Six months before Calvary the Lord uses the Good Shepherd allegory to portray salvation and the new church order. Here is the contrast between Satan's 'shepherds' and the Lord. Here also is the call of the Gospel, and the gifts of salvation bestowed by Christ.

Here are eight consecutive graphic proverbs presenting distinctive aspects of sanctification: the need for a plan, the special guarding of appetites and words, fleeing pride, fearing indolence, being outgoing, keeping utmost sincerity in worship, applying Truth, and being ever-correctable. These powerful helps explored.

Bandits raiding the trade routes of the biblical world paid a price in wounds and death at the hands of militia. Solomon applies their lifestyle to the spiritual cost of disdaining the Lord. Here are the blessings lost by neglect, or gained by coming to Christ.

Here are six influences to be resisted: things that intoxicate (not only alcohol), peace and acceptance, the love of strife, the love of comfort and convenience, untested dreams and plans, and inner self-justification. Here also are the biblical ways of defeating them.

Despite the intellectual brilliance of the human race, we are capable of great foolishness in our dismissal of God, as King David points out. Here are the reasons why we suppose that God keeps no account of our lives, and all that we lose by this thinking.