Posted on 02/16/2014 12:10:10 PM PST by OneVike
Wisdom Is Better Than Gold
01 The preparations of the heart belong to man,
00 But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
02 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
00 But the LORD weighs the spirits.
03 Commit your works to the LORD,
00 And your thoughts will be established.
04 The LORD has made all for Himself,
00 Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.
05 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
00 Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
06 In mercy and truth
00 Atonement is provided for iniquity;
00 And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
07 When a man's ways please the LORD,
00 He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
08 Better is a little with righteousness,
00 Than vast revenues without justice.
09 A man's heart plans his way,
00 But the LORD directs his steps.
10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
00 His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 Honest weights and scales are the LORD's;
00 All the weights in the bag are His work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
00 For a throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
00 And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king's wrath,
00 But a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of the king's face is life,
00 And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
00 And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
00 He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
00 And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
00 Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
00 And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
00 And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
00 But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
00 And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
00 weetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
00 But its end is the way of death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
00 For his hungry mouth drives him on.
27 An ungodly man digs up evil,
00 And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
00 And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
00 And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
00 He purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
00 If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
00 And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
00 But its every decision is from the LORD.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs by Solomon is to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary,
everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity,
ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise
sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in
positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without
wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions.
Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God';s guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead
chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31
Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have less than 31 days, I just double so I can begin the next month with
Proverb 1 on the first again.
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
00 Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
All in agreement say AMEN
Amen!
Amen, and Amen
AMEN!
Proverbs, chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
1Plans are made in human hearts,
but from the LORD comes the tongue’s response.*
2All one’s ways are pure* in one’s own eyes,
but the measurer of motives is the LORD.a
3Entrust your works to the LORD,
and your plans will succeed.
4The LORD has made everything for a purpose,
even the wicked for the evil day.*
5Every proud heart* is an abomination to the LORD;b
be assured that none will go unpunished.
6By steadfast loyalty guilt is expiated,
and by the fear of the LORD evil is avoided.*
7When the LORD is pleased with someone’s ways,
he makes even enemies be at peace with them.
8Better a little with justice,
than a large income with injustice.
9The human heart plans the way,
but the LORD directs the steps.* c
10An oracle is upon the king’s lips,
no judgment of his mouth is false.*
11Balance and scales belong to the LORD;
every weight in the sack is his concern.d
12Wrongdoing is an abomination to kings,
for by justice the throne endures.e
13The king takes delight in honest lips,
and whoever speaks what is right he loves.f
14The king’s wrath is a messenger of death,g
but a wise person can pacify it.
15A king’s smile means life,
and his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.*
16How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is preferable to silver.* h
17The path of the upright leads away from misfortune;
those who attend to their way guard their lives.*
18Pride goes before disaster,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19It is better to be humble with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud.i
20Whoever ponders a matter will be successful;
happy the one who trusts in the LORD!
21The wise of heart is esteemed for discernment,
and pleasing speech gains a reputation for learning.
22Good sense is a fountain of life to those who have it,
but folly is the training of fools.
23The heart of the wise makes for eloquent speech,
and increases the learning on their lips.
24Pleasing words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the taste and invigorating to the bones.
25Sometimes a way seems right,
but the end of it leads to death!j
26The appetite of workers works for them,
for their mouths urge them on.* k
27Scoundrels are a furnace of evil,
and their lips are like a scorching fire.
28Perverse speech sows discord,
and talebearing separates bosom friends.l
29The violent deceive their neighbors,
and lead them into a way that is not good.
30Whoever winks an eye plans perversity;
whoever purses the lips does evil.*
31Gray hair is a crown of glory;m
it is gained by a life that is just.
32The patient are better than warriors,
and those who rule their temper, better than the conqueror of a city.n
33Into the bag the lot is cast,
but from the LORD comes every decision.*
* [16:1] Words, like actions, often produce results different from those which were planned, and this comes under the agency of God.
* [16:2] “Pure” in a moral sense for human action is found only in Job and Proverbs. As in v. 1, the contrast is between human intent and divine assessment.
* [16:4] Even the wicked do not lie outside God’s plan.
* [16:5] Proud heart: lit., “high of heart.” To forget one is a fallible human being is so basic an error that one cannot escape exposure and punishment.
* [16:6] As v. 5 used the language of worship to express what is acceptable or not to God, so this saying uses similar language to declare that lovingly loyal conduct undoes the effects of sin.
* [16:9] As in vv. 1–3, the antithesis is between human plans and divine disposal. The saying uses the familiar metaphor of path for the course of life.
* [16:10] Six sayings on the king and his divine authority begin here, following the series of sayings about the Lord’s governance in 15:33–16:9, in which “LORD” was mentioned nine times.
* [16:15] The last of six sayings about the king. In the previous verse, royal wrath means death; in this verse royal favor means life. It is significant that royal favor is compared to something not under human control—the clouds preceding the spring rains.
* [16:16] The point of comparison is the superiority of the pursuit of wisdom and gold, not the relative merits of wealth and wisdom.
* [16:17] In the metaphor of the two ways, the way of the righteous is protected and the way of the wicked is unprotected. Since the path of the righteous leads therefore away from trouble, one’s task is to stay on it, to “attend to” it.
* [16:26] The adage puzzled ancient and modern commentators. The meaning seems to state the paradox that a person does not toil to feed the gullet but that the gullet itself “toils” in the sense that it forces the person to work. As often in Proverbs, the sense organ stands for the faculty by metonymy. Cf. Eccl 6:7.
* [16:30] A restless or twitching eye or lip betrays the condition of the heart (cf. 6:13).
* [16:33] Dice were given meanings of “yes” or “no” and then cast for their answer. What came out was the decision. Here the saying interprets the sequence of actions: a human being puts the dice in the bag but what emerges from the bag is the Lord’s decision.
c. [16:9] Prv 19:21; 20:24; Jer 10:23.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
