Proverbs The Blessings of the Righteous

Lesson #5 for January 31, 2015

Scriptures: [Proverbs 10:1-14; 11-13; Matthew 19:19; John 3:16][i].

1.    As we have already discovered, the book of Proverbs is good at showing contrasts. Proverbs 10 to 13 which we are studying this week focus on the contrasts between those who do what is right and those who do wickedly. The Hebrew word zedeq and its various derivatives mean righteous or righteousness and in some versions is translated justice. Does justice mean something different from righteousness to you? Some schools teach the course Criminal Justice. Is there such a thing as criminal righteousness? The meaning of justice and righteousness have changed.

2.    These chapters suggest that righteousness means to walk according to God’s will—to do what is right because it is right. However appealing any opposite choice may be, the final results will be disastrous. Don’t we believe that God never asks us to do anything that is not for our best good?

3.    Righteousness means being, doing, and speaking what is right. But, how do we determine what is right? For most people it is something we are supposed to learn from our families and culture. What is right is that which in the end produces the best results for everyone involved in the larger context of the great controversy over God’s character and government.

4.    Read Proverbs 10:1-7ii. In these verses Solomon clearly contrasted the attitudes of the lazy and the wicked with those of the righteous. And he promised that God will always help the wise-those who follow God’s will. Who determines what is right? Is there an innate sense of right?

5.    Satan was the originator of sin; his basic sin was selfishness. His followers in our day are still saying that what they do is their business and no one else’s business. By contrast, those who are righteous recognize that everything we do impacts others in one way or another. In Proverbs 10:3-7iii, Solomon did his best to suggest that good behavior impacts us even physically. Perhaps, he was thinking of Leviticus 19:18iv, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

6.    We need to remember that careful studies have been done to show that only 7% of true communication and meaning are carried by the words themselves; 93% is carried by the demeanor, the facial expressions, and tone of the voice, etc. So, on a day-by-day basis, are we giving the very best representation to our Christianity? In the Bible we only have the 7%.

7.    It should be obvious by now that a major component of this series of lessons is the mouth including the lips and the tongue. From reading the book of Proverbs, one might conclude that these are the most important organs in the body.

8.    “In the New King James Version of the book, the word mouth is used 50 times, lips occurs 41 times, and tongue 19. The use of this organ in speech is a particularly important theme in Proverbs 10-29.” (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Monday, January 26) Clearly, our words are very powerful either for good or for evil.

9.    Read [Proverbs 10:11; Ezekiel 47:1-2; Psalm 36:6,9][v]. Would it be correct to suggest that these verses picture a mouth as it should be, a “well of life”? (Compare James 3:2-12vi.)

10.    While we will never have the power that God has, remember that Psalms 33:6,9vii and Hebrews 1:3viii tell us that God created the universe by speaking it into existence.

11.    But, we must not fool ourselves into thinking that things will always be rosy for those who honestly tell the truth and live righteous lives. Is righteousness always rewarded? Remember 2 Timothy 3:12 (GNB) which says, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Think of the hundreds and thousands of Christian martyrs in times past who paid the ultimate price for standing faithfully for the truth. Is it clear in your mind how honesty, wisdom, and righteousness contrast with dishonesty, pride, and wickedness?

12.    Read Proverbs 11ix. What are some of the great advantages of being honest, truthful, and righteous in all that we do? The obvious long-term benefit is a heavenly home where we will dwell in peace and love forever with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But, even now, telling the truth means you do not have to “cover your tracks.”

13.    Should we always do what is right because it is right? Is the hope of the future life in heaven the most important reason for behaving with humility, honesty, and compassion? While this is only a hypothetical situation, imagine for a moment that there is no future life. Would you then become a blatant, open sinner? Fools, like Satan, think only of their temporary apparent benefits and never look to the long-term benefits even to themselves and certainly not to others.

14.    How many other day-by-day decisions that you make take into consideration the largest possible context in light of the great controversy between God and Satan and between righteousness and selfishness?

15.    Read Proverbs 12[x]. What contrast do you see in this chapter between lying and honesty?

Philosopher Sissela Bok has convincingly demonstrated how lying can be harmful for society. She writes: “A society, then, whose members were unable to distinguish truthful messages from deceptive ones, would collapse.”-Ly/'ng; Moral Choice in Public and Private Life (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978), p. 19. Likewise, Augustine, as quoted in the introduction of Bok’s book, noted that “when regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.”-Page xv. (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Wednesday, January 28)

Deception has become the king of entertainment.

