Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 31

Proverbs 31:20

“She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.”

The woman that proverbs is describing in this verse is a giver. Her hands are always open, available, free to give to the poor. This woman doesn’t just have her family on her mind she also reaches out to the poor and needy as well.

This type of woman is always accessible. Even though her dedication is to her family, she stretches herself more by volunteering for charity work. This woman doesn’t focus on herself she places her focus on others. Because of these reasons a virtuous woman is commended by all.

A virtuous woman is loved by all and praised by husband and children. “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.”–Acts 9:36-42.

Women, do you reach out to help others? Are your hands open to the poor, or are you close-fisted with your possessions? Do you willingly reach out to find and give to those who are in need? Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 31

Proverbs 31:26

“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

An excellent wife is one whose words are a blessing to all those who hear them. A virtuous woman is graceful in speech and action and she is admired and given recognition. People realize that as soon as her mouth opens to speak wisdom pours forth from it.

A virtuous woman knows the right words for any celebration. This woman is careful and only speaks after examining her answer to a question or problem. This woman carefully thinks through her responses before she responds to questions or problems. A virtuous woman will use wisdom before she opens her mouth even though she has her own skills and achievements. Even with her own abilities and accomplishments, she is still wise and kind in her speech.

A virtuous woman will build you up when you are distraught, commend you when negative people try to tear you down, and take time to reminisce with you about past times to revitalize you.

In the Bible there is the story of a woman named Ruth. They called Ruth a virtuous woman. “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”–Ruth 3:13.

The book of Ruth reflects the love, commitment, loss, and fortitude of this woman. Ruth was a direct ancestor of Lot who was Abraham’s nephew and a gentile. Ruth had many challenges in her life. Her husband passed away, she never had children, and she was living with her widowed mother-in-law. Ruth embodied loyal love. Ruth was a woman of noble character. After the death of her husband, Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi and traveled wherever she went. Ruth had great faith. Her faith and belief in God that he would provide for Naomi and herself was solid. They introduced Ruth to a man named Boaz, and she proved to be a woman of integrity with Boaz. Ruth showed incredible character in obscurity. Boaz was a single wealthy man and Ruth went to work for him in the fields. Boaz fell in love with Ruth and she went from a lowly field worker to being Boaz’s wife. The book of Ruth shows the workings of divine providence. The book reveals the extent of God’s grace. God fully accepted Ruth into His elect people and recognized her with a role in continuing the family line into which his appointed king, David, and later His Son, Jesus, would be born. After Boaz married Ruth, she became pregnant and had a son they named Obed. This man Obed became the father of Jesse. Now Jesse was the father of David who was in the direct family line of Jesus Christ. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 31

Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 26

Proverbs 26:4

“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”

Time is precious so do not waste it on fools. Truth and wisdom will be lost on fools. If you argue wisdom and truth with a foolish person, they will look down on you with contempt and mock the cherished words you will try to enlighten them with.

Jesus tells us, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”–Matthew 7:6. This may sound harsh, but it is true.

When do you know you have encountered a fool? “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.”–Proverbs 14:7. It is easy like the word says just allow them to speak and you will know. Fools believe in themselves only. What they say matters, they trust only their ideas, they believe only they can instruct and teach others, they enjoy disparaging people but most important they don’t believe the Bible and the wisdom it offers.

The natural man always wants to get in the last word but when you are dealing with a fool, you will never get them to see things your way so stop trying. Stay grounded in the word and rise above the urge to debate with a fool so you don’t wind up sinking to their level and become a fool just like them. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 26

Proverbs 26:11

“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. Having a dog has lots of positive benefits. Stroking and petting your dog helps to keep your blood pressure low. Owning a dog makes you a social butterfly. Having a dog keeps you active and helps you lose weight because of walking the dog. Owning a dog enhances your health.

With the list of all the benefits of having a dog offers there is always a negative. We have all sometime or another witnessed a dog going back to eat his own vomit. It is gross. Take the mental picture you have in your mind now and replace that dog with a foolish person.

