Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14:1-35

The wisest of women builds her house,

but folly with her own hands tears it down.

• The woman’s responsibility in the household is equally important to the man’s responsibility.  So, this applies to both the wife/mom and the husband/dad.  
• A little foolishness can knock it down.  Foolishness can come in the form of selfishness, greed, laziness, lack of discipline, and other sins that aren’t good for the continual “building up” of the family.  
• Building the house is not a one time thing.  It takes continued work, perseverance.  You may say that “hey, it’s just a little foolishness.  What’s the big deal?”, but know that it will have it’s impact, and it won’t be positive.  

 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

• It’s an If/Then statement.   If someone lives upright (as defined by God), they obviously “fear the Lord”, meaning that they understand and respect God’s commands.  In short - when you get it, it shows.
• Equally, if you are devious – always trying to get away with bad things – it’s quite clear that you don’t get it.  That you don’t respect God’s commands.
• In essence, either way you are communicating your heart.

 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,

 but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

• The fool gets what’s coming to him.  Be an idiot, expect a beating.
• But, if you are wise, you’ll always be okay.  Again, wisdom comes from God alone.

 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

• You have to take the good with the bad.  There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?
• Sure – while you may not have to shovel ox poop without an ox around, you won’t get the benefit of having an ox’s strength without the ox either.  So, shovel the poop and quit complaining ;)

 A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

• Don’t be a false witness.  Always tell it like you mean it.  Lying to spare someone pain or to avoid conflict or for any other reason may seem to help at the moment, but it will hurt eventually.  No one benefits or improves with lies.  Be a faithful witness and – net–net – things will work out better.
• Except when she asks if she looks fat in that.  Okay – even then.  But tread lightly. ;)

 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

• A scoffer seeking wisdom is on a fool’s errand.  Think about it … the scoffer is not really looking for wisdom, but for a way to make the whole "house of cards" fall.  He’s looking for the catch.  He isn’t open to wisdom, so he will not find it.  Therefore, he will remain blind to it.
• However, a man genuinely seeking understanding will find what he’s looking for.  Seek (with a true and sincere heart) and you shall find.

 Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

• Hang with a fool and there is no where to go but down.  
• In fact, you will probably become dumber for the little time you did spend in the presence of a fool.  This includes foolish shows, foolish conversations, and so on.  

 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving.

• Discern = to take the time and think it through.  So the prudent take the time to think it all the way through, hence their decisions and actions show wisdom.
• Even a fool can say something that sounds wise (because you’re not taking it to it’s logical, ridiculous, conclusion).  We hear it in the liberal media all the time:  People making silly, superficial comments that make you think twice.  Ver deceiving if you just accept it at face value and don’t think about it.  But if you truly think it through, you’ll realize it has no footing.  

 Fools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy acceptance.

• Fools don’t know that they are guilty or – if they do know – they don’t care if they are guilty.  They think there are no consequences.  Silly fools.
• Those who are upright realize they are sinners and admit it.  This shows wisdom.  

 The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

• You can’t have a bitter, hateful, grudge-carrying heart and not have it show on the surface.  It shows no matter how much you think you’re hiding it.
• People can see it and it’s not pretty.  
• Carrying bitterness isn’t hurting anyone more than the one who is bitter, though, so it’s best to drop the bitterness, forgive and move on.

 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

• The words “destroyed” and “flourish” bring certain images, but think of this in spiritual terms mostly.  A father is wicked, means – with enough time – that the wife and kids will be wicked, too.  And this leads to their destruction (their spiritual death).
• But, the home of a good father and husband will result in a wife and kids that also are good and upright.  They – as a family – will flourish.

 There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

• You can see the results of the world’s ideas.  Chaos, tragedy, hardship, death.  It sure sounds right, though, if you don’t have knowledge of the actual Truth.  So be careful believing things at face value.  If it doesn’t align with God’s Truth, it’s simply not true, no matter how much it SEEMS so. 

 Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and the end of joy may be grief.

• There will always be ups and downs.  This is a fact of life.  Becoming a Christian does not mark the end of your troubles.  This just isn’t so.
• The key is to trust Him.  There will be laughter AND pain.  There will be joy AND grief.  The difference is, we know that God has a plan and this is all part of it.  We have hope and we know we’re being made to be more Christlike with every up and every down in life.

 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,

and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

• You will be given what you put into this “machine” of life.  If you are a “backslider”, never standing strong for what is right and good, you will be filled with those fruits.
• If you bear good fruit, you will be filled with good fruit.  Similar to the concept of Kharma, I suppose, although the concept of “kharma" is simply a Truth from God that was simply known to Hindus.

 The simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

• Discern.  God gave us a brain.  The only thing he asks us to believe with simplicity - like a child – is His Word.  Everything else, think it through.  Don’t believe everything you hear.  Question it.  Heck, as you’re learning, you can certainly question His Word, too, but don’t question the promises He makes … whether they are true or not.

 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,

but a fool is reckless and careless.

• If fat, stay away from the buffet.  The easiest way to keep from falling off a cliff?  Stay away from the cliff.
• Think you’re strong enough to fight it off?  Think again.  God instructs us to be cautious, prudent … to be smart about things.  Take Him at his word.

 A man of quick temper acts foolishly,

and a man of evil devices is hated.

• No good decision was ever made while angry.  I wish I could take back a few words, a few emails.  Have a quick temper?  You’ll look like an idiot.  Control yourself, breath, take a moment before reacting on your feelings.

