Proverbs 13

Proverbs 13:1-25

A wise son hears his father's instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

• We – as sons and daughters of our Father – should listen for His instruction.  That doesn’t mean sit and listen.  That means studying what He’s already said in his Word – the scriptures.  Hearing mens that we listened and acted upon what we’ve heard.  Hearing it and doing nothing means we didn’t really hear it, or that we don’t believe it.
• Those scoffers (skeptics) out there may hear it, but brush it off thinking they know better.  Arrogance and pride will be their downfall.

 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

 he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

• Eat = "takes in”.  This can be food, but it can equally mean ideas, immoral input (i.e. the shows we watch), etc. 
• We should EAT only what is good.  Even the simplest of things that we believe won’t affect us do, in fact, affect us quite a bit.  Little by little. 
• Shut yer yapper.  If you don’t have anything uplifting to say, keep it to yourself.  Ideally, don’t even think it.  Ask God to rid the negative, condescending, cruel, etc. from your mind.
• Words can start a forest fire of damage OR they can cause a ripple of goodness.  Choose wisely what you say.  If you’re unsure, keep your lips together.

 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

• Makes me think of the entitlement society we’ve created.  The sluggards always want the rewards of effort without effort.
• Those who persist, work hard, stay strong will reap the rewards.

 The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.

 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

• Really, this means that GOD hates falsehood, as we know that “no one is righteous, not one” from Paul.  Those trying to be righteous (you and me) hate it, too.  Or we should.
• Nothing worse than being associated with someone who is a liar.  It truly brings shame and disgrace, not just to the liar, but to everyone around him.

 One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

 another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

 The ransom of a man's life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat.

• Why do we put on a mask?  It helps no one.  Why can’t we just come as we are?  It’s how the world (and the Enemy) has poisoned us.  "All must be well", we think.  We must not show vulnerability or weakness or else.  We must appear to be perfect, even though we aren’t.  We must appear to be successful and constantly movin' on up (movin’ on up!), or we’re failures.  Nonsense.  It does not help us become more Christlike, and it does not help others who need our empathy, who are struggling with the same things.  
• Ransom = price.  What does it cost for life eternal?  Your “wealth”.  This does not necessarily mean money.  It can mean whatever you put up on a pedestal as more important than it should be.  It can be your appearance, your ability to persuade, or any other blessing God has GIVEN you.  It’s like worshipping the painting instead of the painter.  So, what must you give up?  Nothing more than your priorities. Do you need to scar yourself because you’re beautiful?  No.  But you should drop the ego.  Do you need to give all of your money away?  Not necessarily, unless it’s more important to you than God and His plan for you.  If any “wealth” is impeding your ability to serve God, remove it.  “If your eye is leading you to sin, it’s better to gouge it out than to lose your soul.  For what does it gain a man to have the whole world, but lose his soul?” (paraphrasing from memory here).

 The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

• The battle is already won.  Read the last page of the book and you’ll see that God wins.  Good overcomes evil.  He’s already there.  He is outside of time, so He knows how it all ends.  We should trust that.  So, His light rejoices – His light is where joy exists, not in wickedness.  Even though sin may feel good momentarily, it does not last.  In fact it leaves a horrible aftertaste.  

 By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

• Throwing a mini-tantrum so you can have it YOUR way instead of His way?  This helps no one, especially the tantrum thrower.  Insolent behavior causes nothing but trouble.  And it starts from pride/ego – not a good foundation.
• Take His advice into your heart.  You’ll see why it was the right choice once you do.

 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

• Hamma, Hamma-Hamma.  Remember MC Hammer from the 80s?  His wealth skyrocketed quickly, but focus on it made it vanish just as fast.  The key word here is “hasty”.  This denotes a gaining “without thought”.  This can take your eye off of God, which is the real issue.  
• Don’t be after the quick buck.  It won’t last.  It certainly is not sustainable.  Every finance class I took taught me, “The median investor makes the median”.  The probabilities are not good for the guy always after the quick buck.  
• But slow and steady, now that’s the way.  

 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

 but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

• I’ve got to be honest - I don’t know exactly what this means.  Here’s my guess, though:
• Hope is in Christ alone.  Deferring/delaying your decision for Christ just keeps you grasping for something to fill that God-shaped void in your heart.  
• But accepting Christ into your life now will provide you with the fruit of the real life God intends for you.  Don’t delay.

