Proverbs 12:25-28

verse 25: “Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.”

Anxiety. Extreme worry and/or concern. It can become so encompassing, it affects your whole body. It can interfere with your thinking. Such an emotion can cause you to become physically ill, to literally feel as if you have the entire world on your shoulders. It can drag on you like an anchor; it can pull you down to your knees. My wife and I have a friend who is going through such anxiety right now. Our hearts hurt for her and her family during this time.

But sometimes when you are brought low, when you are brought to your knees…that’s where you’ll find God waiting to help. Let me quote a “glad word” here for you: John 3:16. Another one is specifically for anxiety: Matthew 6:25-34. When you find anxiety crowding your every thought…think on Jesus. Jesus never said the Christian walk would be easy, but He did say He’d be there with us.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 12:23-24

verse 23: “A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.”

Former President George Bush once used the words “wouldn’t be prudent” in a speech; this quote gets used a lot by people lampooning or imitating him. It’s become of those memorable quotes you recall about famous people. But what is prudence?

Merriam-Webster.com defines prudence as: “1: the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason 2: sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs 3: skill and good judgment in the use of resources 4: caution or circumspection as to danger or risk ”

On page 215 of my Holman concordance on Proverbs is a deeper discovery about prudence: though the second word ‘arum is the one used here, the other definition is sakal, describing a positive character quality. “The person with this kind of prudence can think through a complex situation and determine a course that displays practical common sense.” The other word ‘arum is also used here in a good connotation. However in “other parts of the Scripture, this word group usually refers to the shrewd or crafty behavior of a person who schemes to harm others.”

Solomon here is referring to a wise man who thinks things through, who doesn’t just blurt out the answer without consideration first. The fool, on the other hand, always rushes blindly in, proclaiming to have the answer. I once dealt with a recruiting agent who tried to line me up with a job opportunity. Though the opportunity was good by itself, there were many factors to consider, to think through, and most importantly, to pray through. The recruiter tried to rush me into a decision; he said he had to know something now. So I then told him the answer was no, that I will not be rushed into such a major life-changing decision without proper consideration and prayer to God for guidance.

God gave us a brain to think things through. God also gives access to His wisdom, for those who will seek Him.

Have a blessed day!

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Proverbs 12:15-22

verse 15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”

I have a friend who got divorced from her husband some time back. Every so often I hear from my friend on how she and her current husband are having difficulties in dealing with lack of child support from her ex-husband. The entanglements of dealing with child support are difficult enough, but this ex-husband continues to see his way as the right way, despite the ruling of judges who have ruled in favor of the ex-wife. This man continues to protest and to wrangle that he is in the right, despite all evidence to the contrary and legal rulings that will soon lead to him serving some jail time. He just doesn’t get it.

Solomon is referring to such individuals here. The fool thinks he is right; he says the ship is sailing clear, despite all evidence that it’s going down! A wise man is one who listens to counsel, especially in areas where he is not as learned, or in areas (like law) where he needs guidance. The best counsel for the Christian, obviously, is Jesus! It is sad that sometimes, people miss the obvious, like one who can’t see the forest for the trees.

Something to think about today.

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Proverbs 12:11-14

verse 13: “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.”

When I was a child, I used to love to watch television. I was fascinated by the detective and crime shows; some that stick out in my mind include the courtroom dramas where the hero lawyer not only defended his/her innocent client, but got the guilty party to confess right there in the courtroom! Of course, this was just fictional television; things like that don’t always happen in real life.

Solomon here though is referring to the words and speech of such people. The evil man’s lies will always entrap him. The righteous never have to worry about such problems. I’m reminded of an old adage that I have heard from parents about lying, that goes something like this: a lie always demands another lie to cover it up…the truth doesn’t need that many words.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 12:7-10

verse 7: “The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand.”

My Holman concordance had a cross reference to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-27. I’ll let you look that up for yourselves, but I’ll also give you a hint. Even before I opened the concordance, I knew this verse reminded me of a familiar Vacation Bible School song that goes something like this:

The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.

And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood fast.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.

And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand went SMASH!

Coincidence? No. God-incidence? Yes. 🙂

Have a blessed day!

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Proverbs 12:4-6

verse 4: “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones.”