16.    Ellen White wrote these words.

Lying lips are an abomination to Him. He declares that into the holy city “there shall in no wise enter . . . any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” Let truth telling be held with no loose hand or uncertain grasp. Let it become a part of the life. Playing fast and loose with truth, and dissembling to suit one’s own selfish plans, means shipwreck of faith. . . . He who utters untruths sells his soul in a cheap market. His falsehoods may seem to serve in emergencies; he may thus seem to make business advancement that he could not gain by fair dealing; but he finally reaches the place where he can trust no one. Himself a falsifier, he has no confidence in the word of others.—My Life Today, p. 331.5; compare AA 75.3; HP 179.2-4; RH, February 2, 1911 par. 18; 20MR 30.6-31.1.

17.    How many TV programs depict people who lie to get out of almost any kind of problem? What do we learn if we watch them?

18.    Often, in the culture of our day in movies and programs on television, it is implied that someone who lies is somehow benefitted while the one to whom he lies is the one who suffers. But, what effect does lying have on the one who does the lying? Have you ever come across a person who seems to believe that lying is just natural? If a person reaches a stage where he feels completely comfortable without any sense of guilt or shame when he lies, it suggests that he is no longer responsive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Does reality punish liars?

19.    It might be nice if everything were so clearly black-and-white as seems to be presented in Proverbs. But unfortunately, we are all sinners, and our lives sometimes exhibit selfishness almost alongside our efforts to do what is right. At such points, we must turn to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness which He is willing to give freely. But, He recognizes-as we should-that sinning scars us. And we need to remember that ultimately, there will be only two options available. (John 3:16) Could we fairly be called “sinning Christians”?

20.    Read Proverbs 13. This chapter provides us with a series of contrasts between the results of being righteous and the results of being wicked; the results of being wise and the results of being foolish. Can we understand the meanings of these proverbs?

21.    Apart from the issue of eternal life, are there advantages to living a life of faith in Christ?

22.    Sooner or later, do people figure out who is being truthful, honest, humble, and helpful in contrast to those who are not? Does God actually punish the wicked? Or, do they just reap the results?

The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul.

It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. A jealous regard for what is termed theological truth often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth as made manifest in life. The darkest chapters of history are burdened with the record of crimes committed by bigoted religionists. The Pharisees claimed to be children of Abraham, and boasted of their possession of the oracles of God; yet these advantages did not preserve them from selfishness, malignity, greed for gain, and the basest hypocrisy. They thought themselves the greatest religionists of the world, but their so-called orthodoxy led them to crucify the Lord of glory.

The same danger still exists. Many take it for granted that they are Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets. But they have not brought the truth into practical life. They have not believed and loved it, therefore they have not received the power and [310] grace that come through sanctification of the truth. Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influence it is a curse to the world.

The righteousness which Christ taught is conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God. Sinful men can become righteous only as they have faith in God and maintain a vital connection with Him. Then true godliness will elevate the thoughts and ennoble the life. Then the external forms of religion accord with the Christian’s internal purity. Then the ceremonies required in the service of God are not meaningless rites, like those of the hypocritical Pharisees. (Desire of Ages 309.2310.1)

Professed Christians who are not real Christians are a curse.

23.    When you make an important decision in your life, do you always consider first how it might impact others? Was Eve considering the impact of her behavior on her husband and future generations and the universe?

24.    How do we determine what is right and what is not? What kinds of choices do we have in life? Sociologists have studied human behavior in great depth. Famous men like Piaget and Kohlberg have suggested there are levels of moral behavior. Why do you do what you do?

If you are a believer and are seeking to do God’s will what makes you willing to obey?

Could you say, “I do what I do because God has told me to, and He has the power to reward and destroy”? Is this why you don’t murder or commit adultery, because God has said you mustn’t? You would otherwise, but you can’t afford to incur His displeasure. [What does this imply about your relationship with God?]

This might be all right for a beginner or a little child, but it suggests that God’s laws are arbitrary and do not make good sense in themselves. That does not speak very favorably of God.

Would you rather say, “I do what I do as a believer because God has told me to, and I love Him and want to please Him”? Is this why you don’t steal or tell lies? You would see nothing wrong or harmful about doing these things. It is just that you want so much to please God. For some reason He does not like it when you steal or lie, and since He has been so good to us, you feel under some [34] obligation to please Him. It would only be grateful and fair.

Again, this might be all right for a beginner or child. It might even be progress beyond the obedience prompted only by fear of punishment and desire of reward.

But it still implies an arbitrariness in God’s commandments and does not speak so well of His character and government.

There is another possible approach to obedience. Could you say this? “I do what I do because I have found it to be right and sensible to do so, and I have increasing admiration and reverence for the One who so advised and commanded me in the days of my ignorance and immaturity.” Then hastening to add, “Being still somewhat ignorant and immature, I am willing to trust and obey the One whose counsel has always proved to be so sensible, when He commands me to do something beyond my present understanding.—A. Graham Maxwell, I Want To Be Free, pp.33-34. [Content in brackets is added.]

Is such a person motivated only by logic? Or, by principle?

25.    Why is it that sometimes we regard God’s instructions as arbitrary and irrelevant to our well-being? What is implied by this section from Steps to Christ page 105?

