Proverbs 13:12 ESV Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A12&version=ESV] God created man to desire. Primarily, He created man to desire Him, to love and adore Him; as a consequence of that love, though, He also ordained that we should love each other, should love…
Proverbs 13:11 ESV Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A11&version=ESV] Money made quick goes quick. It’s not a universal rule- this verse is descriptive, not prescriptive-, but the trend holds true. If I made money quickly, I’ll be more prone to spending it quickly, because I…
Proverbs 13:10 ESV By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A10&version=ESV] Listening is a skill most humans find unpleasant to learn. Generally speaking, one’s own opinions are much more interesting than everybody else’s, unless they’re agreeing; generally speaking, being too fond of the sound of one’s own…
Proverbs 13:9 ESV The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A9&version=ESV] One central theme of the book of Proverbs is the superiority of the eternal to the temporary, of that which is God’s to that which is man’s. This proverb continues the trend, highlighting the…
Proverbs 13:8 ESV The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A8&version=ESV] Being rich is dangerous. People are envious, and people are greedy. Some people will take the direct route to the wealth: kidnap-and-ransom, violent theft, or (if they’re particularly envious) murder-and-loot. Some take a more…
Proverbs 13:7 ESV One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A7&version=ESV] As soon as a man got hold of one pretty rock, he immediately showed it off and told all his brothers that he actually had two shiny rocks, the second was just a…
Proverbs 13:6 ESV Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A6&version=ESV] In the ultimate account of the world, righteousness, the true righteousness which comes from God, is a guard, a protection, to the man whom God loves; vice, conversely, brings about the downfall of the wicked. Therefore, the man…
Proverbs 13:5 ESV The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A5&version=ESV] Hate is the great crime of modernity. Racism, anti-homosexuality, anti-transgenderism, and a whole host of other sins against modernity (e.g. bigotry) revolve around hate, around not being loving. After all, ‘love is love’. That position is evil. To hate…
Proverbs 13:4 ESV The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A4&version=ESV] That sloth breeds poverty and diligence plenty is not surprising. We often, however, forget about the more important results of sloth and diligence: the respective impoverishment and enrichment of the soul. Sloth…
Proverbs 13:3 ESV Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A3&version=ESV] Let’s pick up where we left off last week. The second standard, beauty, is the question, ‘Does this person have a right to this information; is this the proper time and place to tell…