The Book of Proverbs

Proverbs 2:20 "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous."



Proverbs is a book of tremendous detail.Solomon was a man given to detail because he knew that details matter.The Devil is not the only one in the details – God is also in the details.In fact, they’re both in the details because the details matter.Because Solomon was given to detail, his books are heavy in detail. If his readers are not careful, they’ll miss the big picture.If his readers are not attentive, we’ll overlook the primary lesson.Proverbs 2 is a chapter with a lot of important detail but a chapter that teaches a simple lesson through a series of steps.Solomon wanted his son to listen to his father so that he would eventually receive wisdom, which would lead to receiving wisdom’s offspring, discretion, which would then deliver him from evil men and evil woman in order to ultimately help him walk in the way of good men.
The primary objective for Solomon was not to achiev…

Proverbs 2:19 "None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life."

Because of our social nature, people are typically the most influential factors in our lives.From birth, we are shaped and molded by people – a process that continues throughout our lives.Who we choose to associate with is one of the greatest factors to our success or failure. There are some people that will have little to no impact on us and then there are others who will have a substantial impact on us. Some will have a positive impact on us and some will have a negative impact on us.The reason wisdom is so critical to a person, a young person especially, is because it offers the discretion necessary to avoid the type of person that will have an addictive impact on us.The strange woman in the text is one such person.Solomon describes her home as a home without exits.He tells his son that her guests never return from whence they came.
It isn’t just a person who has an addictive im…

Proverbs 2:18 "For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead."




Most people don’t spend time in their front yard.With the exception of playing basketball and hockey or riding bikes on the driveway, most people prefer the back yard over the front yard when spending time at home.Certainly, there are exceptions in a world with a wide variety of property layouts, but most people feel more comfortable in the privacy of their back yards.Rarely will a pool be installed in a front yard.It is even more unlikely for a hot tub to be placed in a front yard. While many people do sit on their front porch, most people eat and gather on their back deck.
In our culture, homes and properties are designed to reflect this social tendency.Our homes are designed to let us impress from the front and relax in the back.It’s all about curb appeal in the front and privacy in the back.We spend our money on architecture and landscaping for the front and decking and fencing for the back.Ra…

Proverbs 2:17 "Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God."


Solomon’s description of his son’s male and female threats start with very similar characteristics.The first characteristic he lists of the evil man is his froward words (verse 12) and the first characteristic he lists of the strange woman is her flattering words (verse 16).The second description he lists of the evil man is his past, in particular, his spiritual past (verse 13).Here in verse 17, the second description he gives of the strange woman is her past informing his young son that she too had a spiritual past.The evil woman that Solomon was concerned about was the woman who had a godly upbringing guided by the Lord God of Israel.This woman didn’t forget the covenant of Israel’s God, she intentionally forgot the covenant of HERGod.
The strange woman of Proverbs 2 is not the young lady who was raised by drunkards and gluttons.She is not the little girl who was passed from house…