The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely-because he is required to do so-will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right-because right doing is pleasing to God. —Christ’s Object Lessons 97.3-98.0 (1900)

A sullen submission to the will of the Father will develop the character of a rebel. By such a one service is looked upon as drudgery. It is not rendered cheerfully, and in the love of God. It is a mere mechanical performance. [If he dared, such a one would disobey. His rebellion is smothered, ready to break out at any time in bitter murmurings and complaints.] Such service brings no peace or quietude to the soul.—MS 20, 1897 (MR # 970); Signs of the Times, July 22, 1897 par. 11. Section in brackets is omitted in That I May Know Him p. 120.4; 12MR 236.1.

26.    In considering the portions of Proverbs in today’s lesson, is the contrast clear enough to encourage us to take stock once again of our own choices?

27.    God clearly created us with the power of choice. He recognized the risk when He did so. But, without freedom to choose, we could not love; and a God who is love personified refused to deal with a universe full of robots. So, He took the risk.

28.    While we all-with a little careful thought-recognize that freedom of choice is a good thing, most of us will also realize that choices have consequences. Please notice that we are not saying punishments but consequences. What we do produces its own results. (1SM 235)

29.    Read Leviticus 26xi and Deuteronomy 28-30xii. These two fairly lengthy passages are God’s presentation of the contrasting good effects from good behaviors and bad effects from evil behaviors. Why was it that the children of Israel had such a hard time seeing and understanding and living according to these guidelines? What kind of guidelines would God give us today? Would they be significantly different from those given to ancient Israel?

30.    The very idea of Proverbs is to suggest that the wise are those who are willing to learn. This, of course, requires a certain amount of humility. In his pride, Satan thought he knew what was best. He thought he did not need to learn anything, even from God Himself! No wonder Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Pride will lead to rebellion against God and His goodness. (Proverbs 8:13; Isaiah 14:13-14)xiii

31.    Read Proverbs 13:21; Psalm 23:6xiv. These two verses suggest that evil pursues sinners while goodness and mercy pursue those who do what is right. The word pursuing in these verses suggests a dynamic, active force like hunting down a wild animal.

32.    In conclusion, we should not overlook the fact that love, humility, and deferring the enjoyment of rewards until the next life are not natural traits for fallen human beings.

33.    So, what have we learned from these chapters in Proverbs? Can you see any areas for personal spiritual growth?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.    Info@theox.org

Last Modified: December 22, 2014

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i-Proverbs 10:1 These are Solomon's proverbs: Wise children make their fathers proud of them; foolish ones bring their mothers grief. 2 Wealth you get by dishonesty will do you no good, but honesty can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let good people go hungry, but he will keep the wicked from getting what they want. 4 Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich. 5 A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest. 6 Good people will receive blessings. The words of the wicked hide a violent nature. 7 Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but the wicked will soon be forgotten. 8 Sensible people accept good advice. People who talk foolishly will come to ruin. 9 Honest people are safe and secure, but the dishonest will be caught. 10 Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble, but one who openly criticizes works for peace. 11 A good person's words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person's words hide a violent nature. 12 Hate stirs up trouble, but love forgives all offenses. 13 Intelligent people talk sense, but stupid people need to be punished. 14 The wise get all the knowledge they can, but when fools speak, trouble is not far off.

11:1 The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales. He is happy with honest weights. 2 People who are proud will soon be disgraced. It is wiser to be modest. 3 If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. 4 Riches will do you no good on the day you face death, but honesty can save your life. 5 Honesty makes a good person's life easier, but the wicked will cause their own downfall. 6 Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can't be trusted are trapped by their own greed. 7 When the wicked die, their hope dies with them. Confidence placed in riches comes to nothing. 8 The righteous are protected from trouble; it comes to the wicked instead. 9 You can be ruined by the talk of godless people, but the wisdom of the righteous can save you. 10 A city is happy when honest people have good fortune, and there are joyful shouts when the wicked die. 11 A city becomes great when the righteous give it their blessing; but a city is brought to ruin by the words of the wicked. 12 It is foolish to speak scornfully of others. If you are smart, you will keep quiet. 13 No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy. 14 A nation will fall if it has no guidance. Many advisers mean security. 15 If you promise to pay a stranger's debt, you will regret it. You are better off if you don't get involved. 16 A gracious woman is respected, but a woman without virtue is a disgrace. Lazy people will never have money, but aggressive people will get rich. 17 You do yourself a favor when you are kind. If you are cruel, you only hurt yourself. 18 Wicked people do not really gain anything, but if you do what is right, you are certain to be rewarded. 19 Anyone who is determined to do right will live, but anyone who insists on doing wrong will die. 20 The Lord hates evil-minded people, but loves those who do right. 21 You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the righteous will escape. 22 Beauty in a woman without good judgment is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. 23 What good people want always results in good; when the wicked get what they want, everyone is angry. 24 Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautious, and yet grow poorer. 25 Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped. 26 People curse someone who hoards grain, waiting for a higher price, but they praise the one who puts it up for sale. 27 If your goals are good, you will be respected, but if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get. 28 Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer. 29 Those who bring trouble on their families will have nothing at the end. Foolish people will always be servants to the wise. 30 Righteousness gives life, but violence takes it away. 31 Those who are good are rewarded here on earth, so you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished.

