A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
Proverbs 28:1-12
Lesson #46
THE LAWS THAT FUNCTION IN THIS LIFE
- Memory verse: Pro 28:9
- Background:
- The Bible frequently mentions the word “law”. Three of the proverbs in this passage refer to the word “law”. (4, 7, 9)
- There are various laws that the Bible speaks about of which the believer in Jesus Christ needs to understand in order to interpret the Bible accurately.
- Generally speaking the Bible is God’s law. (Psa 119)
- Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.
- It refers to God’s law by various names: testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, and word. (These seven names refer to the perfection of God’s law.)
- With the exception of one law, the book of Romans defines all of these specific uses for us and how the believer in Christ should relate to them.
- Generally speaking the Bible is God’s law. (Psa 119)
| Some Key Scriptures | The Law | The Explanation |
| Rom 2:12-13, 17, 23, 25
Rom 3:19-20 |
The Law of Moses in Exo, Lev, Num, Deu had three parts: =1= The Ceremonial Law. These laws consisted of the ritual and ceremony of Old Testament temple worship including animal sacrifice. =2= The Moral Law. These are the Ten Commandments of Exo. 20. They tell us the moral standards of God. =3= The Civil Law. These are the laws dealing with how a neighbor treats another person and the property of others. |
The Law of Moses was a written covenant between God and Moses that governed the period of time between the Exodus from Egypt and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Matthew. It was given only to the Jews.
This covenant came in alongside the covenant of faith with Abraham. It did not replace the covenant of faith with Abraham. (Rom 4:15) The purpose of the Law of Moses was to make man aware of sin and to point to Jesus Christ. (Rom 3:20 Rom 5:20 Rom 7:7) |
| Rom 2:14-15, 26 | The law of God written in the heart of every person. | Every human has a conscience knowing generally right from wrong. This is God’s general, moral law written in the human heart at the time of natural birth. |
| Rom 3:27-28 | The law of faith obtained by trusting in Jesus Christ | God’s way of salvation was always by faith in a promised Messiah (Gen 3:15).
All Old Testament believers and all New Testament believers are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. |
| Rom 7:23 | The law of sin in the flesh that exists in every human. | This is the sinful flesh nature inherited from Adam by all humans. It reigns supreme in the earthy life of every human that is not born again. |
| Rom 7:23, 25 | The law in the mind of the believer that battles the flesh nature. | This is the born-again Christian that in his mind he knows what God’s will is in his life, but the sin nature in his flesh fights against what God wants him to do. |
| Rom 8:2, 4 | The law of the Spirit of life in Christ | This is power of God that Christ gives to every believer the moment a person is born again. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside the believer that helps him defeat the law of sin in his flesh. |
| Rom 9:31-32
Rom 10:4 |
The law of righteousness | Based on the holiness of God, man must have righteousness to have a personal relationship with God. Only through Jesus Christ, the perfect sinless man, sacrificed for man’s sin, can man approach a holy God. |
| Rom 8:2
1Cor 15:56 |
The law of sin and death in the world | This is the force of the kingdom of Satan that entered the world with the first sin of Adam and Eve.
The existence of sin in the world, to which man gives himself, is contrary to the holiness of God and to the Law of God. (1Joh 3:4) The results of sin is death. (Rom 6:23) |
| Gal 6:2 | The law of Christ written on the heart of the believer that is under the New Covenant of Christ’s blood. (Heb 8:8, 10) | This is the covenant between God and man in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that purchased man’s salvation and forgiveness of sin. This is the law by which all men will be judged in the end…who does man think Jesus Christ is in reality? Does he have Jesus in his heart? |
- “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (1)
- Key words: wicked (lawless evil); righteous (pure life).
- Every human is born with a conscience that makes him feel guilty when he does something wrong whether he is a believer or an unbeliever he has the law of God written in his heart.
- While the conscience is molded by culture as a person grows to be an adult, the Holy Spirit uses the conscience of a believer to convict him of sin. The believer that repents when the Holy Spirit convicts him of sin is living a pure life and has freedom and boldness before God.
- Even the unbeliever that does not have the presence of the Holy Spirit will react from a guilty conscience when he has done something wrong. He fears getting caught and being punished. The greatest fear is the fear of death.
- When a person sears his conscience by disregarding his conscience, he falls into even greater evil activities.
- “For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.” (2)
- Key words: transgression (law breaking); understanding (discernment of good from evil); knowledge (power to know truth).
- When evil reigns in a nation, people seek to change the leadership frequently. Therefore unrighteousness promotes political instability.
- On the other hand, when righteousness reigns in a nation, people live in peace and are content with their government.
- King David reigned for 40 years. Jesus Christ will reign on earth for 1000 years.
- “A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.” (3)
- You would think that the poor would have empathy for other poor people.
- Instead greed, selfishness, and corruption produce widespread poverty.
- Jesus taught us to give and it will be given to us in greater abundance. (Luk 6:38)
- The Bible tells us that Jesus came for the oppressed. (Luk 4:18)
- “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.” (4)
- Key words: wicked (lawless evil).
- The Law that this proverb speaks about is the Law of Moses. Remember that Solomon lived during a period of Law governed by the Law of Moses.
