17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the Lord tests hearts.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs
rather than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
to pervert the ways of justice.
24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
(ESV)
Acts 3
Acts 2
Acts 1
Luke 24
Luke 23
Luke 22
Luke 21
Luke 20
Luke 19
Luke 18
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?
This verse just strikes down a lot of people in the whole world. I would say over the whole population of earth that almost everybody loves money. But here in this verse God is taking those foolish people down who have no desire to get wisdom. There is no use for money if you do not want to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I would rather get a bunch of wisdom from the Lord, than get a 1000 dollars or more. I would much rather have a relationship with Christ and go to heaven than have a 1,000,000 dollars. Now to most people, they would think I am crazy, but I am right in wanting to have a relationship with the Lord. People will usually choose money over Jesus Christ and have no care for any wisdom. Money isn’t going to help anyone get wisdom or any personal relationship with the Lord and that just goes to show how many people are selfish and greedy in this world.
13 If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house
This verse reminds me so much of Romans 12:21, because instead of giving evil for evil, we need to overcome evil with good! Because if the light in us is darkness, how great is that darkness!!! We need to keep an eye on our selves and make sure we don’t get soft, which is what my new blog is about :)
New blog if anyone is interested
10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Wow. This verse stuck out at me. One little rebuke to a wise man means more than a huge punishment to a fool. One hundred lashes is a lot of whipping, but still it is less heeded in a fool than one rebuke to a wise man. If we want to be wise, we should accept rebuke and not have to be punished big time just to learn what we could’ve learned by listening to rebukes from our friends.
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
This is so true! If someone is a good listener and they don’t say anything foolish they come off as a smart, discerning person. Whenever people talk too much without listening, there’s always a danger of saying something foolish, falling into gossip, or generally looking self-absorbed.
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
The Lord refines us. Psalm 66:10 says ,”For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” God sees the heart, He sees our innermost thoughts, desires and motivations that only we know. May our hearts be pure before Him and may we seek to be refined from the inside out by the Lord.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
This verse paints a pretty vivid picture in my mind. Too many quarrels are started over trivial matters just because everyone involved has to make sure they get their point across and come out victorious. When our pride and the desire to be right take priority over our discernment and good judgement, the results can often be disastrous. people’s feelings are hurt, relationships are strained, and most likely nothing was even accomplished. So instead of starting or getting involved in quarrels, we need to hold our tongues and show discernment, for as Proverbs 10:19 says, “Where words are many, sin is not absent.”
This chapter brings back a LOT of memories for me. Unfortunately, my sister and I didn’t always get along very well and my parents frequently quoted this verse to us:
9 He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
So many arguments between my sister and I could have been completely avoided if I had acted on this verse! It can be so difficult to love our siblings when they are being irritating, but that’s exactly what God calls us to do. Has someone done something to offend you? Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek! Has your brother/sister done the same frustrating thing over and over again? Cover over the offense and turn to God for strength!
There were a lot of verses about conflict and arguing that caught my eye.
A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
We should be checking our words to see if we use restraint or if we are being fools who love to quarrel. If the latter is true, then we love sin. We need to ask God to help us in this matter and help us not to sin in our speech. I am reminded of James 3:5 “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!” There is so much power in what we say that we need to be wise and keep careful watch over our words. Use words to build others up, not tear them down.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
This verse has always jumped out at me! I remember using it when I was teaching Kids ministry back in the day! Picture how scary it would be to see an angry grizzly bear thinking you had stolen her child. Yikes! Now picture a non-Christian friend who lives a lifestyle of sin and wants you to join in. This proverbs is saying that your non-Christian friend is more dangerous than the wild bear. A good visual to consider!
Hope to see everyone at Salt Creek Beach tonight from 5 to 9!
Dude Matt Crane I totally agree! I thought of that passage in Romans as well when i was reading that verse.
Oh and i sam so checking out your new blog!
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
Wow. I need to memorize this verse. I’m always starting a quarrel with Sarah or my little brother and it’s never good. I need to drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. The same goes for everyone! :)
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Then Papi is always telling me that “silence is gold”. Now i get it. Gracias Papi! I’m glad I have Christian friends and my parents that surround me to correct my mistakes. :)
Nice comment Mike! That is so true!
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.
When we are being stupid or foolish, it not only affects us, but also the reputation of our parents and it also affects the people around us. This verse reminds me of Titus 1:6 “An Elder must be blameless…a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” So, a qualifaction for being an elder back in the early church was having Christian kids who actualy lived like Christians, unfortunatly this isn’t realy a requirement anymore in certain churches =(. So the next time we act stupid or are tempted to sin we need remember who ae are representing, our parents and God, and how it will afect others.
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?
I agree with what Shane said. Today, so many people are interesting in materialistic things. They just want more and more. This verse shows that they have no desire for wisdom. THis verse is convicting to me because I know I can get caught up in the materialistic trap so easily. I need to desire to get wisdom because that will last longer than anything material.
:)
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
I was thinking the same thing Bobby! A mad bear wanting her cubs is a dangerous thing, and it compares it to non-Christians being unwise and in sin!
I’ll be back here on Sunday! God bless!
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him
We need to do what our parets say and do what is right. They tell us to do things for a good reason and disobeying them is foolish. We are supposed to bring joy to our parents not burden them. Being foolish is good for nothing. Foolishness only destroys you and brings oppression to your parents. So lets go and bring joy to our parents!!!
20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
of all the verses in this chapter, this one hit me the most. the tongue controls us, and it really shows what’s in their hearts. i used to have a horrible mouth and cuss all the time, and it showed that i wasnt ready to change. but the Lord did great things in my life and now He changed me and my tongue is clean and pure for the most part, like my heart. it is so important we watch what we say because not only are non-Christians waiting to see us fall, but we should be an example to new Christians and to non-believers.
I love this whole chapter because God is basically saying how the foolish will fail, but the wise will succeed. God’s words are very strong and powerful, especially this one: 16) “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” I thought about this one..& realized how true it is and how wise God is.
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
I would rather be a man with knowledge and understanding than how the fool is described in this chapter. There is a big distinction between the two and when I choose my words wisely I will be a better light to the unsaved.
Bobby that was a solid comment!
I was kinda thinking the same thing as him…it would be really scary to see an angry bear coming at you, and I wouldn’t normally think that hangin’ with a non-Christian friend is that dangerous, but it is.
Verse 5 really stuck out to me, It reminds me that we don’t have the right to look down on someone because of the way they act or how much stuff they have. We need to see people as either saved or not saved.
10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Wow, being lashed a hundred times and still not getting it that they’ve done something wrong. We need to make sure that are hearts are humble and teachable and that we respond with change rather than bitterness when someone shows us our wrong, or we will stay in our sin like fools.
Once again Proverbs brings it. Overall this was a really good chapter but i really liked verse 17.
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
I like this alot cause it just says what a true friend is. Like a friend is not just a friend when evrything is good and happy. A friend is there for you when things are tough and not so good. When you are done and lonely. So i just hope that i am like this to all of my friends.
10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
It is important to accept rebuke from our friends, because it teaches us a lot. We dont want to respond badly towards it.