The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Join us now for the Bible Institute of the Air. Welcome to another broadcast of the Bible Institute of the Air, coming to you from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Today we present another in our continuing series of studies from the book of Proverbs. Our teacher today is Mr. Jesse Boyd, who, until the time he went to be with his Lord, served as a member of the Bible faculty at Bob Jones University. Turn your Bibles, please, to the book of Proverbs, chapter 19. We're going to consider today Proverbs 19, verses 1 to 7. That's Proverbs chapter 19, verses 1 to 7. This chapter, like the others we've been considering recently, is part of the central section of the book which began back in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 1 and continues through chapter 22 and verse 16. The whole comprises a divine system of morals of universal application. It's a treasury of divine wisdom in all its diversified details, personal, domestic, social, and civil. Now in these seven verses that we have for our consideration today, there are seven proverbs. And the first one in verse one is a proverb regarding integrity. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. Here we have the contrast between integrity in poverty and folly in perversity. You see, better is a poor man who is contented to remain poor and retain his integrity than a person who tries to escape from poverty at the sacrifice of that integrity, that is, by resorting to a dishonest life. The latter person is a fool, a moral and intellectual derelict, because he imagines that by evil methods he can truly prosper. Either he will be found out, or the Lord will thwart his plans. You see, dear friends, poverty is never a disgrace, except when it is the fruit of sin. Adorned with godly integrity, poverty is most honorable. This is set forth in the book of Revelation, chapter 2 and verse 9, where the Lord Jesus Christ speaks through the prophet in the church at Smyrna. He says, I know Thy works thou art poor, and yet thou art rich. I know thy poverty, yet thou art rich. So one can be poor in this world's goods, and rich toward God, or one can be rich in the things of the world, and a pauper with reference to that which is godly. The second proverb is in verse 2. It regards aimlessness. Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good. And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. Here we have the comparison between two reprehensible lines of action. One is aimlessness, that is, a person who has no definite purpose in view. The other is carelessness, which characterizes a person who has no disciplinary restraint in his life. You see, haste makes waste, and the more one is hasty, the less speed he's able to acquire. The Word of God in Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 16 says, He that believeth shall not make haste. And this simply means that true faith functions in line with the divine purpose, and true faith exercises divine control. That is, it's under the disciplinary restraint. of divine control. So it's not hasty, it's not ashamed, it's not perplexed, it's not confounded. But that kind of faith is deliberate and purposeful. And so the soul without knowledge is not good, and the person that hasteth with his feet sinneth. There's a third proverb in verse 3. It's a proverb regarding failure. The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord. The foolishness of man literally is the folly of man. It uses the word adam, which is man in the generic sense, and just like Adam manifested folly when he expressed impiety or lack of proper reverence for God when he took of the forbidden fruit. The folly of any human being, human folly, ruins a person's affairs. The whole world was plunged into sin because of Adam's transgression, you see. And so human folly brings failure to one's life. But the proverb goes on to say, his heart fretteth against the Lord. That is, he manifests a grievance against God. He becomes sullen against the Lord. The heart is the vital spiritual organ from which the issues of spiritual life come. It is the seat of our emotions and our affection and our volition. And so when man in his folly ruins his way, many times he turns and with his heart he expresses a grievance. And his affections and emotions and volition are seriously affected. This grievance is against the Lord, just like Adam said to God, he says, This woman that thou hast given me, she's the one that gave me to eat, and I did eat, and so he actually charged God with his own folly. So the fool blames the Lord for his failure and holds a grudge against him, whereas the cause of his own failure lies in his folly. Verse 4, there is a proverb regarding friends. It says, wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor. Now in verse 7 we read about the brethren of the poor do hate him. How much more do his friends go from him, or far from him? And then back in chapter 14 and verse 20, we read, the poor is hated even of his own neighbor. but the rich hath many friends. Now, this proverb says, Wealth maketh many friends. That is, wealth attracts people. But it is the riches which attracts them, not the person, and therefore the principle is selfishness, and this kind of thing does not produce true, permanent And the proverb goes on to say that the poor is separated from his neighbor, or the fair-weather friend who manifests himself as his neighbor separates himself from a person who is reduced to poverty. Now, there's quite an excellent illustration of this in Luke, chapter 15, in the story of the prodigal son. The prodigal who left home, having claimed his part of the inheritance, He went to a far country, he spent his living riotously, and as long as he had wealth with which to entertain friends, he had many of them, but he found himself stripped of his wealth and in poverty, and his friends left him, and then he hired himself out to keep swine. Well, you see, this is what often happens. And when people are attracted to a person because of his wealth or station in life, the result is that if that person is deprived of it, then those folk prove to be fair-weather friends, and they separate themselves from him. In verse 5 there is a proverb regarding perjury. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. Now, this is almost identical with a proverb in verse 9. The only difference is the verb in the second line. Verse 9 says, A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish. This is in contrast with a proverb in chapter 14 and verse 25, which says, A true witness delivereth souls, but a deceitful witness speaketh lies. All right, perjury is given by a deceitful witness and one who speaks lies, and it's an offense of both tables of the law. Whereas a true witness delivereth souls, on the other hand, a false witness damns souls and destroys souls. And so perjury is an offense, it takes the name of the Lord in vain, and it trespasses against the law of our neighbor. Strict attention to truth forms a primary point in Christian education, and that boundary line must never be trifled with, because the person who engages in perjury shall not be unpunished, and that shall not be held guiltless. And he that breatheth forth lies shall in our verse not escape the judgment of God. And, of course, this is reemphasized in Revelation 21.8, where it says, All liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. In verse 6 there is a proverb regarding benefaction. Many will entreat the favor of a prince, and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. The word many will entreat the favor of a prince. Literally, many will stroke the face of the noble person, that is, the person who is easily incited to noble actions, the person who is a true liberal, liberal with his means to meet the needs of others. And so many will ingratiate themselves to that kind of a person, and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts, that is, the mass of friends belongs to him who is liberal in his giving. So benefactors attract many friends. 7. All the brethren of the poor do hate him. How much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him. Now the brethren here are the kinsmen, the kinsmen of one who is poor. hold the poor man in contempt. They despise him, perhaps because he repeatedly requests them for help. Well, just as this is true, we read, how much more do his friends go far from him, that is, how much more certain it is that the associates of a poor person cool off toward him, and he may pursue them with words, that is, he may persistently entreat their favor and But they are warning to him, that is, his erstwhile friends and his kinsmen, turn a deaf ear to his cries. May the Lord bless us as we have studied together these various proverbs, and help us to apply them to our everyday living. And as we act prudently with regards to these terse sayings, may we realize that the only way a person can be acceptable with and beneficial to men in reality is when he surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ and uses what God gives him for the glory of God. You've been listening to another lesson in our continuing studies from the Book of Proverbs on the Bible Institute of the Air. Today's study was by Mr. Jesse Boyd, who served as a member of the Bible faculty of Bob Jones University. We trust that the timeless truths taught in these studies, recorded by Mr. Boyd during his earthly ministry, will help you in your daily walk with the Lord. Join us again next time for more helpful studies on the Bible Institute of the Air. This program is a production of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.