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Y1CJUTHBIBLELESS ' ~ " ) N S

LEVEL7LESSON 11

Proverbs for Today Solomon Shares Wisdom

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PROVERBS FOR TODAY

Nobody likes problems. But they seem tohappen often in our lives. You may haveseveral problems right now that are ofconcern to you.Maybe they involve classmates or friends.How are you getting along with them? Are youperhaps being urged to try drugs, to smoke orto abuse alcohol? Is someone trying to get youto play around with sex? Are you feeling pres-sure to do things you don't think you ought todo? Are you shunned, made fun of or callednames?How well do you get along with members ofyour family? How is your health, your moneysituation, your grade average?These and other concerns like them can bebig problems! But you don't have to be weigheddown by them. There are steps you can take toavoid or solve the troubles in life. There arecertain principles that truly work. They areageless. They worked thousands of years ago;they will work thousands of years from now.You can find a collection of them in the bookof Proverbs in your Bible. The Proverbs arethere for you! They are there to make your lifehappier. All you have to do is use them.

WHAT IS A PROVERB?A proverb is a brief saying or observationabout a subject. I t says in a few words whatcould fill many pages. A proverb is a simple,

ABOUT OUR COVER . . .King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived.People from all nations came to hear his wisdom.

Illustration by Ken Tunell

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catchy phrase that contains such a depth ofwisdom on a subject, people repeat it often tosum up a situation.Various kinds of proverbs are found in dif-ferent countries. For example, there are Irishproverbs and Russian proverbs. Almost all thecultures of the world have their own proverbs.Some of the proverbs found around theworld contain good advice and truth. Some donot. Recognizing truth from error takes experi-ence. It also requires a good understanding andknowledge of truth. Most importantly, Godreveals spiritual truth.You can be sure the wisdom in the book ofProverbs is right. It is based on God's standard.

It is an inspired part of His Word, the Bible.Proverbs are observations to think about,warnings of situations to avoid, comments onhow to live life happily.

PROVERBS ARE FOR EVERYONEThe book of Proverbs is for you if: 1) youneed help making better friends, 2) you needhelp knowing the right things to say at theright time, 3) you want to succeed in life, 4)you have trouble getting along with some peo-ple in authority, 5) you want peace of mind.The book of Proverbs is for every person atevery age, but is mainly aimed at young people(Proverbs 2:1; 3:1, 11,21; 4:1). It comments onso many subjects, it is impossible to cover allof them in this lesson. It gives teaching that ayoung person needs before facing the world asan adult. It gives wisdom for a happy life as ayoung person, and a happy life as one growsolder.

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Let's take a look at a few examples of howthe proverbs can work in your life.Have you noticed how speaking calmly andsoftly to someone who is angry helps to solvethe problem? (Proverbs 15:1) _

Do you know someone who likes to borrowthings, but forgets to return them? (Summa-rize Proverbs 6:1-5; 20:16; 27:13.) _

Have you ever flipped a coin to decide whichteam will play first? Doing so usually bringsabout a decision faster than just talking aboutit. (Proverbs 18:18) _

Have you wondered why some rich peopleare not happy? (Proverbs 15:16) _

Everyone wants friends. Do you know howyou can have them? (Proverbs 18:24) _

I f you have ever wondered about situationslike these, the book of Proverbs is for you.Wise King Solomon wrote or collected mostof the Proverbs. But he was not wise by accident. Wisdom is a gift from God. WhenSolomon received the throne of Israel from hisfather David, Solomon asked God for wisdom.Write out I Kings 3:9 on the lines below.

What does God say about someone who asksLevel 7 / Lesson 11

Him for wisdom? (James 1:5) _

God was pleased when Solomon asked forwisdom. What did God tell Solomon? (Sum-marize I Kings 3:12-13.) _

In your own words, describe how peoplereacted to Solomon's wisdom. (I Kings 4:29-31,34) _

How many proverbs did Solomon speak?(verse 32) _Solomon made a collection of proverbs. Hiswisdom grew because of this habit. " _men __ up " . (Proverbs10:14).The book of Proverbs contains wisdom aboutmany subjects. It is a real treasure chest ofknowledge on how best to live life.