- However, even for the Gentiles that did not have the Law of Moses, they had the law of God in their hearts to know generally what was right and what was wrong.
- Therefore, the battle of the ages is the theme of this proverb where evil and good are in constant conflict until Christ returns.
- “Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.” (5)
- Key words: understand (discern good from evil); judgment (discernment).
- The evil person lives by his own rules. Because of that self-centered perspective, he does not understand God’s principles because he does not discern good from evil specifically. In other words, he does not have the specific guidance of the Holy Spirit to help him avoid evil.
- Only the believer in Christ that has the Holy Spirit living in him to discern good from evil for his life’s choices. By that he can discern what pleases God and what does not.
- Therefore, the believer can discern the deep mysteries of God. (Mat 13:11)
- “Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” (6)
- Key words: uprightness (just); perverse (corrupt/disobedient).
- The contrast is between temporary worldly riches and permanent heavenly riches.
- The person that is poor in earthly riches but rich in heavenly riches will live his life walking with God.
- The unbeliever that is disobedient to God and lives his life in corruption may be rich in the things of the world, but he is poor in the things of God. (Rev 3:17-18)
- Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:3)
- The person that is poor in his own spirit will seek Jesus Christ to fill his spirit with the things of God.
- His inheritance is the wealth of the kingdom of God.
- “Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.” (7)
- Key words: wise (the believer in Christ).
- In the Law of Moses God said to stone a rebellious son to indicate that rebellion against God and His moral law is serious.(Deu 21:18-21)
- Therefore, youth should be careful of the friends they choose as their associates. Friends can lead a person astray especially if it is a gang that exerts physical power over a person that strays.
- “He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.” (8)
- Key words: usury (monetary interest); unjust (unbeliever).
- A person that takes advantage of the poor by charging high rates of interest for loans violates God’s standard of justice.
- The Israelite was not supposed to charge any interest on a loan to another Israelite.
- Through the Old Testament instead of obedience to God they not only charged interest from other Israelites, but they charged extremely high interest rates. (Exo 22:25 Lev 25:36 Eze 22:12)
- Jesus demonstrated God’s attitude toward this practice when he upset the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. (Mat 21:12)
- “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” (9)
- Key words: abomination (hated).
- The person that does not listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is not teachable.
- The Holy Spirit uses the law of God written on man’s heart and the law of Christ written in the heart of the believer. He also uses the written Word of God to guide the believer and convict him of sin.
- God hears the prayers of all believers and responds to them because by receiving Jesus Christ in their hearts they are part of God’s family and He is a Father to them.
- God does not hear the prayers of non-believers because they are not part of his family. (Isa 1:15)
- Of course, there is only one prayer the non-believer prays that God does hear and answer and that is repentance from sin to receive Jesus Christ. If God did not hear and answer this prayer, no person would ever be saved.
- “Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.” (10)
- Key words: righteous (pure life); upright (just).
- This proverb speaks about the spiritual blind guide that leads the spiritually blind astray.
- Jesus referred to the blind leading the blind in Mat 15:14 when He condemned the Pharisees and described how they fall into a pit.
- The spiritually blind are the people that close their minds to the truth of God like the Pharisees.
- The righteous people that are “just” before God are the believers in Jesus Christ.
- God takes it seriously when the believers are deceived to choose evil. God identifies himself with the believer and stands with the believer to bless him.
- “The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.” (11)
- Key words: wise (believer in Christ); understanding (discernment of good from evil).
- Generally speaking the rich are self-centered and self-sufficient, wise in their own eyes and think they have no need of a savior.
- For this reason Jesus said that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 19:23-24)
- Those who are poor in spirit seek a savior, Jesus Christ, to fill their empty spirit with the spiritual riches of God.
- “When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.” (12)
- Key words: righteous (pure life); wicked (lawless evil).
- When the evil ruler comes to power, people want to run and hide because they know bad times are coming.
- This proverb is saying the same thing as verse 2 where the nation will last a long time when the righteous rule, but a short time when evil reigns in a nation.
- There will be great rejoicing in Christ’s millennial kingdom when He comes to reign in righteousness and truth for 1000 years.
Homework
Proverbs 28:13-28
- Application of Pro 28:1-13
- Why do the wicked flee when no one pursues him? (1)
- He flees because he feels guilty and he fears getting caught and punished.
- What are some things that the righteous who seek the Lord can understand that the wicked do not understand? (5)
- He understands the difference between good and evil from God’s perspective.
- He understands the mysteries of God.
- Whose prayer is an abomination to God? (9)
- God does not hear the prayers of non-believers because they are not part of his family. (Isa 1:15)
- Of course, there is only one prayer the non-believer prays that God does hear and answer and that is repentance from sin to receive Jesus Christ.
- Why do the wicked flee when no one pursues him? (1)
- Preparation for Pro 28:13-28
- Read Pro 28:13-28
- It is not sufficient just to confess our sins. What more must we do? (13)
- What happens when a person hardens his heart? (14)
- How do Rom 1:28 and Psa 81:11-12 relate to verse 18?
- According to what you have learned in Proverbs, how does one walk wisely? (26)
- Read Pro 28:13-28
- Memory verse: Pro 28:13
