WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY | PROVERBS • Proverbs 2:11–22 Wisdom: My Protection Detail
Proverbs – Lesson 9 – Proverbs 2.12-19 – Wisdom God’s Secret Service
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WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY | PROVERBS • Proverbs 2:11–22 Wisdom: My Protection Detail |
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PROPOSITION: Wisdom protects God’s image bearers from influences that threaten our purpose to Image God. |
INTRODUCTION |
Sum up the mission of the Secret Service in a single word: Protection
Question: How does the secret service protect the person or people they are serving? What are their responsibilities?
Most of their work takes place behind the scene. The steps to protect the person they are serving are selected through a process of preparation
The Secret Service does not “react” to a situation, they only “implement” a predetermined course of action.
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Each time we read the word “wisdom” in Proverbs, picture wisdom as your personal Secret Service agency, assigned by God to protect you from anyone or anything that threatens your ability to image God. |
As we look at Proverbs 2:11–22, we will compare what Solomon says about wisdom’s protection to having our personal Secret Service detail from God.
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PROVERBS 2:11 |
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Proverbs 2:11 – 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: |
Solomon uses two subjects and two verbs to get his point across.
Subject #1 — Discretion
Verb #1 — Preserves
Discretion is the ability to think through a situation (deliberate) and plan our response or action with a sound mind, based on fact not feelings or emotions.
Preserves — means to reserve, or save. It carries the idea of restraining or keeping us from doing something.
Application:
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Our purpose and mission is to image God in every way. Wisdom’s mission is to provide us with the correct information about God and His laws to “PREVENT” or “RESTRAIN” us from saying or doing anything that threatens the image of God in us. This is how our personal Secret Service detail works for us. |
Subject #2 — Understanding
Verb #2 — Keep
The word “understanding” describes the ability to evaluate choices and recognize which option aligns with God’s will.
Illustration: The Bible reveals an ongoing conflict between God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom. Satan continually offers opposing laws to God’s kingdom. By equipping us with truth about God and His law, Wisdom protects us from being taken captive by Satan, or distorting God’s image in us.
The following verses identify two threats to God’s image bearers.
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THREAT ASSESSMENT & PROTECTION PLAN |
GROUP INVESTIGATION #1The Evil Man |
Assignment
Pretend you are part of my Secret Service protection detail. Proverbs 2:12–15 is the intelligence report you have just received about a potential threat. Your job is to analyze the intelligence and determine:
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Intelligence Report #1 |
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Proverbs 2:12 (KJV) 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speakethfroward things; Way refers to a person’s way of life. It includes what they believe, what they value, the choices they make, and the direction their life is moving. Froward Things = Twisted, misleading, or rebellious speech that opposes God’s truth. Jesus taught — Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” A person’s words reveal what fills their heart. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The threat has been identified as an evil man.
• His way of life is evil.
• His words oppose God’s truth.
• His words reveal what fills his heart.
• His words appear to be a tool he can use to recruit others.
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Intelligence Report #2 |
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Proverbs 2:13 (KJV) 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Paths of Uprightness = A way of life that reflects God’s character and follows God’s law. (Images God) Ways of Darkness = A way of life that rejects God’s character and God’s law. (Images Satan) |
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Intelligence Gathered • The evil man abandoned the paths of uprightness. (No longer images God)
• The evil man chose the ways of darkness. (He images Satan)
• He rejected a life that reflects God’s character.
• He chose a life that distorts God’s image.
• He is no longer moving toward God’s purposes.
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Intelligence Report #3 |
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Proverbs 2:14 (KJV) 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Rejoice and Delight reveal what a person loves and celebrates. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The evil man enjoys doing evil.
• The evil man celebrates wicked behavior.
• He approves of others who practice wickedness.
• His values are opposed to God’s character.
• He encourages the very things that distort God’s image in people.
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Intelligence Report #4 |
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Proverbs 2:15 (KJV) 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: Crooked = Bent away from God’s design and direction. (not imaging God) |
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Intelligence Gathered • His way of life is distorted.
• His direction is away from God’s design.
• His path is unreliable and deceptive.
• He is leading people away from reflecting God’s character (image).
• His influence threatens God’s image bearers.
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Final Threat Assessment Report Based on all intelligence gathered from Proverbs 2:12–15:
1. Which kingdom does this man represent?
2. What is his character like?
3. What method does he use to recruit others? Hint — vrs 12 — not his way but his W_ _ _ ’s.
4. What should Wisdom’s Protection Protocol be? This could include:
• Removing or limiting the man from contacting me.
• Educating me on his way’s and his words.
• Exposing the lies and danger of his message.
• Equipping me to make sound and Biblical decisions about this man that protect the image of God in me.
