Lesson 168

Pondering Proverbs #4

Proverbs 26-27

MEMORY VERSEPROVERBS 27:2“Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; astranger, and not your own lips.”

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:A paper plate.

A chalk/dry-erase board and chalk or dry-erase markers.

ATTENTION GETTER!

Others Can Affect MeIn today’s lesson we are going to look at relationships with others.God has a lot to say about our friends and who are good friends.But sometimes others can have a “not so good” influence on us.Play this game to introduce today’s theme. You will need onepaper plate.

Have the class split in half and stand in two lines. Have them standabout three feet apart, making an aisle. Choose one child to walkdown the middle balancing the paper plate upside down onhis/her head. The children in the lines will try to cause the paperplate to fall off of their head. They can only blow or fan with theirarms. They cannot touch the person in the center or move out ofline. Allow several students to go through the center. Then havethe children sit down together and ask them about the effect thatthe children had who were trying to cause the paper plate to falldown. Was it effective? How is this game like peer pressure in thereal world?

LESSON TIME!NOTE TO TEACHERS: WE HAVE PROVIDED COMMENTARY ON ALL OF CHAPTERS 26AND 27. PLEASE PRAY AND READ THROUGH YOUR LESSON ASKING THE LORD FORWISDOM AS TO WHAT AREAS HE WOULD HAVE YOU SHARE WITH YOUR CLASS.DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO SHARE EVERY VERSE IN YOUR CLASS.

This week we are continuing our study in the book of Proverbs. Alot of Proverbs has to do with relationships. The Lord desires for usto have right relationships. We are going to learn that it isimportant to choose the right kinds of friends so we will not be ledastray. We will also learn about how important it is to speak kindlytowards others and not speak badly about people behind theirbacks. We will also learn that We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 26:1As snow in su m m er and rain in harv es t , so honor i snot f i t t ing f or a f oo l .

If it were to snow in the summer, when it is hot, it would go againstnature. If it were to rain during the harvest time, it would be ahindrance to the harvesting of the crops. What the writer here issaying is that honor does not go with fools in the same way. Honorand a fool do not go together. It is contrary to nature, and as therain in the harvest is destructive, so is honor to the fool. Weshould want to spend time with those whose lives honor the Lord.We should be wise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 26:2Like a f l i t t ing sp arrow , l i k e a f l y ing sw al l ow , so ac u rse w i thou t c au se shal l no t al i gh t .

Here we see that he who is cursed without cause will not be harmedby it. It will be just as a bird flying over his head. Here we see thatthere is a safety when we are innocent, when our actions are

honorable. It shows us that we must walk in obedience to God, andHe will take care of our integrity, and us.

PROVERBS 26:3A w h ip f or the horse , a br id l e f or the donkey , and arod f or the f oo l ’s bac k .

A person can guide a horse with a whip, and a donkey with a bridle,but the only way to guide a fool is with a rod to his back. That maysound a bit harsh, but when a person hardens their heart andrefuses to change their direction then difficult and hard things willcome into their lives as a result. It is never fun to be corrected ordisciplined, but it is how we learn obedience. So a fool needs to bedealt with harshly so they will learn to obey and have a blessed life.

PROVERBS 26:4, 5D o not answ er a f oo l ac c ord ing t o h i s f o l l y , l es t youal so be l i k e h im .

Answ er a f oo l ac c ord ing t o h i s f o l l y , l es t he be w i sein h i s ow n eyes .

These two verses may seem to contradict one another, but theyreally don’t. What we must do is remember two things: 1) There isnothing to be gained in answering a fool in his own way. 2) Theremay be occasions however when the Lord calls us to speak outagainst what a foolish person may be saying. There are manyexamples in the Bible when God’s people were used by God to standup against wickedness and what is wrong. We should be wise i nour relationships.

PROVERBS 26:6-9He w ho sends a m es sage by the hand o f a f oo l c u t so f f h i s ow n f eet and d r inks v io l enc e .

Like the l egs o f the l am e that hang l im p i s a p rov erbin the m ou th o f f oo l s .

L i ke one w ho binds a s t one in a s l ing i s he w ho gi v eshonor t o a f oo l .

L i ke a thorn that goes in to the hand o f a d ru nkard i sa p rov erb in the m ou th o f f oo l s .

