SOAP May 6th - Proverbs 6

May 06, 2008

Proverbs 6

Wow – this morning is a shift for the Haymarket campus! We’ve jumped off of the “strangers and aliens” theme from Peter back to the Old Testament to the book of Proverbs. Why? Proverbs’ focus is on wisdom – wise sayings – and truth that Solomon discovered (he was the guy who God said could have whatever he asked for, and Solomon asked for wisdom. The great thing about Proverbs is it has 31 chapters so you can read one chapter a day and read through the whole thing in a month (chapter 1 on May 1st, chapter 2 on May 2nd, etc. Today, on May 6th, we’re on chapter 6

Here we go with five general observations from Proverbs 6 (I think I’d need a lot more than 20 minutes to try to digest everything that’s in these 27 verses!).

Observations

  1. Verses 1-5 focus on going and talking directly to the people affected when you’ve messed up
  2. Verses 6-11 have great teaching on work ethic
  3. Verses 12-15 reinforce a schemer is going to get their just reward
  4. Verses 16-19 is one of the more famous sections from Proverbs and gives great insight into the heart and character of God
  5. Verse 20-35 warn about the power and consequences of adultery

Application

  1. Ads on the radio abound for people who are in debt; what’s the solution? Talk humbly to the people you owe and try to work out an alternative solution. The same thing is true when I say something stupid – go humbly and talk to the people involved.
  2. Work hard and prepare for the future – don’t expect anyone else to take care of you
  3. There is great comfort in knowing that even when it seems like someone is scheming to get ahead, causing dissension, quietly creating havoc – justice is going to come to them. I just have to stay consistent and faithful; God is in control.
  4. What a list to challenge motives and actions! I don’t want any of those seven characteristics to be a part of my life!
  5. This whole Bible reading and prayer thing we’ve continued to talk about is the key to avoiding relational ruin – as long as I can stay focused on God’s teaching and living it out, there are a ton of horrible consequences that can be avoided. The flip side of that is our culture says adultery is no big deal. It is.

Prayer

“God, I want to live with integrity. Keep your word at the front of my mind. Help me to always work hard. Give me the courage to talk directly to people, but to be humble. Help me to trust you more each day. Through Jesus, Amen.”