth pureness of heart,
     for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

   12) The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,
     and He overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

   13) The slothful man saith, There is a lion without,
     I shall be slain in the streets.

   14) The mouth of strange women is a deep pit:
     he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

   15) Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;
     but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

   16) He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches,
     and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

   17) Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,
     and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
   18) For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee;
     they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

   19) That thy trust may be in the LORD,
     I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

   20) Have not I written to thee excellent things
     in counsels and knowledge,
   21) That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth;
     that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

   22) Rob not the poor, because he is poor:
     neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
   23) For the LORD will plead their cause,
     and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

   24) Make no friendship with an angry man;
     and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
   25) Lest thou learn his ways,
     and get a snare to thy soul.

   26) Be not thou one of them that strike hands,
     or of them that are sureties for debts.
   27) If thou hast nothing to pay,
     why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

   28) Remove not the ancient landmark
     which thy fathers have set.

   29) Seest thou a man diligent in his business?
     he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

COMMENTARY

   Verse 1:  Riches do not add value to a man in the eyes of God.  Man's real worth is in his heart.  When we conduct ourselves with integrity and honesty, with love, we increase our possibility of being well received when we promote our Jesus to others, no matter the size of our bank account.  When we effectively lead souls to Jesus, that is worth more than gold and silver.

Do you know Jesus?  He sacrificed Himself for you, that you may gain His riches.  To learn more, please visit our "Pathway to Salvation" page by clicking here:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html

   

   Verse 2:  Here we look at long range insignificance of inequality.  The media is always screaming about social inequality.  God gives us the opportunity to work on our character:  The rich man to develop compassion and the poor man to develop contentment.  Again, it is not the final goal we are after in life, but the journey.

   Verse 3:  We are referred to the Roman invasion of Jerusalem in this verse and how Jesus had warned The Faithful that when they see the city encompassed, they are to flee to the mountains and those who are in the countryside are not to enter back into Jerusalem.

   Verse 4:  I want you to pay special attention to the commentary on this one.  The Apostle Paul is the example. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews; He was a Roman citizen and he was a Pharisee.  He had credentials aplenty.  All of his wealth and social standing was forfeited when he followed Jesus.  He was also beheaded for spreading The Gospel.  So, eternal riches, honor, and life is certainly what we strive for.  It is strange, that the more you live your life in service to Jesus, the less important the riches and honor of this world are. 

Verses 26, 27:  We are warned not to co-sign for others or guarantee a loan for them if they are irresponsible with their money.  Some people don't have a budget and live way above their means.  They buy frivolous things.  These are the people you don't want to get involved with financially or they could lead you down the path of financial ruin.  You could be responsible for paying their bills when they default.

   If you make a debt of your own, though, do it with diligence.  Don't borrow more than you can pay back.  It is best to pay for things with cash rather than on payments.  That way, you don't loose your property for lack of payment.

   Verse 28 was written by King Solomon warning those in authority to shun friendships with fraudulent men.  It has to do with property boundaries, since Israel had been divided by God and remained within a particular family for generations.  Disputes over property were settled once and for all by use of landmarks.

You are encouraged to leave a comment with your thoughts.

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