THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto your head, and chains about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in your lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not you in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which takes away the life of the owners thereof. 20 Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets: 21 She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying. 22 How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But you have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes; 27 When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God ,so no one may boast before God. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is our righteous , holiness and redemption. Wisdom comes from God . ( psalms 11) The beginning of true wisdom is found when we fear the Lord and then we grow in wisdom when we obey God. Solomon asked God for not just knowledge but insight on how to apply the knowledge effectively. God wisdom is my firm foundation. Wisdom is listening to Jesus says , and doing it. Wise man builds his house on the rock. He build his house in a strong foundation. (1Corinthians 1:18-2:16) The ungodly are led by the counsel of the wicked, in the path of the sinner to the seat of the scornful. They have no delight in the law of God nor do they ever think of the law of God. The ungodly bring forth no fruit but the grapes of Sodom. They are first ungodly. They cast off the fear of God. They lived in neglect of their duty to God. But they rest not there. When their duty to God are laid aside, they come to be sinners. They break out into open rebellion against God. They engage in the service of sin and Satan. Their heart is so hardened that they become scorners. They openly defy all that is sacred. They scoff at God and make a jest at sin. Their lives go downhill .The bad grows worse. Sinners become tempters to others. The ungodly walk by no certain rule. The ungodly are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation The sinner set up sin as their trade. The scorners set their mouth against heaven. The ungodly are like chaff. They are useless to God. The ungodly are light and vain. The ungodly have no substance in them. The ungodly are easily driven to and fro by the wind. God's wind of wrath will drive then away in wickedness The ungodly because of their sin . make themselves as chaff. They will not be able to stand before the whirlwind of divine wrath. They will not be able to escape God's wrath. The ungodly is doom. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment . They will be found guilty. They will hang down their head in shame. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Sinners are fond of their simple notions of evil .Sinners have the simple prejudice against the way of God. Sinners flatter themselves in their wickedness. Scorners who are proud make a jest of everything. Scorners run down everything sacred. Fools are person who have no wisdom. Fools follow their own devices. They have no regards to reason and they have no reverence to God. Fools hate to be taught. Fools have a rooted dislike to God. Wicked people are zealous in seducing other people into the paths of destruction. Sinners love company in sin. Young people should not consent to join the sinners. Do not say as the sinners say. Do not do as the sinners do. Have no fellowships with the sinners Sin will not turn to the sinner's advantage. The path of sin is down hill. Men's greediness of gain will suffer them into destructive paths. What will a man profit , though he gain the world , if he lose his life ? 10 My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in your lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not you in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which takes away the life of the owners thereof. (PROVERB1:10-19) Young people should not consent to join the sinners. Do not say as the sinners say. Do not do as the sinners do. Have no fellowships with the sinners 20 Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets: 21 She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying. 22 How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you 24 Because I have called, and you re ,fused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But you have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes; 27 When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Because the Lord has called , and you refused the Lord. The Lord has stretched out his hand , and no man regarded the help of the Lord. But you have nought at the counsel of the Lord , and would none of the Lord's reproof. The Lord will laugh at your calamity. The Lord will mock when your fear comes. When your fear comes as desolation and your destruction comes as a whirlwind your anguish comes upon you. Then they shall call upon the Lord, but the Lord will not answer. They shall seek the Lord but they will not find the Lord for that they hated wisdom and did not choose to fear the Lord. They would not listen to the counsel of the Lord. They despise all the reproof of the Lord. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own path , and be filled with their device. The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them Christ speaks by his word and by his Spirit. Christ is the Wisdom of God. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Turn your evil to that which is good. Men can not turn by any power of their own. God promises I will pour out my Spirit unto you. The grace of God is needed. The grace of God shall not be denied to any who seek it. How long will people continue to proceed in such perilous path , when the uncertainty of life and the consequence of dying without Christ are considered ? Let us hearken and obey Christ , so that we may enjoy the peace of Christ. Let us have confidence in God to be free from evil , in life ,death , and forever.