Proverbs 6:12

Proverbs 6:12 says, A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.  The wicked person walks with a desire to deceive everyone and do what is best for himself or herself.  This person will say anything to advance His or her own purpose and enrich himself or herself.  

Verse thirteen adds, He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers:  I believe that this means that such a person will use every means available to bring riches or glory to himself, or herself.  

Verse fourteen continues, Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.  Wicked or evil people are always looking for ways to sow discord, because the have mischief in their hearts.  This is not a fun seeking mischief, but one that seeks only what will lead to personal good, and not be considered about others.  

Verse fifteen states, Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.  One day, the wicked and evil will pay for their actions.  They may live a lifetime without being held accountable, but when Christ returns they will find themselves suddenly accountable for their actions.  

Verse sixteen adds, These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  If there is a warning about what God hates, we need to pray attention.  Though God hates all sin, we are told that there are seven things that He especially hates.  

Verse seventeen continues, A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  The first thing may not sound very significant, but I believe that a proud look refers to always pointing to one's self as being better and smarter than anyone else, or self glorification in other words.  God also hates a lying tongue.  Again, we might rank this as not that significant in the list of possible sins, but it is high on God's list.  Unless we accept the truth of Christ being our Savior and Lord, we cannot speak the truth.  Then, we hear that God hates hands that shed innocent  blood.  We can easily understand this, but I believe it also would apply to oppressing the less fortunate.  

Verse eighteen says, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,  We definitely see enough of people devising wicked plans today, sometimes even in the name of some god.  Though people might have more means to carry out their evil plans, this is nothing new nor will it stop before the return of Christ.  

Verse nineteen adds, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.  This is just more of the ways that people attempt to deny or discredit God and harm His people.  We cannot obediently follow God and lie about anything.  We certainly shouldn't use lies to cause discord in the church.  

Verse twenty continues,  My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  The commandments and laws that we should keep are God's, but Godly parents should teach them to us, then we are to be guided by them.  I realize that not at parents teach their children by the laws of God, which why it is His commandments and laws that we must live by., and not just those of our parents.  

Verse twenty-one states, Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.  Though we don't wear signs around our necks, we most certainly should have God's word bound in our heart, and should be directed by it.  

Verse twenty-two adds, When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.  Following God's word keeps us safe, whether we are at home, out in public, or even asleep in our bed.  

Verse twenty-three continues, For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:  God's commandments are a light to guide our path, and also a source of reproof when we stray.  We cannot claim to follow God and ignore His commandments.

Proverbs 6:1

Proverbs 6:1 says, My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,  This is a warning about becoming indebted to or entangled in the things of this world.  If we go into debt, or if we have others indebted to us, this can become a concern that might lead us away from worshipping and following God.  Most of our borrowing today is done with strangers, and we are to be wary of entering into such deals.  I believe that the overall warning is to not allow ourselves to get to the point where debt controls our lives.  

Verse two adds, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.  I believe this means that when we promise something, either as the borrower or the lender, that we are bound by our word, and this can lead us into the trap of having to spend too much time concerned with the things of this world instead of the things of God.  Even easy credit must be repaid.  

Verse three continues, Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.  We are advised to humble ourselves and make things right between our friend and us if we have a problem with them, especially about money.  Even if we cannot satisfy the debt immediately, we should not just ignore the friend.  

Verse four states, Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.  We are called on to deal with the situation today.  We do not need to sleep on it to decide what to do.  

Verse five adds, Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.  We are to go as the animal caught by the hunter.  Neither the deer nor the fowl is in control, but must rely on the mercy of the hunter in order to be saved.  We are to go to those we are indebted if we are having trouble repaying them with the same attitude, especially if it is a friend we are indebted to.  

Verse six continues, Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:  We are advised to learn form the ant, which is but a lowly insect.  Then, the next two verses tell us what we are to learn.  

Verse seven says, Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,   

Verse eight adds, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.  Instead of being sluggards, we should learn from the ant to work without the need for someone to tell us or force us to.  We should be busy preparing for God's coming kingdom.  I believe that this is more than just a call to be busy about the things of this world, but is a call for to be busy with the purpose of doing what is right for God.  

