A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 14:4

Proverbs 14:4 ESV Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A4&version=ESV]   No food means no people, so we have to get food. The process of getting that food, however, has some icky bits. For ancient Israel, it was the ox, with its…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 14:3

Proverbs 14:3 ESV By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A3&version=ESV]   Ever said something you really, really shouldn’t have? We’ve all done it, me not the least, and we’ve all regretted it, sometimes five seconds later, sometimes (the worst times)…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 14:2

Proverbs 14:2 ESV Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A2&version=ESV]   Why do people sin? Generally, we default to two different explanations: some people want to do things more than they care about morals, and some people want to do things without realizing those…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 14:1

Proverbs 14:1 ESV The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A1&version=ESV]   Folly is much easier than wisdom; unfortunately, it has side effects: sin, self-destruction, and judgement, just to name a few. Wisdom, though it is difficult, can produce enduring legacies of virtue and prosperity (spiritual,…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:25

Proverbs 13:25 ESV The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A25&version=ESV]   Despite the words of this proverb, a fairly large number of Christians have starved to death, whether by persecution or mishap. Of course, that’s hardly proof of its falsity; properly understood, this verse is…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:24

Proverbs 13:24 ESV Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A24&version=ESV]   Being a parent, I am given to understand, is difficult (though I have no personal experience as yet). Whether it’s worry about your kids, frustration with their foibles, fear over your own inadequacies,…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:23

Proverbs 13:23 ESV The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A23&version=ESV]   Oppression, governmental, criminal, or otherwise, is a common event in human history. Power corrupts, and those with power prey upon those without. Historically, perhaps the most common form of societal weakness is poverty,…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:22

Proverbs 13:20 ESV A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A20&version=ESV]   The wealthiest people on earth, at least in modern times, tend to be incredibly sinful. Whether it’s Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos or George Soros or Xi Jinping or any…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:21

Proverbs 13:19 ESV Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A21&version=ESV]   To those who have read this blog series before, the theme of this verse will not be unfamiliar. The world is canted towards virtue; God’s creation despises vice. These two truths, sides of the same coin as they are, run…

A Bible open to proverbs with authorial attribution to Colson Potter in bottom left

Proverbs 13:20

Proverbs 13:20 ESV Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A20&version=ESV]   We judge people for the company they keep not just because it speaks to their current moral tastes but because we know that it will have an impact on how their morals develop in the…