12:1 Any who love knowledge want to be told when they are wrong. It is stupid to hate being corrected. 2 The Lord is pleased with good people, but condemns those who plan evil. 3 Wickedness does not give security, but righteous people stand firm. 4 A good wife is her husband's pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones. 5 Honest people will treat you fairly; the wicked only want to deceive you. 6 The words of the wicked are murderous, but the words of the righteous rescue those who are threatened. 7 The wicked meet their downfall and leave no descendants, but the families of the righteous live on. 8 If you are intelligent, you will be praised; if you are stupid, people will look down on you. 9 It is better to be an ordinary person working for a living than to play the part of someone great but go hungry. 10 Good people take care of their animals, but wicked people are cruel to theirs. 11 A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat, but it is stupid to waste time on useless projects. 12 All that wicked people want is to find evil things to do, but the righteous stand firm. 13 The wicked are trapped by their own words, but honest people get themselves out of trouble. 14 Your reward depends on what you say and what you do; you will get what you deserve. 15 Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice. 16 When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be known. Smart people will ignore an insult. 17 When you tell the truth, justice is done, but lies lead to injustice. 18 Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. 19 A lie has a short life, but truth lives on forever. 20 Those who plan evil are in for a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness. 21 Nothing bad happens to righteous people, but the wicked have nothing but trouble. 22 The Lord hates liars, but is pleased with those who keep their word. 23 Smart people keep quiet about what they know, but stupid people advertise their ignorance. 24 Hard work will give you power; being lazy will make you a slave. 25 Worry can rob you of happiness, but kind words will cheer you up. 26 The righteous person is a guide to his friend, but the path of the wicked leads them astray. 27 If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after, but if you work hard, you will get a fortune. 28 Righteousness is the road to life; wickedness is the road to death.

13:1 Wise children pay attention when their parents correct them, but arrogant people never admit they are wrong. 2 Good people will be rewarded for what they say, but those who are deceitful are hungry for violence. 3 Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroys himself. 4 No matter how much a lazy person may want something, he will never get it. A hard worker will get everything he wants. 5 Honest people hate lies, but the words of wicked people are shameful and disgraceful. 6 Righteousness protects the innocent; wickedness is the downfall of sinners. 7 Some people pretend to be rich, but have nothing. Others pretend to be poor, but own a fortune. 8 The rich have to use their money to save their lives, but no one threatens the poor. 9 The righteous are like a light shining brightly; the wicked are like a lamp flickering out. 10 Arrogance causes nothing but trouble. It is wiser to ask for advice. 11 The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have. 12 When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed, but a wish come true fills you with joy. 13 If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe. 14 The teachings of the wise are a fountain of life; they will help you escape when your life is in danger. 15 Intelligence wins respect, but those who can't be trusted are on the road to ruin. 16 Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance. 17 Unreliable messengers cause trouble, but those who can be trusted bring peace. 18 Someone who will not learn will be poor and disgraced. Anyone who listens to correction is respected. 19 How good it is to get what you want! Stupid people refuse to turn away from evil. 20 Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined. 21 Trouble follows sinners everywhere, but righteous people will be rewarded with good things. 22 Good people will have wealth to leave to their grandchildren, but the wealth of sinners will go to the righteous. 23 Unused fields could yield plenty of food for the poor, but unjust people keep them from being farmed. 24 If you don't punish your children, you don't love them. If you do love them, you will correct them. 25 The righteous have enough to eat, but the wicked are always hungry.

Matthew 19:19 respect your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself."

John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

ii-Proverbs 10:1 These are Solomon's proverbs: Wise children make their fathers proud of them; foolish ones bring their mothers grief. 2 Wealth you get by dishonesty will do you no good, but honesty can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let good people go hungry, but he will keep the wicked from getting what they want. 4 Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich. 5 A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest. 6 Good people will receive blessings. The words of the wicked hide a violent nature. 7 Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but the wicked will soon be forgotten.

iii-Proverbs 10:3 The Lord will not let good people go hungry, but he will keep the wicked from getting what they want. 4 Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich. 5 A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest. 6 Good people will receive blessings. The words of the wicked hide a violent nature. 7 Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but the wicked will soon be forgotten.

iv-Leviticus 19:18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

v-Proverbs 10:11 A good person's words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person's words hide a violent nature.

