LEARNING TO TRUST

Related Articles

FULFILLMENT OF A PROMISE, THEN CONFLICT

April 6, 2023

THE CONCEPT OF ORIGINAL SIN AND THE RESPONSE OF GUILT AND BLAME

April 6, 2023

SYLLABUS for the book of GENESIS

April 5, 2023

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

PROVERBS 3:21-35
Lesson #05
LEARNING TO TRUST

• Memory Verse: Psa 9:10
• The son in Proverbs is growing up and leaving home, making his own decisions, and marking out the path of his life.
• Read Pro 3:21-35 Instruction to My Son #7: As a young adult
  • “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.” (21-23)
    • Key words: Wisdom (skillful living); discretion (judge what is proper).
    • What is it that should not depart from your eyes as a child of God?
      • Sound wisdom (learning to live skillfully) based on the Word of God.
      • A part of sound wisdom is an ability to judge that which is proper behavior.
    • These two go hand in hand. If you are not judging that which is proper behavior you will not be living skillfully.
    • The result of living skillfully and judging that which is proper behavior:
      • The result will be life and grace.(22)
        • The grace of God will fill in the where you fall short.
        • The life of Christ in you will be your lifestyle for all around you to see.
      • The result will be a Christian walk that God is overseeing and protecting. (23)
        • You will not accidentally fall into sin.
        • You will not make stupid mistakes in your life.
      • You will be able to sleep well and peacefully at night. (24)
        • You will not stay awake because of fear.
        • Fear is the opposite of faith. When you are trusting in God for your life, you have the assurance that He is in control and protecting you.
  •  ^“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” (25-26)
  • Key words: Desolation (destruction); wicked (lawless evil).
    • Sudden fear:
      • An abiding trust in God means that nothing catches God by surprise. He knows what is coming, and He has prepared the way and the answer even before the event occurs.
      • It is the non-believer that should be afraid, but the believer will be living in faith (confidence) in God.
        • There is only one kind of fear that the believer should have.
        • That is an awesome reverence for God that is the basis of faith.
    • Sudden destruction:
      • He “shall keep thy foot from being taken.” (26)
      • While Proverbs tells us God’s probabilities, we have a similar promise in the Psalms.
      • Read Psa 91:3-12
        • “He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler” (Psa 91:3)
        • The angels will “bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Psa 91:12)
  • “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” (27-28)
    • If the young man of Proverbs is learning to trust God, that means he is learning to have an open hand, willing to help others. God always fills an open hand, never a closed hand.
    • Read 1Tim 6:17-18
      • No matter how poor you are, there are always those around you that have less than you do. To them you are rich.
      • That means that we are all supposed to help others when it is in our power to do so.
  • Neighborly relations:
    • “Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.  Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.” (29-30)
    • The Christian should be the best of neighbors. This is your lifestyle testimony to non-believers around you.
      • “Strive not with a man without cause…” (30)
      • What does this mean?
        • Read Rom 12:18-19
        • In other words, you should strive for peace at all times in your relationships with non-believers around you,
        • However, you have a right to defend your life if necessary.
        • The believer should never be the one that initiates strife or the one that perpetuates it.
    • God defends His people. (Psa 59:1)
      • As the young man in Proverbs learns to trust God in all areas of his life, he should learn to trust God to defend him when enemies rise up against him.
      • God’s defense is better than our own.
  • ^“ Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.” (31-32)
    • Key words: Oppressor (merciless); froward (disobedient); abomination (hated); righteous (pure life/believers).
    • Here is where we definitely need our dictionary of terms at the end of lesson #01.
    • Notice the parallel:
      • Envy/choose
      • The oppressor/his ways
      • Froward/righteous
      • The oppressor and the froward person are hated by the Lord simply because they are in contrast to the righteous. The believer in Christ should not choose to be either a person without mercy or to be a disobedient person.
        • The term abomination is a very strong term as are the terms oppressor and froward.
        • The oppressor is the violent person without mercy.

The definition of this term indicates without mercy to the extreme. This is the bully.