Verse nine continues, How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?  I believe that question concerns not physical sleep, but spiritual sleep.  We may be wide awake physically and still be asleep spiritually, and I believe this is a call for us to be spiritually awake.  

Verse ten states, Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:  

Verse eleven adds, So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.  We can apply this to material needs, but again, I believe the meaning is much more than that.  When we are spiritually slumbering or sleeping, we are in poverty in our relationship to God.  God expects us to be busy spreading His message and His love to the world.

Proverbs 5:15

Proverbs 5:15 says, Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.  I believe that this is a call for us to be satisfied with what God provides.  We know that Jesus is called the living water, and we are told by putting our faith in Him that we will thirst no more.  Still, even as followers of Christ we are not always satisfied with the provisions of God, and we look elsewhere to have our thirst satisfied.  

Verse sixteen adds, Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.  We are called to share this living water, the gospel of Christ, with everyone.  We are to freely spread the gospel everywhere we go, and are never called on to hoard the gospel.  There is no one group of people who deserve the gospel more than another, because no one deserves salvation.  It is a free gift from God to all who believe.  We are not to put walls around the gospel to keep people from receiving it.  

Verse seventeen continues,  Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.  When we put our faith in Christ, we become a part of the whole family of God.  If we feel superior to any other Christian and more deserving of the things of this world, then we have an attitude problem.  

Verse eighteen states, Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.  We are told that if we are to be blessed that we are always to rejoice in our wife, though we could just as easily say spouse.  Marriage is not just between a man and a woman, but between a man, a woman, and most importantly God.  We too often view marriage as a legal contract and not a spiritual relationship.  

Verse nineteen adds, Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  We are to be ravished with a love for our wife, and I believe likewise by the wife for her husband.  When we are totally committed in a spiritual marriage, we will not be tempted to stray.  

Verse twenty continues, And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?  This is more of a rhetorical question I believe.  Solomon was asking why, if a person loves his wife, or a wife her husband, would they person be tempted by anyone else.  The implication is that this should never be possible.  

Verse twenty-one says, For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.  There is nothing that we do that is hidden from God.  We might think that we are capable of keeping our sins hidden, but God always knows what we are doing.  

Verse twenty-two adds, His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.  We cannot hold anyone else responsible for our sins.  

Verse twenty-three continues, He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.  Those who will not accept the wisdom of God, which begins by accepting Christ as one's personal Savior and Lord, will die in their foolishness.  This is indeed a great folly.

Proverbs 5:1

Proverbs 5:1 says, My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:  This is once more a call to Solomon's son to listen to what he has to say.  We know this applies to all people as a call for us to listen to God with wisdom and understanding.  

Verse two adds, That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.  If we are to follow Christ, we must first hear what He has to say to us.  The first thing that anyone hears from God is the call to follow Christ.  We do not just find salvation on our own.  God always calls us to salvation.  

Verse three continues, For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:  Matthew Henry says this could be seen as a woman leading us astray to sexual impunity, or as some seducing us with false doctrine.  Though referring to a woman leading a man astray, it could just as easily apply to a man leading a woman astray.  

Verse four states, But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.  This is a warning of the result of allowing ourselves to be led astray by the things of this world, no matter how tempting they may be.  The result of straying from God will always be bitter and destructive.  

Verse five adds, Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.  Though we as followers of Christ are forever secure in our relationship to God, if we give in to the temptations of the world, we lose the joy of our salvation.  We are living closer to hell than to heaven.  

Verse six continues, Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.  We cannot find the path of life by our own ponderings, or thoughts.  We can only find the path of life by listening to and heeding the call of God.  

Verse seven declares, Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.  This is not just a call from Solomon for his children to hear Him, but is a call from God for His children to hear Him.  We cannot follow God without listening to His words that direct our paths.  

Verse eight adds, Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:  Not only are we to not listen to someone who would lead us away from God, but we are to remove ourselves far from them.  The best way to avoid temptation is to not place ourselves in a position where we would be tempted.  

