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Prov. 11:24-26

Lesson # Prov. 11:24-26 Study Material - Prov. 11:24-26 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Prov. 11:24-26 24 There is [yesh] that scattereth [pazar] , and yet increaseth [yacaph] ; and there is that withholdeth [chasak] more than is meet [yosher] , but it tendeth to poverty [machcowr] . 25 The liberal [Barakah] soul [nephesh] shall be made fat [dashen] : and he that watereth [ravah] shall be watered [yarah] also himself. 26 He that withholdeth [mana] corn [bar] , the people [laom] shall curse [naqab] him: but blessing [Barakah] shall be upon the head [ro'sh] of him that selleth [shabar] it. KJV-Interlinear Prov. 11:24-26 24 There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. 25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. 26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. NAS Verses 24 through 26 deal with the wisdom of investment, the graciousness of charity, and the prudence of a fair business practice. Conversely there are those (the unwise) who would hoard up all they have under the bed, so to speak. There are those who make greed their alter of worship. They wouldn't share a penny with anyone. And there are those who pursue fraudulent business practices taking advantage of whomever and whenever opportunity arises. A wise person takes his assets and invests them in order to receive back the fruits of that investment. Investment can be a simple savings account, or it can be a stock portfolio, a business, or some adventure out of ones own garage. But the point is, a wise person does something proactive with what he has. The result? Profit. The scattering is from the agriculture concept where one scatters the seed in order to raise up much more seed. Some he lives off of, some he will sell, and some he will hold for next years planting. The negative investor will hoard up what he has. He will be ultra conservative such as stuffing his money into his socks. Holding back what he has such that his family benefits little from the funds available. He cares nothing for anyone but himself and he will spend his 'quality' time counting his wealth, rather than with family, friends, etc. He will never be satisfied. He will always want more, and there will never be enough. Generosity looks out to the world and sees the needs of others. There is the generosity of giving to support the teaching of the word of God, and there is the generosity of giving to charitable causes. There is the generosity of giving aid to those who suffer from disasters. There is the generosity of giving to those who suffer from the problems of day to day living. Greed again will look to others and rationalize that, someone else will help out those in need. Greed will rationalize that those who are in need are there because of their failures in life - they deserve to suffer. Greed looks to self and decides that getting involved with anyone else is none of ones concern. The greedy person can make it on his own, why can't everyone else? Now the last of these three verses, the business practices we all will face in life at one time or another. There are those who will take advantage of people who are in dire straits. Some take advantage of the elderly, contractors will take advantage of a loosely written contract and run up the bill. Attorneys will take advantage of those who are in difficult situations and will charge exorbitant fees. Businesses will sell faulty products, and this list can go on and on probably forever. But you get the point, I'm sure. Then there is the merchant who will have a product and sell it for a reasonable price, with clear warranties or 'as is' informing the buyer exactly where he stands. Nothing hidden. No surprises. Fair and honest business people will answer all questions to the best of their ability and will go that extra mile to help out the customer. If you went to a department store and couldn't find a clerk to help you if your life depended on it, then would you go back there? Of course not. Who wants the frustration of not being able to get help when it is needed. If you went to a store and the help was always there, they had reasonable prices, and so forth, then wouldn't you go back? Of course. Now as for the spiritual applications of this lesson. God gave us all, three capital items with which to invest during our life - 1. His Word, 2. time, and 3. volition. We are to use these three to our advantage by studying, learning, applying them to our life, and consequently growing up in our spiritual life. The result? Profit. What profit? Blessings that we will enjoy during this life, and the 'beyond imagination' blessings we will receive in eternity. If you had the opportunity to risk nothing (that is exactly what you risk when you study Gods Word) and then receive a trillion dollars as your profit, wouldn't a wise person pursue that investment? Of course. If you had the opportunity to risk all you had (avoiding Bible study) and then receive back nothing - losing all, then wouldn't you avoid that investment? Of course. A wise person would see the logic immediately. But then how many people pursue courses in life which exclude God? Many. You shouldn't be counted among them - those foolish ones. Also, we have three areas of responsibility in our life - to God, to self, and to others. To God we owe Him a hearing, to hear His viewpoint. To self, we owe the opportunity of taking advantage of God tremendous offerings of a life to the fullest, including our eternal life. And to others we have a responsibility to share what God has given us, in both supporting the teaching of His Word and in providing charity to those who are in need. Pursuing this course in life will result in tremendous profit for your spiritual life, which manifests itself both in time and then in eternity. You'll enjoy 'increases,' 'prosperity,' and 'blessing' as mentioned in these three verses. But also look to Lk. 6:38, for as you share your blessings, so it will come back to you in even greater blessings. Does this mean that if you give a million, you'll get back two? No. Do not focus on the quantity or amount. What is important is the spiritual growth. Advancement to spiritual maturity will result in the desire to want to give. Giving does not result in spiritual growth. You cannot buy that. The spiritual life comes first, and that produces the attitude for wanting to give. If you are reluctant to give and live an honest life, then you have some growing up to do, obviously. The person who rejects all of this or tries to compromise Gods teaching in all those cute little ways that we can come up with, risks losing blessings and perhaps everything if they are defiant toward change. They will never be satisfied, but will instead be cursed as life will take from them and God also will withhold blessings. That is not a good position to be in. Finally from the middle verse, watering ones self is the process of studying, learning, and advancing in ones spiritual life. If you are in any profession you certainly attend continuing education or additional studies in your profession This keeps you current and better informed in your trade, and makes you a better and wiser person with regard to your career. So it is with Bible study. You cannot use what you do not know. And you cannot know what you do not learn. So Bible study is the single most important thing you can do in life. Likewise, lack of a consistent Bible study can threaten the fullness of your entire existence. Bible study affects your current life and your eternal life. What else can have as much impact on you? End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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