The violent person without mercy is an abomination to the Lord because the Lord is merciful. (Rom 9:18)

If God extends mercy to man, we should extend mercy to others. (Eph 2:4 Heb 4:16)

• • • • • The froward (the disobedient)

This term also indicates disobedience to the extreme.

This person has totally given himself over to evil and has totally turned away from God.

• • • • What are the ways of the oppressor and the froward person that the young man should avoid?
        • Rebellion against God is disobedience to the extreme.
        • It is the same as the sin of witchcraft. (1Sam 15:23) Why?

When you do not trust in God but rebel by disobedience, you are putting someone or something else in the place of God.

The only other alternative to God is Satan.

• • • • Because these two terms are in contrast to the ways of God and are an abomination to God, both the oppressor and the forward person belong to the realm of Satan and his activities.
    • What is the secret that the righteous know that the person without mercy and the disobedient person do not know?
      • The secret is the fear of the Lord (awesome reverence for God) in an intimate communion with God.
      • When the believer has this awesome reverence and an intimate communion with God, he has a trust in God to supply everything he needs in life. He does not need to take advantage of people to get what he needs.
  • “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” (33)
    • Key words: Wicked (lawless evil person); just (righterous believer).
    • Notice the parallels:
      • Curse/blesseth
      • House of the wicked/habitation of the just
    • The young adult of Proverbs should understand that there are only two choices borne out by the parallels we see in this verse.
      • Curses are with the person that indulges in lawless evil without morality; those people without mercy, and the disobedient people in this chapter.
      • Blessings are with the righteous person in Jesus Christ.
    • The Biblical example of “the wicked” is King Ahab married to Jezebel. (1Kin 16:30-33)
    • “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.” (34)
      • Key words: Scorner (arrogant hater); grace (favor); lowly (humble).
      • Who is the “he” in this verse?
      • It is God. (Psa 138:6)
        • God hates the actions of those that mock God in arrogance. God will have the final word when it comes to the final judgment.
        • But God gives unmerited favor to the humble who have submitted their lives to Christ. (34)
  • “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” (35)
    • Key words: Wise (believer in Christ); shame (dishonor); fools (unbeliever/ no God for me).
    • The parallels are:
      • The wise/fools
      • Inherit/promotion
      • Glory/shame
        • The young adult of Proverbs that chooses to live skillfully is wise because he will inherit glory.
        • If he does not choose this path, he is a fool (that says, “No God for me.”) and he will promote shame and dishonor.

How will his life bring him shame?

He will be ashamed in the final judgment. (1Joh 2:28 Rom 10:11 Rom 6:21)

• • • All humans have this choice that is given to the young man of Proverbs 3.
      • You choose either God or Satan.
      • There are no other choices or options. And if you have not actively chosen Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, you have automatically chosen Satan.

Homework
Proverbs 4

• Application of Proverbs 3:21-35
  • As a child of God, what is it that should not depart from your eyes? (21) Sound wisdom and discretion.
  • How does this passage in Proverbs describe the sleep of the wise? (24) Sweet
  • From what you have already learned in Proverbs, what is the only fear a believer should have? The Fear of the Lord.
  • How does the Lord view a froward person? (32) He is an abomination.
  • To whom does God give grace? (34) To the lowly (humble).
  • The young man is encouraged in Proverbs 3 to trust fully and completely in God for all areas of his life including his relationships with others.
  • What, in this part of chapter 3, speaks most to your level of trust in God?
    • ….trusting in God to guide you into skillful living.
    • ….trusting in God to show you proper behavior.
    • ….trusting in God for protection.
    • ….trusting in God to meet your financial needs so you are free to give to others.
    • ….trusting in God in your relationships with your neighbors.
    • ….trusting in God for a good end in a final judgment.
• Preparation for Pro 4
  • Read Pro 4:1-27
    • What did Solomon say is the most important thing to get?
    • And the second most important thing?
    • If the wisdom of God directs your path, probably you will not do what? (11-12) What does that mean to you?
    • What is like food and drink to the evil man? (17)
    • The issues of life come from where? (23)
• Memory verse: Psa 45:17