seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Proverbs 18:1 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The commentaries this morning are from the easy English site.Verses 10-11 These two verses are about different castles. A castle was a strong building, which would be safe, even during a war.
A good man trusts in God. He can relax, because God will keep him safe.
A rich man trusts in a strong building. He thinks that his money is safe in his castle. He trusts his castle. He does not trust God. This rich man thinks that thieves cannot enter the castle’s high walls. He is wrong. He is not safe.
Verse 13 A wise man listens carefully before he advises anyone. A fool (that is, an evil man) does not need to listen. He already has plenty of foolish ideas to tell you.
The fool thinks that he knows everything. Really, he knows nothing. He is wrong, because he hates wisdom. So he has never learned anything.
Verse 22 See Proverbs 31:10-21. When a man marries a woman, this is good. See Genesis 2:20-24. God has been good to them, so they love each other. They should look after each other. They should encourage and help each other. They must try to be a good husband and a good wife. God has been kind to them, so they should try to be kind to each other.
I'm glad someone dear suggested that I do the Proverbs chapter by chapter. I could really get bogged down doing one Proverb at a time.