Bible Lessons

From: Messages of God's Love: 1932

Proverbs 27

GOD has made this Book of Proverbs a wonderful guide for the young believer, and the old believer too, on the pathway of life.

In connection with verse 1, turn to Luke 12:16-21,¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. ²⁰But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ²¹So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16‑21) where we find a contented farmer boasting to himself of tomorrow, a morrow that did not dawn for him. When the sun rose the next day he was gone where time is not reckoned. How solemn, and how unexpected, that call to another world for which he had not made preparation!

Luke 17:28, 29²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; ²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:28‑29) also gives a picture of some to whom "tomorrow" meant just another day like today. The people of Sodom bought, sold, planted and builded, counting on many tomorrows; but the dawn of the day when Lot went out of Sodom was shortly followed by unsparing, devouring judgment, and they and all that they labored for disappeared in it.

James 4:13-16¹³Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: ¹⁴Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ¹⁵For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. ¹⁶But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. (James 4:13‑16) addresses a word about "tomorrow" to believers.

Verse 2 is a companion passage to verse 1. Boasting of tomorrow is often linked with self-confidence and self-praise. (Compare 2 Cor. 10:17, 18¹⁷But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. (2 Corinthians 10:17‑18); Galatians 6:3³For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. (Galatians 6:3); Luke 14:11¹¹For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:11)).

In verses 3 and 4 four of the fruits of man's corrupt nature, as it was then and is yet, are brought together:—the heavy vexation of a fool, cruel fury, outrageous anger, and jealousy. Centuries have rolled by; empires have risen, flourished and decayed; fashions have changed; education has increased, etc., etc., but man at heart is still a slave of Satan and of his own lusts as he has been ever since the fall (Genesis 3; Romans 1:18-32¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. ²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: ²¹Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:18‑32)). In amazing condescension God has come down to man who has no strength to help himself. (See Romans 5:6⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6); John 3:14-16¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:14‑16)).

Verses 5 and 6 go together; open rebuke is better than hidden love; faithful are the wounds of one who loves, but the kisses of an enemy are profuse.

"Whom the Lord loves He chastens: and scourges every son whom He re., ceives." Hebrews 12:6⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6). His is perfect love. See Matt. 16:23²³But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23); Mark 16:14¹⁴Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. (Mark 16:14); Luke 24:25²⁵Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: (Luke 24:25); John 14:9⁹Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9) for instances of the Lord's correcting those He loved, faithfully but in tender love.

We bless God for His active love for us, and when in eternity we review each his own path here below, we shall understand better than we have here, how there was love behind each trial, connected with each sorrow. Let us beware lest we murmur or rebel against the circumstances, sometimes hard to understand, which befall us, remembering that

"A Father's heart will never cause His child a needless tear."

Verse 12 repeats the important warning given in verse 3 of chapter 22.

Verse 13 is another reminder that one should not become surety for a stranger.

Verse 16 may be read, "Whosoever will restrain her, restraineth the wind and his right hand encountereth oil."

"Hell" in verse 20 is a mistranslation, and should be read "Sheol," corresponding to the Greek word "Hades" in the New Testament, which has also been mistakenly translated "hell," but refers to the unseen state in which the dead are. (See Luke 16:23²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Luke 16:23); Psalm 16:10¹⁰For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10); Revelation 1:18,¹⁸I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18) and 20:13, none of which refer to the place of eternal punishment called the lake of fire in Revelation 19:20²⁰And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20) and 20:10, 14, 15). All who have died in faith are with Christ (see Philippians 1:21-23²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. ²³For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:21‑23)).

"Destruction" in verse 20 of our chapter is not annihilation, and never means that in the Scriptures; here it appears to refer to the body as coming to decay when death occurs.

Verse 21, closing part, should be read "so let a man be to the mouth that praiseth him." The silver must be tried in the fining pot and the gold in the furnace until at length the dross and everything worthless is purged away. (See John 15:2²Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2).) It is that which cheers and encourages the tried saint of God.

Messages of God’s Love 9/25/1932

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