THE PURPOSE OF PROVERBSFor the book of Proverbs to be useful toyou, you must read the proverbs not justonce, but often. Memorize many of theproverbs so you can quickly know what is thebest course of action in each situation youface.The book of Proverbs gives wisdom to thesimple. I t contains advice God wants all youngpeople (and adults) to have.How does God define the purpose of the

Proverbs? (Proverbs 1:2-4) __

What does God say IS the beginning ofknowledge? (verse 7) _

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The n ex t t im e s om eo ne offersyou a cigarette, or pressuresyou to get drunk or do some-thing else that you know isw ron g, t hi nk a bo ut all the badside effects. Even though do-ing these things may seem funat the time, you can end up hurt-ing y ou r h ea lt h or ruining y ou rchances for a happy future.

Solomon was interestedin the "fear of the Lord."How does he define it?"The fear of the LORDis to hate evil: pride, andarrogancy, and the evilway, and the froward mouth, do I hate"(Proverbs 8:13).What will the "fear of the Lord" help us do?(Proverbs 16:6) _

There are three basic things God gives topeople who want to succeed in life, to thosewho try to obey Him. What are these threebasic things? (Proverbs 2:6) _

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UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU READBefore you begin to study the book ofProverbs, you should realize that you will notunderstand every proverb right away. No onedoes.This is often true when reading the Autho-rized or King James Version of the Bible. Youwill find that one of the newer translations ofthe Bible into more modern English, such as

the New King James Bible, will be helpful forreading Proverbs.The reason for this is that some of theEnglish words used in the 1500s and 1600s,when the Authorized Version was produced,are seldom used today in the same way. Forexample, in reading Proverbs 16:31, you mightwonder about the meaning of "hoary head." Amore modern translation of the Bible makes theproverb clearer by showing that it is talkingabout a "silver-haired head," like grandmothersand grandfathers have.In other books of the Bible, when you come

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to an unclear word or verse, you can oftenfigure out the meaning by reading the versesbefore and after it. But in the book of Proverbs,where so many verses stand by themselves, theverses before and after often give no clues as tothe meaning.So if you can, have at least one moderntranslation of the Bible handy when you studyProverbs. And remember, don't be discouragedif you don't understand some of them even witha modern translation. Read those you do understand and think about them. And don't forgetto ask you parents for help.You will also find many proverbs that areaddressed to "my son" or that talk about men.That doesn't mean women and girls are leftout. Such proverbs may have been writtendown by a man for his son, but they apply toall people at all times.

YOUR HOPES AND DREAMSThe Bible uses the words "sinner" and"wicked" to refer to people who do not understand God's truth at this time. Most of them arejust sincere people. They don't know they aresinners or wicked.Someday they all willhave thechance to learn God's truth. But right now they

are just doing what seems right to them.You no doubt have friends or classmates likethis. What does God say is the end result ofwhat by nature seems right to people? "Thereis a way which seemeth unto a man,but the end thereof___ " (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).This presents a problem for you. Certainthings may seem right to your friends that youknow are wrong. Your friends do things youcan't do because you know better. They playsports on the Sabbath. They observe certaincustoms of the world, like Christmas, Easter,birthdays and so forth. And, sad to say, someof them may get into trouble by breaking thelaws of God and man.They think that they are only having fun.But that's because they don't know that truefun plus eternal life come from obeying God.Level 7 / Lesson 11

Notice what Proverbs 23:17 says: "Let notthine heart : but be thouin the fear of the LORD all the day long."Why? The next verse explains. Read it andput the words "a reward" in place of "an end."That's the way this verse should read. It'stalking about the reward you will receive forliving God's way.Verse 18 goes on to say, "And thine expectation shall not be cut off' (Proverbs 23:18).Your expectation is what you hope for in l ife-happiness, success, peace of mind, health. Listany other hopes you have for your future on thelines below. _

