Proverbs 12: Sometimes It is Best Not To Speak

When I was younger I had a tendency to speak on a subject even when I knew nothing about it, just so that I could fit it or join in a conversation. Sometimes it worked, I guessed right, or the other people did not know anything about the subject either, so I was able to sound smart. Most of the time though, I found myself in a horrible situation where I had been caught making up things to sound smart. I of course got routinely made fun of for these incidents, all because I would open my mouth when I shouldn't have.

Surprisingly enough the Bible speaks to such things like this in verse 23: “The shrewd person conceals knowledge, but foolish people publicize folly.”

I was publicizing folly, and boy, was it obvious. If I had kept my mouth shut, no one would have known that I did not know anything about the topic at hand. That is what this verse says. How often is it better that we keep our mouths shut?

Proverbs 11: Honesty is the Best Policy

It can be a temptation to cheat, whether in school or at a job. Opportunity may arise where you would be able to get away with doing the wrong thing, stealing money, or taking your friend's answers on a test, and you need to be determined before hand how you will respond to such a situation.

In verse 18 of this chapter Solomon says: “The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.”
Also, in verse 1 he says: “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his delight.”

Being honest is very important and it is something that God values very highly. He hates (or detests) dishonest dealings, and he delights in honest dealings. This means that you should keep all of your dealings as honest as possible whether in work or in school.

Proverbs 10: Do You Enjoy Making Wicked Plans?

There can be a certain thrill to scheming, as you make up your plans to trick your parents and others as you engage in behavior that you should not. Some people find this enjoyable.

Verse 23 of this chapter says: “Carrying out a wicked scheme is enjoyable to a fool, and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment.”

So fools enjoy wicked plans and wise people enjoy discernment, but what is the end result of each option?

Verses 24-25 say: “What the wicked fears will come on him; what the righteous desire will be granted.
When the storm passes through, the wicked are swept away, but the righteous are an everlasting foundation.”

Whenever you are scheming, you may be worried that you will be found out. Sometimes you are, but God always knows about your scheming, and your fears will come true. The wicked will not be able to weather the storms whereas a righteous wise person’s foundation is secure.

Proverbs 9: How Do You Respond to Correction?

This is a very important question that we need to all answer.  How do you respond to correction?

I know in the past there have been times when I found it difficult to be corrected.  I was prideful, and I was wrong, and ultimately I needed to be corrected.

If you find that it is difficult for you to listen to correction then you are not wise.  This is not to say that every single time you are corrected the other person is right, but you should consider what the person is saying, and make the necessary changes if he is right.

Listen to what Solomon says in this chapter in verse 8: “Do not reprove a mocker or he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.”

If you try to correct a mocker, an unwise person who preys on others, they will not be happy with you and will actually hate you. If you reprove a wise person, he will appreciate it.

Are you a mocker or are you a wise person? How do you respond to correction?

Proverbs 8: Do You Value Wisdom?

Wisdom is the ability to know what is right and wrong, and to know how one should act in certain situations. Is this something you value? Is this something that really want?

Verse 11 of this chapter says:“For wisdom is better than rubies, and desirable things cannot be compared to her.”

Rubies are very precious stones which are worth a lot of money. A single ruby is worth thousands of dollars, and was of even greater value at that time. Solomon is telling us that we should value wisdom more than we value money or material possessions. Why? Well, if you think about it, you can have all the money in the world, but if you do not know how to use it wisely, what is the point?

Proverbs 7: You Will Find It If You Look

We often put ourselves in a position that will cause temptation and lead to sin. We allow ourselves to be put in situations with people of the opposite gender where we are going to be tempted to sin sexually. In some ways it is like we are looking for sin, or at least trying to see how close we can come to it without falling into sin.

This does not only apply to sex, but in other areas as well. For instance, some people want to go to parties where a lot of people are drinking, yet they say they do not want to drink. This is getting dangerously close to sin. This chapter is written so that we would avoid sexual sin. It is written so that we would avoid even being tempted by such sin and instead would flee it. It might appear to be fun at the time, and sin can be seductive, but we need to run away from it.

