Proverbs 12
Proverbs 12
New King James Version (NKJV)
1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
3 A man is not established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
9 Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will come through trouble.
14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
16 A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
17 He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19 The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 No grave trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.
26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
28 In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.
My Thoughts:
- So let’s start with (v. 10) we read “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel”
- When I read this verse I see Solomon saying the way we treat the animals says a lot about what is in our hearts. No I am not a member of PETA and yes I do enjoy a good steak from time to time, but with that said I do think that we should treat the animals with a tender heart. Their suffering does not go unnoticed (Jonah 4:11; Matt 6:26; 10:29).
- It’s was because of man that their lives have seen death. Many do not realize that their cruelty will be known, because they only see the poor dumb animals that cannot reveal the miss treatment. But I would hope that when the Day of Judgment comes, there will be an angle standing next to the man and testifying of all these things.
- In (v. 11) we read “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding”
- One’s labor has its rewards and we see this thought out the Bible (Prov. 14:23; Isa. 53:11; Matt 11:28). But the man that does not labor will at some point starve.
- And we will finish today with (v.18) “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health”
- When the foolish man speaks his words will cut like a sword and cause others to be wounded (Ps. 57:4). Here is a question; can a word by the foolish man spoken in the heat of the moment bring forth an evil that a life time of repentance cannot undo? Words spoken in that moment can cause another to fall and never fully recover. Our words do make a difference and affect others, our tongue should promote heath in them not cause them to stumble.
Thought of the Day
“After all is said and done, more is said than done”
There are many ways of telling a lie. Some people who pride themselves on never speaking a falsehood would be amazed if they would begin to recount the number of lies they sing each Sunday in church.
Many years ago I read an article by an unknown author who wrote, “We sing ‘Sweet Hour Of Prayer’ and then content ourselves with only 10 to 15 minutes of intercession each day. We sing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ but wait to be dragged and drafted into God’s service. We join in the song ‘O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing’ and then do not use the one tongue we have for His glory.
“We sing ‘There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing’ very enthusiastically in dry and sunny weather, but when the Lord sends a few literal showers we find it impossible to go to church because it’s raining. We sing ‘Blest Be The Tie That Binds’ and then let the least little offense sever that precious tie. We sing ‘Serve The Lord With Gladness’ and then complain constantly about all that we have to do.”
Remember, lies are lies whether we speak them or sing them. Next time you open the hymnbook, be sure you mean the words that come out of your mouth.
Tell the truth and tell it right,
A lie will never do;
The Bible says that God is truth
He wants the truth from you. —Branon
Personal Reflection and Discussion
- What do you think (v. 25) is saying? Compare to Isaiah 50:4.
- What other things do you see in the text?
Prayer Activities
- Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
- Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
- Pray with them and ask for the following;
- For God to help us not to cause others to stumble.
- For God to help us see all God’s creature as He sees them.
- For the individuals on your pray list.
- Let’s use (1 John. 5:3) for today’s prayer verse.
About bobh6
40 Days of study 
We are told to not worry about our lives. God will take care of us if we just have faith. When we worry we are saying to the world and to God that we do not believe God cn take care of us. We are saying God is not big enough to handle everything that comes. This would cause depression. If we didn’t have something to hope for , something to believ in, then why bother. Then when we are depressed( because we all get depressed at some point), God is so good and sends someone to help us up. Who ever this person is, friend, family, or stranger, they can smile, they can make us laugh, they cam give us hope, and all is well in the world once again. God wants us to be happy, joyful and full of life. All we have to do is have the faith required to hold on to Him.
I think you are right, too often we give up thinking that God will never give us what we need. But when we do that we are telling the world that as you said “God is not big enough to handle everything”. Keep your faith strong and He will answer your prayer in His own time.
when I read chpt. 11 vrs 13 I wondered what was really meant by “A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter” It’s easy to just say not gossiping and spreading someones negativies with people. But in reading vrs 23 today, I wonder; “A prudent man conceals knowledge” interesting the vrs before says” those who deal truthfully are His delight. What is this talking about??
We live in an very open society, even government secrets get publised on the web, information is commonly shared and because of it knowledge increases. It almost seems contradictive and non-chrisitian maybe even dishonest . Hiding a matter seems very much like lying. I think this might be difficult for me since I tend to be probably a bit too open. I have little, to no secrets; “the little” involves socially understood private issues, which even those might get shared with selective, very close people in my life. I think this tends to be the norm nowaday. There’s little taboo. So you could see how concealling a matter today may easily (at least for me and those I know well) come across as a lie or front. Am I the only one who feels this way?
I see it as saying that the wise man will not hide something because he is trying to deceive someone; he does it out of an understanding that if this information was to get out it would hurt someone. Whereas the foolish man just tells the world with disregard of whom it hurts.
There are three verses in Proverbs talking about concealing. Prv. 11:13, 12:23 and 25:2. 11:13 is comparing knowledge to foolihness (things that don’t make sense), not truths that hurt or personal sercets like in gossiping. It comes across as something usefull. Back in those times people would hide knowledge to have an advantage over the next county or probably even the next merchant; I wonder if that’s what is meant. Prv. 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of Kings is to search out a matter.” I’m pretty sure it’s not talking about gossiping. Maybe it has something to do with wisdom being able to see the bigger picture, and choicing to be selective and restraining yourself on what you share, and with whom.
In 25:2, we see that God is far more infinite than we can ever imagine with our minds that have been shadowed by sin and we know that God has not reviled much about Himself to us. but the things that are given to us, we should know not just in our minds but in our hearts (Deut. 29:29) “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
I see God is selective in what He shares and with whom. What an honer to seek Him out, “to comprehend (see) what is the width, lenght, depth and height… to KNOW the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled (complete, nothing lacking or hidden) with all the fullness of God,” Eph. 3:18-19. Interesting to know has a doube meaning in the bible as intimately close to the point of becoming one; and yet it’s always something we should be very selective with whom we into our hearts and lives. We see God has chosen to let us in. Eph 2:19, ” Now therefore we’re no longer strangers and foreigners, but….members of the household of God”.I tell you, if that doesn’t excite anyone I don’t know what would!
Funny, I think about when I met David, my husband, he initaily came across as a rebel and loner (you had to see he then in his malhalk, and black trench coat) and yet he was drawn to me, when we first really conversed I felt somewhat of an honer that he would open up with me the way he did…and still does. He’s not very open with people, even to the point of suclusiveness, and yet I’m accepted, I see the unconditional love in that acceptance. At we see the same unconditional love in God.