Living Proverbs offers practical wisdom for navigating life's complexities, drawing from Proverbs chapters 28-31. The sermon highlights the stark contrast between the wicked and the righteous, emphasizing that integrity, justice, and reverence for God lead to stability and prosperity, while dishonesty and oppression result in ruin. Key themes include the importance of wise governance, the consequences of greed, the value of hard work, and the dangers of pride and quick temper. The message concludes by celebrating the virtues of a God-fearing woman, whose strength, diligence, and wisdom bring honor to her family and community, serving as a model of true worth beyond superficial charm or beauty.
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We bring you living proverbs, the old, old message in modern language. We begin our reading with Proverbs chapter twenty eight. The wicked flee when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions. When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily, but with honest, sensible leaders, there is stability. When a poor man oppresses those even poor, he is like an unexpected flood sweeping away their last hope.
To complain about the law is to praise wickedness. To obey the law is to fight evil. Evil men don't understand the importance of justice, but those who follow the Lord are much concerned about it. Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater. Young men who are wise obey the law. A son who is a member of a lawless gang is a shame to his father. Income from exploiting the poor will end up in the hands of someone who pities them. God doesn't listen to the prayers of men who flout the law. A curse on those who lead astray the godly, but men who encourage the upright to do good shall be given a worthwhile reward.
Rich men are conceited, but their real poverty is evident to the poor. When the godly are successful, everyone is glad. When the wicked succeed, everyone is sad. A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful, but if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance. Blessed is the man who reveres God, but the man who doesn't care is headed for serious trouble. A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion or a bear attacking them. Only a stupid prince will oppress his people, but a king will have a long reign if he hates dishonesty and bribes.
A murderer's conscience will drive him into hell. Don't stop him. Good men will be rescued from harm, but cheaters will be destroyed. Hard work brings prosperity, playing around brings poverty. The man who wants to do right will get a rich reward, but the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail. Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear case of selling one's soul for a piece of bread. Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to poverty. In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.
A man who robs his parents and says, what's wrong with that, is no better than a murderer. Greed causes fighting. Trusting God leads to prosperity. A man is a fool to trust himself, but those who use God's wisdom are safe. If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied, but a curse on those who close their eyes to poverty. When the wicked prosper, good men go astray. When the wicked meet disaster, good men return. The man who's often reproved but refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken and never have another chance.
With good men in authority, the people rejoice, but with the wicked in power, they groan. A wise son makes his father happy, but a lad who hangs around with prostitutes disgraces him. A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. Flattery is a trap. Evil men are caught in it, but good men stay away and sing for joy. The good man knows the poor man's rights, the godless doesn't care. Fools start fights everywhere while wise men try to keep peace.
There's no use arguing with a fool. He only rages and scoffs, and tempers flare. The godly pray for those who long to kill them. A rebel shouts in anger. A wise man holds his temper in and cools it. A wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff. Rich and poor are alike in this. Each depends on God for light. A king who is fair to the poor shall have a long reign. Scolding and spanking a child helps him to learn. Left to himself, he brings shame to his mother. When rulers are wicked, their people are too.
But good men will live to see the tyrant's downfall. Discipline your son, and he will give you happiness and peace of mind. Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild. But what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep his laws. Sometimes mere words are not enough. Discipline is needed, for the words may not be heeded. There is more hope for a fool than for a man of quick temper. Pamper a servant from childhood, and he will expect you to treat him as a son. A hot-tempered man starts fights and gets into all kinds of trouble.
Pride ends in a fall, while humility brings honor. A man who assists a thief must really hate himself, for he knows the consequences, but does it anyway. Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety. Do you want justice? Don't fawn on the judge, but ask the Lord for it. The good hate the badness of the wicked. The wicked hate the goodness of the good. I am tired out, oh God, and ready to die.
I am too stupid even to call myself a human being. I cannot understand man, let alone God. Who else but God goes back and forth to heaven? Who else holds the wind in his fists and wraps up the ocean in his cloak? Who but God has created the world? If there is any other, what is his name and his son's name, if you know it? Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Oh God, I beg two favors from you before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may become content without God, and if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name. Never falsely accuse a man to his employer, lest he curse you for your sin. There are those who curse their father and mother and feel themselves faultless despite their many sins. They are proud beyond description, arrogant, disdainful.
They despise the poor with teeth as sharp as knives. There are two things never satisfied, like a leech forever craving more. No three things, no four. Hell, the barren womb, a barren desert, fire. A man who mocks his father and despises his mother shall have his eyes plucked out by ravens and eaten by vultures. There are three things too wonderful for me to understand, no four. How an eagle glides through the sky, how a serpent crawls upon a rock, how a ship finds its way across the heaving ocean, the growth of love between a man and a girl.
There is another thing too, how a prostitute can sin and then say, what's wrong with that? There are three things that make the earth tremble, no four it cannot stand. A slave who becomes a king, a rebel who prospers, a bitter woman when she finally marries, a servant girl who marries her mistress's husband. There are four things that are small but unusually wise. Ants, they aren't strong but store up food for the winter. Cliff badgers, delicate little animals who protect themselves by living among the rocks.
The locusts, though they have no leader, they stay together in swarms. The spiders, they're easy to catch and kill, and yet they're found even in kings' palaces. There are three stately monarchs in the earth, no, four. The lion, the king of animals, he won't turn aside for anyone. The peacock, the he-goat, a king as he leads his army. If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don't brag about it. Cover your mouth with your hand in shame. As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.
Oh, my son, whom I've dedicated to the Lord, do not spend your time with women, the royal pathway to destruction. It is not for kings, oh Lemuel, to drink wine and whiskey, for if they drink, they may forget their duties and be unable to give justice to those who are oppressed. Hard liquor is for sick men at the brink of death, and wine for those in deep depression. Let them drink to forget their poverty and misery. You should defend those who cannot help themselves. Yes, speak up for the poor and needy and see that they get justice. If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems.
Her husband can trust her, and she will richly satisfy his needs. She will not hinder him, but help him all her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She buys imported foods brought by ship from distant ports. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plans the day's work for her servant girls. She goes out to inspect a field and buys it. With her own hands, she plants a vineyard. She is energetic, a hard worker, and watches for bargains. She works far into the night. She sows for the poor and generously gives to the needy. She has no fear for winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them.
She also upholsters with fine tapestry. Her own clothing is beautifully made, a purple gown of pure linen. Her husband is well known, for he sits in the council chamber with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments to sell to the merchants. She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule of everything she says. She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household. She is never lazy. Her children stand and bless her, so does her husband. He praises her with these words: There are many fine women in the world, but you are best of them all.
Charm can be deceptive, and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised. Praise her for the many things she does. These good deeds of hers shall bring her honor and recognition from even the leaders of the nation. We've been reading Living Proverbs, the old, old message in modern language. We read Proverbs twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, and thirty one, thus concluding the reading of Living Proverbs.