THE ANCIENT LANDMARKS

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

PROVERBS 22:15-29
Lesson #38
THE ANCIENT LANDMARKS

• Memory verse: Pro 22:17
• “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (22:15)
  • Key words: foolishness (lifestyle of a fool that says no God for me); heart (inner man).
  • In our study of Proverbs we have learned that we must train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he probably will not deter from that path. (Pro 22:6)
  • In the proverb in verse 15 we see that the way of a fool is the natural tendency of the flesh nature of a child. Every human being is born with a flesh nature. In other words, a child left to his own ways will grow up living for himself, making decisions that lean to his own selfishness, and never seeking the God that created him. (Rom 3:11)
    • For this reason, it is important for the parents to correct the child and teach him God’s ways. If they do not, the child will become a fool that says, “No God for me!”
    • Notice this proverb mentions the “rod of correction”. This is corporal punishment.
      • While modern psychology and educational rules say that you damage a child when corporal punishment is applied, God’s word does not change.
      • One of the ancient landmarks in the Word of God is that corporal punishment is legitimate and should be done with a “rod”.
      • The idea is that the parent punishes the child with an inanimate object so that the child associates the correction with that object and the breaking of a standard and not personally with the parent. After punishment, the parent should hug and love the child making personal contact.
      • Of course, if the inanimate object leaves a mark on the child’s body, the punishment is too harsh. Usually a parent that punishes too harshly is applying punishment when he himself is angry. A parent must never punish in anger but according to principle.
      • We have seen previously in Proverbs that the parent should break the spirit of rebellion in the child and not break the child’s spirit. ( If the parent disciplines too harshly or unjustly he will break the child’s spirit.
• “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” (22:16)
  • This proverb is a matter of personal integrity to do what is right; not what is right in his own eyes, for we learned in Proverb that what man thinks is right in his own eyes is the way of a fool. (Pro 12:15 Pro 21:15
  • Jesus said we are to love others. (Mar 12:31) If we love others, we will have compassion on the poor.
  • The final phrase in this proverb tells us that this person that lacks integrity in using his money correctly “will surely come to want.”
    • God’s perfect justice and sovereignty is in view here.
    • Jesus came to rectify the abuses to God’s perfect justice.
    • Read Isa 61:1-3
  • At Jesus’ second coming, He will establish a millennial kingdom of perfect justice over which He will reign for 1000 years.
• “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.” (22:17)
• “For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.” (22:18)
• ^“That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. (22:19)
  • Key words: wise (believer in Christ that lives skillfully); heart (inner man); knowledge (power to know truth).
  • The humble ear is something only the believer in Christ can have. He will listen to the wisdom gained by the experiences of mature believers in Christ.
  • Notice that it is not just hearing the words of wise, mature believers. The person that hears the wisdom must also apply it to his own inner man. In other words he must apply it to his thinking, his own attitudes, and his perspectives.
  • The result is the power to know the truth of God.
  • Then verse 18 and 19 give us the final result of this process. What is in the inner man will come out of his mouth. (Mat 12:34) As God’s truth is made known to the believer, he will trust the Lord more.
• “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,” (22:20)
• “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?” (22:21)
  • Key words: counsels (advice); knowledge (power to know truth).
    • God’s Word contains His excellent advice to the believer of how he should live skillfully.
    • God’s Word contains His eternal truth.
    • Read 2Tim 3:16
    • Read 1Pet 3:15
    • It is the Holy Spirit inside of the believer that helps the believer understand God’s Word, and helps him to apply it to his life.
  • Because God has written to us excellent things in His word, the wise believer will read and study His Word daily.
    • The believer that reads and studies God’s Word will know for sure that these words are true without any doubt. Why will there be no doubt?
    • Because faith comes by the word of God and faith removes doubt.
  • When you know the truth of the Word of God you have an answer to the people that God brings across your path. That is what we are supposed to do with what we learn from God. We are to share it with others.
• “Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:” (22:22)
• “For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.” (22:23)
  • This proverb in verse 22 is more specific than the proverb in 22:16.
  • Proverb 22:16 refers to a general oppression of the poor.
  • The proverb in verse 22 refers to “the afflicted in the gate”.
    • The center of government and the center of the justice system occurred at the city gate.
    • Therefore, a righteous government must not take advantage of the poor.
    • Therefore, a righteous justice system must not take advantage of the poor.
  • Read 1Cor 6:6-8
  • Read Mat 5:40-42
    • The believer should not take another believer to court.
    • Instead the two believers in disagreement over a matter should agree to let the church elders settle the matter.
    • When the two agree to settle it through the leaders of the church instead of through a secular court system, God will be sure to bring His perfect justice to settle the matter. (22:23)
• “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:” (22:24)
• “Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” (22:25)
  • A person that has a constant anger problem will have trouble making lasting friendships. Why?
