Proverbs 13:2 ESV From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A2&version=ESV] We talk a lot. We speak to friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, ourselves, nobody in particular, and most importantly, God. We speak, and most of the time we pay little…
Proverbs 13:1 ESV A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A1&version=ESV] Modernity doesn’t like fathers. To this culture, the father is a bigoted idiot, a bumbling if well-intentioned obstacle, or a Machiavellian tyrant, whom the children must evade and outwit in order to do what they…
Proverbs 12:28 ESV In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A28&version=ESV] Can a man once saved be assured that the salvation is permanent? To say yes, many argue, is rank presumption; to say no, their opponents argue, is insulting the sovereignty of God and the truth…
Proverbs 12:27 ESV Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A27&version=ESV] The image of a man deciding not to eat because cooking is just too much work is legitimately funny, but we’ve all had similar impulses. We’ve all considered (or gone through with) leaving the…
Proverbs 12:26 ESV One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A26&version=ESV] The power of a good- and a bad- example seems obvious to all of us. We imitate what we admire, and as we imitate it, we are shaped by that imitation.…
Proverbs 12:25 ESV Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A25&version=ESV] Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. The book of Proverbs has a way of stating truths we all know with clarity we often lack. Being…
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…