Understanding Warning Signs II

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

6 It’s better to be poor and direct

    then rich and crooked.

7 Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom;

    hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.

8 Get as rich as you want

    through cheating and extortion,

But eventually, some friends of the poor

    is going to give it all back to them.

9 God has no use for the prayers

    of the people who won’t listen to him.

10 Lead good people down a wrong path

    and you’ll come to a bad end;

    do good, and you’ll be rewarded for it.

-Proverbs 28:6-10 The Message

6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

    than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

    but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit

    gathers it for him, who is generous to the poor.

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

    even his prayer is an abomination.

10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

    will fall into his own pit,

    but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

-Proverbs 28:6-10 ESV

Verse 6 study: Integrity is having a relationship with God and knowing it is more important to have that relationship with God than those who are rich.

Verse 7 study: Companion vs. Shame

Verse 8 study: Interest and profit is the grace of God and understanding that helping others is for truth and honesty, not for gain.

Kindness for Poor Brothers

35 “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. -Leviticus 25:35-38 ESV

19 “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. -Deuteronomy 23:19-20 ESV

God gives justice by not allowing the greedy rich to keep their wealth but giving to those willing to aid others.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,
    but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous. -Proverbs 13:22 ESV

16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
    or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Proverbs 22:16 ESV

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
    and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
    and his widows do not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver like dust,
    and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
    and the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a moth's,
    like a booth that a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
    he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone. -Job 27:13-19 ESV

17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and he will repay him for his deed. -Proverbs 19:17 ESV

As a result, God’s long accounts of the world’s resources will be back in the hands of the righteous.

Verse 9 study: Why pray if you won’t listen? God won’t listen if we go back and sin as soon as we get off our knees. He listens if we are willing to forsake our sins and follow him. At the same time, he will listen faithfully no matter how bad our sins are. What closes his ears is not the depth of our sins but our secret intention to do it again.

Verse 10 study: Misleading is a conversation to have with people. God’s justice is implied here; there is a special judgment on those who seek to seduce God’s people.

19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:19 ESV

6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. -Matthew 18:6 ESV