Source of Change

Proverbs 13:17 (BES) A rash king shall fall into mischief: but a wise messenger shall deliver him.

I like the way the LXX puts this verse.  It gives us a target for our prayer lives.  It reinforces something that I have been doing on occasion and that is, when I pray for the president, I pray that his advisors would have their act together.  Many times a person in leadership has to make decisions, but he can’t know everything.  He has to rely on the information other people bring him and the opinions they express.

That means it would behoove us to pray for the people surrounding the president or your governor or even your congressman.  Pray that they are wise.  Pray that they give the right direction.

So?  While you’re at it, you might even pray for yourself and the people around you.  On one side, you might be that messenger, on the other, you might need to be the one who is listening.  

Extreme Choices

(Pro 13:13 KJV)  Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

(Pro 13:13 NAS77) The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

These two translations agree on the problem as despising the word.  The results seem to be different.  Before I look at the Hebrew I am reminded of another question I have of the use of words like “destroy”, “never”, “always” and other extreme statements.  These words are often used as hyperbole because in the next verse there are contradictory statements.  That is a question for another platform.

Which is better, “destroy” or “be in debt.”  I would suggest that both are to be avoided.

So?  Focus on the gold standard.  

Avoid the Traps

(Pro 13:14 KJV)  The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Again we see how David praises knowing the law.  Don’t be confused by the term “fountain of life”.  David is not saying the law saves you.  It is there to give us guidance.  It was given to the newly declared nation of Israel to give guidance to a mass of people emerging from pagan darkness and having no idea about living in an upright and godly life.

The law tells us how to live as God would have us.  It gives a social and spiritual structure to keep us from getting caught up into sin and rebelling against God.  It is part of God’s plan for allowing His people to avoid ultimate death.

So?  Other verses remind you to trust and believe.  This one says, “Watch your step.”  God expects and demands both.  If you have trouble with that then spend more time reading the entire witness of the Bible.   

Wealth vs Riches

(Pro 13:11 KJV)  Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

As I read this today I began to think about the possible difference between wealth and riches.  In modern economics they are not the same.  Wealth can be used as a synonym but has more of an attitude of the total amount of value in society rather than just what you have in your bank account.  

What seemed to resonate with me is that the uncountable dollars accumulated by a few people who manipulate paper in places like the stock market are not real wealth for society.  It may line their pockets but the self-centeredness, or vanity, of such focus actually has the potential to suck the life out of a country.  Real wealth is the result of producing not manipulating.

So?  This does not mean we don’t invest but it does mean that we keep a perspective on what will actually make the physical world a better place for all men.  If hedge fund managers all disappeared tomorrow the world would go on.  If all the plumbers were raptured it would be almost instant chaos.  

Pick Your Role

Proverbs 13:7 (KJV) There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Which of these personalities is the one we should strive after?  I would say that the first is obviously not the winning answer but I wonder if the second is either.  Maybe that is the wrong answer. 

So often we look at a situation and think we are locked into the choices offered.  I would accept that there are times when God lays things out to us in that way.  Turn or burn?  Forgive or not be forgiven?  Obey or rebel?  Most of the time those are obvious.  The choice is clear.  Which side are we on?

Other times it is more confusing.  In the question about this verse I would submit that neither is offered as the optimal attitude.  Acting poor is not the same as being a good steward by driving your old car that is running just fine.  Wearing out your clothes instead of going for the latest fashion is not acting poor.  The answer is not a choice of either/or but a third path that is laid out in the principles that God has given us.  How about honesty and humility?

So?  Keep your mind turned on.  Keep seeking God’s guidance.  He will provide.  

A Lecture on Abundance

Proverbs 13:23 (KJV) Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

There’s a theme going through this chapter in Proverbs.  It’s expressed many different ways.  It’s the idea that there is adequate resource in our world to take care of the needs of the people in it.  In response to that there are many reasons given for why people don’t have what they need.

