We now begin a section called "Thirty Sayings Of The Wise". These recap much of what we have already studied, but with some different wording that gives us extra insight.
"Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you." (Proverbs 22:17-19) Godly instruction is intended to be carried with us at all times, as the Lord said through Moses in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth." Our lives will be changed if we are always mindful of the words of the Lord, if we cherish these words in our hearts and memorize them in our minds. Then our "trust may be in the Lord", as Solomon says.
"Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?" (Proverbs 22:20-21) Solomon is a man who values honesty. The Lord values it too, so if we want to serve Him honorably, we will serve Him honestly.
"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life." (Proverbs 22:22-23) David, like Solomon, cared about the poor and needy, and he said, "My whole being will exclaim, 'Who is like You, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them." (Psalm 35:10) He praised the name of the Lord for taking up the cause of the oppressed, "I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." (Psalm 140:12) We may be tempted to think, "I'm a nobody. I don't have money and I don't have influence. No one cares about my problems. No one will help me when I am defrauded." But the Bible contradicts that kind of thinking because the Lord is our mighty defender.
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." (Proverbs 22:24-25) Solomon warned us early on in the book of Proverbs to be careful who we hang out with. As the Apostle Paul pointed out, "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33)
"Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you." (Proverbs 22:26-27) This is yet another warning against co-signing loans, for promising to pay if someone defaults on their debts.
"Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors." (Proverbs 22:28) This law was given in Deuteronomy 19:14. Moving a boundary stone is the same as stealing. It's done for the purpose of making one's own property larger. My father once had to set our corner fence posts in concrete along one side of our property because a neighbor kept inching them inwards on us every time he strung up new barbed wire to keep his cows in. My father-in-law had to do the same for the pins that marked the back boundary of his property because the neighbor behind him kept trying to move them. This is thievery, and petty thievery at that. What is to be gained by a few additional inches of land? I think it has more to do with greed in a person's heart than with the land itself. It displays a spirit of covetousness and a willingness to defraud. Solomon says, "Don't harbor greed in your heart. Don't take what isn't yours. God has given that land to someone else; He will give you your own land. Don't covet what doesn't belong to you."
We conclude Chapter 22 with this wise saying, "Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank." (Proverbs 22:29) This is a good verse for our Monday morning as many of us go back to work. We are to do our best at our jobs, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." (Colossians 3:23) Solomon says, "The one who takes pride in his work and does his best will receive recognition." It may seem like those we work for never notice us or reward us, but we can be sure the King of kings notices us and will reward us. He is able to promote us. He is able to provide everything we need. As we go back to work or school this morning, or as we go about our business at home, let's remember which King it is we serve, and let's do everything for His glory.
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