These verses tell us that to trust a fool to deliver a message is justas ridiculous as cutting off your feet and drinking poison. This is asharp warning, for Solomon tells us that a foolish person is goodfor nothing, not even delivering a message. There is no wisdomthat comes from their mouths, and to give any honor to a rebel willbackfire on you. We have to be careful trusting a fool and notchoose them to be our friends. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 26:10The great God w ho f orm ed ev ery th ing gi v es the f oo lh i s h i re and the t ransgres sor h i s w ages .

We see in the Bible that God is over all His creation. Even those whorefuse to serve Him receive their life and ability to work and earnmoney. People can seem to have everything in this world and evenbe successful, but still be a fool. Just because someone has moneyor is popular doesn’t mean that they are wise. We have to becareful and not choose our friends based on the outwardappearance, but by what is in a person’s heart. We should bewise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 26:11As a dog re tu rns t o h i s ow n v om i t , so a f oo l rep eat sh i s f o l l y .

Have you ever seen a dog get sick, vomit and then go back to thatvomit and eat it? It is really pretty disgusting to us, but that is thepicture that the Lord wants us to have here. Foolish people doexactly the same thing with their lives. They get sick of their sin,and yet they go back to their disgusting sin over and over again.Matthew Henry says, “As the dog, after he has gained ease byvomiting that which burdened his stomach, yet goes and licks it upagain, so sinners, who have been convinced only and notconverted, return to sin again, forgetting how sick it made them.The apostle Peter (2 Peter 2:22) applies this proverb to those thathave known the way of righteousness but are turned from it; butGod will spew them out of his mouth, Rev. 3:16.”

PROVERBS 26:12D o you see a m an w i se in h i s ow n eyes ? There i s m orehop e f or a f oo l than f or h im .

This verse tells else that there is one thing worse than a fool, andthat is a man who is prideful. If a man is wise in his own eyes andconceited, there is more hope for the person that is anoverconfident fool than the man wise in his own eyes. We shouldbe wise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 26:13-15The l az y m an says , “There i s a l i on in the road ! Af i erc e l i on i s in the s t reet s !”

As a door tu rns on i t s h inges , so does the l az y m anon h i s bed .

The l az y m an bu r i es h i s hand in the bow l ; i t w ear i esh im to br ing i t bac k t o h i s m ou th .

These verses paint for us a picture of a lazy person. First we seethat he will make any excuse for not working, even ridiculous ones.He says that there is a lion in the streets, so he cannot go outside.

Then we see him, as a door that turns on its hinges, so the lazy mandoesn’t move from his place on his bed. A door hinge turns backand forth, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Then we see that the slothfuland self-indulgent man buries his hand in his bosom, and he won’teven bring it out again to feed himself.

PROVERBS 26:16The l az y m an i s w i s er in h i s ow n eyes than sev enm en w ho c an answ er s ens ibly .

Here we see that the sluggard thinks himself as wiser than sevenmen, who can answer any question. It speaks of the pride of thesluggard, who thinks he is so smart, yet he is not smart at all. Weneed to be careful of people who think that they are smart whenthey really aren’t. True wisdom comes from following the Lord,not trying to see how much work we can get out of. We should bewise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 26:17He w ho p as ses by and m edd les in a qu arre l not h i sow n i s l i k e one w ho t akes a dog by the ears .

Have you ever yanked a dog’s ears? That would be a very foolishthing to do, wouldn’t it? The dog is going to turn around and wantto bite you. Yet, it is as foolish as interfering in an argument that isnot any of your business. You will get dragged into it and it willend up biting you.

PROVERBS 26:18, 19Like a m adm an w ho th row s f i rebrands , ar row s , anddeath ,

I s the m an w ho dec e iv es h i s ne i ghbor , and says , “Iw as on ly j ok ing!”

Here we are told how bad it is to deceive our neighbors - it is likemadmen that throw firebrands and arrows. We cannot lie to ourneighbor and say that we were just fooling, or joking around. It iswrong. It is never right to tell a lie. It is a willful sin, and it does notplease the Lord at all.

PROVERBS 26:20-22Where there i s no w ood , the f i re goes ou t ; and w herethere i s no t al ebearer , s t r i f e c eases .

As c harc oal i s t o bu rn ing c oal s , and w ood to f i re , soi s a c on ten t iou s m an to k ind l e s t r i f e .

The w ords o f a t al ebearer are l i k e t as ty t r i f l es , andthey go dow n in to the inm os t body .

If a fire has no fuel to feed it, it will eventually go out, oftentimesvery quickly. So, when contentions stop, gossip also stops. Gossipneeds fuel to spread, so if someone wants to tell us gossip, we canjust refuse to listen to it, and it will stop. Many hearts can be keptfrom being hurt by putting out the fuel of gossip.

