1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
1 – Whether in marriage, parenting, vocation, friendship, relationships, enemies, or even the adversary, of which there is only one, a gentle answer often turns away wrath. This is to be misunderstood as a falsehood, but a gentle answer or a properly delivered truth turns away wrath. It reminds me of a saying my grandmother used to say that “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” which in the summer you wanted to do because otherwise they would bite you! There’s a time to swat the pest, but consider the enemy is sin and Satan, not your seeming earthly opponent. Reconciliation should be sought as much as possible!
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant, But the mouth of fools spouts foolishness.
How small did you feel the first time you began to perceive just how seemingly insignificant you and I are in the grand scope of the universe? There are literally millions of planets, stars, galaxies, and more! Yet for all of this vase cosmos, Jesus died for you and I! Knowledge, of the Holy One, is the most amazing thing we can ever experience. Yet rather than meditate on the infinity that is Jesus Christ, we want to spend billons of dollars attempting to find out how many degrees cooler earth was millions of years ago. I’m no scientist but I know that we have more pressing matters of today than looking back into an artificially fabricated past trying to find out if it was 75 degrees or 76 degrees! Read His Word then seek out practitioners of His Truth in light of this, like http://www.answersingenesis.org.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.
Initially this verse struck me as an overbearing watcher peering into every nook and cranny of my life. However, as I’ve grown older I recognize that though Jesus does see me everywhere and at all times, its because of His great love. Jesus is there in our deepest hurts, in our times of sorrow, in our times of great joy, and at every other time! If we would but recognize He is there then He can join our time of emotion offering aid and comfort!
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
Again hearkening back to my youth, my tongue was not primarily used to encourage and uplift others. I was a vile, braggadocios, punk of a youth. What’s worse, as my wife and I were blessed with children, I began to understand some of the difficulty my parents had in raising me. However, as Leslie and I attempted to steer our children away from the same enticements that we ourselves recognized, I realized how much love Christ has for all.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.
Carefully taking note of the sentence construction a fool (of the type of child) rejects his father’s disciple. The child should submit to discipline for his or her own good. However just as many others I’m sure do today and just as I did growing up, we try to do things our own way. Often it is only in our own failure that we will learn the why of something turning out awry. Thankfully, Jesus use’s the teachable moments to mold us in the fires of life into the permanent cast of Christ. That is why the second part of the turn states that compliance with rebuke is sensible. Again, to have made the same mistakes often bolsters our understanding! For me, I picked up smoking in my youth. From Camels to Malboro Reds, and then when I could get it a Swisher Sweet I liked the flavor and the “taste” of the cigarette. However, once I figured out what eventually my lungs would look like by the grace of God, I stopped! Sensible by the grace of God!
6 Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
Take into account here, the great wealth is in the house of the righteous. Not earned but already there. Then in contrast, trouble is in the income of the wicked. I believe this is significant. The wealth of the righteous is found in the fruits of the Spirit! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3nlSHzags) Consider Christian that we have been given eternity, with the King of kings, dwelling in a mansion set in the heavens in bodies that do not decay forever with Him (see Revelation 21). Wealthy righteousness indeed. Conversely, trouble is the income or duly
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.
The lips are a dangerous tool to be sure! Lips used to spread the gospel, to spread the good news, and even to correct those who are goes astray are rightly used tools! The hearts of fools refuse to spread knowledge because from the heart they lack the ability! What are you filling your heart with because from the heart the mouth speaks (cf. Matt. 12:34)!
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Here we see something so poignant, so profound, ad so tragic. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination…What about all the prayers being offered from Mecca? What about all those being offered up at the wailing wall in Jerusalem by devout Jews? What about those mantra’s being chanted by the devout Hindi’s? To this I would simply ask, “Who are you praying to and who’s name are you asking?”. The upright are only those who have bowed the knee and asked Christ to be Lord of their life and friend forever.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves the one who pursues righteousness.
Such a plain contrast is displayed here. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Not that God is mildly displeased. It is an abomination. It is ceremonially and completely unclean. That is why it is so tragic to see so many trying so many different avenues and even operations trying to reach or attain to their notion of god. There is One God Who’s name is Jesus Christ. He is the Trinity which I will not even begin to explain but rather only to accept by faith! What’s more, He loves us and is pleased when we pursue righteousness. Notice not when we attain righteousness but pursue. That is because He is righteousness. He is the possessor of righteousness. So when we pursue Him our attentions and efforts are molded by His hand. We find Him in pursuit of Him.
