In The Word
Read: Proverbs 20:14-22:16
14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
15 There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
But lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
16 Take his garment when he becomes guarantor for a stranger;
And for foreigners, seize a pledge from him.
17 Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Prepare plans by consultation,
And make war by wise guidance.
19 One who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with a gossip.
20 He who curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will go out in time of darkness.
21 An inheritance gained in a hurry at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
23 Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a false scale is not good.
24 A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord;
How then can a person understand his way?
25 It is a trap for a person to say carelessly, “It is holy!”
And after the vows to make inquiry.
26 A wise king scatters the wicked,
And drives a threshing wheel over them.
27 The spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the innermost parts of his being.
28 Loyalty and truth watch over the king,
And he upholds his throne by loyalty.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
And the honor of old men is their gray hair.
30 Bruising wounds clean away evil,
And blows cleanse the innermost parts.
On Life and Conduct
21 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
He turns it wherever He pleases.
2 Every person’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord examines the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice
Is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
The lamp of the wicked, is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage,
But everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty.
6 The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
Because they refuse to act with justice.
8 The way of a guilty person is crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of a roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His neighbor is shown no compassion in his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Bringing the wicked to ruin.
13 One who shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor
Will also call out himself, and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret subdues anger,
And a bribe in an inside pocket, strong wrath.
15 The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But terror to those who practice injustice.
16 A person who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 One who loves pleasure will become a poor person;
One who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
And the treacherous is in the place of the upright.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and irritating woman.
20 There is precious treasure and oil in the home of the wise,
But a foolish person swallows it up.
21 One who pursues righteousness and loyalty
Finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise person scales the city of the mighty
And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 One who guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.
24 “Proud,” “Arrogant,” “Scoffer,” are his names,
One who acts with insolent pride.
25 The desire of the lazy one puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
26 All day long he is craving,
While the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
28 A false witness will perish,
But a person who listens will speak forever.
29 A wicked person displays a bold face,
But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.
30 There is no wisdom, no understanding,
And no plan against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But the victory belongs to the Lord.
On Life and Conduct
22 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth;
Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have a common bond,
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
3 A prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.
7 The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
8 One who sows injustice will reap disaster,
And the rod of his fury will perish.
9 One who is generous will be blessed,
Because he gives some of his food to the poor.
10 Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves purity of heart
And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord protect knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous person.
13 The lazy one says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is cursed of the Lord will fall into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
16 One who oppresses the poor to make more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In our readings today, we see a pattern that sweeps through all of Proverbs that if man does his part, God will do His. Sometimes I think we choose to force things. Instead of doing our part and then letting God have His perfect will, we begin to maneuver, force things, bend situations to our benefit. It’s as if we’re saying, “I got this,” or, “I don’t trust you Father that You will handle this.”
First, Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching the innermost parts.” God knows who you are; He knows your desires and your dreams, but we need to believe that He knows best. Sometimes things don’t work out as we’d hope but it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care.
Second, Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” You need to believe that God can change the way people treat or perceive you. He can change people’s minds about all types of situations.
And third, Proverbs 21:31 states, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the Lord.” In other words, we are to prepare and do everything God has instructed us to do, but the outcome is His desire. We are to trust that He knows best.
In other words, God knows who you are and what your dreams are; He can change situations to make those dreams come true. All He asks of us is to prepare for the dream to come true!