Ezekiel 47:1 The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east, the direction the Temple faced. It was flowing down from under the south part of the Temple past the south side of the altar. 2 The man then took me out of the Temple area by way of the north gate and led me around to the gate that faces east. A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate.

Psalm 36:6 Your righteousness is towering like the mountains; your justice is like the depths of the sea. People and animals are in your care. 9 You are the source of all life, and because of your light we see the light.

vi-James 3: 2 All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being. 3 We put a bit into the mouth of a horse to make it obey us, and we are able to make it go where we want. 4 Or think of a ship: big as it is and driven by such strong winds, it can be steered by a very small rudder, and it goes wherever the pilot wants it to go. 5 So it is with the tongue: small as it is, it can boast about great things. Just think how large a forest can be set on fire by a tiny flame! 6 And the tongue is like a fire. It is a world of wrong, occupying its place in our bodies and spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself. 7 We humans are able to tame and have tamed all other creatures - wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 8 But no one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison. 9 We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse other people, who are created in the likeness of God. 10 Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My friends, this should not happen! 11 No spring of water pours out sweet water and bitter water from the same opening. 12 A fig tree, my friends, cannot bear olives; a grapevine cannot bear figs, nor can a salty spring produce sweet water.

vii-Psalms 33:6 The Lord created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word. 9 When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared.

viii-Hebrews 1:3 He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.

ix-Proverbs 11:1 The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales. He is happy with honest weights. 2 People who are proud will soon be disgraced. It is wiser to be modest. 3 If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. 4 Riches will do you no good on the day you face death, but honesty can save your life. 5 Honesty makes a good person's life easier, but the wicked will cause their own downfall. 6 Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can't be trusted are trapped by their own greed. 7 When the wicked die, their hope dies with them. Confidence placed in riches comes to nothing. 8 The righteous are protected from trouble; it comes to the wicked instead. 9 You can be ruined by the talk of godless people, but the wisdom of the righteous can save you. 10 A city is happy when honest people have good fortune, and there are joyful shouts when the wicked die. 11 A city becomes great when the righteous give it their blessing; but a city is brought to ruin by the words of the wicked. 12 It is foolish to speak scornfully of others. If you are smart, you will keep quiet. 13 No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy. 14 A nation will fall if it has no guidance. Many advisers mean security. 15 If you promise to pay a stranger's debt, you will regret it. You are better off if you don't get involved. 16 A gracious woman is respected, but a woman without virtue is a disgrace. Lazy people will never have money, but aggressive people will get rich. 17 You do yourself a favor when you are kind. If you are cruel, you only hurt yourself. 18 Wicked people do not really gain anything, but if you do what is right, you are certain to be rewarded. 19 Anyone who is determined to do right will live, but anyone who insists on doing wrong will die. 20 The Lord hates evil-minded people, but loves those who do right. 21 You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the righteous will escape. 22 Beauty in a woman without good judgment is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. 23 What good people want always results in good; when the wicked get what they want, everyone is angry. 24 Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautious, and yet grow poorer. 25 Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped. 26 People curse someone who hoards grain, waiting for a higher price, but they praise the one who puts it up for sale. 27 If your goals are good, you will be respected, but if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get. 28 Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer. 29 Those who bring trouble on their families will have nothing at the end. Foolish people will always be servants to the wise. 30 Righteousness gives life, but violence takes it away. 31 Those who are good are rewarded here on earth, so you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished.

x-Proverbs 12:1 Any who love knowledge want to be told when they are wrong. It is stupid to hate being corrected. 2 The Lord is pleased with good people, but condemns those who plan evil. 3 Wickedness does not give security, but righteous people stand firm. 4 A good wife is her husband's pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones. 5 Honest people will treat you fairly; the wicked only want to deceive you. 6 The words of the wicked are murderous, but the words of the righteous rescue those who are threatened. 7 The wicked meet their downfall and leave no descendants, but the families of the righteous live on. 8 If you are intelligent, you will be praised; if you are stupid, people will look down on you. 9 It is better to be an ordinary person working for a living than to play the part of someone great but go hungry. 10 Good people take care of their animals, but wicked people are cruel to theirs. 11 A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat, but it is stupid to waste time on useless projects. 12 All that wicked people want is to find evil things to do, but the righteous stand firm. 13 The wicked are trapped by their own words, but honest people get themselves out of trouble. 14 Your reward depends on what you say and what you do; you will get what you deserve. 15 Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice. 16 When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be known. Smart people will ignore an insult. 17 When you tell the truth, justice is done, but lies lead to injustice. 18 Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. 19 A lie has a short life, but truth lives on forever. 20 Those who plan evil are in for a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness. 21 Nothing bad happens to righteous people, but the wicked have nothing but trouble. 22 The Lord hates liars, but is pleased with those who keep their word. 23 Smart people keep quiet about what they know, but stupid people advertise their ignorance. 24 Hard work will give you power; being lazy will make you a slave. 25 Worry can rob you of happiness, but kind words will cheer you up. 26 The righteous person is a guide to his friend, but the path of the wicked leads them astray. 27 If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after, but if you work hard, you will get a fortune. 28 Righteousness is the road to life; wickedness is the road to death.

