Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente

Jacques B. Doukhan, Principal Contributor

Proverbs Our Goal F ROM the book of Proverbs we will learn how to be wise, but correctly, in practical ways. Wisdom isn’t necessarily intellectual might. The prerequisite for wisdom is, instead, to be humble, to feel our need and then to seek for wisdom.

Proverbs Contents 1 The Call of Wisdom 2 From Ears to Feet 3 A Matter of Life and Death 4 Divine Wisdom 5 The Blessings of the Righteous 6 What You Get Is Not What You See 7 Dealing With Fights 8 Words of Wisdom 9 Words of Truth 10 Behind the Mask 11 Living by Faith 12 The Humility of the Wise 13 Women and Wine

Proverbs Lesson 3, January17 Proverbs Lesson 3, January17 A Matter of Life and Death

Key Text Proverbs 6:23 NKJV “ F OR the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”

A Matter of Life and Death Initial Words F OR the teacher in Proverbs, the issue he speaks about is indeed a matter of life and death. His language is strong and sometimes graphic. Jesus used very strong language Himself when talking about matters of eternal life and death (see Matt. 5:21–30). In the end, our eternal destiny rests upon the choices that we make here, now.

A Matter of Life and Death Quick Look 1. The Law and Our Lives (Proverbs 6:21-23; 7:2, 3) 2. The Law and Temptation (Proverbs 6:23, 24, 30, 31) 3. The Law and Death’s Threat (Proverbs 7:1, 2, 22, 23)

A Matter of Life and Death 1. The Law and Our Lives Proverbs 6:21-23; 7:2, 3 NKJV “ B IND them continually upon your heart; tie them upon your neck.... For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light.... Keep my commands and live.... Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”

1. The Law and Our Lives Light and Life I N Proverbs the heart represents the seat of emotions and thoughts. To bind the law upon our hearts (Prov. 6:21) means that we should always be in close connection with the law. That is because the law is what defines sin (Rom. 7:7).

1. The Law and Our Lives Light and Life This law should even be written on the tablets of the heart, just as the Decalogue was written by God on the stone tablets (Exod. 24:12). It means that the law is not just an external set of rules imposed on us. The law should penetrate our motivations, our secret intentions, and so be part of our intimate self.

1. The Law and Our Lives Light and Life To tie the law around the neck means that we should keep it close to ourselves. Ancient people tie their precious belongings around their necks. To bind the law on one’s fingers means to bring the law into actions. The fingers suggest the most delicate and intimate actions. The law should affect the smaller choices we make.

1. The Law and Our Lives Light and Life Just as the lamp illuminates the path where we walk, the law will help us stay on track; that is, when we face moral choices, it will help us to know what the right choice is, even if at times reason or personal expedience would tempt us to disregard the law.

A Matter of Life and Death 2. The Law and Temptation Proverbs 6:23, 24, 30, 31 NKJV “ F OR the commandment is a lamp...to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must return sevenfold. ”

2. The Law and Temptation Adultery T HE law is the perfect antidote against the “flattering tongue of a seductress.” Only the imperative of the law and the duty of obedience will help us resist her alluring words, which can sound so true and beautiful. She may even evoke her spiritual needs; and ironicaly “the love of God” might become the justification for sin.

2. The Law and Temptation Stealing Although the starving thief is not to be despised, he must still restore seven times what he has stolen; this shows that even the desperateness of his situation does not justify sin. The Bible insists that it is our duty to meet the needs of the poor so that they don’t feel compelled to steal in order to survive (Deut. 15:7, 8).

A Matter of Life and Death 3. The Law and Death’s Threat Proverbs 7:22-24 NKJV “ I MMEDIATELY he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter..., till an arrow struck his liver.... He did not know know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth.”

3. The Law and Death’s Threat The Wages of Sin M OST people don’t think of death when they sin; they have other things on their minds, usually the immediate gratification and pleasure that they derive from their sin. It doesn’t help, either, that popular culture often extols adultery and other iniquities.

3. The Law and Death’s Threat The Wages of Sin The book of Proverbs places sin in the right perspective, a view echoed many years later by Paul: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). He is compared to an ox who “goes to the slaughter,” to a fool who goes to “the correction of the stocks,” and to a bird who “hastens to the snare.” None realize that their life is threatened.

3. The Law and Death’s Threat The Wages of Sin It’s possible that the woman here depicts more than a “mere” adul- terer. The universal language of this passage clearly suggests that the biblical author is speaking about humankind in general. In the end, sin leads to annihilation, the opposite of the eternal life that God wants us all to have through Christ.

A Matter of Life and Death Final Words “ D EATH before dishonor or the transgression of God’s law should be the motto of every Christian. As a people professing to be reformers, treasuring the most solemn, purify- ing truths of God’s word, we must elevate the standard far higher than it is at the present time.” —Testimonies for the Church 5:147

A Matter of Life and Death Presentation Record 1. PPH Church SSL 17 Jan 15