 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

• Without the Word, we are ignorant.  With ignorance comes stumbling, falling … ultimately destruction.
• But the one who sees the commandment for what it is and acknowledges and respects it, will see the rewards that come with that lifestyle.  It’s the good life.
• As mentioned, listen to wisdom and you’ll avoid the pitfalls of life.  Will you avoid all trouble?  No, but you won’t be off-roading it anymore.  You’ll be on a paved road.

 Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

• Who do you trust with your important things, tasks, security, etc.?  You trust the guy with common sense.  Be known as someone with good sense and you will be trusted with greater and greater things.
• Those who are treacherous (connivers, cheaters, etc.) are digging their own grave.  Either here on Earth, or on judgement day, they will get theirs.

 In everything the prudent acts with knowledge,

 but a fool flaunts his folly.

• Prudence = you thought it through, you sought advice, you “discerned” before jumping in.  It’s just being smart in your decision making.  “I guess so.” is not good enough.  “I know so.” before you act is the way to go.  At minimum, use the knowledge that you do have or can acquire to at least take an “educated guess”.
• "Look at me!  I’m an idiot!"  Fools don’t say that overtly, but that IS what they are saying.  Fools brag about their sin.  But they only look … well, foolish.

 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing.

• Again, not completely sure what this means.  Here’s my guess:
• Lie or otherwise bring false information, and you’ll pay the price.  Problem is, it will harm others in the process (e.g. Reputations).
• But delivering a message of Truth always helps.  This is why it’s recommended that we try to memorize scripture.  Not because God commands it, but because recalling it, or providing the right scripture in the right situation can provide the necessary healing.

 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

 but whoever heeds reproof is honored.

• “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” … “Ah, what do you know!”  Pride comes before a fall.  We all need instruction.  Even if we knew it, we need reminders.  Ignore the good biblical instruction at your own peril.
• But the opposite is true for those who listen to the instruction or the reminders.  You not only improve your situation, you also gain honor, as someone who listens to reason and does not claim to always “know it all”.

 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

• “What!  You didn’t have sex with her when she was so attractive and so willing!  Idiot!” or “Dude, no one is going to know if you take just one.  Chicken.”  To fools, turning away from temptations/sin/evil is just ridiculous.  "Why not?" they say.  But you know better.

 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

• Pretty self-explanatory.  An athlete who plays with those above her level will play better.  Play with those lesser, and she won’t play her best.  
• This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ever engage with fools.  Jesus spent most of His time being a friend to sinners … not to be like them, but to help them “get better”.  We, too, should show them the right way.  And they’ll listen if we love and care about them first.

 Disaster pursues sinners,

 but the righteous are rewarded with good.

• Disaster sometimes comes to those who are trying their best to be righteous – yes.  But disaster really follows sinners everywhere they go.  Then – of course – they blame God (the guy they say might now exist).  Silly.
• Ultimately, those who strive to be the man or woman God created us to be will be rewarded.  Maybe not here on Earth, but our time here is fleeting compared to eternity in Heaven with God.

 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,

but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

• As Americans, we’re not doing a very good job here.  The “inheritance” we’ve leaving our children is a staggering amount of national debt and a stance on morality that does not line up with the Bible.  Also, as custodians of the animals and the earth, we should also leave a clean earth behind (whatever that actually means).
• If we were doing it right, we would drop the greed, live humbly and simply, and leave our children with a fair start, so that they can do the same for THEIR children’s children.    

 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice.

• Not sure how to translation this, and I don’t have any good guesses.

 Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

• Note to self:  I need to beat Will more often.  Seriously, so many parents think they are doing a kid a favor by being lenient when it really matters.  Can you show mercy in certain situations – absolutely.  In fact, you should.  But not correcting an action is not helping the child – it’s hurting him.

 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

• Be thankful for what you have.  Don’t ask God for more than you need, but certainly ask Him for your daily bread.  Paraphrasing, “God, don’t give me more than what I need or I’ll forget how much I need you.  Equally, don’t give me less than what I need so I am tempted to steal and displease you.  Just give me what I need – no more, no less.”
• The wicked, evil, wordily person always wants more.  We earn $50K, we want $100K.  We earn $100K, we want $250K.  And so on.  Focus on the wrong thing will always leave you wanting.