xi-Leviticus 26:1 The Lord said, "Do not make idols or set up statues, stone pillars, or carved stones to worship. I am the Lord your God. 2 Keep the religious festivals and honor the place where I am worshiped. I am the Lord. 3 "If you live according to my laws and obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain at the right time, so that the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit. 5 Your crops will be so plentiful that you will still be harvesting grain when it is time to pick grapes, and you will still be picking grapes when it is time to plant grain. You will have all that you want to eat, and you can live in safety in your land. 6 "I will give you peace in your land, and you can sleep without being afraid of anyone. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in the land, and there will be no more war there. 7 You will be victorious over your enemies; 8 five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand. 9 I will bless you and give you many children; I will keep my part of the covenant that I made with you. 10 Your harvests will be so plentiful that they will last for a year, and even then you will have to throw away what is left of the old harvest to make room for the new. 11 I will live among you in my sacred Tent, and I will never turn away from you. 12 I will be with you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I, the Lord your God, brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves. I broke the power that held you down and I let you walk with your head held high." 14 The Lord said, "If you will not obey my commands, you will be punished. 15 If you refuse to obey my laws and commands and break the covenant I have made with you, 16 I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you - incurable diseases and fevers that will make you blind and cause your life to waste away. You will plant your crops, but it will do you no good, because your enemies will conquer you and eat what you have grown. 17 I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated, and those who hate you will rule over you; you will be so terrified that you will run when no one is chasing you. 18 "If even after all of this you still do not obey me, I will increase your punishment seven times. 19 I will break your stubborn pride; there will be no rain, and your land will be dry and as hard as iron. 20 All your hard work will do you no good, because your land will not produce crops and the trees will not bear fruit. 21 "If you still continue to resist me and refuse to obey me, I will again increase your punishment seven times. 22 I will send dangerous animals among you, and they will kill your children, destroy your livestock, and leave so few of you that your roads will be deserted. 23 "If after all of this punishment you still do not listen to me, but continue to defy me, 24 then I will turn on you and punish you seven times harder than before. 25 I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant, and if you gather in your cities for safety, I will send incurable diseases among you, and you will be forced to surrender to your enemies. 26 I will cut off your food supply, so that ten women will need only one oven to bake all the bread they have. They will ration it out, and when you have eaten it all, you will still be hungry. 27 "If after all of this you still continue to defy me and refuse to obey me, 28 then in my anger I will turn on you and again make your punishment seven times worse than before. 29 Your hunger will be so great that you will eat your own children. 30 I will destroy your places of worship on the hills, tear down your incense altars, and throw your dead bodies on your fallen idols. In utter disgust 31 I will turn your cities into ruins, destroy your places of worship, and refuse to accept your sacrifices. 32 I will destroy your land so completely that the enemies who occupy it will be shocked at the destruction. 33 I will bring war on you and scatter you in foreign lands. Your land will be deserted, and your cities left in ruins. 34 Then the land will enjoy the years of complete rest that you would not give it; it will lie abandoned and get its rest while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. 36 "I will make those of you who are in exile so terrified that the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will make you run. You will run as if you were being pursued in battle, and you will fall when there is no enemy near you. 37 You will stumble over one another when no one is chasing you, and you will be unable to fight against any enemy. 38 You will die in exile, swallowed up by the land of your enemies. 39 The few of you who survive in the land of your enemies will waste away because of your own sin and the sin of your ancestors. 40 "But your descendants will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, who resisted me and rebelled against me, 41 and caused me to turn against them and send them into exile in the land of their enemies. At last, when your descendants are humbled and they have paid the penalty for their sin and rebellion, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and with Isaac and with Abraham, and I will renew my promise to give my people the land. 43 First, however, the land must be rid of its people, so that it can enjoy its complete rest, and they must pay the full penalty for having rejected my laws and my commands. 44 But even then, when they are still in the land of their enemies, I will not completely abandon them or destroy them. That would put an end to my covenant with them, and I am the Lord their God. 45 I will renew the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I showed all the nations my power by bringing my people out of Egypt, in order that I, the Lord, might be their God." 46 All these are the laws and commands that the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.

