Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / June 23, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 17: Proverbs & Wisdom Literature

Transcript

June 23, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 17: Proverbs & Wisdom Literature · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, welcome to Crono today.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad that you are joining me.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: And today we're going to be looking at the book of Proverbs and briefly at the book of Ecclesiastes.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Pray with me.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Father God, thank you so much for this time.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: We just ask you to bless our hearts with what we will see about the book of Proverbs.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so we give you this time in Jesus' name.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Proverbs is the book of the Old Testament that's kind of like Twitter or Telegram or Rumble.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: We see hundreds of little tweets, short, pithy, memorable statements or observations that communicate some profound theological and practical truths.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: The book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings from different time periods and from different sources.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're looking at the book of Proverbs and briefly at the end at the book of Ecclesiastes.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: But Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Job, and the Song of Solomon all comprise the wisdom literature of the Bible.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the Proverbs, chapters 1 through 29, Proverbs, into a formal collection so that it could be used in tutoring the developing leaders of Israel.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's what they would have used it for under King Solomon's reign.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's been instructing people for thousands of years.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: It has so much that's that's important for us.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs are observations on life, they are generalizations, and they're not intended to be taken as absolute truth or promises.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: They are different from the law, the Ten Commandments, and they are different from the deep theological truths of the New Testament.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to understand the type of literature that we are reading when we're reading the Bible.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And to make that distinction when we get to the wisdom literature books, it's important to make that distinction.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: A proverb is a specific genre, and it has to be read in light of that genre.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: There are three specific kinds of literature in the Old Testament.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: There are promises, I mean laws, sorry, laws, promises, and proverbs.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: A promise is a guarantee that is always true.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs are a catchy observation about the way things generally are.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs are designed to give helpful guidance in real-life situations, but they are not absolutes, they are not laws, they are not promises.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: The Proverbs are designed to teach young, a young person or young people how to think God's thoughts, how to see life through God's eyes, and how to get along and treat family and friends and neighbors.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like our world could absolutely use the book of Proverbs today, right now.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is this proverb that I'm going to read is perfect for our times, especially when there's a lot of anarchy.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of blown away by how perfect this is.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: If they say, come along with us, let's lie in wait for innocent blood, let's ambush some harmless soul, let's swallow them alive like the grave, and whole like those who go down to the pit.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Cast lots with us, we will all share the loot.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths, for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: How apropos for our times, and especially last summer.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's incredible.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: I love the distinction that Chuck Swindell makes from the Psalms and Proverbs.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: He says, What the Psalms are to our devotional life, the Proverbs are to our practical life.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: The book of Psalms teaches us how to praise the Lord.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: The book of Psalms teaches us how to appraise our lives.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: The Psalms are vertical, turning our heart toward the heavenly realms, and the Proverbs are horizontal, directing our thoughts toward earthly responsibilities.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a great way to understand the difference.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: God used David, a man after his own heart, to write most of the Psalms.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: And he used David, whom he had given the most wisdom of anyone in the world, to write the Proverbs.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: How gracious of God to give us both of those books and to give us what we need, to use two different types of men to do that.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Some elements of Proverbs are proverbs are usually short.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: They're no nonsense topics.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And because they are short, they're easy to remember.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: They are figurative language, which makes them more vivid and powerful.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: They are more practical than they are theological, and they are truths that God wants to use to shape our behavior and our attitudes toward Him, our fellow human beings, and to ourselves.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: A good proverb has to be brief and pithy and have deep insight into human, into the human nature, and it gets expressed in a just a few unforgettable words that you just can't get out of your brain.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: They kind of stick with you.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: My daughter Beth made one up one time when she said, if you're going to broil, go with foil.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's short, it's pithy, it makes sense, and it's practical.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a few others.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I like that one.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Teach him how to fish and he'll sit in a boat with it and drink a beer all day.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Short and memorable.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I have even not any clue what that one even means or what the origin.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I should have looked up the origin.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: But every culture have produces a few minds that are capable of this kind of writing.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And in our day, many of them live in Nashville and they write country music.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And what so here's a few titles.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: How can I miss you if you won't go away?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe if I fall in love with my anxiety, it will leave me too.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just a bug on the windshield of life.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: I love that one.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so miserable without you, it's like having you here.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if love were oil, I'd be down a quart.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: These are all short to the point and they're memorable.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's the way a proverb works.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs also include riddles that tackle questions, too.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Here's some example of riddles, not in the book of Proverbs, but they make you ponder the deeper things of life.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: If all the world is a stage, where is the audience?