I knew a couple once; I will not mention names. He was an upstanding member of the community; she seemed to be a good wife, and they had nice children. Her behavior, though, led to shame for him and his family. She betrayed him through an affair, and what’s worse, her behavior spiraled out of control, causing him much personal heartache. Their family became the subject of many whispered rumors and gossip. Even though he stood by her through the criminal proceedings she went through, he did later divorce her to move on with his and his children’s lives.

Solomon speaks here of an excellent wife being “the crown of her husband”. Proverbs 31 goes into great detail about the characteristics of an excellent wife. If husband and wives were true to each other and the roles and responsibilities that God has given us, there would be a lot more shining examples of marriage and family in the world today…and a lot less tarnished crowns.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 12:1-3

verse 1: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.”

“Stupid” is one of those words we try to make sure our sons don’t use flippantly. We even referred to it as the “s” word when they were younger. As they got older, we showed them how you could call an act “stupid” (“man, I tripped on my own 2 feet, that was stupid.”), but tried to stress not to call somebody stupid.

I must confess, I thought it interesting that the verse used the term “stupid”, so I checked my wife’s KJV. That translation reads “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.” My Holman commentary states that the “attitude adopted leads either to knowledge or stupidity, a dull-minded state like that of an animal.” Merriam-Webster.com defines “stupid” as “1 a : slow of mind : obtuse b : given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner c : lacking intelligence or reason : brutish”

The bottom line is that, for one who loves knowledge, they will delight in instruction and suffer discipline to gain that which they seek. Like any prize worth attaining, there is some sacrifice, but the rewards are worth it.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 11:28-31

verse 28: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.”

“Having money is legitimate, but trusting money is foolish.” That’s the first sentence the Holman concordance has for the section referring to this verse. It is an accurate statement. Having money itself is not wrong. Unless you are totally self-sufficient, you need money to purchase basic necessities to live: food, drink, shelter, even transportation. That’s is why the majority of human beings have some sort of occupation…to make a living.

It’s when you put your ultimate trust in riches that you will fall. There are some things money cannot buy. I’m reminded of the old story about a rich man who dies and tries to enter Heaven with his earthly riches (he had his money converted to gold bars). When he opens his bag to show St. Peter what he wants to bring with him, the angel looks in the bag and says, “Pavement? You want to bring pavement with you?”

I think the words of the old hymn, “I’d Rather Have Jesus” say it best (here courtesy of the website link http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Id_Rather_Have_Jesus/:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

Have a blessed day!

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Proverbs 11:22-27

verse 22: “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”

My family was involved in showing 4-H steers and heifers, when I was younger. We even took a year to try showing hogs in 4-H.
Showing hogs was interesting. You didn’t put a halter on them to lead them around, like you would cattle. You used a type of riding crop-like rod to guide them by tapping them on the left or right side of their heads. You still had to clean them up, bathe them, and get them presentable for the hog show. Of course, once you got home after the show, and put the hogs back in the barn, they’d head right back to the mud!

A ring of gold (something beautiful) makes no sense in a swine’s snout (a pig being….well, a pig!). Solomon draws that parallel to a beautiful woman (physical beauty) having no moral discretion (making her ugly). Man tends to judge things by their outward appearance in most cases, but God always looks at the heart.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 11:16-21

verses 16, 18: “A gracious woman attains honor, And violent men attain riches.” “The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.”

As with some of the Proverbs, I’ll come across a verse that doesn’t seem to make immediate sense. The pairing of a gracious woman and violent men doesn’t seem to naturally fit to me. My Holman concordance and my Bible footnotes point to this gracious woman as a “quiet” woman; that reminded me of one of the facets of my wife’s personality.

In my workplace, I’m often involved with meetings with aggressive personalities. Though the meetings are orderly, they can sometimes get boisterous and loud, with several folks vying to be heard. Unfortunately, I tend to bring work habits home sometimes; thus my wife pointed out that I was “running over” her side of conversations, whether within the family or whether we had guests. She was right; her nature is more of a quiet, humble spirit (one of the many things I admire about her!). I apologized, and I strive today to always make sure her voice is heard in conversations.

Since we’re talking about aggressiveness here, Solomon is referring to the “brute force” methods (Ryrie footnote) of those who want to “get all they can now”…those who strive to gain material possessions with all the drive they can muster. However, such a material-driven reason will only yield material wealth…it can never attain the true reward that sowing righteousness can. Remember, one of the things that paper money, stock certificates, and chaff have in common: they all go “poof” when tested by fire.

Something to think about.

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