The expectations of your classmates who arebreaking God's laws will usually not happen.They will not attain many of their hopes. Forinstance, those who are trying drugs, alcohol andsex are hurting their chances of having health,happiness, a good marriage and so much moreAll for pleasures that only last for a moment.Does it seem worth it to you? Read Proverbs24:1, 14, 19-20 and write your answer on thelines below. _

WE REAP WHAT WE SOWMany who do wrong think they will get awaywith it. They think they will escape the results.But will they?"Whoso diggeth a pit____ : and he that rolleth a stone, _______________" (Proverbs26:27).In all things there is cause and effect.Breaking God's laws breaks you. Notice whaProverbs says about cause and effect."Therefore shall they of the _of their own , and be withtheir devices" (Proverbs 1:31).

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"His

PEER PRESSURE

[rich in more ways than only money-rich inhappiness, rich in health, rich in success], and

Ponder [think about]_______, and letall thy ways . Turn not

" Notice the advice in Proverbs 4:14-15:into the path of thewicked, and __ in the way of evilmen. it, __ it,___ from it, and "Be firm. Keep you eyes set on your goal ofa happy future and refuse to be talked into thecheap substitute of temporary and harmfulthrills."Let thine eyes ,

and let thine eyelids

"Oh, come on! Don't be chicken!" some ofyour friends or classmates may say to you.They want you to do what they do. They willpresent all kinds of tempting arguments. Whatdoes Proverbs 1:10 warn? "My son, ifthee,thou "Don't let yourself be talked into doing whatyou know is wrong. Firmly tell them it doesn'tfit into your plans. Walk away from the temptation. Don't hang around where you can betalked into something you shouldn't do.Many have made the mistake of thinkingthey could linger next to temptation. Theythought they could hang around where the"action" is and not get involved. They werewrong. They got "burned." Read Proverbs6:27-28 and, following its pattern, write yourown proverb about getting "burned." _

_ _ " (Proverbs 10:22).That's right. There is no backfiring, no badside effects, no bad backlash from finding pleasure God's way. Ever! That is real enjoyment.

of the LORD________ , beho ld ing___ and __ " (Proverbs 15:3).God truly does reward people according towhat they do. After all, God is the One whodesigned cause and effect. What does Proverbs11:19 state is the result of righteousness?____. What is the result of wrongdoing?

own shall take thehimself , and he shal l be____with the of his _He shall withoutand in the of his folly heshall go " (Proverbs 5:22-23)."The of the

tendeth to : the of the____ to _ _ " (Proverbs 10:16)."Evil pursueth : but to the______ good shall be "(Proverbs 13:21).The last half of Proverbs 11 :27 is clear in theNew King James: "Trouble will come to himwho seeks evil."Why is it impossible to escape the results ofdoing wrong? Why is it that a person can'tbreak God's law in secret and hope to get awaywith it?"The

Think about how so many of the thingspeople do for pleasure backfire or boomerangon them. They have bad side effects. Peopleenjoy smoking and they damage their health.They enjoy taking drugs or getting drunk andthey hurt their health, their minds and theirfinances. They enjoy the wrong use of sex andthey open themselves up to sexual diseases,unwanted pregnancies and bad marriages. Theylike listening to loud music and they damagetheir hearing. They want to take part in illegalactivities and they end up with a police recordor jail sentence.The wrong way of the world seems right. Butbreaking God's laws sooner or later has badresults.But how does God's way differ?"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich

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THE WAY TO WISDOM THE GAME WITH PROVERBS(worth 14points), or when 12turns havebeen completed. If the game ends whena player or players reach the WISDOMspace ona turn, the player with the mostPROVERBPOINTSwins. If all players donot reach the WISDOMspaceby the 12thturn, each player adds uphis PROVERBPOINTS. The player with the highestscore is the winner.

