Living Life Well: Avoiding Trouble and Conflict
Deep Dive Podcast
Proverbs chapter six - focusing on practical wisdom for living life well according to God's design. The passage first cautions strongly against cosigning loans for others, highlighting the potential for being trapped by financial obligations and the awkwardness such arrangements can create.Proverbs chapter six, focusing on practical wisdom for living life well according to God's design. The passage first cautions strongly against cosigning loans for others, highlighting the potential for being trapped by financial obligations and the awkwardness such arrangements can create.
Proverbs Chapter 6: Living Life Well
Study Guide
This study guide reviews key themes and verses from the sermon on Proverbs chapter 6, focusing on verses 1-19. The passage addresses practical wisdom for living, particularly regarding financial caution, the importance of hard work, and avoiding behaviors that cause conflict and are detestable to God.
Key Themes:
Caution Regarding Financial Entanglements: The passage strongly warns against cosigning for loans or putting up security for others. This is presented as a dangerous trap that can lead to being ensnared by one's words and facing significant difficulty. The speaker highlights the potential for financial struggles of others to impact the cosigner and the awkwardness that can arise from such arrangements.
The Value of Hard Work and Avoiding Laziness: Proverbs encourages diligence by contrasting the behavior of the "sluggard" with the industriousness of the ant. Laziness (a little sleep, a little slumber) is shown to lead to poverty and scarcity. The sermon emphasizes that this critique is aimed at those who are able but unwilling to exert effort, not those genuinely struggling despite their best efforts.
Identifying and Avoiding Behaviors Detestable to God: The passage lists seven specific things that the Lord hates, describing them as detestable. These behaviors are linked to a corrupt heart and often lead to stirring up conflict. The sermon suggests that the first six items on the list are symptoms that contribute to the seventh – causing disunity in the community.
The Nature of Sin and Its Impact: Sin is described as "leaking," meaning it is not confined to the individual but eventually impacts others, particularly those close to them.
Transformation Through Christ: While personal effort is encouraged, the sermon emphasizes that true transformation, especially regarding the behaviors detestable to God, is ultimately possible through a new heart given by the Spirit of God. This transformation empowers believers to love what God loves and hate what God hates.
The Importance of Unity in the Community: The sermon highlights that stirring up conflict is a behavior particularly detestable to God. Conversely, a community characterized by peace, honor, and unity is a powerful witness to a world filled with conflict, demonstrating the transformative power of Christ.
Proverbs Structure (as mentioned in the sermon):
Chapters 1-10: Introduction, presenting big ideas.
Chapters 10 onwards: Nuggets of truth for memorization and application.
Practical Applications Discussed:
Be very cautious about cosigning loans.
Consider alternative ways to help others financially (giving versus lending).
Embrace hard work and avoid laziness to provide for oneself and family.
Examine one's own life for hints of the behaviors detestable to God.
Strive to be a peacemaker, promoting unity rather than conflict.
Recognize the need for God's transformative power to overcome sinful tendencies.
Quiz
Answer each question in 2-3 sentences.
According to the sermon, what is the primary danger of cosigning a loan for someone else as discussed in Proverbs 6?
How does the sermon interpret the phrases "trapped by what you said" and "ensnared by the words of your mouth" in relation to cosigning?
What response does Proverbs 6 suggest for someone who has already cosigned a loan and is now facing difficulties?
According to the sermon, what is the distinction between lending money and giving money to help someone?
What creature does Proverbs 6 point to as an example of diligence and hard work, and what lesson is drawn from it?
Who is the critique of being a "sluggard" directed at, according to the sermon?
What does the sermon identify as the outcome of "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest"?
List three of the seven things that the Lord hates and are detestable to Him, as mentioned in Proverbs 6 and the sermon.
How does the sermon connect the first six behaviors on the list of things God hates to the seventh one?
What is the ultimate source of transformation that enables individuals to live according to God's design, as discussed at the end of the sermon?
Answer Key
The primary danger is that the cosigner becomes financially responsible if the other person fails to repay the loan, leading to them being trapped or ensnared by their commitment.
These phrases mean that the cosigner is caught or stuck due to their verbal agreement to back the loan, making it difficult to escape the financial obligation.
