Adult Sunday School
Being God’s Diligent Employee
(From the Adult Sunday School class, 10/9/16)
Proverbs 10:26 - "As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to the one sending him."
Adult Sunday School
The Wicked Are No More, But the Righteous Endure
(From the Adult Sunday School class, 10/2/16)
Proverbs 10:25 - "When the storm wind has passed, a wicked man is no more; but a righteous man is an everlasting foundation."A recurring theme not only in Proverbs but throughout the Bible is the endurance of the righteous and transience of the wicked. Psalm 1, for example, likens the righteous to a tree planted by a flowing river which always bears fruit and never withers, whereas the wicked are chaff driven by the wind. The primary contrast is duration, but there is also a contrast of usefulness: the righteous man who is like a tree not only endures in a single spot and continues to live, but he produces good fruit – he has an enduring positive effect on those around him. The wicked man, however, is likened to the waste product of the grain harvest. Not only does it blow away in the wind and cease to have substance, but it is the part of the plant that really did not have any use, anyway. (more…)
Adult Sunday School
The Fear of the Wicked, the Hope of the Righteous
(From the Adult Sunday School class, 9/25/16)
Proverbs 10:24 - “It is the fear of a wicked person that will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.”This proverb tells us that wicked people and righteous people will not share the same fate. Because of their wickedness, wicked people are destined for something fearful. On the other hand, righteous people can expect good things. This is not simply about karma, or some impersonal mechanic that is built into the cosmos. This is not saying, “What comes around goes around.” Proverbs has some points in contact with the Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of karma, mainly that our actions are meaningful in determining our destiny. But for the Hebrews and for Christians, destiny is not something that structures our lives impersonally, like in a Greek tragedy. Nor is destiny something that we have the power to shape by our skill or virtue or work ethic. What did Proverbs 10:22 say? “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes one rich, and hard labor adds nothing to it.” Proverbs 16:9 likewise says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” For the Hebrew and the Christian, destiny is something shaped above all by God. (more…)
Adult Sunday School
How to Read Proverbs Effectively
Bite-Sized Exegesis has a post about reading the book of Proverbs effectively in English. Since we have been studying Proverbs in our adult Sunday School class, I wanted to link it here. “Our Bite-Sized Exegesis Read more…
Adult Sunday School
What Foolish and Wise People Do For Fun
(From the Adult Sunday School class, 9/18/2016) Continuing in our study of the sayings of Proverbs 10, today we look at verse 23, which tells us about what wise people and foolish people do for fun. (more…)
Adult Sunday School
“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”
Our Sunday morning adult class on 9/11/16 focused on Proverbs 10:22, which in the KJV says, "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." The first part of this proverb tells us that material prosperity is connected to the blessing of the LORD. All things are the LORD’s. He is the creator and owner of the whole universe, therefore all things are at his disposal. So if someone is prosperous or successful, ultimately it is because God has allowed it or caused it to happen. (more…)