This one is pretty indirect in one sense.  In another is very clear.  The NASB talks about oppression, which is another way of saying that there was no correct judgment.  The policies of government and the actions of the wealthy and powerful create conditions which really work against the benefit of common people.  Here the common people are identified as the poor.  In this case, it looks like they are the working, or deserving, poor.  They have the land.  They have the ability to produce food, but it is made impossible by social forces.

Another part of that is that sometimes people are too willing to take the handout of government and it siphons off any initiative and productivity they might have.  We’ve seen that in the recent restrictions on the welfare being given out by the government.  People have been conditioned to dependence.  They didn’t know how to function anymore when the government removed it’s helping hand.

So?  Be aware of the need for government responsibility but also the call for each and every one of us to do our part in providing for ourselves in our families.  

It Has Its Moments

Proverbs 13:25 (KJV) The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

I’m sure I have said it before but my favorite translation is the NASB.  I am even picky enough to specify NAS77.  That being said, there are times when I have to put in a good word for the KJV.  This is one of those times.  If you look at the New American Standard you’ll see that it is different in what it says.  It takes a literal translation, which it offers in the margin, and puts its own spin on it .

Proverbs 13:25 (NASB95) The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.

I think the key that comes through in the older translation is that this is a spiritual satisfaction, not a physical.  I would like to put them together and take the fact that the new translation doesn’t speak about eating, and the old translation talks about satisfying the soul.

So?  Read and compare.  There is really something to be gained from looking at different translations and in this case the translation from the past.  God speaks in many ways and He is not limited to one group of men trying to convey that truth.  

Life-Long Learning

Proverbs 13:18 (KJV) Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

Instruction is presented here as something which is given to you by another person.  The NASB uses the word “discipline” (4148) instead of instruction.  That different vocabulary got me to thinking about how discipline, or instruction, or even learning is a two edge sword.

We are taught by others.  As children our parents are our first and most effective teachers.  That’s one reason why homeschooling works so well.  Parents, even when they don’t realize it, are outstanding teachers.  And this goes on through life as we go through apprenticeships or on the job training or just about anything.  We can learn from others.

The other side of this is self teaching.  I went to seminary.  It was a valuable experience.  But most of the value there was in maturing and developing an outlook on life that was shaped by the attitudes and values of the professors.  It wasn’t so much the content.  You may have seen that title, “everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten”.  There’s some wisdom in that.  Our education really depends on us continuing to learn.

So?  Your greatest teacher is the Holy Spirit.  Learning depends on you though eventually.  You need to be open.  You need to be seeking.  God will supply the textbooks of life.  

The Payoff

Proverbs 13:22 (KJV) A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

I generally tend to start with financial issues when talking about inheritance.  I think that’s the general understanding of this verse, however it goes much further than that.  I just came from a week with my brothers family as we prepared for his funeral.  It was one glorious time.  I feel I know him better now than I did when he was alive because I was able to look into the hearts and minds of his children.  Even better, I was able to interact with his grandchildren, his children’s children, as it says in this verse.

What a delightful bunch of kids.  What a joy to be around.  What an inheritance.  I know that my brother faced the end in peace and assurance.  Much of that was based on his personal faith with the Lord.  In addition, there was the evidence that not only were his children on the right path but his grandchildren are following up.

So?  Are you making good investments?  The most important ones will not be found online as you review your portfolio.  Stop on the way by a bedroom.  Look in.  See the young souls being molded.  Rejoice. 

A New Diet Plan?

Proverbs 13:25 (KJV) The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

It always mystifies me when I am reading my NASB and it has a marginal footnote which tells me what something means literally.  Here we have that case.  What’s interesting is that when it tells me what it means literally and it’s pretty much exactly what the KJV is saying.  You see food that we eat is designed not for our appetites, but to satisfy our souls.