As quickly as a match sets fire to a piece of paper so does a manthat likes to quarrel, starts fights. It only takes a little thing to sethim off. God gives to us His Holy Spirit to help us not get angry andstart fights. James tells us in chapter 1:19, 20, “Wherefore, mybeloved brethren, let every men be swift to hear, slow to speak,slow to wrath; for the wrath of man works not the righteousness ofGod.”

The words of slander are as beautiful tidbits to those who speakthem, but they can go down into the heart of the person slanderedand cause deadly wounds. How important it is that we speak wordsof truth and love to one another. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 26:23Ferv en t l i p s w i th a w i c ked hear t are l i k e ear thenw arec ov ered w i th s i l v er d ros s .

A person can say nice, pretty words, but just as a beautiful glazecovers a common clay pot, so the nice words can hide a wickedheart. People can say insincere words of love but their hearts arefull of hatred. It is all fake and not their true heart. Yet, God alwayssees what is in a person’s heart, no matter how hard they try tocover it.

PROVERBS 26:24-26He w ho hat es , d i sgu i s es i t w i th h i s l i p s , and l ays u pdec e i t w i th in h im se l f ;

When he sp eaks k ind ly , do not be l i ev e h im , f or thereare s ev en abom inat ions in h i s hear t ;

Thou gh h i s hat red i s c ov ered by dec e i t , h i sw i c kednes s w i l l be rev eal ed bef ore the as sem bly .

A person can have hate in his heart and yet say pleasant things; butif you are wise, you will not believe them. He may pretend to bevery kind, but in the end, his true hatred will be revealed for all tosee.

PROVERBS 26:27Whoev er d i gs a p i t w i l l f al l i n to i t , and he w ho ro l l sa s t one w i l l hav e i t ro l l bac k on h im .

God’s word here tells us that the man who sets a trap for others willget caught in his own trap. Roll a boulder down on someone, and itwill roll back and crush you. We should never plan bad things forothers; it will come back on us. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 26:28A ly ing t ongu e hat es those w ho are c ru shed by i t ,and a f l at t er ing m ou th w orks ru in .

A lying tongue hates those whom it has wounded and crushed, andthe person who flatters with their mouth is working towardsanother person’s destruction. Flattery is when we say nice thingsto others to get them to do something we want. It is the same aslying and can hurt others very badly. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

Mixed-Up ProverbsHave the class split into two or three small teams. Before class,choose four or five verses from the Proverbs that we are studying.Write the entire Proverb on the board not leaving any spaces inbetween words. Explain to the children that this verse is in the twochapters we are studying. Tell them to keep their Bibles closed andwhen you say, “go” they are to open their Bibles and find whatverse is written.

The first team that can come up with the verse wins that round.Play four to five rounds and talk about the meaning of each verse.

PROVERBS 27:1D o not boas t abou t t om orrow , f or you do not knoww hat a day m ay br ing f or th .

This verse tells us not to brag about what you will do tomorrow,because you do not know what will happen tomorrow. James4:13-15 tells us, “Come now, you that say, today or tomorrow wewill go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy andsell, and get gain; Whereas you know not, what shall be on the nextday. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for alittle time, and then vanishes away. For you ought to say, ‘If theLord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.’”

PROVERBS 27:2Let another m an p rai s e you , and not you r ow nm ou th ; a s t ranger , and not you r ow n l ip s .

Humility stands out in this scripture, for it tells us to let otherpeople praise us, and not praise ourselves. It’s easy for us to wantothers to notice the good things we do, but we need to allow theLord to see them, and even if no one else notices, we still need torejoice in the fact that He does.

If we praise ourselves, we are focusing on ourselves. We need toesteem others better than ourselves. Philippians 2:3 tells us, “Letnothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but inlowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”James 4:10 also tells us, “Humble yourselves in the sight of theLord, and He shall lift you up.” God sees all we do, and He willhonor us as He sees fit. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 27:3, 4A s tone i s heav y and sand i s w e igh ty , bu t a f oo l ’sw rath i s heav i er than both o f them .

Wrath i s c ru e l and anger a t or ren t , bu t w ho i s abl e t os t and bef ore j ealou sy?