• Reminding me of the dangers of not imaging God.
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GROUP INVESTIGATION #2The Strange Woman |
Assignment
Pretend you are part of my Secret Service protection detail. Proverbs 2:16–19 is the intelligence report you have just received about a potential threat. Your job is to analyze the intelligence and determine:
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Intelligence Report #1 |
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Proverbs 2:16 (KJV) 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
Strange Woman = A woman who has departed from God’s design and God’s law. (no longer images God)
Flattereth = Speech designed to entice, persuade, or lure someone into accepting what God forbids. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The threat has been identified as the strange woman.
• Her primary weapon is her words.
• Her words are designed to persuade and entice.
• Her words appear to be a tool she can use to recruit others into the kingdom she serves.
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Intelligence Report #2 |
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Proverbs 2:17 (KJV) 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Guide of Her Youth — The phrase “guide of her youth” refers to the husband she married when she was young. God established marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman. A husband and wife are to live together, serve God together, and remain faithful to one another. Solomon describes a married woman who left her husband and committed adultery. She broke the marriage covenant she made before God. She chose sexual relationships outside the marriage God established.
Covenant of Her God — A covenant is a binding promise made before God. Marriage is a covenant. A husband and wife make promises to one another before God and commit themselves to lifelong faithfulness. Solomon says this woman forgot the covenant of her God. She abandoned the promises she made to her husband and to God. She chose sexual sin instead of covenant faithfulness. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The strange woman left her husband and committed adultery.
• The strange woman broke the marriage covenant she made before God.
• She rejected God’s design for marriage.
• She chose sexual sin over covenant faithfulness.
• She exchanged a life that reflected God’s faithfulness for a life that distorted God’s image.
• Her influence encourages others to do the same. And she uses her words to entice others to follow her example.
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Intelligence Report #3 |
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Proverbs 2:18 (KJV) 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
Death = The destruction and ruin that result from rejecting God’s design and God’s law. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The strange woman’s path leads toward destruction.
• Her influence threatens God’s image bearers.
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Intelligence Report #4 |
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Proverbs 2:19 (KJV) 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. Paths of Life = A way of life that reflects God’s character, follows God’s law, and fulfills God’s purposes.
God created mankind to image Him. Solomon warns that those who follow the strange woman lose their grip on the paths of life. Her influence pulls people away from God’s character, God’s law, and God’s purposes. |
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Intelligence Gathered • The strange woman’s influence derails people away from the paths of life.
• Those who follow her stop living the life God designed for them. (imaging God)
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Final Threat Assessment Report Based on all intelligence gathered from Proverbs 2:16–19: 1. Which kingdom does this woman represent?
2. What is her character like?
3. What method does she use to recruit others? Hint: According to verse 16, what does she use to persuade and entice people?
4. What should Wisdom’s Protection Protocol be? This could include:
• Removing or limiting contact with the strange woman.
• Educating people about her words and influence.
• Exposing the dangers of her message.
• Equipping God’s image bearers to recognize and reject temptation.
• Strengthening commitment to God’s design for marriage and sexual purity.
• Reminding God’s image bearers of the consequences of abandoning the paths of life.
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CONCLUSION |
Today we learned that wisdom functions like a personal protection detail assigned by God to His image bearers.
Wisdom does not merely react to danger. Wisdom identifies threats, exposes them, warns us about them, and helps us make decisions that protect our ability to image God.
In Proverbs 2:12–19, Solomon identified two threats to God’s image bearers.
The evil man attempts to recruit people through words that oppose God’s truth. He abandoned the paths of uprightness, walks in darkness, delights in evil, and leads others away from God’s design.
The strange woman uses flattering and persuasive words to entice people away from God’s design for marriage, faithfulness, and purity. Her path leads to destruction and pulls people away from the paths of life.
Although these threats appear different, they share the same objective. Both seek to pull people away from God’s character, God’s law, and God’s purposes.
Wisdom protects us by exposing these threats before they gain influence in our lives. Wisdom teaches us to recognize dangerous people, dangerous influences, dangerous words, and dangerous paths before they damage our ability to image God.
As God’s image bearers, our responsibility is to listen to wisdom, follow the paths of life, and remain faithful to God’s design so that our lives accurately reflect the character of the God we represent.
APPLICATION |
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Protect the image of God in you.
• Identify people and influences that pull you away from God’s character.
• Reject people who encourage you to disobey God’s law.
• Avoid relationships that distort God’s image.
• Build relationships with people who help you reflect God’s character and fulfill God’s purposes.
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Before allowing someone to influence your life, ask: “Will this person help me image God or distort the image of God in me?”
Wisdom identifies the threat. Our responsibility is to follow Wisdom’s Protection Protocol. |
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