Posted on 04/14/2017 7:28:44 AM PDT by OneVike
The Ways of Life and Death
01 The wise woman builds her house,
00 But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
02 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD,
00 But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
03 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
00 But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
04 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
00 But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
05 A faithful witness does not lie,
00 But a false witness will utter lies.
06 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
00 But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
07 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
00 When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
00 A young man devoid of understanding,
08 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
00 But the folly of fools is deceit.
09 Fools mock at sin,
00 But among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
00 And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
00 But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
00 But its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
00 And the end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
00 But a good man will be satisfied from above.[1]
15 The simple believes every word,
00But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil,
00 But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
00 And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18The simple inherit folly,
00 But the prudent are crowned with knowledge
19 The evil will bow before the good,
00 And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
00 But the rich has many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
00 But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
00 But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
00 But idle chatter[2] leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
00 But the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness delivers souls,
00 But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
00 And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
00 To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king's honor,
00 But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
00 But he who is impulsive[3] exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body,
00 But envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
00 But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
00 But the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
00 But what is in the heart of fools is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
00 But sin is a reproach to any people.
35 The king's favor is toward a wise servant,
00 But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was 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.
Of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. Kong Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel wrote Proverb 321. Now many believe Lemuel was in fact King Solomon and Lemuel was just a nick name his Mother, Bathsheba gave him. We are told that Solomon write over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject.
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 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one two proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Proverb a Day
Ping List
Today is April 4, so for your meditation, I present Proverb 14
Send FReep Mail to OneVike to get
[ON] or [OFF]
The Proverb A Day Ping List
Scripture is the best interpreter of scripture. I’ve seen proverbs taken in a vacuum, which brings disrepute upon the concept.
I agree. I have often told others, they are best to use a Bible with no commentary, because if their heart is in it, God will open up their mind to the truth. I also suggest either the NKJ or the NASB, as all others fall short in my opinion.
Otherwise you get influenced by a human’s interpretation of what you read, and we have seen the canyons of hell that has wrought through the years.
Separate commentary’s are fine, but I would prefer Bibles not be printed with them.
There’s room for all with open mind to God. Sometimes people frame God as their personal ruthless hit man.
“...suggest either the NKJ or the NASB, as all others fall short in my opinion.”
Just purchased the NASB version ‘Life Principles Bible’ from In Touch (Dr. Charles Stanley). Much easier for me to understand than the KJV. IMO.
Yes, my favorite is the NASB. It’s a studying man’s Bible due to the idea that it is closest to a literal translation of the original Greek and Hebrew without compromise.
As for the NKJV, it is a huge improvement over the Old KJV. It corrected the errors and updated the language, but kept the poetic flow of the KJ language. This makes it a popular translation for many Pastors who have backgrounds as Worship leaders or musicians in general.
Thank you for posting!
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.