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And this is my favorite one.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you've tried to fail and succeed, which have you done?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Great riddles, right?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what the Proverbs are like.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: They have lots of riddles.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs was written in Israel thousands of years ago, but its wisdom is applicable to any culture and any time period.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's still relevant to us, even though it was written thousands of years ago.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs chapter 1, verses 1 through 7 tells us who and why the book of Proverbs was written.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, for gaining wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair, for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: For understanding Proverbs and Parables, the sayings of the riddles of the wise, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So the book of Proverbs has wide appeal to the young and the simple, which young people are usually simple, to the wise and discerning, and to the fool.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the motto of the book of Proverbs is stated in 1.7.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fear but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: This fear, of course, does not indicate a cringing, fearful terror of God like you would for an abusive parent or person.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: The fear of the Lord is a healthy, awestruck awareness that God is eternal, that he dwells in absolute holiness, is just and merciful and far beyond us in every way.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's what fear represents.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to look at two prominent themes: wisdom and folly, or a fool.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: First, wisdom.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is the ability to make right decisions.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Today we tend to confuse information with wisdom.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: Who of us hasn't felt overloaded with information, especially this past year and a half or two years.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have all the information that we want at our fingertips, but it's not truth.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Often it's more deception than it is truth.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Information is not wisdom.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to be deceived by information.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is practical, it's the ability to discern what the constructive, God-honoring course of action should be in life and in real life situations.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And wisdom, and it's the wisdom to know to make the right choices and what those choices are.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is directly related to the fear of the Lord.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: The word wisdom is present in 23 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is best defined as the skill in living the skill of living in conformity with the principles of God's word.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: And when we're living that way, we will be wise.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Even if we aren't the brightest light bulb in the package, or even if our elevator doesn't go to the top floor, you can still have wisdom.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: So what should we do if we want wisdom?
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs chapter 2 tells us.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Verses 1 through 4 says, My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understand.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, these verses indicate action, determination, and an effort to find it, don't they?
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Anything worth having is worth working for.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And wisdom is worth any effort that you put forth to gain, to get it.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 2 tells us what the rewards are for seeking wisdom.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you have your your your hand out there, you can underline what the rewards are in these verses, 5 through 10.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: For he guards the course of the just and he protects the way of his faithful ones.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Then you will understand what is right and just and fair, every good path.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's how it happens.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord rewards us with wisdom when we put forth the effort.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think that God has taken notice of the effort that you have put forth this year in reading his word?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, he has seen the effort that you have put forth.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Will he reward those efforts?
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, he will.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, many small answers and insights and knowledge come over a period of time.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's the reward.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: The reward is the that knowledge and that insight and that wisdom that we get.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: The more time you give God to impart that wisdom, the more wisdom you will have.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: But it will be a slow giving over of that wisdom.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's great a gradual accumulation of insights that builds wisdom.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Why would God give wisdom and knowledge and insight to those who aren't putting forth any effort?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: He wouldn't.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in my late 30s, I started asking God for wisdom, like incessantly.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I need wisdom.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I started asking God and asking and asking.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: I wasn't consistently reading the Bible, the Word of God.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I was just wanting wisdom without any of the effort to gain it.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: God wanted me to ask for it because He wants us to desire that, but He also wanted me to put forth some effort in order to gain the wisdom.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: And the crazy thing is that when I took a spiritual gifts assessment, wisdom is one of my top gifts.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it that was amazing to me.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: But it's it's really cool because that wisdom wasn't truly activated in me, even though it was a gift, a spiritual gift, it wasn't activated in me until I was consistent in Bible reading and study.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: And in my work on pastoral staff, I do a lot of counseling with women and with couples.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when I see that wisdom come to light.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the coolest thing to see how God uses the biblical principles that I have studied and understand to bring clarity to people.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is very valuable, so get wisdom.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: The opposite of wisdom, of course, is foolishness.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: And Proverbs has a ton to say about the fool.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Folly in the Old Testament is a problem of the will, not the mind.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: At its heart, folly is rebellion against God, moral depravity, spiritual blindness, and social irresponsibility toward others.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: A fool may know all the answers, but his problem is that he cannot seem to do the wise thing.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever known a true fool?
