PROVERBS 25:1-11

DEALING WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR


SCRIPTURE PROVES IT'S SELF

V.25:1."These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah
copied out."
A. Men of the "King" copied the Word of God.
1. Any time the Word is presented, you ought to take notes.
2. I find that I am more likely to remember the details of a lesson or sermon if I take
notes.
3. My notes can be compared to the Word of God.
4. The only way I can be sure that notes I took are in line with the Word of God
is to study the Word.
B. This text identifies the writer as Solomon.
1. God does not leave us in the dark as to the man He used to write His Word.
2. The text identifies the time of the initial writing; the time of Solomon. (1015 BC)
3. The text identifies the time of the copy; the time of Hezekiah the King (726 BC)
a. This is a historical document.
b. This is a divinely guided document.
4. There are 300 years between the first writing by Solomon and the copy by the men of
king Hezekiah.
a. This lend credibility to document being divinely inspired and divinely preserved.

THE MAGNIFICIENCE OF GOD
V. 25:2. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing."
A. God knows everything from the beginning to the end.
1. We do not know the beginning of things created or the end.
2. God has not made everything known to man.
a. If He did, it would be too much for our small brains to comprehend.
b. God is infinite and we are finite.
c. We may know of our beginning, but we were not there. We don't know of our
end for we will not be conscience of it.
b. But God is present all the time; from the beginning to the end.
3. It is good news that God is Omnipresent, because only He can guide our way.
4. The word "glory " is from the Hebrew word "kabod" which in this context means
honor or magnificence.
a. We have to give God the glory because He is Omniscience (knows all things).
b. God reveals to us that which is needed for our existence on earth.
c. There are some things that God knows that would be to hard for us to grasp.
B. "But the honour of kings is to search out a matter."
1. A king does not know all things, neither does he know completely the hearts of
men.
2. A king is wise to investigate all matters before making decisions.
a. A king is wise to surround himself with trustworthy men.
b. A king is wise to surround himself with good counselors.


V.25:3. "The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is
unsearchable."
A. We have no idea where the outer limits of space are.
1. As technology advances we can see further into the universe with telescopes,
rockets, and satellites.
a. Scientist are constantly discovering previously unknown stars and planets.
b. All that God did during the 6 days of creation will never be known by man.
2. Our universe is attributed to the Glory of God.
a. God's unlimited power and knowledge are displayed before us.
b. What we see in God's creation we cannot completely understand.
B. A king is responsible for and sees the whole of his kingdom.
1. His subjects understand that which affect them, but not all that the king is
responsible for.
2. Likewise we are only familiar with a small portion of God's creation.
3. Therefore we must put our complete trust in God and not question His
decisions for our lives.

THE VALUE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
V. 25:4. "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the
finer."
A. Fire refines silver
1. It is by the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are refined.
2. Jesus died for our sins. He made all men savable.
3. Our redemption became effective with our faith in Jesus.
4. Our regeneration continues with our submission to Word by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
5. Our regeneration make us a useful vessel for God.

V.25:5. "Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established
in righteousness."
A. Established=kuwn= setup , framed, prepared., rendered prosperous.
1. The house of the Lord is framed in righteousness.
2. All prosperity comes from the Lord.
B. We should frame our households in the righteousness of God.
1. A house established by Word of God will be prosperous.
2. Wickedness can bring down the house.

DEALING WITH BIG FOLK
V.25:6. "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,
A. Men in power want all the glory.
1. Therefore don't set yourself up for a fall by trying to glorify yourself before men
who consider themselves great.
B. "And stand not in the place of great men"
1. It is better to be humble before those in power.
2. God deserves all the Glory.
a. If we lift God up, He will draw us to Himself.


V. 25:7. "For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest
be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen."
A. It would be most embarrassing to lift yourself up in the presence of men, and
then be brought down by the one you are trying to impress.
1. We should be careful to not let pride come before wisdom.
2. It is a normal human reaction to want to feel important before man.
a. It is also a normal human reaction for others to want to pull you down.

DEALING WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR
V. 25:8. "Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,
when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame."
A. Don't be in a rush to accuse another.
1. Take time to gather the facts.
2. Never assume that the facts you have are 100% correct.
a. Some times people give information based on what they want you to believe.
b. Some times people give information based on what they heard.
3. It would be better to let a matter go, than to accuse wrongly.

V. 25:9 "Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:
A. There are two sides to every story.
1. Be sure you have heard both sides before coming to any conclusion.
a. Hear say evidence is just that "hear say". There may be no truth in it.
B. Never bring to public, something you have heard in private.
1. A secret is not a secret if more than one person knows about it.
2. You may never be able to validate something revealed in private.
C. If you have a problem with a person, take the problem to him.
1. You may gain an understanding and discover it is not problem at all.
2. Some things can be left unresolved.
a. Some things are not worth pursuing.

V. 25:10. "Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away."
A. A person who reveals something told in secret can't be trusted.
1. Your reputation is very important.
2. Be careful what you say about others.
a. Lift others up with good words
b. If you don't have something good to say, it would be best to be quiet.



ENCOURGAGE OTHERS IN YOUR CONVERSATION

V.25:11. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."
A. Your conversation should encourage others.
1. Your conversation should build up others.
2. Your conversation should give God the credit for all good.
3. Your conversation should promote the goodness of God. Phil 4:8-9.
B. Everybody needs a "Good Word".
1. In season and out of season, you ought to speak the Word of God.
a. In your daily walk.
b. In your conversation
c. In the way you treat others
2. Think of yourself as a child of God.
3. Think of others as children of God.
C. Remember God Loves You.
1. Therefore, you must love God.
2. You must love others,
a. Your family
b. Your friends
c. Your enemies
D. Successful Living Begins With Love