Verse nine continues, Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:  If we give in to temptation, then we lose our honor with other followers of Christ.  If this happens, then all we can do is ask God to forgive us and get back on the path of righteousness.  Hopefully, we will find forgiveness by others then.  

Verse ten concludes, Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;  This is still in reference to giving in to the ways of the world instead of following God.  Ultimately, everything we have in this world will pass to others, whether while we are alive or when we die.  

Verse eleven states, And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,  Verse twelve continues, And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;  

Verse thirteen adds, And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!  

Verse fourteen concludes, I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.  People may mourn our death, but at the same time question how unwisely we lived our lives.  Even if sin leads to all the riches of the world, at death it will all be left behind.  Then, people, especially those who follow Christ, should marvel or question how anyone could waste his or her life for material things.  When we are seduced by the things of this world, and refuse to follow God, then we really are most wicked, and everlasting separation from God is the result.

Proverbs 4:14

Proverbs 4:14 says, Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  As followers of Christ, we can be certain that He will never lead us down the path of the wicked, so if we are on that path it is by following our own will.  The path of the wicked may even look tempting, but we cannot allow ourselves to follow it.  

Verse fifteen adds, Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.  This is just a further warning not to be tempted to go down the path of the wicked.  We can either follow God through wisdom that leads us to faith in Christ, or we can follow the way of the wicked.  There are no other choices.  

Verse sixteen continues, For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.  Solomon says that the wicked cannot even sleep until they have carried out some evil plan.  I believe this means that the wicked are always plotting ways to gain from their actions, no matter what.  

Verse seventeen concludes, For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.  I believe that Solomon is saying that everything that the wicked do is guided by their wickedness.  What we must realize is that anything we do that is not done in accordance with God's will is wicked, even if it might not seem substantial in the eyes of the world.  

Verse eighteen states, But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.  The way of the just, those who follow Christ, is a filled with the light of God.  We do not have to stumble around in darkness, and the farther down the path we get, the brighter it should become.   

Verse nineteen adds, The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.  I believe this means since the wicked do not acknowledge the wisdom of God that they don't even realize that they are stumbling around in darkness.  If we do not acknowledge God, then we cannot acknowledge our sins, which leaves us in spiritual darkness.  

Verse twenty continues, My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Then verse twenty-one adds, Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.   This is a call for us to live by the things that we are taught in the Bible.  These are more than Solomon's words to his son.  They are God's words to all people who would follow Him.  

Verse twenty-two says, For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.   The word of God is indeed life to those who find it.  We are made whole by the our faith in Christ, Who God's word will always point us to.  

Verse twenty-three adds, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Though we might see the mind as the source of all thoughts, we still tend to see the heart as the center of all emotions.  We are to keep our feelings, our deepest self, diligently devoted to God.  

Verse twenty-four continues, Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.  I believe this is a call to have what we say to bring honor to God.  

Verse twenty-five states, Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.   This tells us that we are to keep our eyes on the path that God leads us on and to not become distracted by the things of this world.  

Verse twenty-six adds, Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  I believe that this is a call for us to always be thinking about where we are going in life.  We should always know where God is leading us.  

Verse twenty-seven continues, Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.  Once we know the path of God, we are not to stray off it in any direction.  We are just to follow the path that God set's before us if we are truly to be followers of Christ.

Proverbs 4:1

Proverbs 4:1 says, Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.  Though this is addressed to the children of Solomon, we need to view it as being addressed to the followers of Christ, by the heavenly Father.  We are His children when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we certainly need to listen, to truly hear, what our heavenly Father has to say to us.  

Verse two adds, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.  Any good doctrine that Solomon could give was based on the knowledge of God and obedience to God's will.  It is God's law that we must follow.  

Verse three continues, For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.  Just as David taught Solomon about God, we are to teach our children.  Still, David could not make Solomon right with God, just as we cannot make our children right with God.  We can only point them to Christ, and then they must make their own choice about God.  

Verse four states, He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.  David called on Solomon to keep the commandments of God and live.  We are called on to accept Christ as our Savior, and then to live with Him as our Lord.  This is the only way to truly live.  

