Proverbs 6
Life Lessons from Chapter 6:
1. Free yourself from other people's debt
2. Don't be lazy - Work Hard!
3. Know what wickedness looks like.
4. Obey your parents and follow their instructions.
5. Don't be stupid - Keep it in your toga.
All of these seem pretty straight forward except maybe for number three. What does wickedness look like? We must be able to discern that which we must avoid if we intend to survive on this quest. Because we all know - wickedness can look just as appetizing (or even more so) than righteousness. So let's look at vs. 12-19:
What are worthless
and wicked people like?
They
are constant liars, signaling
their deceit with a wink of the eye, a
nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. Their
perverted hearts plot evil, and
they constantly stir up trouble. But they will
be destroyed suddenly, broken
in an instant beyond all hope of healing.
There
are six things the Lord hates - no,
seven things he detests:
haughty eyes, a
lying tongue, hands
that kill the innocent, a heart that
plots evil, feet
that race to do wrong, a false
witness who pours out lies,
a
person who sows discord in a family.
First off (spoiler alert: rant ahead) - lying makes you a worthless, wicked person so CUT IT OUT. No one likes to be lied to and if you are a liar I bet you HATE it when people lie to you, so just STOP IT. And if you can't (because you have told so many that you don't even know the truth anymore) BE CAREFUL what you say and CHOOSE to make it right when you do lie. Make telling the truth your new habit and things will go a lot better for you and everyone around you. Believe me, making the effort will not go unnoticed. Avoid the inevitable, instantaneous destruction that will break you beyond all hope of healing (v.15). TELL THE TRUTH.
Whew...Now that that's over...
Solomon also outlines the following thing that the Lord detests - which of these do you need to clean out of your life? Believe me - I'm asking the same question of myself as I am typing this.
Haughty Eyes - Are you proud, do you judge with your eyes? Do you disrespect others with your expression?
A Lying Tongue - Well, I've already addressed this one...
Hands that Kill the Innocent - Murder/Neglect to Defend
Heart that Plots Evil - Do you wish for the demise of others? Are you constantly scheming to get what you want? Are you...Manipulative?
Feet that Race to do Wrong - Do you have a rebellious heart? Do you struggle with submitting to authority? Are you always on the look out for revenge?
False Witness Who Pours Out Lies - This is slightly different than a lying tongue. I believe this means gossiping. A gossip is a false witness because either they are not a first hand witness or they distort the information to make themselves look good (or someone else to look bad). Rumors - do you tell or even LISTEN to rumors?
Person Who Sows Discord in a Family - WOW. You mean God detests it when a wife disrespects her husband, or when a husband is not loving toward his wife? He actually detests it when relationships between parent and child are wounded and never reconciled? YES. Yes He does. Families, after all, are the building blocks of His kingdom. Set aside your pride. Admit you have been wrong and seek forgiveness from your family.
Again, these are hard words. No one likes to be told they are a sinner - don't we know it already? But this is where we have to pull through the thorns and briars of our mistakes into the neatly manicured paths of righteousness. Yes, each stick and thorn is painful to remove - but we must rid our lives of wickedness to be free from the devil's grasp.
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AB
Chapter 6 Survival Skills:
Discernment - vs. 6-19
Self Defense - vs. 1-5
Offensive Maneuvers - 25-35
Training - all of chapter 6 is addressed to the next generation, 20-24
Chapter 6 Survival Skills:
Discernment - vs. 6-19
Self Defense - vs. 1-5
Offensive Maneuvers - 25-35
Training - all of chapter 6 is addressed to the next generation, 20-24
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