Proverbs 24
December 25, 2007
1 Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; 2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. 5 A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say. 8 He who plots evil will be known as a schemer. 9 The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker.
10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!
11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. 14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling place; 16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.
19 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, 20 for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, 22 for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: 24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”– peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. 26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive. 29 Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”
30 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– 34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
if there are people around us that do not know god then we shouldnt hate them. god wants us to lvoe our enemies as he loves us. but we should accept them and try to help them with their relationships with god letting them know that they arent alone.
I feel that verses 15-16 spoke out to me the most. “15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling place; 16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.”
These are some strong verses to me, i don’t know why but when i read this i kind of sat there for a few minutes thinking about it before i continued.
I love the practical wisdom of Solomon’s words. Just the little things like, eat honey, it is healthy.
And so much good wisdom to guide our behaviors as well. HE says nap a little, put off your work, and before you know it poverty will be upon you. He was trying to teach against procrastination and laziness.
He also says to eat wisdom for your soul like honey for your body.
These verses spoke to me the most:
19 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, 20 for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
I am the type of person that I try my hardest not to care what other people think about me, but at one point during my life I was torn apart by the harsh words one woman spoke about me. It was so hard for me not to fret over the things she did and said to me, but God’s word is true, and it isn’t worth it. When others are rising up against us we should not worry about the things they are doing or saying, but continuously guard our emotions and actions.