Would that not be a great topic for a diet book?  Actually, I think I have read such a book. It was called The Weigh Down Diet.  And the point of the book is that you eat in response to the built-in mechanisms that God has put into your body.  You respond to the body’s call is based on your contact with the Holy Spirit and not with your sinful appetites.  You eat to satisfy your soul.

So?  I wish I could say that I have this down.  I still struggle.  I am a glutton.  I can’t fix it.  I trust the Lord to somehow give me victory over this and to satisfy the crying out of my soul. 

Effort and Depression

Proverbs 10:4 (KJV) He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

This seems like such a simple statement.  It is.  Too simple.  We need to dig a little deeper and look a little wider to find the full council of God on this.  This is flushed out by this complementary passage.

Proverbs 13:23 (NASB95) Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.

The Bible is clear that hard work makes us better off than being lazy.  It is also clear that there are people in power who can corrupt the system and make it impossible for us to get ahead.

So?  If you are a warrior for justice as defined by righteousness then you are on God’s side.  Yes, God does take sides.  If you are a social justice warrior, pushing your agenda then you are one of those who is sweeping others away with injustice.

An Earful

Proverbs 13:1 (KJV) A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

In comparing translations, we are reminded of the difference between hearing and listening.  In one sense they are the same but the conflict that comes out is that one produces an awareness and the other is simply a sensitivity to sound.

Think of the times where you have become aware of a sound that has been going on for a while.  Recently our heating system stopped working.  The house was getting colder, but still manageable.  There was nothing to freak out about.  The repairman were coming.  Suddenly I was aware that I was hearing the sound of the fan working.  It intruded in my consciousness, and I started listening, and I realize that the heater was on.  Once my attention was gained, I realized a few minutes later than it is stopped again.

The point is that my ears were capable of hearing.  They were working.  They just weren’t connected to my conscious brain.  Think about this in terms of spiritual truth.  We are surrounded by truth.  It appears in different ways and in different formats, but it is available.  Some people see it, some don’t.  The point that Proverbs is getting to is that it makes a difference in our lives if we’re paying attention or not.

So?  What is God trying to say to you?  Are you listening?  Are you not hearing simply because you don’t like with the message is?  Your choice. 

Right of Way

(Pro 13:6 KJV)  Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

The concept of “righteousness” (6666) is something that, for some reason, is controversial.  There are those who love to quote Paul’s statement that “there is none righteous…”  The sad part is that they usually quote this out of context, and use it incorrectly.

As I read this today in the CSB I got a little bit of a different spin on it.

Proverbs 13:6 (CSB) Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.

This verse to me points out that righteousness is not just a condition, but it is a set of actions.  Although I accept the fact that God can make us righteous, and does, in the context of the wickedness mentioned here I think Solomon is saying that righteous actions reinforce and guard our integrity.  Integrity is based on reputation in many cases.  Moral and ethical behavior, reinforce our reputation as being righteous

So?  Don’t desert the understanding that God actually changes our hearts, but also don’t refuse to move on to applying that change to your daily behavior.  We are to be salt and light.  That means not just having a big smile and a positive attitude, but living a righteous life. 

Leave Comments Below

(Pro 13:18 KJV)  Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

When I watch different videos on YouTube, I often have people who will tell me to leave comments below.  In a perfect world that would be because they would actually want to know what I have to say.  In reality, I think it’s more a way of measuring how many people are watching.  And the number of people watching is reflected in their advertising revenues.  Call me a skeptic, I will answer.

This verse is telling us that we should actually be desiring those kind of comments.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to want to avoid criticism.  I don’t want people telling me what’s wrong with my life and what I need to change.  At the same time, I need to be open to listening when someone is bold enough to actually try to correct me.  I need to be humble enough to be asking myself, “Do they have a point?”

So?  Often they do.  We can really benefit from what other people have to say to us.  Even someone who sets out to insult us can make us a better person if we take what they say with the right attitude. 