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Someone who actually literally fits the descriptions that we're going to look at.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Are those people fun to be around?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: The answer is no, capital N, capital O with big eye emojis here.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: In order to know if you have interacted with a fool, you need to know what the Bible says about the fool.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: Bob Diffenbah from Bible.org has some really great things to say about this.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: I love this stuff.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: He says it's much easier to identify a fool in terms of what he is not rather than in terms of what he is.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, number one, the fool is unrighteous.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: The fool hates what is holy, what is righteous and what is good, and he loves evil.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 10, 23, doing wickedness is like sport to the fool.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 14, 9, fools mock at sin.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, the fool is unwise.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: The fool does not possess wisdom and cannot obtain wisdom and would not obtain it if he could.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 14, 6.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: But knowledge is easy to him who has understanding.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever noticed how how um how fools think they have great wisdom and they love to tell you about it?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's really remarkable.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: They think they're so wise and that everything they say is brilliant.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: They leave you scratching your head and thinking, are you the crazy one or am I the crazy one?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: One of us is crazy or not getting it.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: I've known a few fools in my life.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, if the fool is unrealistic.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Reality is distorted by the fool's distorted look on life.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 17, 16.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom when he has no sense?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: The fool is unconcerned with present realities, and he's a wishful thinker.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: His ship is always going to come in.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: He's always going to find the next great thing to do.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, the fool is undisciplined.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: The fool looks upon self-control as useless and a denial of pleasure, his present pleasure.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: And because of this, every area of their life lacks discipline.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 21:30, there is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it all up.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: 29.11.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit, deception.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, the fool is unteachable.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Attempting to teach a fool is frustrating.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever a fool is faced with wisdom and instruction, he will usually reject it because he knows better than anybody else.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 27, 22, though you pound a fool in a mortar and pestle, I love that picture, mortar and pestle, along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: The fool can't can't even learn from his own mistakes.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And given the opportunity to repeat, he will repeat his folly over and over and over.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 26, 11, like a dog that returns to its own to its vomit, is a fool who repeats his folly.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's ironic, but it's really true, that the fool refuses to be taught, and he's really eager to teach others from his abundance of wisdom.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 18, too, a fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, how true is that statement.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, the fool is unpleasant, unliked, and undesirable.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: The fool is a menace.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's a detriment to society.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: He's a pain to his parents, for he hates them.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 1520.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: And he causes them grief, all of those that you see listed.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: He's a disaster wherever he goes.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: He hinders the understanding of others.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: His speech is slanderous.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: The fool is quarrelsome, and he stirs up dissension and anger.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: 18.6.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: A fool's lips brings tru bring strife, and his mouth calls for blows.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: 24.9.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, do you know any fools?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible has more to say about fools than we can even imagine.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you are in any kind of relationship with someone who is a fool, you are struggling in that relationship.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: You're constantly wondering how they can be so ridiculous and and and not even see their folly, not even see how wrong they are.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: And they really do think that they are brilliant and that everyone should listen to them.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: They truly make you question your own sanity.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, how are we supposed to deal with a fool?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: What does Scripture tell us?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs has a lot to say about that too.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: We should, number one, we should avoid the fool at all, if at all possible.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: While wisdom is not contagious to a fool, folly is to the wise.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, the wise man should avoid the fool.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: The fool should be driven out.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: In those cases that we cannot leave or separate ourselves from the fool, the fool may need to be sent away.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 22, 10, drive out the scoffer and contention will go out.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Even strife and dishonor will cease.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, there that is.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: That one is, the word is driven out if you're watching, if you're doing your handout.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, we should not waste instruction on fools.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: In the New Testament, Jesus taught that we should not cast our pearls before swine.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's basically what he was inferring here.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: In Proverbs, we're told not to attempt to teach a fool.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 23, 9, do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: And we should not allow the fool to drag us down to his level.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: The fool is exasperating and he's looking for trouble.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: And often he he attempts us to oblige him, to enter into that.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then number five, we should not dignify a fool by giving him undue honor, so that he will be flattered and puffed up even more.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: The fool is pompous and he is proud.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: He will take any positive strokes as a compliment.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you have known some fools in your life, then you know how true that statement is.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's so true.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: And number six, we should not make life easy for the fool.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: It kinds of goes kind of goes along with number five.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: While verbal rebuke is not effective with fools, we should not seek to cushion the painful effects of their folly.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, let them live with the consequences of their folly.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are a parent of a fool, that is really, really, really hard to do.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to ask ourselves some questions here.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: And again, um Bob Diffenbahl from Bible.org says this are fools utterly hopeless?
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: Should we not make any effort to turn them from their folly?
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: And what are the implications of Proverbs for evangelism in helping people come to Christ?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: In one sense, all unbelievers are fools because they have rejected the fear of the Lord.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Should we do nothing to win them to Christ?
