The Strand Study Bible

PROVERBS 3:21

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PROVERBS 4:9

21 My son, 1 let not themdepart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 11 th benefit of wisdom – Safety 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely , and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 2 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. 27 3 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 4 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. 31 5 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: 6 but his secret is with the righteous. 33 7 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

34 8 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 12 th benefit of wisdom - Present and future rewards 35 The wise shall 9 inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Proverbs 4 1 10 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my 11 law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, 12 Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: 13 love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an orna- ment of grace: a crown of glory shall she Wisdom is the principal thing Date Written - c. 1007 BC/AM 2993

1. that is, “have the principles of wisdom always in mind; it is wealth worth keeping” 2. Psa 91:1-5 & I Pet 3:14 3. Mt 22:21 & Rom 13:7 4. Lev 19:13 & Deut 24:14-15 5. Psa 37:1 & Prov 24:1 6. Psa 25:14 7. Deut 11:26-28 & Mal 2:2 8. Quoted in the NT - Jms 4:6 (See - I Pet 5:5) Note - Surely he scorneth the scorners means God can’t help people until they stop resisting. As long as a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he is dangerous to both himself and anyone who tries to save him, for his tendency is to grab the one trying to aid him and take them both down in the process. 9. or, “enjoy heaven” - Mt 19:29 10. Prov 2:1 & 3:1 11. or, “instruction” 12. I Ki 2:1-3 & I Chro 28:9 13. or, “obey her; wisdom”- Jn 14:15

3:35 This word ( inherit ), according to Strong’s Concordance , 1 comes from the Hebrew word nachal and means “ to distribute; to divide; to take as an heritage .” Thus those who embrace wisdom now inherit (take as an heritage) rewards later ( Mt 5:5b ). 4:7 According to the book of Proverbs, Solomon appeared to be a man of great wisdom and uncompromising character, even warning others of the devastation they would incur if they compromised wisdom’s principles. However, we know from Solomon’s own life (I Ki 11) that he did compromise his convictions. He married many foreign wives and eventually ruined the nation of Israel. Unfortunately, the best of men are at best men and every man is capable of selling-out his so-called convictions or moral standards for a price. The question is, “At what price does a man sell out?” Dr John MacArthur, in one of his sermons, described some of the reasons behind why Christians compromise their convictions. He notes: People say they believe the Bible, but stay in churches where its not taught.

People claim convictions about sin and convictions about punishment until that sin is committed by their children. People say they must speak out about dishonesty and they must speak out about corruption until it refers to their boss, and they might lose their job. People have high moral standards until their lusts are released and from the bondage of a holy conscience they enter into an unholy relationship, and then begin to rationalize their compromise. People are honest until just a little dishonesty might save them a lot of money or gain for them some great advantage. 2

Christians compromise their convictions because something of present value becomes more precious to them than something of future value. Whether it be convenience, another family member, false security, lust, the almighty dollar, the sake of calm, friendships, or popularity and comfort, compromising one’s convictions is always the result of something temporal becoming more important to than something eternal. NOTE – In order to keep from selling-out for a price we must learn what it means to become “priceless” (something that will not be sold because it cannot be sold). There are three items of interest that God considers priceless: (1) His view of us ( Mt 13:44 -46 and Eph 1:3 ); (2) Virtue ( Prov 31:10b ); and (3) Wisdom ( Job 28: 12- 18 and Prov 3:13-15 & 8:11 & 20:15). If we will learn to value these three items in the same way that God values them, then we can keep from selling-out to the world, the Devil, and the flesh.

1 Strong, James. Strong’s Concordance , Mclean, VA, MacDonald Publishing Company, Print. 2 MacArthur, John. The Consequences of an Uncompromising Life, Part 2 , 1979. Audio.