1. What benefits are there to casting out scorners [scoffers; mockers]?
Contention and strife cease: “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease” (Proverbs 22:10).
Nehemiah 13:23-28, Proverbs 26:20-21, and I Corinthians 5:1-8.
Scorners are an abomination to men (Proverbs 24:9).
2. Are those who love pureness of heart ever appreciated by anyone?
Yes, kings (righteous king is implied; cf. Proverbs 29:27, John 7:7, and John 15:17-18): “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend” (Proverbs 22:11).
Smart Kings will befriend the righteous (Proverbs 14:35, Proverbs 16:13, and Acts 7:9-10).
We should all have pure hearts (Psalms 24:1-4, Matthew 5:8, I Timothy 1:5, Hebrews 10:22, and I Peter 1:22) and we should be with them who have pure hearts (II Timothy 2:22).
3. Is it the words of knowledge or the words of the transgressor that the Lord overthrows?
He overthrows the words of the transgressor: “The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor” (Proverbs 22:12).
For one, the eyes of the Lord are everywhere (II Chronicles 16:7-9 and Proverbs 15:3).
Knowledge is key for us (Colossians 1:10, I Timothy 2:4, and II Peter 1:2)
The words of transgressors will not stand (II Timothy 3:8-9; cf. Proverbs 11:6).
Transgressors will be destroyed (Psalms 37:38, Proverbs 2:22, and Isaiah 1:28).
4. Do slothful individuals make excuses not to work?
Yes: “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets” (Proverbs 22:13).
Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 24:30-34, and Proverbs 26:13-16.
One is not serving the Lord if they are lazy (Romans 12:11).
5. What kind of man falls into the mouth of a strange woman?
The kind of man the Lord abhors: “The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein” (Proverbs 22:14).
Strange women lay traps (Proverbs 5:3-21, Proverbs 7:1-5, and Proverbs 23:27).
The kind of man that falls for strange women (a man that sins and follows the lust of the flesh – Matthew 5:27-30 and James 1:13-16), is the kind of man that the Lord abhors (Psalms 11:4-5, Proverbs 15:26, Proverbs 16:16-19, and Proverbs 28:9).
The Lord allows fools to fall into the traps of their desires (Psalms 81:10-12).
6. How do you get foolishness out of a child?
The rod of correction: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15).
Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 1:8, Proverbs 3:12, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 22:15, Proverbs 23:13-14, Proverbs 29:15, Proverbs 29:17, Ephesians 6:1-4, and Hebrews 12:7-9.
7. Is it a good idea to oppress the poor so that you can increase your own wealth?
No: “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want” (Proverbs 22:16).
Psalms 12:5 and Proverbs 14:31.
Those truly poor should be taken care of (Deuteronomy 15:7 and Proverbs 19:17).
Notice this: “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psalms 41:1).
More on this in our next context too (Proverbs 22:22-23).
8. Is it a pleasant thing to hear the words of the wise and to apply your heart to knowledge?
Yes: “(17) Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. (18) For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips” (Proverbs 22:17-18).
It is pleasant to hear the words of wisdom (Psalms 119:103, Psalms 119:162, Proverbs 24:13-14, and Jeremiah 15:16).
We want the kind of wisdom that points us toward God (Proverbs 2:1-5 and Proverbs 5:1-2).
The word of God is our source of wisdom (Psalms 119:130, Psalms 19:7, and II Timothy 3:15-17).
9. In whom will we trust when we hear true wisdom?
The Lord: “That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee” (Proverbs 22:19).
Our own wisdom causes us to trust in ourselves (Isaiah 47:10).
Yet, our salvation comes from trusting in God (Isaiah 12:2).