From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. [Proverbs 18:20] Modernity is the domain of the expert. In the eyes of many, white lab coats ought to rule the world, deciding policy in government and running the church and regulating precisely how…
A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. [Proverbs 18:19] Strong relationships hold strong, and when they break, they break like a thigh bone forced into a Z-shape: badly, brutally, and apparently irreparably. Few relationships are as strong, at their base and in their…
The lot puts an end to quarrels and decides between powerful contenders. [Proverbs 18:8] People are a study in contradiction. On the one hand, we tend to want control, to decide what happens to us and to everybody else. On the other hand, we hate responsibility, in our fallen state; we strongly dislike the realization that…
The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. [Proverbs 18:17 ESV] Getting both sides of the story is an absolutely essential part of argument and judgement; it’s also something we are heavily inclined to not do. We get a first impression, and we stick with it, for…
A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. [Proverbs 18:16 ESV] One principle of reading Proverbs is recognizing that recognition is not endorsement. The way things are is often not the way they should be. Proverbs deals with reality; Proverbs teaches us to deal with reality. Reality includes, thanks…
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. [Proverbs 18:15 ESV] Fire does not burn without fuel; smoke does not rise without fire. Every result has a prerequisite and a cause, leading back to Him and His decree, the ultimate cause. Human wisdom, ingenuity, and achievement has as one of…
A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? [Proverbs 18:14 ESV] A heart attack can be triggered by shock, spiritual triggering physical. Anger or despair can be elicited by a long-running injury, physical triggering spiritual. In daily life, a ray of light, impacting the eye, can cause the spirit to…
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. [Proverbs 18:13 ESV] The classic error in math, the one that plagues me at least, is swapping one sign for another. Subtraction becomes addition, addition becomes multiplication, a negative number becomes positive. On multiple choice tests, too, my constant bane is…
Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. [Proverbs 18:12 ESV] We all know that humility is good. The next question doesn’t have quite so clear an answer: what is humility? Often we equate it with self-debasement or self-effacement, the reduction of my own claim on the world. Such a definition,…
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination. [Proverbs 18:11 ESV] We attach great importance to the here and now. The past and the future often fall out of sight, all our thought turned to the foreground. Then the past comes into focus, the future arrives, and…