Proverbs Lesson 8: Wisdom & Money

Lesson 8

Wisdom & Money

1. Solomon recognized the pitfalls of both wealth and poverty. Fill in the blanks below from Proverbs 30:8-9. 

       “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I 

     be full and deny you and say, `Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal and 

     profane the name of my God.”

2. Based on your reading, what do you think is the overall tone of the proverbs 

    concerning money? 

    __positive     __ negative    __ neutral  Some answers may vary. However $ is neutral--it's how we use this "tool" that matters. 

3. Read Ecclesiastes 7:14. What additional insight do you gain from this passage about a 

    proper perspective on finances? Answers may vary

God is in control of it all. 

Fleeting & Limited Nature of Money

4. Look up these proverbs and draw a line to match them to the description of what riches 

    cannot do: 

    Proverbs 11:4---------Profit in the day of wrath

    Proverbs 11:4     V      Give lasting hope

    Proverbs 11:7         ^  Deliver from death

    Proverbs 11:28--------Hold you up, make you flourish

    Proverbs 19:4   V       Give distinction before the Lord

    Proverbs 22:2        ^  Sustain true friendships

    Proverbs 27:24--------Last, even to next generation 

5. Apply: Think of two specific things money cannot buy that you have learned personally to 

    value more than riches. Write them below.

Peace--joy/happiness    Answers may vary

Generosity Versus Greed

6. Write a definition, description, or synonym for each word:

    Generosity

  

    Greed

7. Look up Proverbs 11:23-25. What contrasts do you find in this passage?

11:23: Righteousn = Good                            Wicked ends in wrath

11:24: give = is richer                                    Withhold = suffer want

Poverty & Injustice

8. Fill in the blanks from Proverbs 31:8-9.

“open your mouth for the speechless, for the rights of all who are 

  destitute. open your mouth, judge  righteously, plead

the cause of the poor and needy.”

Apply: Practically, what do you think it looks like to open your mouth and defend the rights of 

            the poor and needy? How can this include more than just words?

answers may vary

Business Ethics: Honesty, Just Scales, Lending, Bribes, & Hasty Gain 

9.  What does God call an abomination in Proverbs 11:1?

   “dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His 

     delight.”

10. What is the warning in Deuteronomy 16:19? What damage can bribes do?

Harms the innocent       Answers may vary

11. What does Proverbs 22:7 teach about the position of one who borrows? What is the 

      warning? 

answers may vary                                  You will become the slave.

12. Apply: Look up Romans 13:8. How does this verse give us a picture of what we should be 

      focusing on?  How can financial debt hinder us from a life that He has called us to?

Answers may  vary                         It can limit what we want to do for the Lord because we have 

                                                       mortgaged ourselves to someone or something else. Focus 

                                                       is on love.