Proverbs 12:24 ESV The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A24&version=ESV] Proverbs is full of harsh truths, truths many people enjoy forgetting. Laziness leads to ignominy and forcible hard work. Diligence leads to prosperity and authority. These truths are not without exception; they are patterns,…
Proverbs 12:23 ESV A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A23&version=ESV] Why does Proverbs tell us that prudent people conceal knowledge? Such concealment seems dishonest, almost; shouldn’t they be forthright in sharing what they know? Lying is wrong. We all know this. Concealing knowledge, though, is not lying. Not…
Proverbs 12:22 ESV Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A22&version=ESV] To be an abomination before the Lord is no small thing. The deeds of the Canaanites, which God called ‘abominations’, were the foundation for God’s judgement of that land. As Deuteronomy 18:25 says, “……
Proverbs 12:21 ESV No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A21&version=ESV] Well, here’s one that seems patently untrue. Good people get hurt a lot; wicked people get rich a lot. The problem with that interpretation, though, is a mistaken understanding of ‘ill’ and a consequent misunderstanding of ‘trouble’. The…
Proverbs 12:20 ESV Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A20&version=ESV] This verse sets up an antithesis: deceit and evil versus peace and joy. The contrast, on a very basic level, seems obvious. It’s bad things against good things. That overview is true, but…
Proverbs 12:19 ESV Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A19&version=ESV] The sovereignty of God means that the good guys are going to win; more precisely, it means that our good Lord is going to win. After all, if He is with us, who can hope to stand…
Proverbs 12:18 ESV There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A18&version=ESV] Let’s start things off with a bang. “… The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the…
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,…