Verses 8-9 say, "and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house."

The man is heading to the prostitute's house. He is seeing how close he can get to sin, and in the end he falls into it. Let us not be like him, but instead flee from sin.

Proverbs 6: Take Right and Wrong Seriously

Proverbs 6:20-21 says, “My child, guard the commands of your father and do not forsake the instruction of your mother. Bind them on your heart continually; fasten them around your neck.”

You have been taught right from wrong, many of you by your parents. You should listen to the wise instruction you have been given and take it very seriously. “Bind them on your heart continually” means that you should always remember them and make sure that you do them. “Fasten then around your neck” has the idea of making sure that you take them so seriously that it is like you have them with you all the time.

Proverbs 5: Sex, Gods Way

Sex is good, as long as it is done God's way. Notice in verse 18 it says, “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in your young wife.” You should rejoice in your spouse and celebrate your spouse when you get married. That is sex God's way, but there are other ways that are not God’s way and are wrong and lead to destruction.

Notice the beginning of this chapter where it says, “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (verses 3-4). The wrong way is to have sex with anyone to whom you are not married. If you continue on reading you will see that verse 8 tells you to stay away, and not even to get close to this type of sin. The best way to do this is to not put yourself in a situation where you might start to think sexual thoughts, and in this way you can avoid the temptation.

Proverbs 4: Walking in Darkness

We all know what is like to get up in the dark and have to go to the bathroom, only to stub your toe five times on the way. We know that walking in the dark can be dangerous, and this is the illustration that Solomon uses to describe living life like the wicked do: “The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; they do not know what causes them to stumble” (vs. 19).

When walking in the dark, you do not even know what it is you just kicked. (Was it the cat or a stuffed animal?) Living a sinful life and following sinful men is dangerous and will cause damage. In contrast, walking righteously is described like this: “But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light, growing brighter and brighter until full day” (vs. 18).

Proverbs 3: Are You Wise in Your Own Eyes?

Some people think that they are wise. They think they are just doing fine without any input from anyone else, whether that other person be God or an older human being. They scoff at someone trying to help, and instead think they can live life on their own, in their own way, and they are wise in their own eyes.

Proverbs 3:7 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” The essential point of this verse is that wisdom comes from God, not from us. If we fear (respect) God and turn from evil, then we will have wisdom. Notice though, that we have to listen to what God says.  We are not wise, but He is.

Proverbs 2: Where is Your Wisdom Coming From

What is influencing your opinion on things? Where are you getting your ideas about what is valuable? Where are you turning when you need to know what is right or wrong?

Some people turn to the media. They look at the values that rich and famous people have, and they assume that that is the correct way to live, and then they try to live that way. 

Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”

Wisdom comes from God. If we look anywhere else other than to God to figure out how we should live or what we should do, then we are looking in the wrong place.

Seriously consider where your wisdom is coming from. If it is coming from anywhere other than God it is not coming from the right place, and you will not be living wisely.

Proverbs 1: Is this for You?

Proverbs 1

Is this for you?

Is the book of proverbs a book for you? This question is answered in verse 4.

The author of Proverbs (a king named Solomon) says, “to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—” (ESV)

Now I’m not saying you are "simple," but you are a youth. Discretion and knowledge are important things. They help us know right from wrong and good from bad.

This book was written so that you, a youth, might know how to live your life.

So how do we gain wisdom or discretion? King Solomon also answers that question:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV)

So, fear (or reverent respect) is the beginning of this knowledge of good and evil. Our options are simple: we can know God, and respect Him and begin a journey towards wisdom, or we can despise wisdom and instruction and be labeled a fool.

So I hope you join us as we go through the book of Proverbs, and gain wisdom that can only come from God and His Word. Every day in January we will read a chapter of Proverbs, and their will be a short devotional thought on this blog.

I hope you will join us on this journey into wisdom!

