WORDS

OF
WISDOM

Lesson 8 for February 21, 20

The words of wisdom

in Proverbs 20, 21 and
22:1-16 set the
parameters that
should guide our daily
life.

Proper education
(Proverbs 22:6,
8, 15)

Compassion
(Proverbs 21:13;
22:16)
Waiting for the
Lord (Proverbs
20:17, 20-22;
21:5-6)

Being
perseverant
(Proverbs 20:6)
The equality of all
humans (Proverbs
20:9, 12)

THE EQUALITY OF ALL

HUMANS

Why should we
all be
considered
The hearing
equal?ear and
the seeing eye, the
Lord has made them
both. (Proverbs 20:12)

All men are

created equal.
(Thomas Jefferson, U.S.
Declaration of
Independence,
July 4 1776).

There may be
differences in
race, size or
genre, but we all
are equal
because we have

Are we
equal in any
other
aspect?
Who can say, I have made my
heart clean, I am pure from my
sin? (Proverbs 20:9)

We all are infected by a

cancer called sin (Romans
3:23)
We all are equal because
we all need a Savior to
This is what makes us
redeem our sin.
different: only those who
accept Jesus as their
Savior will be created

BEING PERSEVERANT
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can
find a faithful man? (Proverbs 20:6)

Should I tell others

how good I am? Quite
the opposite! Let
another man praise you,
and not your own mouth; a
stranger, and not your own
lips. (Proverbs 27:2)
It is OK to be praised for a
good deed. Nevertheless, what
about the other deeds you do?
Should you be praised for
them?
It is not the single sensational
act of love or sacrifice that will
demonstrate the high quality
of our relationships, but the

Oh, how many are waiting for

opportunity to do some great work of
self-sacrifice, and are overlooking the
little daily test which God gives to
prove them. It is the little things of life
that develop the spirit in men and
women and determine that character.
These trifles cannot be neglected and
yet the man be prepared to endure the
severe tests, when they are brought to
bear upon him.
E.G.W. (This day with God, May 15)

WAITING FOR THE

Food gained by fraud
tastes sweet, but
LORD
one ends up with a mouth full of
gravel.

(Proverbs 20:17 NIV)

Contemporary society
sometimes considers that
breaking the Law of God
to obtain something we
want may be
advantageous. It may
seem that way if we only
think in this short life.
But if we long for
everlasting life, we must
fully trust God. We must
obey Him and wait. Just
put the things we cannot
handle in His hands.

WAITING FOR THE

LORD
REVENGE
INHERITA
NCE

If you insult your father or mother,

your light will be snuffed out in total
darkness. An inheritance obtained
too early in life is not a blessing in
the end.
(Proverbs 20:20-21)

Are you waiting for your rich

parents to die so you finally
get your inheritance? Thats
just an example. Solomon
wanted us to think on the
foolishness of trying to get
goods in a fraudulent and
quick way. God cannot bless
them.
Just trust God. He will give

Dont say, I will get

even for this wrong.
Wait for the Lord to
handle the matter.
(Proverbs 20:22)

Lets trust God if we are

done wrong and we deserve
justice. He will avenge us.
We are told to be merciful as
we trust God. That way, we
will heap burning coals of
shame on their heads. (Pr.
25:22). Maybe we could
bring salvation to that
person; conquering evil by

COMPASSION

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor

will be ignored in their own time of need.
(Proverbs 21:13)

A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor

or by showering gifts on the rich will end in
poverty. (Proverbs 22:16)

Why must we be merciful?

1. Because of God.
Because God
receives every
act of kindness to
the poor as if it
was done to Him
(Pr. 19:17; Mt.
2. Because of the poor. Because both
25:35-40).
the poor and the rich were
created by God (Pr. 22:2).
Therefore, the poor deserve all
the care the rich do (and they
Ourneed
character
is measured by the
it more).
compassion we show in our

PROPER
Direct your children onto the right path, and when
they are EDUCATION
older, they will not leave it.
(Proverbs 22:6)

By your manner of dealing with the little

ones you can by the grace of Christ mold
their characters for everlasting life.
(E.G.W., The Adventist Home, sec. 12, cp. 52,
pg. 305)

Those who plant injustice will harvest

disaster, and their reign of terror
will come to an end. (Proverbs 22:8)

We must be aware of the

heritage we leave for posterity.
That thought should also lead
our daily life.
Solomon compared the
education to sowing. Whatever
we sow our children, our friends

As the seed sown produces a

harvest, and this in turn is sown,
the harvest is multiplied. In our
relation to others, this law holds
true. Every act, every word, is a
seed that will bear fruit. Every
deed of thoughtful kindness, of
obedience, or of self-denial, will
reproduce itself in others, and
through them in still others
Thus the sowing of good and evil
goes on for time and for eternity.
E.G.W. (Christs Object Lessons, cp.6, pg. 85)