Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15

New King James Version (NKJV)

1 A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,

But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,

Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,

But he who receives correction is prudent.

6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,

But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,

But the heart of the fool does not do so.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

But He loves him who follows righteousness.

10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,

And he who hates correction will die.

11 Hell and Destruction are before the LORD;

So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,

Nor will he go to the wise.

13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,

But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,

But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD,

Than great treasure with trouble.

17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,

Than a fatted calf with hatred.

18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,

But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,

But the way of the upright is a highway.

20 A wise son makes a father glad,

But a foolish man despises his mother.

21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,

But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

22 Without counsel, plans go awry,

But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,

And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!

24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,

That he may turn away from hell below.

25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud,

But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,

But the words of the pure are pleasant.

27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,

But he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,

But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

29 The LORD is far from the wicked,

But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,

And a good report makes the bones healthy.

31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life

Will abide among the wise.

32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,

But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.

33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,

And before honor is humility.

My Thoughts:

1. So let’s start with (v. 2) we read “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
   1. Just over my life time I have seen so many advancements in knowledge, just in computers alone we have gone from computers that were room size to the IPads but in the things that really matter we are no better off than we were in 1963 when I was born, or we may be even worse than we were. It seems that more and more of us turn our backs on Christ every day and at what cost; their eternal lives. I continue to pray for all people of this world with hope that they will see the spark we all have and nurture it until it becomes a flame.
2. In (v. 11) we read “Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; so how much more the hearts of the sons of men”
   1. Let’s look at the word hell and the word it is translated from, we get the word hell for the Hebrew word “she’ol”,in the KJV Bible this word is translated as “grave” 31 times, hell, 31 times and pit 6 times if we look at the various verses in which this word is use, it is used as a figurative place denoting the place were men go at death (Gen 37:35; 1 Sam. 2:6; Job 7:9; 14:13; Ps. 49:14,1 5) for a literal point of view it may be equated with the “grave” in a place where the dead sleep together (2 Sam. 12:23) but we see that there is no state of consciousness, unless it is figuratively (Eze. 32:21) but nowhere is it described as a place of punishment.
   2. The concept of punishment was introduced for the first time in (Mark 9:43-48) which was the Greek word “gehenna” but not the word “hades” which is the Greek translation of “she’ol”, except in (Luke 16:23).
   3. So, if we read these passages it does seem clear. God know the character of all men and their act of the ones who have perished.
3. And we will finish today with (v.14) “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness”
   1.    The search for wisdom starts with acquiring knowledge but too often we try to skep that part and try to acquire the wisdom first. It is not hard to find which of the two you are talking too very quickly, the wise man will lesson and the foolish man opens his mouth before he lessons.

Thought of the Day

In this age of electronics, we have all become aware of bugging devices. A person’s office, hotel room, or telephone can be monitored so that every sound is picked up. This is accomplished through highly sensitive microphones that are so small they can easily be hidden. Heads of state, government officials, and business people in strategic positions must be exceedingly careful of what they say, especially when entering a strange setting. The awareness that they might be overheard is sure to make them think twice before they speak.

Did you ever stop to think that God sees everything we do and hears everything we say every moment of the day? Hebrews 4:13 says that “all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

This truth is both comforting and sobering–comforting because God stands ready to deliver us when we are in trouble (Ps. 33:18-19), and sobering because “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3). What a profound effect this should have on the way we live!

The next time you are tempted or in trouble, remember that God is watching and listening.

There is no time of day or night,

No place on land or sea

That God, whose eye is never dim,

Does not see you and me. –DJD

Personal Reflection and Discussion

1. What do you think (v. 22) is saying?
2. What other things do you see in the text?

Prayer Activities

1. Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
2. Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
3. Pray with them and ask for the following;
   1. For God to help us to see the wise man from the foolish man.
   2. For God to help us see what His plans for us are.
   3. For the individuals on your pray list.
4. Let’s use (Luke 96:1-3) for today’s prayer verse.