(note: This is the same post from January 1st last year.  The others will be new, but I could not find a better way to start the Good Book Before Facebook Challenge than this!)

Proverbs 31: The Godly Woman

I want you to take a moment and think about the woman described in this passage.

Women, does this in any way, shape, or form describe you?  If it doesn’t, this should be a model to you. Stop emulating the people that might be cool, stylish, or attractive. Instead emulate this woman who is a hardworking woman, who made a great wife for this man. She is of extreme value to him and to the kingdom of God

Men, does this describe the girl you're looking for in the future when the time comes?  If not, then you need to reevaluate what you are looking for. You might be looking for a girl that is stylish or pretty, but if she is not morally upright and hard working, is that the type of girl you want to spend your life with? Or are you looking to just have fun at the expense of a broken heart? Test yourselves men, and save yourself for a woman like the one described in this passage.

Proverbs 30: Prayer

Do we pray like the author of this chapter?

In verses 7-9 he prays: “Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

This man asks to be neither rich nor poor. For if he is rich, he may think he doesn’t need God, and if he is poor, he may be tempted to steal. He asks all of this for the sake of the name of God--not his own greediness, but for the glory of God and how people will respond to God.

Do we pray in this manner or do we pray selfishly?

Provers 29: Justice

Though the government is ordained by God, and we are supposed to obey it, we should not look to it for perfect or complete justice. Even the greatest kings or politicians are far from being perfect in their judgements. We should not be dreamers who think the next big political thing is going to solve our problems; only God can do that.

Verse 26 states, “Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.”

Ultimately, justice will come from God. When Jesus returns to this earth he will judge justly as only God can.

Proverbs 28: Confess Your Sin

Verse 13 says something that we do not like to hear. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

We like to hide our sins; we even try to hide them from God. This verse is saying instead of hiding our sins, we need to confess them, say that they are wrong, and not do them any more. 

This is a harder way to live, since in and of ourselves we would like to assign blame and make excuses. However, this verse says we will be shown mercy if we confess and forsake our sins, but bad things will happen if we dont.

Proverbs 27: Getting Sharper

Verse 17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." 

What this means is that those we are with will affect us. We will be sharpened by those who are doing what's right and weakened by being with those who do wrong. Iron sharpens iron, and Christian sharpen other Christians.

Do you find yourself continually hanging out with people who bring you down spiritually? Then stop it, and instead hang with those who will sharpen you and push you to do better.  Spend time with those who push you closer to Jesus, rather than those who push you farther away.

Proverbs 26: Eating Vomit?

There is a verse in this chapter that is gross.

Verse 11 says, “Like a dog who returns to is vomit, is a fool who returns to his folly.”

Ever done something foolish? And then done it again? And again? The Bible says that doing this is like a dog that goes back and eats his own vomit.

This is a habit that we have to break. We will find ourselves slipping up and falling back into the same pits over and over again. You would think we would learn, but we don’t always. We need to break this habit, and realize the foolish things we do are like vomit.

Proverbs 25: Repay Meanness with niceness

Our immediate response to someone who is mean to us is to be mean back. This often causes the conflict to escalate and get much worse than it would have been had we responded in a different manner.

Verses 21-22 of this chapter are very interesting: "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

The idea is be nice to your enemies. If you are nice to your enemies you may bring them to change their attitude because of what you did and how you responded. You, as a Christian, could help bring them to God by your actions of kindness in the face of their unkindness.

Proverbs 24: Authority

Do you have trouble respecting authority?

American teenagers are sometimes (sadly) known for disrespecting authority. Are you disrespectful of your parents, police officers, or teachers?

There may be peer pressure to be disrespectful because some people think it's cool to be disrespectful. Well, one thing we see in the book of Proverbs is an encouragement to respect God’s authority and the authority of the King. We must remember that God is sovereign ,and for this reason we must respect the laws of the land and do as they say.

Verses 21-22 say, "My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?"

Judgement awaits us if we do not listen to the authorities God has placed over our lives.  Let us remember that.