What sinful follies have you rejected? What types of vomit are you tempted to return to? Overeating, drunkenness, drugs, adultery, pornography unforgiveness? You must place a protective shield around yourself and stay away from things that will tempt you to return to your vomit. If it is overeating don’t go to buffets. If it is drunkenness, don’t allow alcohol in your home and even if you go out of your way driving, go a different direction from where a liquor store is. Don’t keep company with people who do drugs. If it is adultery, don’t take a second look at a good-looking person who raises sparks within you. If its pornography then place a block on your tablet, a phone, a computer for all those types of sites which can tempt you. If it is unforgiveness keep a book by your bedside that teaches you why unforgiveness is unhealthy. They say one thing highly successful people do before they go to bed is to focus on the positive. If you are reading a book about becoming a forgiving person that is positive.

Pray and ask God to help you stay away from foolish ways and to steer clear of returning to your vomit. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 26

Proverbs 26:20

“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”

How many times has someone said this to you, “can I trust you not to say anything to a certain person? Can you keep a secret?” A godly person should immediately say no thank you. I don’t want to know. However, the natural man always peeks with these types of invitations and next thing you know you wind up telling another person what you shouldn’t have said or worst you say to the exact person what you should not have said.

Gossip is telling negative information about someone. To the people who engage in this, it doesn’t matter whether the information is true.

Talebearing has become so rampant nowadays there are countless magazines that embellish this thing. God does not approve of talebearing. “A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth”. –Proverbs 6:12. Gossip causes enormous pain for people.

Do you care enough about others to stave off talking about them in a disparaging way? If you talk a lot, you probably perpetrate this sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you every time you engage in this behavior. Since many of us think so much about finances get yourself a piggy bank or large jar and every time you engage in this folly, you put a dollar in the jar. It will amaze you in 30 days how the jar has filled up. Don’t be hard on yourself because we are all guilty of this folly. When God sees you are working towards improvement, he will bless you. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 26

Proverbs 26:27

“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”

When you dig a ditch, you better dig two because the trap you set may just be for you. What goes around comes around.

I am sure you have heard of the animated cartoon, Tom and Jerry. It revolved on a rivalry between its two title characters, Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse. The shows usually centered on Tom’s many attempts to capture Jerry. Tom rarely catches Jerry, mainly because of Jerry’s cleverness, cunning abilities, and luck. A lot of times Tom got trapped in the same devices he set to catch Jerry.

Wicked men devise traps and trouble for the innocent and righteous as you can see with what Tom tried countless times to do to Jerry. Do you have enemies? Do you have evil people that are trying to destroy you? Fear not because God will avenge every wrong that has been done to you. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”–Romans 12:19. “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”–Psalms 7:15-16.

Let go and let God. The God of glory does not slumber or sleep. Every time the wicked conspire against you, God will turn their devices on their own heads. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 26

Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:5

“A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.”

When do people discontinue learning in life? According to King Solomon and the proverbs only an unwise man stops learning. A wise man will keep his ears open and decipher things he hears throughout his entire life and build upon his learning. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Let me say this to everyone right now the following statement I make you will see it repeated in this book many times. God gave all of us two ears and one mouth for a reason. He wants us to do more listening than talking. You cannot hear what someone else has to say or improve upon your listening and learning skills if your tongue is constantly in motion. So, a big part of learning how to become a person of wisdom is being quiet and being still. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

The fool is the one who thinks he knows everything. These people are the ones that feel that have gained all the knowledge they will ever need. Unfortunately, that is an untrue assessment. The oldest living person in the Bible was Methuselah. He lived to be 969 years old and then he died. Even if we were to live that long we would never know all there is to know. Therefore, we should always be alert and ready to learn new things.

The second part of this proverb tells us that a person of understanding will gain good counsel. The more effort we put forth to hear and learn then we will gain a better understanding and wisdom. We will be able to differentiate between many things. When God sees us trying, he makes himself known to us which will make all the difference in the world. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Wisdom – ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; a wise attitude, belief, or course of action.

Fear – an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; anxious concern.

Reverence – honor or respect felt or shown; a gesture of respect.