10 There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way; One who hates a rebuke will die.
For one to abandon the way can end in death. Note this does not say eternal punishment for the one who abandons the way. There are those who will be in heaven who we will never suspect to have bowed the knee to Christ. Unfortunately, there will also be those who we thought would be there as well who never asked Christ to be their Lord, Master, and Friend. Punishment is not death. Running from Him isn’t necessarily death. Just as Peter even denied Christ three times the night of Jesus crucifixion, we can return. However, we do need to understand that returning to Him requires correction, instruction, and often difficult trials of learning.
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of mankind!
Regardless the location and realm of Sheol and Abaddon, Christ knows them and created them. They lie open before the LORD because He knows where every one will go. So as the Scripture states that the contents of both Sheol and Abaddon lie open before Him, Christ also knows the intentions, decisions, and ultimate destination of all!
12 A scoffer does not love one who rebukes him; He will not go to the wise.
A scoffer here is likely not someone who sneers or one time turns their nose at Christ although that could be the only chance they are given. Rather it is he or she that consistently sets their heart and jaw against Christ. That is why they will not “go to the wise”, i.e. enter into eternity with Christ.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
I was reminded of Job in this discussion as job confesses after the loss of his children, his wealth, his livestock, and his life as he knew it. “He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God” (Job 1:21-22, NASB). Job’s heart certainly was sad and his spirit broken, but Job still had hope to come.
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
I could not help but consider the “talking heads” of the news. All news. Every news source has its bias. Every news has its prejudice. Every news has its stories that are covered wrong. I vacillate between Newsmax (www.newsmax.com) and OANN (www.oann.com) but even they have bias. The point being that while the intelligent seek knowledge too often I exchange news knowledge with Godly wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of that so if I am not being edified or challenged in a Godly way, I must carefully discern the truth according to Scripture and then “spit out the bones”.
15 All the days of the needy are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Here is a verse which I should meditate on daily. The days of the needy are the same as the fat and happy. The decision on whether they are bad or good largely is determined by our reaction to the day. I can say now, some 20+ years after the first bleed, and a few years after the stroke, it seemed bad at the time. However, now being on disability, having published a book, having comfortably settled in a quiet town in a comfortable home with food in the fridge and cars in the driveway, I am blessed. None of this is guaranteed but instead a blessing from the Lord. So rather than tick off the things I don’t have I will choose daily to be grateful for the many things I do still have!
16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure.
Going back to the previous verse, my reaction to that day could be restricting and defining as a negative turning point in my attitude and actions going forward. Or I could be increasingly grateful for all that I do have for this short time on earth until my Savior calls me home! In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 we read “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.” I will strive to be one who is happy and content with Him.
17 Better is a portion of vegetables where there is love, Than a fattened ox served with hatred.
I chose this as a stopping point only because of the jarring admission of the verse. “Better is a portion of vegetables…”? I like vegetables to some extent, but a plate of salad verses an ox steak is no contest! The passage author is seemingly the same. In the passage the author contrasts vegetables & love vs a tenderloin lightly braised with hatred. Guess which one you should pick?
Finally, I’ll put a link to a past time of mine in high school under the 4-H banner, “meat judging”. https://meatscience.org/students/meat-judging-program/national-4-h-meat-judging Under the umbrella of 4-H, it was a red meat kind of past-time in the cool of the meat freezer. It was pretty fun and a great temperature (<40 degrees in the freezer). Little did I know that my life would be directed, even through the freezer, to seek the Lord while He can be found! In meat judging we literally judged cuts of dead meat (cow and pig) to determine their cut type, quality, and color. The team of 5 or 6 of us I think that I was on actually won the Alabama state meat judging competition 2 years in a row. Both times we won state we went to nationals. For the first time we won first in the state and went to Kansas City I believe. The second year we placed 2nd and went to Colorado Springs for nationals. Why do I say this? Just as we were rewarded by simply preparing and correctly identifying and placing dead meat for the state, so should we correctly prepare to give an account for the hope that is found within us at all times!
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