xii-Deuteronomy 28:1 "If you obey the Lord your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, he will make you greater than any other nation on earth. 2 Obey the Lord your God and all these blessings will be yours: 3 "The Lord will bless your towns and your fields. 4 "The Lord will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep. 5 "The Lord will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. 6 "The Lord will bless everything you do. 7 "The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack from one direction, but they will run from you in all directions. 8 "The Lord your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that he is giving you. 9 "If you obey the Lord your God and do everything he commands, he will make you his own people, as he has promised. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that the Lord has chosen you to be his own people, and they will be afraid of you. 11 The Lord will give you many children, many cattle, and abundant crops in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you. 12 He will send rain in season from his rich storehouse in the sky and bless all your work, so that you will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any. 13 The Lord your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commands that I am giving you today. 14 But you must never disobey them in any way, or worship and serve other gods. 15 "But if you disobey the Lord your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws that I am giving you today, all these evil things will happen to you: 16 "The Lord will curse your towns and your fields. 17 "The Lord will curse your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. 18 "The Lord will curse you by giving you only a few children, poor crops, and few cattle and sheep. 19 "The Lord will curse everything you do. 20 "If you do evil and reject the Lord, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed. 21 He will send disease after disease on you until there is not one of you left in the land that you are about to occupy. 22 The Lord will strike you with infectious diseases, with swelling and fever; he will send drought and scorching winds to destroy your crops. These disasters will be with you until you die. 23 No rain will fall, and your ground will become as hard as iron. 24 Instead of rain, the Lord will send down duststorms and sandstorms until you are destroyed. 25 "The Lord will give your enemies victory over you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in all directions, and all the people on earth will be terrified when they see what happens to you. 26 When you die, birds and wild animals will come and eat your bodies, and there will be no one to scare them off. 27 The Lord will send boils on you, as he did on the Egyptians. He will make your bodies break out with sores. You will be covered with scabs, and you will itch, but there will be no cure. 28 The Lord will make you lose your mind; he will strike you with blindness and confusion. 29 You will grope about in broad daylight like someone blind, and you will not be able to find your way. You will not prosper in anything you do. You will be constantly oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to help you. 30 "You will be engaged to a young woman - but someone else will marry her. You will build a house - but never live in it. You will plant a vineyard - but never eat its grapes. 31 Your cattle will be butchered before your very eyes, but you will not eat any of the meat. Your donkeys will be dragged away while you look on, and they will not be given back to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and there will be no one to help you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given as slaves to foreigners while you look on. Every day you will strain your eyes, looking in vain for your children to return. 33 A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow, while you receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment. 34 Your sufferings will make you lose your mind. 35 The Lord will cover your legs with incurable, painful sores; boils will cover you from head to foot. 36 "The Lord will take you and your king away to a foreign land, where neither you nor your ancestors ever lived before; there you will serve gods made of wood and stone. 37 In the countries to which the Lord will scatter you, the people will be shocked at what has happened to you; they will make fun of you and ridicule you. 38 "You will plant plenty of seed, but reap only a small harvest, because the locusts will eat your crops. 39 You will plant vineyards and take care of them, but you will not gather their grapes or drink wine from them, because worms will eat the vines. 40 Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land, but you will not have any olive oil, because the olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, because they will be taken away as prisoners of war. 42 All your trees and crops will be devoured by insects. 43 "Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours. 44 They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers. 45 "All these disasters will come on you, and they will be with you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and keep all the laws that he gave you. 46 They will be the evidence of God's judgment on you and your descendants forever. 47 The Lord blessed you in every way, but you would not serve him with glad and joyful hearts. 48 So then, you will serve the enemies that the Lord is going to send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, and naked - in need of everything. The Lord will oppress you harshly until you are destroyed. 49 The Lord will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle. 50 They will be ruthless and show no mercy to anyone, young or old. 51 They will eat your livestock and your crops, and you will starve to death. They will not leave you any grain, wine, olive oil, cattle, or sheep; and you will die. 52 They will attack every town in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and the high, fortified walls in which you trust will fall. 53 "When your enemies are besieging your towns, you will become so desperate for food that you will even eat the children that the Lord your God has given you. 54 Even the most refined man of noble birth will become so desperate during the siege that he will eat some of his own children because he has no other food. He will not even give any to his brother or to the wife he loves or to any of his children who are left. 56 Even the most refined woman of noble birth, so rich that she has never had to walk anywhere, will behave in the same way. When the enemy besieges her town, she will become so desperate for food that she will secretly eat her newborn child and the afterbirth as well. She will not share them with the husband she loves or with any of her children. 58 "If you do not obey faithfully all of God's teachings that are written in this book and if you do not honor the wonderful and awesome name of the Lord your God, 59 he will send on you and on your descendants incurable diseases and horrible epidemics that can never be stopped. 60 He will bring on you once again all the dreadful diseases you experienced in Egypt, and you will never recover. 61 He will also send all kinds of diseases and epidemics that are not mentioned in this book of God's laws and teachings, and you will be destroyed. 62 Although you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, only a few of you will survive, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as the Lord took delight in making you prosper and in making you increase in number, so he will take delight in destroying you and in bringing ruin on you. You will be uprooted from the land that you are about to occupy. 64 "The Lord will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve gods made of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have ever worshiped before. 65 You will find no peace anywhere, no place to call your own; the Lord will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair. 66 Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror, and you will live in constant fear of death. 67 Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening; every evening you will wish for morning. 68 The Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though he said that you would never have to go there again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will want to buy you."

