15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—
too much of you, and he will hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on soda,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
23 As a north wind brings rain,
so a sly tongue brings angry looks.
24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.
Questions to consider:
- What should be your attitudes and actions toward your (a) neighbor and (b) enemy?
- To what extent are verse 19 and 26 a part of your experience? Why?
- How can you experience self control in the various areas of your life today?
- Memorize a proverb!
Possibilities for prayer:
I think that verse 16 speaks into our culture in a big way. The United States is a very consumption based culture, and we have a tendency to eat/take/buy as much as we possibly can instead of just enough. The proverb in verse 16 speaks to the negative outcomes that can arise from being too greedy, or consuming too much. Jesus was not about “getting while the getting is good” and in the same way, our lives should not reflect that principle. Today, let’s pray that we would begin to implement a more simplistic way of living into our lives. Let’s ask God for insight into the places in our lives where we consume too much and could do with less. And when we find those places, let’s ask for the desire to change them.
Posts