Verse five adds, Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.  The only way to get wisdom is by accepting God's teachings, beginning with salvation through Christ.  If we do not accept this gift of grace, the we will never gain wisdom, no matter how educated we may become.  

Verse six continues, Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.  This is still referring to the wisdom of God.  If we do not forsake God's wisdom, it will preserve and keep us spiritually safe.  

Verse seven says, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.  Wisdom, which comes from God, is the principal behind all understanding of how the world works.  Without God's wisdom, we cannot have an understanding of the spiritual nature of life.  

Verse eight adds, Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.  We are to lift up the wisdom of God.  When we live by the wisdom of God, it will bring honor to us.  

Verse nine continues, She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.  Solomon spent quite a bit of time extolling the need to gain wisdom, which once again I believe can only come from God and leads us to a better understanding of God.  We should realize the importance of gaining the wisdom of God.  

Verse ten states, Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.  Once more, hearing God's word alone is not enough.  We must receive, or believe, it for it to be of any value to us.  When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, which can only come through the wisdom of God, we gain everlasting life with God.  

Verse eleven adds, I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. Just as Solomon said he had taught his son the way of wisdom, even more so does the heavenly Father teaching His children the way of wisdom.  God will always lead us down the right path.  

Verse twelve continues, When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.  The wisdom of God will not only lead us down the straight path of righteousness, but by faith in that wisdom we will be strengthened for our journey.  We cannot only walk, but we can run without stumbling.  

Verse thirteen concludes, Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.  We must never let go of the wisdom and guidance of God.  There should never be a reason to doubt God's instruction.

Proverbs 3:25

Proverbs 3:25 says, Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.  Just as we were told that we could sleep without fear, or in peace, here we are told to live without fear of the things of this world.  Once more we are not told that the desolation of the wicked may come, but that it will.  Through our faith in Christ though, we should never become suddenly overcome with fear of anything in this world.  

Verse twenty-six adds, For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.  When confronted with the evil of the world, we are told that our confidence should be in God.  When we live by faith, God will keep our souls safe forever, so there is no need to fear whatever happens in this life.  

Verse twenty-seven continues, Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.   We are to do what is best for others whenever we can.  Christianity is not a selfish religion that claims that somehow those who are Christians deserve more of the things of this world than other people do.  We are called to reach out to the world with the love of God.  

Verse twenty-eight states, Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.  We are told to help our neighbor today if we have the ability to do so.  We are not to just put them off with a promise of what we will do for them tomorrow.  

Verse twenty-nine adds, Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.  Having just been called on to help our neighbors,  we are now warned to not devise ways to harm them.  When we allow greed and materialism to rule our lives, we will too often think only of ways to gain more of the things of the world, even if our neighbors are harmed in the process.  We cannot serve God simply for our own material benefit.  

Verse thirty continues, Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.  Some people seem to simply have a hard time getting along with anyone, but we are told not to be that way.  We are not to fight with our neighbors simply because they may be hard to get along with.  I believe that even if they have done us harm that we are still to reach out to them with the love of God.  

Verse thirty-one says, Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.  We are never to be envious of anyone, especially those who have become rich through the oppression of others.  We are to choose the way of God instead, which calls us to want what is best for others.  

Verse thirty-two adds, For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.  Those who put themselves first in everything are an abomination to God.  They refuse to hear His call and follow His leadership.  

Verse thirty-three continues,The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.  I do not believe that this refers to material things, but to spiritual things.  A poor person who follows God is spiritually blessed and at peace in the world, whereas those who deny God will never be satisfied, because something is missing spiritually.  

Verse thirty-four states, Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.  Those who scorn, or deny and ridicule God will likewise be scorned by God.  Those who are lowly, or humble themselves before God, will be given God's grace.  The choice is up to the individual.  

Verse thirty-five adds, The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.  The wise are those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, and the foolish are those who reject Him.  The wise inherit glory.  They do not earn it, but it is theirs by their being born again into the kingdom of God.  The fool is some who has said in his or her heart that there is no God, and eternal punishment is that person's choice.  There is no neutral ground with a person's relationship to God.