RULES The object of the game is tobegin at the space marked FEAR OFGOD, and move to the space markedWISDOM. Players are to collectPROVERB POINTS along the way. Thegame may be played with one or moreplayers.Each player puts a playing piece (acoin, button or other marker) on thespace marked FEAR OF GOD. Thenplace a marker on the first circle of theTURNKEEPERat the bottom of the page.The small numbers onthe edge of eachspace tel l you the number of spaces tomove your playing piece (in a straightline). The large numbers tell you whichscr ip ture to look up in the book ofProverbs. The number value of eachword or phrase is in the PROVERBPOINTS box above.To begin the game, decide who will

take the first turn. The first player thenmoves his playing piece. When he landsona space.he mustlook upthe scriptureshown inthe space. After looking upthescripture, he next finds the words orphrases from the scripture in thePROVERB POINTS box, and writes thenumber of points on a separate piece ofpaper. Then the player to his left takeshis turn, and so on until everyone hasmoved and looked upa scripture. (Thereare 12 turns in all.) There may be morethan one word or phrase inthe scripture.A player scores points for each word orphrase. The turn ends when everyonehas moved and looked uptheir scripture.Now move the marker on the TURNKEEPER one ci rcle to the right. Thisbegins the next turn.The game ends when a player or play-ers reach the space marked WISDOM

Proverb PollIsFEll OF THE LOll 3WISIIM 3COllECTION 1HUMILITY 2FIIENIS 2

TIUTH 2PillE 1LYING 1ANGEl 1MOTHEI 2FATHER 2

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, , enter into

WHAT TO SAY, WHEN AND HOW

of

andh i s

de_______" (Proverbs

of___________" ( P r 0 ve r b

God also gives us priceless truths about usingour tongue (mouth). It is important to knowwhen to speak and what to say."He that uttereth a ', IS a___ " (Proverbs 10:18)."I n the of words there

wanteth not " (verse 19)."An hypocrite with his

stroyeth his11:9)."A man ofholdeth his " (verse 12)."He that hiskeepeth his : but he that openeth wide

his shall have_________ " (Proverbs 13:3)."The heart of the _- : - - stud-

ieth to : but the ofthe p o u r e t h outthings" (Proverbs 15:28)."Even a , when he _his is countedh e tha tis esteemed a

_________ , and hiscalleth for " (Proverbs 18:6).

17:28).WORK- THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

One major aspect of life that affects a per

in the book of Proverbs that describe fools."How long, ye ones, will ye___ simplicity? and fools knowl-edge?" (Proverbs 1:22.)

"Shame shall be th e___ " (Proverbs 3:35)."The way of a is in his own

eyes" (Proverbs 12:15)."Fools make a at sin" (Proverbs14:9)."A despiseth his in-struction" (Proverbs 15:5).

" A fool's

nor_______ : remove thy foot from___ " (verses 25-27).You can avoid awkward situations where peerpressure is involved by being alert and seeingthem ahead of time. Sometimes you can be surethat a party at so-and-so's house will includealcohol and sex. Don't think, "I'll go, but I won'tgive into the pressure to do anything wrong."You are better off not going."A p r u d e n t m an___ , and hideth himself: but the simple______ , a n d a r e

(Proverbs 22:3; 27:12).Don't worry about what others may sayabout you or any names they may call you.Isn't that better than having your name forevermarred with a bad reputation? After all, whichone of your "friends" will be there to help youif you end up with some disease, or unwantedpregnancy or worse?On the other hand, a person who obeys Godhas the promise of real help when it is needed."The name of the is a strong tower:the runneth into it,___ " (Proverbs 18:10).