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: The answer to these questions is also found in Proverbs.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the point which Proverbs is stressing is that the fool cannot be reasoned with and cannot be reasoned from his folly, cannot be shamed from it, and likely cannot even be beaten from it.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: This though should not lead us to the conclusion that the fool is utterly hopeless and helpless.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone, everyone who does not know Christ is hopelessly lost, apart from the divine intervention.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: The reason why Proverbs teaches us not to try to reform a fool is because they must be transformed, not reformed.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: The fool's problem is one of the heart.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: The solution for the fool is to turn from his folly, from trusting in himself to fearing God, fearing the Lord.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: If we want to help the fool, it's by proclaiming to him the way of salvation, not trying to inform him by teaching or reforming him by rebuking him or correction.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's only the gospel which transforms people through the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: Diffemba also says, as I think through the characteristics of a fool, I remembered that no fool is better described than Satan himself.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: He chose to rebel against God and to assert his will over God's.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: He delights in sin and he actively seeks to lead others in evil ways.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: He sets himself about the task of hindering others and bringing about their destruction.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Satan is a deceiver, he's a sinner, a liar, a murderer.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: He accuses the saints before God and he slanders them.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: He is arrogant and proud.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: He's a troublemaker and a nuisance.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: And because of this, he should be avoided because he's a fool.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: Satan is the prince of fools, the essence of folly.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: People who are following Satan are walking in his footsteps, which makes them very foolish.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: And here in the end times, it will become more and more clear who is following Satan and who is following God.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to see it very clearly.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: And for this reason, the choices of our young people are becoming more and more important.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: We are seeing a generation coming up, rising up, that lacks wisdom.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: They lack wisdom because, and because of that, they are being led astray by the evil one more and more.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: So here are some of some things that you can do to intentionally help help give your children wisdom or your grandchildren if you have them.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: First, um pick a proverb to go over with your child, or even a portion of a proverb, maybe maybe two or three verses, and explain it to them as you go.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Use the word wise and foolish so that they make the connection between those words and their behavior.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: Reward them for wise decisions and drill into them how important wisdom is.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: If they make a foolish choice, let them live with the consequences of those poor choices so that they and and and use those words.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: You are living with the consequences of your poor choices, and that's pretty foolish.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: That was a foolish thing to do, and now you have to live with the consequences and always pray for them and help them become transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of them.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to be very, very, very important for future generations.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have the responsibility of raising the future generation, make sure you're doing this well.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Be wise parents.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, how should we apply Proverbs?
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: We should read it and we should live it.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: Read the Proverbs to gain wisdom and to avoid folly and live out the principles of Proverbs.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: The Proverbs have been given to us by a very gracious God to save us from the folly which leads to death and to lead us to wisdom which gives life and health.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: So choose death and folly or choose wisdom and life and health.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's the message of Proverbs.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's some of the messages of Proverbs.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: We could go on for weeks, but next we'll look briefly at Ecclesiastes.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: We are all living in a time right now, currently, when people are giving up, when they are caving into the meaninglessness of life.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: Does what I do make a difference?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: And what is truly real and important?
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Is this the best that it's going to get?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: Have I seen the best part of my life?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: And these are questions that are represented in the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: We live our lives in the confines of time, in birth and life, and then death.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: And yet Ecclesiastes 3.11 says, He has put eternity into man's heart.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: We were made for more for eternity and that longing for it and for God has been deeply embedded into our hearts.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: Solomon wants us to know that he has tried everything in pursuit of finding the meaning of life.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: He indulged himself in everything that money could buy.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: He tried working hard and playing hard.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: And what was the end result for him?
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: The resounding refrain of the book of Ecclesiastes.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: It was meaningless.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is meaningless, pointless, vanity, futility, uselessness.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: All of these things became chasing after the wind for Solomon.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: And when we pursue the same things, and that's what the only thing that we pursue, that will be the result for us, too.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we will feel.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like gaining everything that we thought we needed and wanted, we will see it as futility.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that's folly.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: After experiencing all the world had to offer in terms of luxuries and worldly pleasures, Solomon emphasized the simple that it was the simple things that could bring real joy under the sun.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's what how Solomon refers to the earthly life under the sun.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it was the simple things.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: And what are those simple things?
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: They are family, they are friends, they are relationships, they are food and drink and honest work and enjoying your life.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: These are the endeavors that bring satisfaction in life as we live our lives out here on earth.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: We don't put our hope in these things and we don't allow these things to become idols to us, but we thank God for them.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we thank God for the good gifts that they are to us.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: James 1.7 says, every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: A good and gracious God gives us good and gracious things to enjoy, things to enjoy, not to use, not to make idols of, but to enjoy.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: Solomon sums up this with this with this wise statement.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Here is the conclusion of the matter, Ecclesiastes 12, 13.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: There truly is nothing new under the sun.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: Human hearts are the same now as they have always been, and they were in Solomon's day.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: The pursuits, the goals, the dissatisfactions are all the same.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: Fashions change, technology changes, we think we are modern, but so did they.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: So fear God, love him, serve him, and do it more and more.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: So you will be wise, and God can use you in greater ways.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: Pray with me.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you so much for these books.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: They teach us so much when we truly look at them and when we take them in and digest them and work them into our lives.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: You've given them to us because you are gracious and you are good.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: You are for us, not against us.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so we thank you.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: We thank you for that truth.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: We thank you that we can look to you and gain wisdom.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I thank you for my my sisters and my brothers who are doing that this year through reading your word.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: I ask you to continue to bless them.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I praise you and thank you in Jesus' name.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here, and I'll see you next time.