  • To be friends with this person means you will have to constantly walk carefully so as not to upset him. It is like walking on egg shells. Eventually you are going to break some and eventually this angry person will be angry with you for the slightest reason.
  • Beyond the wise counsel of not making a strong friendship with an angry person, verse 25 gives us a deeper reason.
    • You will learn his angry lifestyle where he always finds something to anger him.
    • The result is “a snare to thy soul”. What does that mean?
    • A snare is a trap. What trap does a lifestyle of anger present?
      • A mind that concentrates on the negative aspect of every situation will never see the blessings in it or what he can learn from it.
      • The person that is always angry looks for ways to avenge a wrong instead of forgiveness for it.
      • Anger can be an addictive poison that elevates the ego and judges others for their failure to live to your standards.
      • In the end the angry person will not receive forgiveness from others for his failures. He will alienate friends and family. And he will be judged by God in the final judgment for assuming the position of God in the lives of other people when he judges and condemns them for their wrongs.
      • Read Rom 14:13
• “Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.” (22:26)
• “If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?” (22:27)
  • Key words: sureties/strike hands (co-signing for another’s debt)
  • We have seen in Proverbs that we must not encourage debt or the slavery to debt that co-signing a note represents.
    • Even shaking hands (strike hands) to cover another’s debt is not wise.
    • You can lose all that you have, even your very basics of life like your bed.
• “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” (22:28)
  • From this proverb we obtain the title for our lesson.
  • What is meant by “the ancient landmark”?
    • In the Old Testament the nation of Israel was the Promised Land given to the Israelites by God. When the Israelites took possession of the land in the book of Joshua, each tribe was given a specific piece of land. Then each family in that tribe was given a specific part of that tribal land. The legal landmark was a pile of stones, a natural border like a river, or a double furrow cut into the land. To alter the landmark was to violate God’s gift. (Deu 19:14)
    • The landmark for each piece of land was specifically designated by God. This ancient landmark was so important to God that no piece of land was to be sold permanently to a person of another tribe or family because that was a dishonor to change the ownership of God’s gift. (1Kin 21:3)
    • In the event that a person sold his land to another, every 50 years in the year of Jubilee, all land would return to its original owner. In this way, God guarded the original ancient landmarks and prevented one tribe or one family from overpowering another tribe or family by becoming the possessor of all the land.
  • To what does “the ancient landmark” refer for the New Testament Christian?
    • The ancient landmarks for the Christian, spiritually speaking, are the foundation stones of Christian doctrine established on Jesus Christ by the Apostles in the early church.
    • For example they are the doctrines of:
      • The virgin birth of Jesus Christ. (Isa 7:14)
      • The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the people. (Isa 53)
      • Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God in the flesh. (Joh 1)
      • The inherent sinfulness of man. (Rom 3:23)
      • The new birth experience of the believer in Jesus Christ. (Joh 3)
      • The indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Joh 14:17)
      • The soon-coming King, Jesus Christ. (Mat 16:27)
      • A final judgment to come of every non-believer. (Rev 20:11-12)
      • A final reward of eternal life for every believer in Jesus Christ. (Mat 25:46)
    • To change these basic doctrines, to move them to mean something else, to weaken their eternal meaning in any way violates God’s standard, God’s intent, God’s plan for man, and God’s promise to His son, Jesus Christ. (Psa 110:1)
  • Is it legitimate to refer these physical landmarks in the Promised Land to the spiritual doctrines of the New Testament? Yes. Why?
    • The possession of the Promised Land in the book of Joshua refers spiritually to possessing our New Testament possessions obtained by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
    • Read 1Cor 10:11
• ^“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” (22:29)
  • Key words: diligent (constant care).
  • The person that takes care of his responsibilities will be given greater responsibilities.
  • This proverb reminds us of the parable Jesus spoke about servants given specific responsibilities over an owner’s goods.
  • Read Luk 19:11-26
  • Notice that Jesus says that the servant that invested wisely will be given more but the servant that did nothing will lose even that which he had.
    • For Jesus, the King of kings to notice your success, it has to have been done in obedience to Him.
    • Discussion: How does that relate to the Christian life?

Homework
Proverbs 23:1-35

• Application for Pro 22:15-29
  • What does the rod of correction extract from the child? (1) What does that mean? (Remember your Proverbs dictionary).
    • Correction removes foolishness which is the lifestyle of a fool that says there is no God for him.
  • What does it mean to “bow down the ear”? (17)
    • It means to have the attitude of humility to be teachable.
  • What does verse 20 mean? (use your Proverbs dictionary)
    • God has written in His Word good advice and how to have the power to know the truth by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
  • What are we supposed to do with what we learn from God? (21)
    • Remember it and learn from it so we can always have an answer for those who ask.
  • What ancient landmarks have you seen moved:
    • In your personal life?
    • In your church?
    • In society generally?
• Preparation for Pro 23:1-35
  • Read Pro 23:1-35
    • For what should a person with a job not be working toward? Why? (4-5)
    • Then, for what should a person with a job be working toward?
    • Find a verse that refers to Jesus Christ.
    • Using your Proverbs Dictionary, explain how to accomplish the memory verse.
• Memory verse: Pro 23:23