seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Proverbs 22:Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
set up by your ancestors.
29 Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
This is from the easy English commentary.
The last major section of the Book of Proverbs begins here. The section includes several different parts. There are:
· short proverbs (wise words);
· longer lessons;
· puzzles;
· and a poem.
There are 30 wise lessons in Proverbs 22:17 to Proverbs 24:22. The number ‘30’ was important to Solomon. It meant that there were many lessons. And they were great lessons. Other ancient books from different nations also contain 30 wise lessons. The people from these nations believed that their own books contained great lessons too. But the Bible is a special book. God provided the Bible to teach us how we should live. He helped the authors of the Bible to write the right things. And God guides us by the Bible today.
Check out what the easy English says about Verse 28.Perhaps your boundary is ancient. Perhaps your family agreed the boundary with your neighbour’s family, many years ago. But perhaps now, you need more land. And your neighbour will not sell his land. You could just move your fence. Your neighbour might not even realise that the boundary has moved. And you will have the land that you desire.
But before you act, think first! There was an ancient agreement. Perhaps, before the agreement, there were many arguments. Perhaps your family even fought your neighbour’s family. If you do not obey the agreement, then these troubles might start again.
An agreement is like a promise. Everyone should respect an agreement. And you should respect your neighbour’s property. If a neighbour does not want to sell his land, then you cannot buy it. And you are a thief if you take his land without an agreement. See 1 Kings 21.
In ancient Israel, the ‘land’ had a special meaning. God owned the land (Leviticus 25:23). Proverbs 22:28 repeats God’s command in Deuteronomy 19:14. So these ancient boundaries were not merely agreements between neighbours, like our boundaries today. The ancient boundaries in Israel were an agreement between the people and God. And anyone who moved a boundary was refusing to obey God’s law.
I knew someone who had a neighbor who moved the boundary. They put up a fence on my neighbors property..... took quite a chunk. Sure my friend went to court and got it straightened out.... but it cost my friend a bundle of money to fight that boundary dispute. She could have probably purchased more land with that money.... the only one who made out on that deal was the lawyer.