but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward him for what he has done.
18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;
do not be a willing party to his death.
19 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.
21 Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
22 What a man desires is unfailing love;
better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who robs his father and drives out his mother
is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.
Questions to consider:
- How can you be kind to the poor today?
- What positive qualities from this passage need to be part of your life today?
- What negative aspects need to be rooted out?
- Memorize a proverb!
Possibilities for prayer:
One thing that can be really difficult for me is to receive instruction. I tend to get really defensive when people challenge the way I like to do things or suggest that another way might be a better way. I think that for me, this is a pride issue. But according to this passage, there’s more at stake than pride--wisdom comes as a result of listening to advice and accepting instruction. So today let’s ask God to soften our hearts and open our ears for the receiving of advice and instruction, so that in the end “[we] will be wise”!
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