Proverbs

This Proverb says, “He kisses the lips who gives a right answer.” The New English Bible translates, “A straightforward answer is as good as a kiss of friendship.” A kiss in our society signals physical affection. However, in many societies a kiss represents allegiance or friendship with no physical meaning. This Proverb is talking about honesty. It means being honest with others about our own failures and shortcomings. Everybody has failures and shortcomings. We usually try…

This Proverb says, “To show partiality in judgment is not good. He who says to the wicked, “you are righteous,” people will curse him. Nations will abhor him; but to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, and a good blessing will come to them.” The Bible says that God desire justice and righteousness. Being biased in our judgment does not produce justice. When judges rule unfairly, a nation is destabilized, and people are…

This Proverb says, “My son, fear the Lord and the King. Do not associate with those who are given to change. For their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that will come from both of them?” There are many people who have believed in God and Jesus Christ for a while. However, later they may have turned away from their belief. This is because with belief in God comes accountability. When we believe…

This Proverb says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and He turn his anger away from him.” Frequently, doing the right thing is contrary to what we naturally want to do. When a person hurts us or wrongs us our natural desire is for that person to also suffer. If and when something bad does…

This Proverb says, “Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place. For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” A righteous person is one who believes in God and walks rightly in his life, living according to the Word of God. A wicked person rejects God and lives a life of self-indulgence and…

This Proverb says, “My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the cone is sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is thus for your soul. If you find it, then there will be a future and your life will not be cut off.” Wisdom is extremely valuable. Having wisdom is more valuable than having great material wealth. What is wisdom? It is knowing how to make good decisions in life. Wisdom…

This Proverb says, “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, O hold them back. If you say, “See, we did not know this,” does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his works?” I believe this Proverb refers to those who allow the destruction of others and…

This Proverb says, “If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited.” What is being slack? In short, it is not putting forth one's best effort for a task or situation. It is being lazy. The Bible does not approve slackness or laziness. Rather, God wants our best effort. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.” Therefore, God wants us to be diligent and give the very…

This Proverb says, “He who plans to do evil, men will call him a schemer.” The word schemer is usually associated with a person involved in making secret or underhanded plans. A schemer is a person who makes insidious plans in order to deceive others. A schemer has selfish motives and usually finds a way to get what they want. The bottom line is that the word schemer does not apply to a good…

This Proverb says, “Wisdom is too high for a fool, he does not open his mouth in the gate.” The gate of an ancient city was an important location. Not only did it provide protection, it also was a cultural location for society. Important legal matters were decided at the gate. Public announcements were made there. It was a central gathering place for getting important information. In addition to all of these characteristics of a city…