Pr. 22: Wise Sayings

Proverbs 22:19 "So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you."

Protect your good name before amassing wealth. (v. 1)

Train a child in the way he should go. Kids don't raise themselves. They don't have a sense of righteousness unless it is instilled. (v. 5)

Borrowers are slaves to the lender. Don't owe money if you can help it. If you do, don't be all arrogant. (v. 6)

Then the writer sort of refocuses, like that "Are you listening?" question I periodically got from teachers in school. He emphasizes the need to listen to the wise. The rest of his proverbs in chapter 22 are about justice. Don't crush the poor, don't move boundary stones. It's not fair to be like that. He wants the student to be able to trust God.

Dt. 24: More Laws to Enjoy!

Deuteronomy 24:5 "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married."

Lets say a guy ends up not liking his wife. He divorces her, and then the second guy she marries ends up not liking her. It is detestable to God for that first man to remarry her. It is a sin, even. God does not want this sin upon the land.

I love how a man can have no duty forced on him (ie, military service) for one year after he is married. This is so he can bring joy to his wife. That's pretty amazing as to what a husbandly duty is. For one year straight, she must be his lone priority.

Let's see...millstones are a livelihood....kidnapping punishable by death...remember Leviticus 13 for skin diseases....

V. 10-13 are interesting...when you loan something to someone, don't be a jerk and go to his house to get the pledge, let him bring it to you, you greedy jerk. Don't keep what he needs to live overnight like a jerky jerk.

OK...don't take advantage of hired poor...

Fathers are not to be punished for the sins of their children, or vice versa. I wonder what was happening that brought this to mention. I know about the "sins of the fathers" idea, but this is probably a more immediate punishment, like some kid throws a rock at a camel, and the camel owner kills the kid's father...something like that.

The Israelite time of slavery in Egypt is the great source for their empathy for slaves, the poor, the aliens and the oppressed. Good thing they went through that, because they are apparently dealing with that a lot.

Leave some harvest behind in the field for the poor, widow, etc...You know.