29:1 These are the terms of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab; all this was in addition to the covenant which the Lord had made with them at Mount Sinai. 2 Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them, "You saw for yourselves what the Lord did to the king of Egypt, to his officials, and to his entire country. 3 You saw the terrible plagues, the miracles, and the great wonders that the Lord performed. 4 But to this very day he has not let you understand what you have experienced. 5 For forty years the Lord led you through the desert, and your clothes and sandals never wore out. 6 You did not have bread to eat or wine or beer to drink, but the Lord provided for your needs in order to teach you that he is your God. 7 And when we came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us. But we defeated them, 8 took their land, and divided it among the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Obey faithfully all the terms of this covenant, so that you will be successful in everything you do. 10 "Today you are standing in the presence of the Lord your God, all of you - your leaders and officials, your men, 11 women, and children, and the foreigners who live among you and cut wood and carry water for you. 12 You are here today to enter into this covenant that the Lord your God is making with you and to accept its obligations, 13 so that the Lord may now confirm you as his people and be your God, as he promised you and your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14 You are not the only ones with whom the Lord is making this covenant with its obligations. 15 He is making it with all of us who stand here in his presence today and also with our descendants who are not yet born. 16 "You remember what life was like in Egypt and what it was like to travel through the territory of other nations. 17 You saw their disgusting idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold. 18 Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of other nations. This would be like a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant. 19 Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike. 20 The Lord will not forgive such a man. Instead, the Lord's burning anger will flame up against him, and all the disasters written in this book will fall on him until the Lord has destroyed him completely. 21 The Lord will make an example of him before all the tribes of Israel and will bring disaster on him in accordance with all the curses listed in the covenant that is written in this book of the Lord's teachings. 22 "In future generations your descendants and foreigners from distant lands will see the disasters and sufferings that the Lord has brought on your land. 23 The fields will be a barren waste, covered with sulfur and salt; nothing will be planted, and not even weeds will grow there. Your land will be like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed when he was furiously angry. 24 Then the whole world will ask, "Why did the Lord do this to their land? What was the reason for his fierce anger?' 25 And the answer will be, "It is because the Lord's people broke the covenant they had made with him, the God of their ancestors, when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They served other gods that they had never worshiped before, gods that the Lord had forbidden them to worship. 27 And so the Lord became angry with his people and brought on their land all the disasters written in this book. 28 The Lord became furiously angry, and in his great anger he uprooted them from their land and threw them into a foreign land, and there they are today.' 29 "There are some things that the Lord our God has kept secret; but he has revealed his Law, and we and our descendants are to obey it forever.

30:1 "I have now given you a choice between a blessing and a curse. When all these things have happened to you, and you are living among the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you, you will remember the choice I gave you. 2 If you and your descendants will turn back to the Lord and with all your heart obey his commands that I am giving you today, 3 then the Lord your God will have mercy on you. He will bring you back from the nations where he has scattered you, and he will make you prosperous again. 4 Even if you are scattered to the farthest corners of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you together and bring you back, 5 so that you may again take possession of the land where your ancestors once lived. And he will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your ancestors ever were. 6 The Lord your God will give you and your descendants obedient hearts, so that you will love him with all your heart, and you will continue to live in that land. 7 He will turn all these curses against your enemies, who hated you and oppressed you, 8 and you will again obey him and keep all his commands that I am giving you today. 9 The Lord will make you prosperous in all that you do; you will have many children and a lot of livestock, and your fields will produce abundant crops. He will be as glad to make you prosperous as he was to make your ancestors prosperous, 10 but you will have to obey him and keep all his laws that are written in this book of his teachings. You will have to turn to him with all your heart. 11 "The command that I am giving you today is not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in the sky. You do not have to ask, "Who will go up and bring it down for us, so that we can hear it and obey it?' 13 Nor is it on the other side of the ocean. You do not have to ask, "Who will go across the ocean and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and obey it?' 14 No, it is here with you. You know it and can quote it, so now obey it. 15 "Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death. 16 If you obey the commands of the Lord your God, which I give you today, if you love him, obey him, and keep all his laws, then you will prosper and become a nation of many people. The Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are about to occupy. 17 But if you disobey and refuse to listen, and are led away to worship other gods, 18 you will be destroyed - I warn you here and now. You will not live long in that land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy. 19 I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life. 20 Love the Lord your God, obey him and be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

xiii-Proverbs 8:13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.

Isaiah 14:13 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14 You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.

xiv-Proverbs 13:21 Trouble follows sinners everywhere, but righteous people will be rewarded with good things.

Psalm 23:6 I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live.

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