Awe – an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime.

Knowledge – the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association; the range of one’s information or understanding. I am sure you have all heard the adage “knowledge is power.” You can become powerful where the Lord is concerned in a fearful state. However, you must have the right fear which is reverential.

Above I have provided definitions of words critical to the Book of Proverbs and this verse. Wisdom means being wise and all of us can be that. To have knowledge of something it is mandatory we have familiarity and to do that we must have an association. We need to surround ourselves with that thing. Fear takes on all shapes and sizes. We can have a fear of roller coasters, airplanes, spiders, being alone, even being diagnosed with a deadly disease. Movies take on all genres but a film like Halloween and Friday the 13th inspire terror. To reverence something means to honor it. God specifically stated how important honor is in the book of Exodus 20:12, “Honor thy Father and Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

So now let’s return to the above passage. The first part of this proverb is telling us we are to understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. This is where it becomes tricky. We are not to have a fear of the Lord like we fear snakes, bees, etc. We are to have a reverential fear of the Lord. To fear God means we recognize him as supreme and absolute. This means we respect, honor, and we are to be in awe of the Lord. Why is this necessary? Well, first they state it in the above proverb. All things have their origin in God. Read Genesis Chapter 1. It states that God created the earth and everything in it. With that awesome power, we need to fear the Lord. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:22

“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”

In this proverb, Solomon is addressing three types of people in a disparaging way. It is downright insulting. He refers to the simple ones (simplicity) which imply ignorance. It satisfies lazy people just eating, working, playing, and sleeping. Do you lead a very basic life? Are you content to leave the mental work to others? This will never give you wisdom.

Scorners are people who despise and reject the truth. These people don’t believe in building up others just tearing them down. These people live a lifestyle where they can offer nothing positive. They eventually become galling, people who are only concerned with their own desires who have nothing to offer anyone.

Finally, fools are people who lack good sense or judgment. I personally don’t believe anyone wants to be described in that fashion. How do we make sure we steer clear from being categorized in this fashion? We crave wisdom! In the same way, people crave ballpark food at a sporting event like baseball. Oh, and for those people who follow baseball remember three strikes you’re out so in this instance you would be called out by the home plate umpire and sent back to the dugout if you fall into these three categories. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:26

“I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.”

Foolish people believe they know everything so if anyone tries to instruct them, they laugh. They go through life like it is a constant carnival or party and show contempt if anybody tries to take away their amusement and enjoyment. This is when God sits high in heaven and looks down below and laughs at them.

God is not someone to be mocked. He will have his day where the foolish are concerned. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”–Psalm 2:4. “The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.”–Psalm 37:13.

For, those of us who are mature enough to remember The Three Stooges show we know how happy Curly became once any bad thing or suffering happened to Moe. Unfortunately, Moe always thought he was better than Curly & Larry and so when he was deflated at any time, they both reveled in his bad fortune. Well, this is the same principle that this verse implies. Wisdom will laugh at your negative circumstances and make fun of your catastrophes because you felt you didn’t need wisdom. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:31

“Therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”

The above verse is saying in plain terms you deserve what you get because of bad decisions. In today’s world, most people are reaping what they sowed because they made foolish choices. God has warned us in his word that we will be blessed if we do what he says and cursed if we don’t.

Unfortunately, people today worldwide look at God and his words with contempt feeling it is worthless. Many people are only interested in what feels good to them. Feelings, however, can get you in a world of trouble. When we operate out of our flesh, we make many mistakes and that drives us to do ungodly things. There are many deeds of the flesh some of which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, drunkenness and others.

A great example of making bad choices and then reaping the results would be this. If you are a person who has food allergies and is allergic to items like crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and shellfish then you need to stay clear of these things unless you want to be diagnosed with Anaphylaxis. This is a hypersensitivity as to foreign proteins or drugs resulting from sensitization following prior contact with the causative agent. This can manifest as hives, itching, and watery eyes. A good example of this would be the movie “Hitch” with Will Smith. Wisdom will keep you away from making bad decisions. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1