WHAT IS A FOOL?Proverbs mentions several terms often, forexample: wise man, simple man and strangewoman. One of the terms often mentioned isfool. Fool is not just a cruel name to call aperson. Sometimes the term fool is a gooddescription. To understand many verses, youneed to know what a fool is.Some evil actions are easy to see. Surely allof us would realize that killing someone is

wrong. But some of us may be fooled intothinking that hating someone is all right.Has anyone ever played a trick on you andwhen you "fell" for it, he or she laughed andsaid you were "fooled"?A person who ha s been tricked bySatan is a fool. People can also makefools of themselves by deceiving them-selves. Here are a few of the many verses8 Youth Bible Lesso

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there is

of the

without

in hi____ " (Proverb

is it to ge____ !" (Proverb

________ fo

(Proverbs 16:8)."How much

than

(Proverbs 10:4)."H e t h a t

shall

by(Proverbs 13:11)."Poverty and shame shall be to him tharefuseth " (verse 18"Much food is in the tillage of the _but there is that iswant of " (verse 23)."Where no oxen are , the is cleanbut much is by th

II (Proverb

11:28) ."Wealth gotten by

16:16.)THE BENEFITS OF CORRECTION

You may think you have rece ived a lot ocorrection. Many of us do not realize the valuof correction. Some of us always think it is badThe book of Proverbs has much to say abouthis subject."My son, not th

of the Lord ; neither b

shall b_________ : but he that gatheretshall

with_____________ than grea

14:4)."In all there is _but the talk of the tendeth only t_____ [poverty] " (verse 23)."He that is of troubleth his own house" (Proverbs 15:27)." Better is a

TRUE RICHESTo most people, riches are a measure osuccess in life. In the book of Proverbs, Gotells us how He defines true riches."He becometh that dealeth with

hand: but the of themaketh

(Proverbs 10:26)."The of thedesireth, and hath " (Proverbs

13:4)." In al l_____ " (Proverbs 14:23)."The way of the man is

as an hedge of thorns: but the of the________ is made plain" (Proverbs

Solomon tells us to observe the dil igent ant. The r ightattitude toward work helps a person succeed.

15:19) .

son's success or failure is the rightattitude toward work. As a young personyou can , with the help of the book ofProverbs , build good attitudes and workhabits early in life. Diligence is a key tosuccess."Go to the , thou _consider her , and beWhich having no_______ , or Providethher In the _and herin the II (Proverbs6:6-8)."As to the , andas to the , so is theto them that send him"

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7:1-2).

,s:

OJCo::;:

_ which _with her " (verse 5).

Who is this "strange woman"? She is aperson (or a way of life) that will f lat ter youand lead you to much trouble.The strange woman is most effective withyoung people who lack understanding. Shepromises great pleasure-whatever a personcould want. With smooth talk and flattery she

gets her way (verses 7, 21).

WISDOM VERSUS THE"STRANGE WOMAN"

In Proverbs, Solomon personifies (gives human traits to) wisdom (Proverbs 7:4).What does Solomon say that wisdom andunderstanding will do for you?"That may keep from the_____________ , from the

c:1111/10=;;..;...111 .go3:

The book of Proverbscomments on so manysubjects. If you want toknow whether to be-come involved in otherpeople's quarrels, howto get along with familyand friends or how tobest help others, thenthe book of Proverbs isfor you. Read Proverbs26: 17 for King Solo-mon's wise advice onhow to stay out oftrouble!

""

and

______" (Proverbsof his3:11)."He that hateth reproof isProverbs 12:1)."A scorner heareth notProverbs 13:1).

of gold. so IS a wiseupon an ear"(Proverbs 25:12).

Many of the Proverbs are like a loving parentpeaking to a child. Proverbs written in thisay reveal a caring parent who wants his sonr daughter to enjoy all the good things life hasto offer. The parent wants the child to avoidhe pitfalls.I t makes no sense for us to make the samemistakes our parents made. We can avoid thesemistakes by heeding wise advice from God andour parents.A person can either learn by his or herown experiences or by the experiences ofothers. Why should a person have to tryactions that have useless, painful and unsucessful results? Listening is a short-cut tosuccess. We can set the right goal and gostra ight to it!Success found early in life can be enjoyedlonger than success found late in life.

