King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Saturday, June 03, 2023
Chapters: PROVERBS 1-3
Study: Fruitful Christians
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today all these things started flooding my mind, things that God has so graciously gotten me through, things that He had taken me away from, and things that He has shown me. God, sure has a way of showing us that the thing we wanted so badly was not at all the thing that we needed at all and why. He does not have a subtle way of showing us either, He waits until after we have endured it to show us why we did not need it or them. Sometimes, He does not give us any understanding of it at all, only that peace that passes understanding, [Philippians 4:5-7 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]
Today, we start reading Proverbs, which Solomon had written when he was in the prime of his faith in God, that was before all the women he had taken as wives turned it away from Him. The Bible is not exaggerating when it says that Solomon was the wisest man, he certainly knew enough to know that without the LORD, it was all vanity, [Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.]
[Proverb, A short sentence often repeated, expressing a well known truth or common fact, ascertained by experience or observation. A maxim of wisdom. Maxim; An established principle or proposition; a principle generally received or admitted as true.] The Book of Proverbs, contains thirty-one chapters, all but one book is penned by King Solomon, in the early days of his reign, the timeline is about 990 to 995 BC. The book was first written to the Jews, but these truths are addressed to all believers. The purpose of the book is to teach wisdom, instruction, and correction to all who fear God. What we are to learn from it is that, God teaches us wisdom, instruction, and correction so that we learn to lean on His understanding and not our own, [Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.]
As we begin the reading of Proverbs, at first, they seem like a bunch of random thoughts thrown together, but as you study them you will find that they actually fit in right where they need to be. We read in 1 Kings, that Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, but he actually had written more songs than proverbs, [1 Kings 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. I will tell you this, they were all under the inspiration of God. It was an instruction book for his son, but it is actually one for all of us.
[Proverbs 1:1-7 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.]
[To understand a proverb, and the interpretation;] Look closely at who is actually the one speaking here, these short sentences of powerful truths may have Solomon’s name on them, but they are not definitely not all Solomon speaking. First, he begins by warning his son not to associate himself with sinners, these are not your every day sinners as we all are, these are the wicked who only have one agenda, to get you away from God.
[Proverbs 1:10-16 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou 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 thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.]
[refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil,] Their feet sure do run to evil and will bring you right there with them too. I tell you what, a few years ago I was so arrogant that I thought that nothing could come between me and Jesus. God, sure proved me wrong and I suffered in my sin for two years, He was not actually the one who let me suffer that long, I was. I felt so ashamed for letting God down that I punished myself. Well, God, had thoughts on that, sure, I sinned and He chastened me for it, but it was not to be a chastening until He brought me home, it was just to get me away from the evil and rekindle my fear in Him. That was unless I was content to keep living in sin, then that would have been a different story, [John 15:5-7 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.]
Jesus, is referring to those who are not saved or teetering on their faith, but have been involved in the Church, perhaps even gotten saved and baptized in public to prove their faith. While no one can lose their salvation once they have accepted Him as their Saviour, if they believed in vain they will be cast off just like the fools who reject Him. People read the Bible all the time, but very few actually understand it because they need to have faith in it first. Without faith, God, will never trust you to understand His Word, in fact, you need an open heart too for without an open heart you will never understand that this next passage is not Solomon speaking.
[Proverbs 1:24-31 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye 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 cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh 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.]
[Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,] This sounds an awful lot like what Jesus said, it is also a reminder that those who deny Christ will be denied by Him, [Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]
Okay, so we really have no idea if a person has truly accepted Christ as their Saviour, that is something only God knows, but if you look closely you will see how they are by their fruit. Most saved, born again Christians just get by on the thread of their salvation, they know they are saved by grace and that is enough for them. Fruitful Christians, bring others to Christ through their walk with Him and as they study His Word and apply it to their lives. Fruitful Christians, are unmovable, they may fall a few times, but never waver in their faith as they learn to fear God. God’s Word, gives us the wisdom to know God’s understanding.
[Proverbs 2:1-6 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.]
