Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

What fruit will our words produce? Proverbs 12:14  A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.  Words really do matter and this text helps us to remember this truth. Today, it seems like everyone is in a mad rush to share their opinion on almost any subject via the internet and social media platforms. Many people mindlessly blurt out an endless stream of thoughts, words and ideas without thinking, in order to be heard. We live in a modern Tower of Babel where conflicting, confusing, chaotic & loud voices reign supreme.  Yet, God promises to send His peace into our hearts and to love us unconditionally.  The born again believer in Jesus Christ is not called to live a life that is governed by  confusion, chaos and turmoil.   We can be satisfied with good by the fruit of our mouths. We have already learned of the many great benefits derived by working productively w...

Good morning on this Lord's Day. The link below is Pastor Alvis' sermon for today titled "I Shall Not Want" which come from Psalm 23 but his sermon is from the Good Shepherd text of John 10.  Please pray for our church ministry as we seek to spread the gospel of Christ in our area during this pandemic.  Also, I urge you if you ever have the opportunity, please stop in to visit our church in Smithville, Ohio. Our website is heritagechurchohio.org and has directions. Current services are 10:30 AM on Sunday and 7:00 PM on Wednesdays. May our souls be revived and refreshed on this Lord's day. Bob

We have a group of texts in this post that present various contrasts that we can learn from. Proverbs 12:9  He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.  Here is a man who is looked down upon by other people. They mock or scorn him and he is lightly esteemed by most. Yet, he has a servant which implies that even though the man is looked down on by many people, he has worked hard enough to need a servant to help in his labors and to assist him in managing his goods.  This disrespected man is better off than the self conceited man who brags about himself and takes advantage of people all the time. The man who brags and boasts constantly does not have a good work ethic and fails to provide for his own basic needs of food, clothing & shelter. You see the irony of a man telling others how great he is and the listeners hearing him boast while knowing that he lacks the essentials of life. It completely underc...

Today we move into Proverbs 13. This is an interesting chapter packed full of sharp contrasts that make effective points. We have the righteous man and the virtuous woman placed in contrast to wicked people and fools.  The Divine Name Jehovah is the only name of God to appear in this chapter and it appears only one time. Remember that Jehovah is the covenant making, promise keeping God who always does what He says He will do. He is the unchanging God who inhabits eternity but dwells with those of humble hearts and contrite spirits. He alone is the source of lovingkindness.  We will see the contrasting characters and different outcomes of each kind of person.  Proverbs 12:1  Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.   The first verse of Proverbs 12 sets up all the remaining contrasts in this chapter. The righteous man loves instruction and knowledge.  The man who loves instruction.  Psalm 32:8...

  I pray that each of you will have a day filled with joy and blessing in your hearts because you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and King.  We visited our granddaughter's family yesterday and I was amazed at the dense carpet of vividly colorful leaves covering their front yard. Shapes, sizes and colors varied and ranged from deep gold mixed with burnt orange to deep red or a vivid yellow gold mixed with shades of coral.  I share this with you to encourage each one of us, no matter where we live, to pause, look around at all the creation and goodness of God so that we might worship and praise Him.  Scattering and Holding Back.  Proverbs 11:24  There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.    Solomon taught his children a very simple  and understandable truth in this section. It paints a picture of agricultural  practices that they were very familia...

Today we learn about another ideal person set before us by King Solomon. This is the merciful man. This man is the male counterpart to the gracious woman we studied in the last post.  The Merciful Man Proverbs 11:17  The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.  18) The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.  19) As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.  20) They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.  21) Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.  King Solomon introduced the merciful man to his son. The merciful man stands in contrast to the wicked, evil, froward man and as such, the merciful man is set forth as an ideal man that all men should desire to be like. He...

Proverbs 11:16  A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.  Proverbs 11:22  As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.  As we get deeper into Proverbs 11 we are introduced to two ideal people, one a woman and the other a man. First, we meet the gracious woman. She is comparable to the moral purity and ideal standards represented by the personification of Wisdom. The word "gracious" is most often translated "grace" and an example is right before the flood where the Bible says "But Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8). A gracious woman is a woman who has heard the gospel and responded by faith. In New Testament terms we would say she has believed on Jesus Christ and has been born again. She has tasted salvation and the grace of God in her life. She retains honor. The word "honor" is almost always translated glory, specifically the glory of God. The idea that ...

  Wise counsel is very much needed.  Proverbs 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.  This is one subject that comes up many times in the book of Proverbs so in this case, I think we can understand it best by grouping all these texts together. The subject is good counsel for God's people.  As King, Solomon certainly had many counsellors and advisors within his administration. Some where military advisors, some functioned like project managers, some were financial advisors and some were judges regarding legal matters. Most important were the spiritual advisors like the Levites and scribes. He certainly knew the value of having good advice from wise people and this is at the heart of these texts.  Solomon brought a sound principle before us when he stated that people fall where there is no counsel. The word "counsel" means one who gives good advice, wise counsel, sound guidance and Godly direction in ...

Proverbs 11 depicts the contrasting character of the righteous person and wicked person. Generally, the righteous person follows a clear path based upon the wisdom of God. They are delivered from their troubles and are generous with their time and resources. They are a true blessing to their families and are a beneficial, stabilizing influence in their neighborhood or community. The righteous man is guided by integrity and is shaped by God's eternal truth.  In contrast the wicked hoard their money selfishly to themselves but wealth cannot save them. The wicked are a curse to their families and are a detriment to their neighborhood or community.  They face certain punishment from God and will not be delivered because of their unbelief and willful rejection of God's truth. The wicked are full of deceit because they refuse wisdom from God's eternal truth.  Deliverance for the Righteous; Punishment for the Wicked. Proverbs 11:4  Riches profit not in the day of ...