but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.
2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,
but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.
3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.
4 A sluggard's appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5 The righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and are filled with shame.
6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 The rich may be able to ransom their lives,
but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10 Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
11 Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Questions to consider:
- What is the wise attitude toward (a) parental and (b) God-given instruction?
- Relate wisdom and discipline.
- In what areas of your life do you need to be more disciplined?
- What are the principles here about riches and poverty?
Possibilities for prayer:
Some of the proverbs that Solomon wrote strike me as particularly poetic and beautiful. In this passage, verse 12 strikes me as especially lovely. Today, let’s ask God to fulfill the longings of our hearts, and that those longings would be so closely tied up in who He is and what He wants for our lives that those longings are just naturally fulfilled.
Posts