Proverbs 6 advises the person to work tirelessly and exhaust all efforts to free themselves from the situation, essentially doing whatever it takes to get out of the entanglement.
The sermon suggests that lending puts you in an awkward middle ground where you expect repayment, while giving involves letting go of the money with the expectation that the recipient will deal with the outcome.
Proverbs 6 points to the ant, which works diligently without supervision to store up provisions, teaching the lesson that individuals should be proactive and work hard for their future.
The critique is directed at individuals who are capable of working hard but choose not to, making excuses for their lack of effort, rather than those genuinely struggling despite their best efforts.
These small acts of laziness or rest are shown to accumulate and lead to poverty and scarcity coming upon the individual unexpectedly, like a thief.
Three things God hates are: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. (Other acceptable answers are: a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community).
The sermon suggests that the first six behaviors are often symptoms or contributing factors that ultimately lead to the seventh, which is the act of stirring up conflict and disunity within the community.
The ultimate source of transformation is receiving a new heart from the Spirit of God through Christ, which empowers individuals to love what God loves and hate what God hates, enabling them to live life well.
Essay Format Questions
Discuss the various practical and interpersonal dangers associated with cosigning a loan for a neighbor or stranger, as outlined in Proverbs 6 and the accompanying sermon.
Analyze the contrast presented in Proverbs 6 between the "sluggard" and the ant, explaining how this comparison highlights the biblical perspective on hard work and its implications for avoiding poverty.
Examine the list of seven things detestable to the Lord in Proverbs 6:16-19, discussing the meaning of at least three of these behaviors and how they are interconnected, particularly in relation to stirring up conflict.
Explain the sermon's point about sin "leaking" and how the behaviors discussed in Proverbs 6 illustrate the idea that individual actions have a broader impact on others and the community.
Discuss the significance of the sermon's concluding point that true transformation and the ability to live life well, especially in avoiding the behaviors detestable to God, are ultimately dependent on receiving a new heart through Christ rather than solely through personal effort.
Glossary of Key Terms
Proverbs: A book of the Old Testament known for its wisdom sayings and practical advice for living.
Cosigning: The act of signing a loan agreement alongside another person, thereby agreeing to be responsible for the debt if the primary borrower defaults.
Security (put up security): In the context of Proverbs 6, it refers to guaranteeing a debt or financial obligation for another person.
Trapped/Ensnared: Metaphors used to describe the negative consequences and difficulty of escaping a situation, particularly the financial burden of cosigning.
Sluggard: A lazy or indolent person; someone who is unwilling to work hard or exert effort.
Poverty: The state of being extremely poor; lacking the basic necessities of life.
Scarcity: A lack or shortage of something; in this context, a lack of financial resources or provisions.
Troublemaker: A person who causes difficulties or problems, often by stirring up conflict.
Villain: A wicked or evil person.
Corrupt mouth: Speaking dishonest, harmful, or morally unsound words.
Plots evil: To plan or devise wicked schemes or intentions in one's heart.
Stirs up conflict: To intentionally cause disagreements, arguments, or disunity, particularly within a community.
Detestable: Arousing intense dislike or hatred; loathsome.
Haughty eyes: Looking at others with excessive pride, arrogance, or a sense of superiority.
Lying tongue: Speaking falsehoods; being dishonest.
Shed innocent blood: To cause the death of someone who is not guilty or deserving of such a fate; murder.
Heart that devises wicked schemes: An inner intention or mind that plans and intends to do evil.
Feet that are quick to rush into evil: Acting impulsively or readily engaging in harmful or wicked actions.
False witness: Someone who gives false testimony, especially in a legal setting, with the intention to deceive or harm another.
Remedy (without remedy): Without a means of curing, correcting, or recovering from a negative situation or consequence.
Sanctification: The process by which a believer is made holy; growing in likeness to Christ.
Idolatry: The worship of idols; in a broader sense, putting anything or anyone before God.
Image bearer: Humans, as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), reflecting aspects of His nature and character.
Transformative power: The ability to fundamentally change or convert something or someone.
Spirit of God: The third person of the Trinity, who empowers believers and enables spiritual understanding and growth.
