Session 22 • Proverbs 22
Name, Path & Debt — Theme 4: Outcomes
Proverbs 22 ties together reputation, formation, and financial wisdom. A good name is worth more than riches, children are trained into paths that stick, and debt quietly makes the borrower a servant.
Scripture should always be read first in your own Bible, with prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit for understanding. North & Narrow’s notes are created with the help of technology and reflect a fallible, interpretive layer. Use this program as a supplemental guide, not a replacement for Scripture itself.
What today is about
Proverbs 22 shows how early choices and quiet habits shape long outcomes. It contrasts a good name with mere wealth, warns about the grip of debt, and calls for deliberate training and careful company. The wise think in decades, not just days.
- A good name and God’s favor are worth more than silver and gold.
- Paths are formed early—training directs future steps.
- Debt rearranges power: the borrower becomes a servant to the lender.
Section 1 — A Good Name & Humble Foundations (vv. 1–2, 4)
Proverbs 22:1–2, 4 (KJV)
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Explanation (v.1): Character and reputation before God and people are more valuable than financial wealth. What you are and how you are known outweigh what you own.
Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
Explanation (v.2): Social and economic differences are real, but under them all stands one Creator. Before the Lord, rich and poor are equally His workmanship.
Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Explanation (v.4): Lasting “riches” and honour grow from humility and reverent fear of the LORD. The life that matters most is rooted in worship, not self-exaltation.
Section 2 — Formation, Foresight & Debt (vv. 3, 6, 7)
Proverbs 22:3, 6, 7 (KJV)
Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Explanation (v.3): Prudence looks ahead, sees danger early, and takes shelter. The unthinking walk straight into harm, and bear the consequences.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Explanation (v.6): “Training” pictures consistent shaping in a way or path. Early formation sets patterns that tend to persist into later life.
Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Explanation (v.7): Debt is not neutral; it creates a power relationship. The lender holds leverage, and the borrower becomes a kind of servant, constrained by obligation.
Section 3 — Generosity, Speech & Company (vv. 9, 11, 24–25)
Proverbs 22:9, 11, 24–25 (KJV)
Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Explanation (v.9): A “bountiful eye” looks for chances to share. God’s blessing is connected to open-handedness toward those in need.
Proverbs 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
Explanation (v.11): Inner purity and gracious speech open doors, even with those in authority. What is in the heart shapes the tone on the lips, and that tone gains trust.
Proverbs 22:24–25 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
Explanation (vv.24–25): Prolonged closeness to uncontrolled anger shapes your own reactions. Company is contagious; walking with a furious person pulls you toward their patterns.
Recap — Proverbs 22 (Key threads)
- A good name and God’s favour are better than great riches (v.1).
- Humility and fear of the LORD are the true foundation of honour and life (v.4).
- Formation and foresight matter: early training and early warnings shape future paths (vv.3, 6).
- Debt creates a servant relationship; financial choices quietly move power (v.7).
- Generosity, pure heart, and wise company all steer long-term outcomes (vv.9, 11, 24–25).
Today’s practice — Shape the path, shrink the pull of debt
Aim: Honour God with your name, paths, and financial choices. This session especially supports the Finance • Wood (no new entangling debt) and Relationships • Wood (wise company) medallions.
Quick — Today (5–10 minutes)
- Write one sentence: “The kind of name I want before God and people is…”
- Identify one small debt-shaping choice today: skip a non-essential purchase, or choose a lower-cost option.
- Pray briefly over Proverbs 22:1 and 22:7, asking God to guard both your name and your future choices.
Medium — 7 days (“Path & Payments”)
- List all recurring payments or debts (even small ones) in one place.
- Mark any that feel like they quietly make you a “servant” (v.7) rather than serving wise goals.
- For one week, choose one recurring expense to reduce, cancel, or renegotiate, and record each step you take (email, call, plan).
- End the week noting: “Here is one way my future path is slightly freer than last week.”
Deep — 30 days (“Formation & Company Reset”)
- Choose one “formation lane”: (a) your own financial habits, (b) how you are influencing someone younger, or (c) the company you keep most.
- Define a 30-day experiment: for example, “No new unsecured debt; one simple money conversation with a younger person each week; one boundary with consistently angry company.”
- Each day, write a one-line log: “Today’s small action toward a wise path was…”
- After 30 days, summarize in 5–10 sentences how your path, name, or sense of freedom has shifted.
Comparative lenses — Other wisdom echoes
Aristotle — Habits & the “Mean”
Aristotle’s picture of virtue as a stable habit between extremes fits Proverbs 22’s formation focus. “Train up a child” assumes repeated practice in a “way,” much like Aristotle’s idea that character solidifies through countless small choices, not isolated decisions.
Confucius — Ren, Li, and a Good Name
Confucius emphasizes ren (humaneness) and li (right conduct) as the basis of a trustworthy reputation. Proverbs 22:1, with its focus on a good name over riches, parallels the idea that integrity in relationships and roles matters more than outward success.
Socrates — Examining the Life You Are Forming
Socrates presses for an “examined life,” asking what kind of person we are becoming. Proverbs 22 invites similar questions: What path are my habits and debts forming? Am I freely choosing, or slowly becoming a servant in ways I have not faced honestly?
Buddha — Craving, Attachment, and Freedom
In Buddhist teaching, craving and attachment create suffering and entanglement. While the worldview differs from Scripture, Proverbs 22:7 and 22:17–21 share a similar warning: love of pleasure or grasping for more can quietly bind a person. Wise limits and contentment move toward greater freedom, not less.
Closing prayer (optional)
Lord, thank You that a good name before You is worth more than riches. Teach me to walk humbly, to see danger early, and to make choices that free rather than bind. Guard me from debts and company that pull me away from Your wisdom, and help me form wise paths for myself and those I influence. In Jesus’ name, amen.