 The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

• Simple-minded people are more susceptible to being fooled and to making poor decisions.  They may jump into something without fully thinking it through, or simply not knowing any better.
• But those who take time to think things through, to pray on it, to discern with respect to God’s view, they will gain in knowledge.

 The evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

• Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  This will happen on judgement day.  Even the evil will bow, but it will be too late them.  The time of making a choice based on free will  is over on judgement day.  
• They will plead at the gates of heaven, but they’ve made their bed.  Now they must lie in it.  This is not what God wants, but He will allow it because it was a choice He allowed.

 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

 but the rich has many friends.

• I know we hope that our “friends” wouldn’t do this, but what would happen with those relationships if you lost all your money?  If all of a sudden you were in need, who would stick around and who would vanish?  I think this verse is showing us the fallen nature of man.  That we want our relationships to just be easy.  No sacrifice, just comfortable pleasantries.  True friends, real love, means we are there unconditionally.  This is how God models it for us.  This is how Jesus showed us.  But we fail … often.  This is a nice reminder of that harsh reality.

 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,

but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

• Two commandments that matter the most (per our Lord and Savior):  Love God and love your neighbor.  By neglecting or refusing to love others unconditionally, we are sinning.  No getting around it.  That includes holding hate for another, demeaning another, and despising another.
• Blessing WILL come to you if you are generous with the blessings you’ve been given.  This can be money – sure – but it’s not limited to that.  Maybe it’s stopping to take time out of your “oh so busy” schedule to speak to someone in need on the street.  Just talking to them, caring about them, loving on them just because that’s what God would do and that’s what they need from God.  We are His hands and feet.  

 Do they not go astray who devise evil?

Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.

• Plan for bad or plan for good – either way you will receive it in return.  This may not be until the judgement, but it will come.   Trust that God is a just God.

 In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk tends only to poverty.

• Don’t just sit there talking a good talk.  Do something.
• Saying you believe in God and accept Jesus as your savior means little without action.  Know that all that you “spend” in effort for God’s plan for you will come back in force.  
• Just talk?  Expect nothing – spiritual poverty.
• Note:  All of this is between you and God.  Only you (and He) know your heart.  Things can look shiny on the outside, but rotten on the inside.  Conversely, a believer may be so new from a life of evil that he still looks rotten on the outside, but his heart is for God.  

 The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings folly.

• Rinse and repeat.   Again, this is a repeat from God.  Repeat = really important.  
• Be wise.  That takes seeking knowledge continually.  Then it means using that knowledge in action.

 A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.

• Tell the truth.  Not much more to say here. ;)

 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge.

• Respect what the Lord has to say in His Word and follow His instructions.  Do this and you will find that you are confident in life because it just works.
• We will always be safe in decisions based on God’s way.  Lean on your own judgement and you’re playing the odds – risky.

 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

• Snares of death.  I’ve heard that phrase used in many places in the Bible.  A “snare” is something that (a) lures you in and (b) traps you.  A.k.a. Sin.  
• But knowing what God wants and knowing that He’s a good Father that loves us and knows better than us, we simply follow His instruction.  This will lead to a good and fruitful life – a fountain or the good stuff.  It will allow us to know how to spot the snares and step around them … or to turn 180 degrees and run away.  Only bad things come from being ensnared by sins.  And we all have our little pet sins. 

 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

• No man is an island.  We need fellowship – God knows this.  He designed it that way.  We need a multitude to be there for us, and for us to be there for them.  “As iron sharpens iron”.  
• Try to do it all on your own, staying away from others, not reaching out … and you’ve missed one of God’s best instructions … 

 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,

but envy makes the bones rot.

• Being slow to anger means you understand that a show of anger solves very little.  Breathe through it and be wise.  Sometimes anger is quite righteous, though.  But that kind of anger never comes from an emotional reaction, but rather a thoughtful discerning.
• Be content in what you have.  Have a tranquil heart and your spiritual, mental and even physical health will improve.  That is something that “scientists” have actually proven – not acknowledging that God said this already thousands of years ago.  
• Envy creates stress, it creates strife between loved ones, it will even cause physical health issues eventually, in additional to spiritual and mental harm.

 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,

 but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

• To treat another of God’s creations – created in His image – as less … to oppress someone with fewer worldly “things” … Shame on you.  How insulting to God.  When you sin, it is not an offense against another person really.  It is an offense against God Himself.
• So, being generous to others?  That is not so much honoring those people as much as it is honoring God.

 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

• Do wrong and you’re going down … eventually.
• Per Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Keep in mind, our focus should be on eternity with God, not on this "blink of an eye" time here on earth.  Live a life pleasing to God and you will find refuge in eternity.  (Quick note:  Don’t confuse this with salvation through works.  We gain salvation and grace through true belief alone.)

 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,

but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

 Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

• For those who seek to understand, wisdom just comes naturally.  Even fools can see it.
• Do what’s right as a nation and be respected (as we once were, for instance).  

 A servant who deals wisely has the king's favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully

• King = God.  Servant = You and me.
• God is wrathful.  No way around that.  You do something wrong, you get the hammer.  This is life by works.  This is the Jewish life.
• With Jesus, God’s wrath is quenched in the cross.  We are provided grace for our past, and for our mistakes going forward.  As I’ve mentioned, though, God knows our hearts.  Saying we have Jesus, but not meaning it?  You’re still getting the wrath.  But if you mean it with your heart, even though you may still make mistakes (and we all do), and you are safe in the arms of Jesus.

Amen.