Here we see that when the anger of a fool is provoked he doesn’tcare what he says or does, and it is more painful than a great stoneor a load of sand. It weighs heavy on him. The people who cannotcontrol their anger or jealousy hurt themselves by sinking underthe load of it. It is wise for others not to give them any provocationto anger, and also to get out of their way and pray for them.

PROVERBS 27:5, 6Op en rebu ke i s bet t er than l ov e c are f u l l y c onc eal ed .

Fai th f u l are the w ou nds o f a f r i end , bu t the k i s s es o fan enem y are dec e i t f u l .

Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden. It is good for us tobe corrected and told our faults by our friends. True love willspeak the truth, because it puts the other person first, above ourown comfort level. Secret love is a love that is hidden and does notshow good fruit, for it will not correct one that is wrong.

We also see that the wounds of a friend are faithful. The wordwound indicates pain and hurt. At times, the truth hurts us, but ifwe take our pain to the Lord, and commit it to Him, He will help us.There is a contrast here between the wounds of a friend and thekisses of an enemy; one would think that it would be the other wayaround. Truth may hurt us, but it does us good, while flattery(kisses of an enemy) can destroy us. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 27:7A sat i s f i ed sou l l oathes the honeyc om b, bu t t o ahu ngry sou l ev ery bi t t er th ing i s sw eet .

Here is a warning that the man whom God has richly blessed withgood things should guard himself against ingratitude towards theGod who has blessed him so well. He must also guard himselfagainst forgetting how valuable each gift is from God. If they arespiritual blessings, he must be careful to not be self-satisfied andself-contented, which in reality, is the path of the worst poverty.Without the Lord, our lives are always hungry and thirsty, but He isthe living water that satisfies our soul.

PROVERBS 27:8Like a bi rd that w anders f rom i t s nes t i s a m an w how anders f rom h i s p l ac e .

There is a safety in our homes, a place of protection and comfort.Many people do not realize when they have that protection orcomfort. They are not content and want to go all over the place,not caring or committing to the work at home. This does not referto the person who is called by God to another place, but of thewanderer who avoids or tries to escape their work. Just as a birdthat leaves the nest is in danger of being hunted and killed, theperson who wanders from God’s call in their lives placesthemselves in great danger. It is always best to be obedient to God’scall upon our lives.

PROVERBS 27:9, 10Oin tm ent and p er f u m e de l i gh t the hear t , and thesw eetnes s o f a m an ’s f r i end gi v es de l i gh t by hear tyc ou nse l .

D o not f or sake you r ow n f r i end or you r f ather ’sf r i end , nor go t o you r bro ther ’s hou se in the day o fyou r c al am i ty ; bet t er i s a ne i ghbor nearby than abrother f ar aw ay .

Perfume is a pleasant thing to all of us; the smell is sweet. It is goodto have a friend that we can be free to communicate our heart to.We should never abandon our friends. It we build our friendships,then in difficult times, we can go to our friends who are close byus, rather than to a relative who is far away. Friendship is truly agift from the Lord. We should be wise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 27:11M y son , be w i se , and m ake m y hear t gl ad , that I m ayansw er h im w ho rep roac hes m e .

It is a true joy for a parent to know that their children are wise andsensible. It is actually an honor to have children that walk in theways of the Lord. Sometimes people can think that a parent is toohard on them, but if the child is raised in the Lord, their good

conduct will save the parent from being blamed for bad behavioron the part of the child. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 27:12A p ru den t m an f oresees ev i l and h ides h im se l f ; t hes im p le p as s on and are p u n i shed .

Here we see that evil can be seen ahead of time. If we give in totemptation, we can know that there will be sin, and then the resultof the sin. The wise man will watch for problems ahead of time andprepare himself to deal with them. The fool never looks, andtherefore suffers the consequences.

PROVERBS 27:13Take the garm ent o f h im w ho i s su rety f or a s t ranger ,and ho ld i t i n p l edge w hen he i s su rety f or asedu c t res s .

It is never a wise decision for a person to pay a stranger’s debt. It isa good way to get into trouble. It is a warning to be so careful in ourbusiness dealings as not to lend money to people who we know justwaste their money, unless they can give very good collateral for theloan.

PROVERBS 27:14He w ho bl es ses h i s f r i end w i th a l ou d v o i c e , r i s ingear ly in the m orn ing, i t w i l l be c ou nted a c u rse t oh im .

It is rather foolish to yell out a pleasant greeting to a friend tooearly in the morning. The other people will think it a curse ratherthan a blessing.

