He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. [Proverbs 18:22] The two great passions of mankind are marriage and death. In ‘marriage’ is gathered not merely itself but family, sex, and all relationship with our fellow man, all authority and cooperation, the smallest thing which society is…
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. [Proverbs 18:21] James 2 is the standard passage for pressing home the power and danger of the tongue, but God didn’t wait till the New Testament’s latter half to give us that knowledge. In the Garden,…
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…
While we may not turn back the overall wave of AI (Artificial Intelligence) impact on our lives, awareness of its dark side of its use by teens can save lives. Teens have easy access to AI interfaces and are subject to an increasing mental health crisis. The result has already taken the lives of a…
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…