Listening to the advice of our parents,teachers and ministers in God's Church is amain way to avoid making costly mistakes.And listening to God's advice makes the bestsense!"My son, my , and _up my with thee. Keep my___ " (Proverbs

" IS unto himhat forsaketh the way: and he that hateth

shall " (Proverbs 15:10)."A reproof entereth more into a _an than an hundred into a__ " (Proverbs 17:10). This Proverb tells

you how to be corrected lightly. I f you hear areproof, you may not have to feel greater correction later!"As an

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I f a person doesn't use wisdom, the wrongway of life will become too tempting to resist.The "strange woman" is a temptress who seeksyour life-to destroy it.Many people have thought they were toostrong to be hurt by her, but "she hath castdown many wounded: yea, many strong menhave been slain by her" (verse 26).

A VIRTUOUS WOMANThe last chapter of the book of Proverbscontains a section that describes a virtuouswoman. Virtuous means having good charactertraits and obeying God. This woman is intel-ligent, busy, kind and generous.All of us would be blessed to have such awoman as a mother. As you mature, you might

like to use this description as a goal. Young girlscan strive to become virtuous women. Youngmen can know what traits to look for in a wife.The virtuous woman is not virtuous by acci-dent. It takes years of effort and training tobecome such a woman.She is so rare and valuable that "her _[value] is above " (Proverbs31:10).Even priceless rubies do not compare withher value.A man or woman becomes virtuous throughyears of right education. This education in-cludes the book of Proverbs. Remember thethree basic principles of Proverbs are knowl-edge, understanding and wisdom.

A virtuous person knows what is right, understands the cause and effect of that knowledge and has the wisdom to use it.I f we look at each trait of the virtuouswoman, we find she has learned to see and usethe treasure of Proverbs.She has good work habits (verses 13, 15, 19

27). She is generous and helpful (verse 20)She has learned to wisely use her tongue (verse26). She is one who fears God (verse 30).You have a chance to become as virtuous aperson as this woman. She reaps the fruit of the"good" she has sown (verse 31).USING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

There are 31 chapters in the book oProverbs. I f you read one chapter every day, bythe end of a month, you will have studied theentire book. You will be amazed at the changesyou will see in your life when you are familiarwith these verses.Learn and understand one proverb each dayTry to use it during the day. You might besurprised to find that your proverb of the dayis just the one you need!Also study the Proverbs in modern transla-tions. This will help you understand some othe harder verses.Start breaking the Proverbs down by subjectsFollowing this lesson's example, you can easilyfind other subjects of interest. You can useconcordance to look up all the verses that comment on a subject. Then, from other parts of theBible, you can add other scriptures that relate.One way to make Proverbs easier to use is tomark different subjects with colored pencils osymbols in your Bible. For example, by all theverses that talk about "riches," you may wanto use the symbol for money. By verses thadeal with the "tongue," you can draw closedlips. Think about the subject and be creativeThe Proverbs can keep you from big troubleThey can give you wise advice for most situations. They can help you live a happy andfulfilling life. Make them a part of your life(Proverbs 16:20).

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FOUNDER: HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG (1892-1986)PASTOR GENERAL: JOSEPH W. TKACHPublished by the Worldwide Church of God andproduced in cooperation with Imperial Schools.Copyright 1987. All rights reserved.

BIBLE MEMORY Malachi 4:5-6

ANSWERS FROM PROVERBSMany questions about how to get along with other people can be answered fromthe book of Proverbs. Match the correct proverb from the li st below with the followingquestion.

1. Should we be glad when someonewe don 't like gets into serious trouble?2. Should we become involved in an argument thatdoesn't concern us?3. Can we settle problems by telling a person thebad remarks someone else said about him or her?4. Is it wise to brag?5. Should we seek excess praise from others?6. If you quarrel with someone, should you tellother people to get them on your side?7. Is lying about your friends harmful to yourrelationships?8. Should we help poor people who ask us forhelp?9. Is it all right to cheat?

10. Is it better to be strong and able to win fights,or to control your temper and avoid them?

308234/8702

Proverbs 20:10Proverbs 26:17

Proverbs 16:32Proverbs 26:28Proverbs 26:20

Proverbs 27:1Proverbs 21:13Proverbs 25:9

Proverbs 17:5; 24: 17Proverbs 25:18

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