Proverbs

These passages contain 3 Proverbs as follows: “A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. The naive inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil will bow down before the good and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.” The first Proverb indicates that a person who cannot control their anger acts rashly and makes very bad decisions. Their angry response in tense situations does not…

These passages say, “The naive believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps. A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.” In America and indeed the world today we are being increasingly bombarded with lies and falsehoods. Our leadership and the news media cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Therefore we must determine what is truth and what is not. We cannot believe everything we…

These passages say, “Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will have his fIll of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his.” The first passage indicates that a person may appear to be joyful on the outside. However they may also be sorrowful on the inside. Such is the condition of those who do not believe in…

This Proverb says, “The House of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish." The Bible says that the Earth is our temporary home. Whereas, our permanent home is Heaven. This Proverb compares the house of a wicked person to the tent of an upright or righteous person. A wicked person does not believe in God or Heaven or Hell. Therefore, their house or permanent residence is here on the Earth.…

This Proverb says, “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is good will.” A fool does not take sinning seriously. They think it is a minor thing, nothing to worry about. However, sin is serious. Sinning is so serious that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their decadent sins. God also destroyed the entire population of a country for their sinfulness and gave their land to Israel. Additionally, God had previously…

This Proverb says, “Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge.” It is difficult to gain understanding and wisdom when one is in the presence of a fool. This is because a fool's worldview is contrary to God's Word, the Bible. So, when a fool hears words from God's Truth, they mock and ridicule them. They openly reject words of wisdom. Therefore, if a person is in the presence of a…

These passages contain two Proverbs. The first Proverb says, “A faithful witness will not lie, but a false witness will speak lies.” The Bible says that God hates lying. The Bible also characterizes Satan as the father of lies. There is no truth in him. Lying is quite damaging. It can lead people to have erroneous opinions and take wrong actions. Lying can lead people astray. Satan's lies, which the world embraces, can lead people to…

This Proverb says, “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.” This can be applied to many situations. One situation that comes to mind this morning involves a marital relationship. In a marriage, contentious discussions may occur from time to time. I have found that words spoken in anger can produce bad results. If a husband speaks words that hurt his wife, he…

This Proverb says, “He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is crooked in his ways despises Him.” The Bible says that those who are righteous fear the Lord. This is a good kind of fear because it provides motivation to walk rightly before God. A righteous person is motivated to live their lives according to God's Word, the Bible. With this motivation a righteous person will turn from sin and…

These passages contain two Proverbs. The first Proverb says, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” When I grew up in the 1950s, spanking children was an acceptable form of discipline. When we were disobedient, our parents would spank us. It was an effective motivation to change our behavior and obey our parents. Schools were even allowed to discipline children when they misbehaved. As a result…