PROVERBS 27:15, 16A c on t inu al d r ip p ing on a v ery rainy day and ac on ten t iou s w om an are al i ke ;

Whoev er res t rain s her res t rain s the w ind , and grasp so i l w i th h i s r i gh t hand .

A nagging woman can be very annoying. Here she is compared to acontinual dropping in a very rainy day. A friend may annoy you,but you can get away from a friend, but you cannot get away from awife. It is sad and there really is no hiding her, and everyoneknows. Even friends that would love to protect her, cannot, forwho can stop a continual rain? We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 27:17As i ron sharp ens i ron , so a m an sharp ens thec ou ntenanc e o f h i s f r i end .

Here we see the joy of talking. A good conversation is asstimulating as sparks that fly when iron hits iron. As iron hitsanother piece of iron, it sharpens it, and makes it of good use. Wisediscussions sharpen one another’s intellects. We should be carefulwith whom we spend our time. We should be wise in ourrelationships.

PROVERBS 27:18Whoev er keep s the f i g t ree w i l l eat i t s f ru i t ; so hew ho w ai t s on h i s m as t er w i l l be honored .

A workman who takes care of another person’s fig tree, or orchardmay eat freely of it. If the same person is wise in listening andobeying their master, will be rewarded for their care, concern, andgood work.

PROVERBS 27:19As in w at er f ac e re f l ec t s f ac e , so a m an ’s hear trev eal s the m an .

When we look into a mirror, it shows us what we look like on theoutside. One way we can see what we are really like inside is by thefriends we choose to be our friends. The relationship we have withthem will reflect our true hearts, and who we really are. Weshould be wise in our relationships.

PROVERBS 27:20Hel l and D es t ru c t i on are nev er f u l l ; s o the eyes o fm an are nev er s at i s f i ed .

There are two things here that are said to never be satisfied, deathand sin. No matter how many people die, there is always room formore souls that have never been saved. Sin also is never satisfied.It never has enough. The carnal appetite never has enough. Yetwe know that those who have their eyes toward the Lord arealways satisfied.

PROVERBS 27:21The re f in ing p ot i s f or s i l v er and the f u rnac e f orgo ld , and a m an i s v alu ed by w hat o thers s ay o f h im .

We can test the purity of silver and gold by putting them in therefining fire, which will bring out all the impurities of the metal.A man is tested by his reaction to other men’s praise. A man canbecome full of pride because of men’s praises, or he can givethanks God.

PROVERBS 27:22Thou gh you gr ind a f oo l in a m or tar w i th a p es t l ealong w i th c ru shed grain , yet h i s f oo l i shnes s w i l l no tdep ar t f rom h im .

You can never separate a foolish man from his foolishness, even ifyou try to crush him to powder, he will never give up hisfoolishness, for his heart is determined to do evil. Even though heis crushed, he is not humbled or refined.

PROVERBS 27:23-27Be d i l i gen t t o know the s t at e o f you r f l oc k s , andat t end to you r herds ;

For r i c hes are not f orev er , nor does a c row n endu reto al l generat i ons .

When the hay i s rem ov ed , and the t ender gras s show si t s e l f , and the herbs o f the m ou ntain s are gatheredin ,

The l am bs w i l l p rov ide you r c l o th ing, and the goat sthe p r i c e o f a f i e ld ;

You shal l hav e enou gh goat s ’ m i l k f or you r f ood , f orthe f ood o f you r hou seho ld , and the nou r i shm ent o fyou r m aid serv an t s .

Here we see that we are called to be diligent in everything we do.To be diligent means to pay attention and work hard. Whatever weare called to, we must apply ourselves to the best of our ability. Weare not to be lazy. We should not expect others to do what we areresponsible for.

A Word of WisdomHave your class divide again into the same teams as the “Mixed-UpProverbs” game. Choose four or five additional verses from the twochapters we just discussed. This time tell the teams to open theirBibles. You will write one word from the verse on the board. Theteams may not yell out the answer. They will only get one guess

per round so they need to join together and make sure that is theiranswer.

If no one can guess based on one word, write down another wordfrom the verse. Keep going until the correct verse is guessed. Youcan do a point system if you like awarding more points to the teamwho guesses with fewer words. In other words you might award100 points to the team who guesses with 1 word, 75 points to thosewith 2 words, 50 points with 3 words, etc. Play several rounds,then add up the points and declare a winner.

PRAYERLead the children in a prayer of commitment to be wise in theirrelationships. If there are any children who have not yetresponded to the gospel, give them opportunity to do so.