[out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.] It is the Holy Spirit in us that gives us the knowledge of God as we study His Word and apply it to our walk with Him. And let me tell you, God’s wisdom gives us so much more discerning than anything we will ever get from the world. It is really to our advantage that we acquire God’s wisdom and not the worlds, which God will actually give us understanding in both.
[Proverbs 2:10-17 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.]
[To deliver thee from the strange woman,] This actually works both ways, guys or gals can walk right into the devils lair if they are not careful. This does not need to be an intimate relationship, this can be work, religion, social, or business related as well, which is why we cannot get close to those who are not likeminded, [2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.]
God’s wisdom far exceeds that of mans, and the sooner we figure that out, the longer we will live in this life. True wisdom does come when we understand that our salvation is not justification to live a sinful life, but to live a virtuous life that is directed by Jesus Himself. The beginning of chapter 3 is a reminder of why we keep God’s command, and it is not to keep our salvation.
[Proverbs 3:1-6 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.]
[and lean not unto thine own understanding.] Leaning on our own understanding is what gets us in trouble to begin with. I will be the first to tell you that I do not always understand God’s ways even though I respect them in every way. I do understand that there is a good reason why God does not give us knowledge of certain things. And I tell you what, the more I do come to know the more I understand that some things are just too wonderful for me to know, and wish I had never knew them, [Job 42:1-3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. 3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.]
Our goal in reading God’s Word, and I mean as a natural part of our walk with Jesus, has nothing to do with understanding His existence, it has everything to do with understanding Him personally and how He wants us to live with Him. We first have to believe that His Word is true, and if we believe that His Word is true, then we understand the need for Jesus in order for us to attain the knowledge we need to get saved. The wisest decision we will ever make is receiving Christ as our Saviour, but once we do that, and with a willing heart, start reading His Word, we will begin to hear what He is saying and come to understand that even chastening is a blessing.
[Proverbs 3:9-13 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.]
[Honour the LORD with thy substance,] Everything we have comes from God, therefore, it would be wise to honor Him with all of it. This is not about giving tithe, it is about taking what God gives us and using in a way that glorifies Him, [1 Corinthians 10:29-31 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? 30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.]
Wow! How often are we hindered from doing the things that are in God’s will for us because someone did not approve or judged us? We have nothing and no one to prove, but God. Fruitful Christians, are not always going to make wise decisions, if fact, many times we will get caught up in something and make rash decisions because we did not think things through before we acted. God’s grace and truth is what gets us back on track, and even helps us through those bad decisions. When we look to God and lean on His wisdom, He will direct our path and we will not stumble.
[Proverbs 3:19-26 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.]
[For the LORD shall be thy confidence,] I was actually praying to God about this very thing, I am really contemplating starting an online bakery back up, which I have not done in several years. I gave an excuse us to why I gave it up when I did, stating that I could not get past an incident that made me look like a failure. God, pointed out that my issue was not with her, it was with myself. I had lost my confidence in my ability, and therefore, it rubbed off onto my work because I was too worried about getting the approval of certain people rather than focus on Him. No matter what we do, when we to do it for the glory of God everything else will fall right into place, [1 Corinthians 10:29-31 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? 30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.]
[Be not afraid of sudden fear,] It is actually that sudden fear that keeps us fearing God, and not for the sake of our salvation, but for the sake of our wellbeing. While I did have this quick dread of fear for a few minutes that I only have a short time left on this earth, it did not last long because I know that as soon as I leave, I will be in the presence of my Saviour, my King, and my God, [2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.]
Today’s Prayer: God, When our minds are constantly bombarded with all sorts of doubts, guilt, frustrations, or anger, we can lose sight of the fact that You are in control and know the path that we take. Thankfully You are full of mercy and grace to help us when we lean on our own understanding, and guide us back to Yours. Thank You, for Your wisdom and showing us how to take the knowledge You gave us and use it for Your glory. We may not always understand it, but when we take the time to study Your Word, receive it, and obey it, then we become fruitful and You will give us everything we need and even the desires of our heart. Lord, Lead us and guide us, fill us with Your wisdom so that we do not lean on our own understanding, keep us mindful to honor our substance and give You glory for everything that we are about to receive. Give us Your mercy, and grace, direct our paths, and show Yourself mighty in our lives for all to see. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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