Even Worse

(Pro 13:6 KJV)  Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

If I were translating this into Greek, I think that I would use the present tense for the word “overthroweth”.  The reason for that is in the Greek, the present tense has this idea that it is a continuing action.  If you look at the verse in Proverbs, the person is already labeled as wicked or evil.  They are already on the bottom of the totem pole.  What more can you do?  I guess you can just keep driving them down lower and lower, which is the idea here.

So?  Evil does not take a vacation.  It is not getting milder.  It does not go away.  It must be purged, and that requires the shedding of blood, the blood of Jesus. 

Synonyms

Proverbs 13:5 (KJV) A righteous [man] hateth lying: but a wicked [man] is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Take a moment to read these other translations.

Proverbs 13:5 (NASB95) A righteous man hates falsehood, But a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully.

Proverbs 13:5 (LSB) A righteous man hates a lying word, But a wicked man acts odiously and is humiliated.

I am looking at the word that the KJV has as “loathsome” (887).  That is not a bad choice.  It is not a common word, but it is understood by most people.  I think the NASB is the weakest here because it uses a very common word that people throw around without thinking.  The one I like the most, though is in the LSB.  There it says “odiously”.  That I believe is really good.  I think many people would understand it.  Others might have to look it up.  But it gets your attention and drives you down into the depths of depravity that are possible in human activity.

So? Another reminder that evil exists.  A necessary reminder that evil is not pretty, no matter what the TV or movie screen says.  Evil is ugly, destructive, odious. 

Insight into Fear

(Pro 13:13 KJV)  Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Once again, I felt like Moffett had a good insight.  He takes the second part of the verse and put a little bit different spin on it.

    “To stand in awe of God’s command is safety.”

His choice of vocabulary is totally acceptable and yet it brings a totally different view of what is being said. “Awe” , is a perfectly acceptable synonym for fear. In the same way the idea of safety instead of being rewarded is also a good idea.

So? It pays to follow God’s standards.

Hunger Pangs

Proverbs 13:4 (KJV) The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

One of the reasons that we feel hunger is that we have not been eating.  Sometimes that is just a natural cycle of life.  In fact, when it comes to food, that’s probably the way it should be.  But in our spiritual walk, the same principle applies.  One reason we are hungry and feeling an emptiness towards God is because we have not been spending enough time with him.

So? Don’t wait until you get starved.  Don’t wait until you have an overwhelming hunger.  Maybe grazing is the thing you should be doing when it comes to the Lord and worship.

Leavings of Gold

(Pro 13:22 KJV)  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Again the Amplified Bible throws in some interesting interpretation.  It gives an opinion about the “inheritance” (5157) by adding “of moral stability and goodness”.  I like that.  I would not make it a doctrinal position because that is not what the Bible says here but the general principle is good.  Our example in how we live our lives is a vital part of what we leave to our decedents.  It may even be the most important thing we can leave.

My father did not leave much in the way of wealth.  He left a fortune in example.  He passed it on to his boys.  His boys passed it on to their children.  I can still see that working in lives today when whatever money was left is long gone.

So?  Get your priorities straight.  It isn’t how many dollars you leave it is how much “moral stability and goodness” you demonstrated. 

The Blessings of Rags, the Curse of Riches

(Pro 13:7 KJV)  There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Attitude is so important.  We have all kinds of ideas about what would make life better.  Maybe it would be a different job.  How about a spouse who stopped nagging or children who would act like you knew which way to turn the faucet to cut off the water?  More money?  A bigger house?  Some “needs” would be common in every home, others might be unique or rare.  Most of them miss the key ingredient.

Attitude.  I was remembering a toy that was advertised when I was a child.  The advertising was awesome and compelling.  I remember wanting one.  It would make my life complete.  Later, after it had been replaced by something “better”, I got one, probably second hand.  It was glorious, for about 15 minutes.  After that it became obvious it was rather boring and monotonous.  At the same time I could take out some discarded items that challenged my imagination and play for hours.

Attitude.

So?  God has blessed us.  Whether we see it is in our heart, not our eyes.  Look again.