Some Profiles in Proverbs
The Foolish man: the foolish man or the fool makes several appearances in this book. He is a liar, deceitful, hateful, a slanderer (Proverbs 10:18), mischievous (Prov. 10:23), a servant to the wise (Prov. 11:29) and deluded (Prov. 12:15). Worst of all, because he is not even aware that he has a problem, he shows his folly openly (Prov. 13:16). Unfortunately, for the same reason, it is fruitless to try to correct him (Prov. 23:9). The foolish man is constantly contrasted with the wise man (Prov. 10:8). The foolish man is the man David wrote about in Psalm 1 — he walks in ungodly counsel, stands in the way of the sinner, and seats in the seat of the scornful. Being foolish or being called a fool was such a strong term that Jesus warned us that the punishment for calling our brother a fool is condemnation to hell fire (Matt 5:22). Finally, we find the root of the fool’s problem in the book of Psalms, chapter 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” Therefore, there is no hope for the fool as long as he has this mindset. Until he comes to receive Jesus and fear God, then will he find wisdom.
The poor man: The poor man is identified as someone who is at a disadvantage. He is not in a desirable or enviable position (Proverbs 10:15). He is unpopular (Proverbs 14:20). He may be responsible for his own state of affairs (Proverbs 10:4). The Word of God tells us to treat him with mercy (Prov. 14:21), to give to him (Prov. 19:17, 22:9). God hears the cry of the poor (Prov. 21:13). The poor man is better than the foolish man (Prov. 19:1). However, poverty is not a condition to be satisfied with, because it can cause us to sin (Prov. 30:9). We can escape the plight of the poor by being diligent (Prov. 10:15), by not indulging in pleasure (Prov. 21:17), by being generous (Prov. 11:24) and by being hardworking (Prov. 20:13). However, Proverbs 13:23 shows us that though a poor man works hard, the enemy is constantly battling against him to take what he has away from him. However, Jesus has a great promise for the poor in Luke 6:20. He promises them the Kingdom! This bring us to the final character in our study.
The King: This character appears several times in this book, he is an influential man. He is powerful, wise, wealthy, a judge (Prov. 16:10), merciful and truthful (Prov. 20:28). He does not surround himself with wicked men (Prov. 25:5), and is a defender of the poor man (Prov. 29:14). Under the rule of this king, the poor man can thrive, because the king does not tolerate wickedness (Prov. 20:26). Jesus is the King of kings. He has made us kings and priests unto our God (Rev. 1:6). You want to know what your responsibility is as a king? Read the book of Proverbs, and you will know what is expected of you. We are called to reward the diligent (Prov. 22:29), love righteousness (Prov. 16:13) and favor the wise (Prov. 14:35).
We have profiled three characters from the book of Proverbs. We all at one time were either poor or foolish because we did not know God or were under the oppression of the devil. Thank God for Jesus, who came and made us rich by becoming poor (2nd Corinthians 8:9), and established us as kings. Take up your mantle as a king today and go out and administer justice and righteousness for others in Jesus’ name! Luke 4:18.
The Foolish man: the foolish man or the fool makes several appearances in this book. He is a liar, deceitful, hateful, a slanderer (Proverbs 10:18), mischievous (Prov. 10:23), a servant to the wise (Prov. 11:29) and deluded (Prov. 12:15). Worst of all, because he is not even aware that he has a problem, he shows his folly openly (Prov. 13:16). Unfortunately, for the same reason, it is fruitless to try to correct him (Prov. 23:9). The foolish man is constantly contrasted with the wise man (Prov. 10:8). The foolish man is the man David wrote about in Psalm 1 — he walks in ungodly counsel, stands in the way of the sinner, and seats in the seat of the scornful. Being foolish or being called a fool was such a strong term that Jesus warned us that the punishment for calling our brother a fool is condemnation to hell fire (Matt 5:22). Finally, we find the root of the fool’s problem in the book of Psalms, chapter 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” Therefore, there is no hope for the fool as long as he has this mindset. Until he comes to receive Jesus and fear God, then will he find wisdom.
The poor man: The poor man is identified as someone who is at a disadvantage. He is not in a desirable or enviable position (Proverbs 10:15). He is unpopular (Proverbs 14:20). He may be responsible for his own state of affairs (Proverbs 10:4). The Word of God tells us to treat him with mercy (Prov. 14:21), to give to him (Prov. 19:17, 22:9). God hears the cry of the poor (Prov. 21:13). The poor man is better than the foolish man (Prov. 19:1). However, poverty is not a condition to be satisfied with, because it can cause us to sin (Prov. 30:9). We can escape the plight of the poor by being diligent (Prov. 10:15), by not indulging in pleasure (Prov. 21:17), by being generous (Prov. 11:24) and by being hardworking (Prov. 20:13). However, Proverbs 13:23 shows us that though a poor man works hard, the enemy is constantly battling against him to take what he has away from him. However, Jesus has a great promise for the poor in Luke 6:20. He promises them the Kingdom! This bring us to the final character in our study.
The King: This character appears several times in this book, he is an influential man. He is powerful, wise, wealthy, a judge (Prov. 16:10), merciful and truthful (Prov. 20:28). He does not surround himself with wicked men (Prov. 25:5), and is a defender of the poor man (Prov. 29:14). Under the rule of this king, the poor man can thrive, because the king does not tolerate wickedness (Prov. 20:26). Jesus is the King of kings. He has made us kings and priests unto our God (Rev. 1:6). You want to know what your responsibility is as a king? Read the book of Proverbs, and you will know what is expected of you. We are called to reward the diligent (Prov. 22:29), love righteousness (Prov. 16:13) and favor the wise (Prov. 14:35).
We have profiled three characters from the book of Proverbs. We all at one time were either poor or foolish because we did not know God or were under the oppression of the devil. Thank God for Jesus, who came and made us rich by becoming poor (2nd Corinthians 8:9), and established us as kings. Take up your mantle as a king today and go out and administer justice and righteousness for others in Jesus’ name! Luke 4:18.
Comments
Post a Comment