Proverbs 12:17 ESV Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A17&version=ESV] This proverb seems like a truism or a tautology. A tautology, of course, is a tautology, and we can’t get much out of them. Proverbs 12:17, though, points out a truth very important to all parts of…
Proverbs 12:16 ESV The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A16&version=ESV] Ignoring an insult is generally harder than you’d wish. Sometimes, thankfully, it’s a glancing blow, ill-aimed to get past your defenses. More often than we’d like to admit, though, the insults, intended or not, make…
Proverbs 12:15 ESV The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A15&version=ESV] Nobody knows everything, but some folks are awful certain they do indeed have that privilege. We’ve all met them, and sometimes, to our everlasting shame, been them from time to time. Unfortunately,…
Proverbs 12:14 ESV From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A14&version=ESV] To say that God rewards the just and punishes the wicked is nearly banal. The question of how He does so, in contrast, is all too often…
Proverbs 12:13 ESV An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A13&version=ESV] This verse continues the themes of the previous verse and of much of Proverbs: the self-destructive nature of evil and the fundamental consonance of righteousness with God’s world. These two tendencies are far…
Proverbs 12:12 ESV Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A12&version=ESV] The wicked man does not produce; he steals. His love is the spoil, and spoil cannot be made, only stolen. Wickedness is, after all, antithetical to God, and therefore antithetical to the Dominion Mandate…
Proverbs 12:11 ESV Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A11&version=ESV] Mankind loves to be the center of attention, and mankind hates to work. These two truths come together to make ‘worthless pursuits’- carnal, empty entertainment, flashy stunts, get-rich-quick schemes, and more- to make…
Proverbs 12:10 ESV Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A10&version=ESV] To have mercy for the weak is not natural. Mankind may feel pity, it is true, and kindness is hardly unknown to him, but these are mere impulses, washed away with…
Proverbs 12:9 ESV Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A9&version=ESV] The famous words of Milton’s Satan encapsulate the common sentiment of man’s pride: “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven” (Paradise Lost Book 1, Line 263). Fallen man loves to lord himself…
Proverbs 12:8 ESV A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A8&version=ESV] Men of twisted minds seem to be the most successful sort. After all, who walks the halls of power? Who squabbles over the ‘Top Ten Wealthiest ____ in the World’ spots? Who do all…