In Front | Workbook: Reflection on Promises and Principles

Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

There are some passages in Proverbs that we can read as timeless truths. The Proverbs below all tell us something about God that is true in every situation and era.

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
But a just weight is His delight. 
Proverbs 11:1 (NASB)

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight. 
Proverbs 12:22 (NASB)

The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good. 
Proverbs 15:3 (NASB)

The rich and the poor have a common bond,
The LORD is the maker of them all. 
Proverbs 22:2 (NASB)

Reference: Greg W. Parsons, “Guidelines for Understanding and Proclaiming the Book of Proverbs,” Learning from the Sages: Selected Studies on the Book of Proverbs, edited by Roy Zuck, 1995, pp. 157-160.

When we’re not talking about God’s character in Proverbs, we have to be careful how we interpret the maxims we find here. As we noted In the Text, we need to distinguish between principles and promises. 

15. Name some Proverbs that you have treated as personal promises, perhaps leading you to frustration, disappointment or anger. Explain in your workbook.

16. If none come to mind, what passages have you noticed have been used that way by others?