• Proverbs 1:7-33; 8-9
• Wisdom’s call to salvation (Proverbs 1:8-33)
  • The voice of instruction (Proverbs 1:8-10, 15-19)
    • Don’t walk with the wrong crowd (Proverbs 1:15-19)
    • Don’t play with temptation – it’s a trap (Proverbs 1:17)
    • When you disobey God, you harm others (Proverbs 1:18-19)
  • The voice of temptation (Proverbs 1:11-14)
    • Proverbs 3:13-16; 16:16
  • The voice of salvation (Proverbs 1:20-33)
  • Where does wisdom speak?
  • To whom does wisdom speak?
    • Simple – Proverbs 14:15
    • Scorners – Proverbs 21:24
    • Fools – Proverbs 1:22
  • What does wisdom say to them?
    • Indictment – Proverbs 1:22
    • Invitation – Proverbs 1:23
  • How do the simple, the scorners, and the fools respond to wisdom?
    • Isaiah 55:6
• Wisdom’s call to true wealth (Proverbs 8:1-36)
  • “You can trust my words” (Proverbs 8:6-9)
  • “You can receive true wealth” (Proverbs 8:10-21)
    • Hear the word, receive instruction, love truth, seek God
  • “You can see my works” (Proverbs 8:22-31)
  • “You must make a decision” (Proverbs 8:32-36)
• Wisdom’s call to life (Proverbs 9:1-18)
  • Preparation - Proverbs 9:1-2
  • Invitation – Proverbs 9:3-9
  • Celebration – Proverbs 9:10-12
  • Condemnation – Proverbs 9:13-18

• Proverbs 1:7
  • The beginning: the first and controlling principle
• Wisdom – Uses the mind, heart, and soul (Matthew 22:37)
  • Ephesians 5:15
  • Begins with the right relationship to God.
  • Believes that God is THE Creator and Ruler.
  • Believes that there is a moral law emanating from God.
  • Wisdom is not something that is theoretical. It is very practical and affects every area of life.
  • It gives order and purpose to life.
  • It gives us the ability to deal with adversities of life.
• The first and controlling principle
  • Proverbs 9:10
• The fear of the Lord
  • We acknowledge from our hearts
    • He’s the Creator, we’re the creatures.
    • He’s the Father, we’re His children.
    • He’s the Master, we’re the servants.
    • We respect God for who He is, and listen.
    • We show reverential fear.
    • We fear God’s commands – the way we treat our Bible is the way we treat God.
  • The affectionate reverence by which the child of God lends himself humbly and carefully to his Father’s Law.
  • It is a holy watchfulness and fear that we don’t sin against Him because we desire to please Him in all we do.
  • Proverbs 1:1-6
• Keys to learning
  • The phrase “my son”
  • The imperatives “hear” or “hearken”
  • The assurance of life for the obedient

