Proverbs 13:17 ESV A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A17&version=ESV] “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,” declares Isaiah 52:7, and we can all understand the sentiment. When someone comes to tell us good news, we are glad to see them,…
Proverbs 13:16 ESV Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A16&version=ESV] We’ve all been a bit to quick to the trigger at times. We’ve spoken before thinking, acted before considering, agreed before understanding. Sometimes it works out. Often it doesn’t. This proverb points out the dichotomy between the foolish…
Proverbs 13:15 ESV Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A15&version=ESV] Stories are the fundamental way people understand reality. Math and numbers may describe reality, but for the human mind, stories define reality. In other words, math is setting; stories are setting, plot, character, and theme combined. Thus,…
Proverbs 13:14 ESV The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A14&version=ESV] Dramatic Bible verses are hardly uncommon, but this one should grab our attention: what are these ‘snares of death’? They could be literal, theological, eternal, or any other of a…
We live in a paradoxical age, a time when information is more available to the average person than ever before in history, yet the truth seems more elusive than ever. Multiple factors play a role in creating this volatile and anxiety provoking situation. Together these factors challenge even the most diligent of truth seekers, while…
Proverbs 13:13 ESV Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A13&version=ESV] We don’t like listening to authority. Well, we do, but only when it tells us things we like. Unfortunately, because man is sinful, the only authority he tends to like is that which…
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…