How to Be Truly Happy, 5 Moral Lessons From Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs was written thousands of years ago but still has timeless wisdom and moral lessons for all ages. The book is steeped with advice on how to handle many situations which arise in life.

Solomon, who wrote the book as a way to leave behind some advice to his son was also well aware his wisdom could be used by anyone of any age at any time. Here in this Hub are some of the moral lessons from the Book of Proverbs including verses on using wisdom correctly, the true nature of work, adultery, greed and being careful with your tongue.

The book of Proverbs is full of moral lessons about wisdom. Why, you might ask? It is because Solomon knew even though he had more wisdom than any one else he did not use that wisdom correctly or morally.

In an effort to help his son and others not make the same mistake he did he wanted to impart the fact the wisest move to make is to listen to God and His wisdom.

• Proverbs 10:21 "The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."
• Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:"
• Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."

The first two verses deal with the the idea that only fools do not listen to the right wisdom. The last verse talks about the source of true wisdom, God. In an effort to help his son and others not make the same mistake he did he wanted to impart the fact the wisest move to make is to listen to God and His wisdom.

Wisdom is not about knowing how to live the a moral life. Wisdom is using the knowledge you have gained in order to make the right decisions.

Proverbs also offers various moral lessons on the value of work. The chief end of man is to earn money. Our forefathers new the value of putting in a hard days work to earn your pay. This helped you appreciate more of what you had around you.

Today however more effort is put into doing as less as possible to earn the most money. Some who are able to work even go so far as to depend on others to pay there way.

• Proverbs 14:23, In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
• Proverbs 20:13, Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.
• Proverbs 22:29, Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings;He will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs teaches us all about the moral value of doing an honest days work in order to earn a paycheck. There is no honor in stealing from others whether it is not utilizing work time wisely or refusing to work for what you have around you.

The Book of Proverbs has a lot to to say about and family and marriage and the sanctity of marriage. Jesus reiterates in Mark 10:9, God view on marriage, "and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but on flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Long before Jesus, Solomon had a lot to say about marriage fideltity.

Proverbs 12:4,"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 18:22, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 5 - 7, My son pay attention to my wisdom turn your ear to my words of insight that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;

The moral of Solomon's words in these verses and many others is this, when you find a good woman, or for women a good man, make every effort to keep them happy. They are a gift from God.

Solomon for all his wisdom was still overcome by greed. In his reign as king he accumulated all wealth, wives and more power than he could handle. Jesus was later quoted in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?"

Solomon new the power of greed to take over a life. He penned the following Proverbs among others as a warning to everyone who would later read them.

Proverbs 1:19, "So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. ... Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Proverbs 28:25, "A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched."

Proverbs 28:22, "A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him."

The moral of these verses is to not horde you wealth but use what you need and help out those who are less fortunate with the rest.

Solomon knew the power of words. He used his words to pen three books of the bible, make treaties and to try and keep his kingdom running. Still he also knew the power of words to destroy. He penned many Proverbs about the power of the tongue. Here are three.

Proverbs 16:24, "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body."

Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Proverbs 21:23, Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

The moral of all these verses is don’t let your mouth get you in trouble. Be careful of your tongue. James the brother of Jesus would later write, "James 3:5-9, "It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

There you have them. 5 of the many moral lessons which can be found in the book of Proverbs. The Book Of Proverbs is a book for its time as well as any time. Read it and learn.