• What did the Pharisees believe? (continued)
  • High degree of dedication to law and prophets
  • Held oral traditions as equally important
    • Interpretations by noted rabbis
    • Given and relayed by word of mouth
    • Committed to writing around 70 AD and after
    • Pharisees developed many purity rituals that went far beyond the law. They taught that purity rituals the law required of priests must be followed by all in case a priest ate with someone who had not purified themselves and became unclean.
      • Matthew 15:1-11; 23:25-26
      • I Peter 2:4-5 – The priesthood is no longer physical. Holiness is not outward but inward.
  • Positions developed in schools of law
    • Hillel – humane and lenient
    • Shammai – strict and severe
  • Good motivation, misguided methods
    • Talmud: seven kinds of Pharisees
      • Shouldering Pharisee – wears good deeds on shoulder (Matthew 6:5)
      • Delaying Pharisee – makes everyone wait while he does a good deed
      • Bruised Pharisee – walks into a wall to keep from looking at a woman
      • Pestle Pharisee – walks head down in false humility
      • Ever-reckoning Pharisee – keeps mental balance sheet of good and bad deeds he has done
      • Fearful Pharisee – in constant fear of God
      • Loving Pharisee – loves God and seeks to keep His commandments
• Some specific beliefs
  • Purification applies to all – Mark 7:1
  • Interpretation
  • Resurrection of the dead
  • Divine intervention
  • Hellenism
  • Free will of man
  • Inspiration of oral Torah, Talmud, Mishnah
  • Spiritual beings – Colossians 2:18-19
• Essenes
  • Pharisees on steroids
  • Believed in spiritual afterlife, but no resurrection
  • Considered temple eternally impure – did not eat meat
  • Most lived communally – I Timothy 4:1-5 could be referring to Essenes
  • Best-known community was by Red Sea
    • Dead Sea Scrolls believed to have been written by Essenes
  • Refused to recognize proselytes and descendants
  • Marriage
    • Some groups practiced celibacy
    • Some required 3-year engagement before marriage
• Communal life
  • No ownership or property or servants
  • Three-year probation period for new members
  • Shared many beliefs with the Pharisees
    • More meticulous about purification rituals
    • Held to the Torah, Talmud, and Mishnah
  • Similar groups in behavior, but not in belief
    • Nazareans – law and prophets were fraudulent
    • Ossaeans – much like Nazareans
• Sadducees
  • Probably named for Zadok
  • Upper-tier priests – Acts 4:1-2; 5:17-18; John 1:19-24
  • Ruling class
• First appearance as political force
  • Supporters for Onias III
  • Much of the priesthood joined in
• Pharisees often prevailed in public matters

• Introduction
  • Ecclesiastes 7:29
  • Hebrews 2:14
  • Romans 5:12
• Divine
  • God, the Father – John 3:16; Romans 5:8
  • Christ – John 19:10; Ephesians 1:7
  • Holy Spirit – John 14:26; 16:13
  • Grace – Ephesians 2:8; Titus 3:7
  • Gospel – Romans 1:16; I Corinthians 15:1-4
  • Church – Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:23
    • Christ bought the church with His blood, which puts the church on the divine side. Any other church besides the one Christ bought with his blood is not Christ’s church!
• Human
  • Hear – Romans 10:17; John 6:44
  • Believe – Acts 16:31; Hebrews 11:6
  • Repent – Acts 17:30
  • Confess – Romans 10:10
  • Baptized – Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16
  • Study – II Timothy 2:15; Ezra 7:10
  • Serve – Philippians 3:14-15; I John 1:7
  • Teach – Acts 8:4; Matthew 28:20
  • Be faithful – I Corinthians 15:18

• Jeremiah 25:11; 29:8-10
• II Chronicles 36:19-21

1st Deportation

Jeremiah 25:11-12

605 BC

2nd Deportation

Jeremiah 29:10

597 BC

3rd Deportation

II Chronicles 36:21

586 BC

1st Return

Ezra 1:1-3; Large group led by Zerubbabel; Ezra 1-6; Temple rebuilt

538-535 BC

2nd Return

Ezra 7:28; Large group led by Ezra; Ezra 7-10; Reforms

458 BC

3rd Return

Nehemiah 2:5-11; Nehemiah (group unknown); Book of Nehemiah; Wall rebuilt

445 BC

• How to make a comeback:
  • Get back to God (read and pray)!
    • Ezra 7:10 – Set your heart to study, do, and teach.
    • Ezra 8:15-17 – How did Ezra know he needed Levites? By studying God’s word!
    • Ezra 8:21; 9:6 – Ezra prayed for help from God and confessed their sins.
    • Acts 8:34, 22 – Read God’s word and pray!
  • Deal with your enemies!
    • Ezra 4:4-7; Nehemiah 4:1-6; 6:15-16 – Nehemiah and the people were demoralized by enemies, but they built the wall anyway.
    • Nehemiah 4:4; 5:19; 6:11-14; 13:14, 22, 29-31 – Nehemiah was looking to the future.