Proverbs !9:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.
Here we see someone who is too lazy to hit a lick at a snake an they do nothing but sleep their life away because they are too lazy to work. Because they are too lazy to work they face the problem of having food to eat. People do not like to hire lazy people because they will not get their work done.This laziness can cause poverty but it is not the only cause of poverty.
Next we see again that if we follow the commandments we will be blessed. We know that God does not lie and if He promised us blessings you can depend on Him to supply them. The last part of this verse reminds us that if we are disobedient we will suffer the consequences of refusing to follow Gods’ will. Wisdom is equated with God’s commandments. In a sense, Proverbs contains the applications and implications of all that is in God’s moral law.
Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
These two verses say some things people don not like to here and some good things. First we have already seen the destruction that comes from a rebellious son, how he brings heartache to the family. Also in this verse we have referenced a nagging wife, which could just as well be a nagging husband, that brings discourse to the household. A spouse that is always complaining and argumentative is like a leak that is unrelenting, it will drive you mad.A person’s home should be a pleasant refuge, not a place with no rest. The next verse goes in the right direction saying you can inherit great things from a good family. The last part of this verse tells us that a good wife is a gift from God.If she is prudent she will be industrious and intelligent as well as a good Christian woman. A wise wife is a result of divine blessing. When both husband and wife are good to each other and work together in everything it makes for a good family relationship. That does not mean there will not be bad times but it means you will be able to work through them.
Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
12 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
This starts telling us that a man who is slow to anger is using the wisdom given him by God. He has developed to some degree patience and this helps him to overlook transgressions by others and not spreading the faults of these. It could also be said that he has forgive the person for the wrong they have done. This to is showing wisdom because God’s word says forgive and ye shall be forgiven. Next we see how a person with power is perceived by people. He is seen as someone with great power, even to control life and death, so people are some what afraid of him. But everyone desires to have the favor of the person of authority because he can decide whether they succeed or fail. Our prayer here would be to be like the person in the verse and pray that the person in the second verse operates with the wisdom of God so people will prosper under him.
Proverbs 19:8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
10 Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
We start here seeing that by gaining wisdom, which comes from God, a person learns to love his own soul. If you do not love yourself how can learn to love anyone else? Even better than this is guarding and obeying wisdom understanding to help us to focus on the good things of God. Again in verse 9 we see that a liar will not go unpunished People who witness falsely against others may think they will get away with it but when the truth comes out they will suffer the consequences by some means for the lies they told. Verse 10 tells us that for a fool to acquire riches or power is a mistake because he fails to have the wisdom or knowledge to know how to handle it. Arrogance, conceit, and pride are a by-product of wealth and power and if a servant acquires this he feels he has power to rule over his masters, and we know this is a mistake. These verse tell us if we will gain the wisdom and knowledge of God these other two situations will not be a problem for we will know not to lie or over step our bounds.
Proverbs 19:6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
These two verses are in total contrast with each other. The first verse says, as we saw a little earlier, everyone likes to be friends with those that have money and are in great positions hoping to receive something or some great position. Also they enjoy the free gifts that are given. This is bordering on generosity as being a bribe.
The next verse looks again at how the poor are treated. Because they think they have nothing to give they have no use for them. Even if they ask for them to come back they say no because they are afraid they may have to help them.
This is a sorry lot that will not help their brother. This goes hand in hand with verse four where we said: This literally means that wealth adds new friends while poverty alienates existing friends who grow weary of the demands of the poor. For this to be basically repeated in this chapter should tell us that we not to turn our backs on the poor but to reach out to them to help them better themselves and share the love of Jesus with them.
Proverbs 19:4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
This first verse shows us that people will run to those who have wealth to try to make friends with them but will not even take the time to visit the less fortunate people. Poverty alienates people because they get tired of the demands of the poor. This is not what Jesus intended because it it is showing respect for people because of their position and wealth.The next verse tells us that anyone who lies will reap what he sows and be punished in due time. Lying or false witnessing can be considered perjury and we all know in our courts today perjury is a crime and punishable by fine or imprisonment. People may think they are getting away with lying her on this earth but when they come before God and are found guilty they will be punished. Please attend a Bible believing, truth teaching church today and see what God has for you.
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
The first verse tells us that a poor is only poor in earthly goods but walks with integrity. He is satisfied in the state he is in and will follow Jesus no matter what. In contrast to him we have the rich man who ha gained what he has by any evil way he can and will tell lies to keep what he has. We can see hear that integrity is better than wealth. Next we have someone in a hurry to go nowhere because he has no direction in his life. He is without the knowledge of God so therefore he makes wrong choices and brings trouble to himself. The last verse tells us that man is responsible for his own actions no matter how foolish they are. This person cannot blame anyone else for their sin. Most of the time though these people blame God for situation they are in. Basically this last verse says that we bring our problems on ourselves. We can see form verses if we walk in the integrity and knowledge of God we will not be rash in our judgments and praise God for the opportunities He gives us to make the right decisions.
Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
We see here a few different kind s of people. First we know that God said in his word that it is not good for man to alone. So He provided a female companion and we see here that it is good for a man to have a wife. God ask them to multiply and replenish the earth and in obedience to God they find favor with Him. Next we see a poor man who is humble in what he ask for but the rich man, because he feels superior, answers him roughly. The rich usually do not need anything from anyone so they do not care how they treat people. This last verse tells us that to many times we feel we must entertain people to keep them as friends. Which we know God ask us to love everyone the same, as Jesus loved, and in doing this we should receive love in return. Then we have a friend who will be there for us in the worst of times and this is a real friend.We gain from these scriptures that is good forman and woman to join marriage and have a family, even though it may not be for everyone, for some may choose to live a celibate life. That we should have a kind humble attitude to all people, rich or poor, and be a true friend to the anyone who needs us.
Proverbs 18:20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
These two verses have a great impact on us today, we need to take them and really listen to what they and what we say. The first verse tells us that what comes out of our mouth should be something that is satisfying to us and something that pleases us. Also a lot of times what we say could mean the difference in a very good blessing. Next we see that the worst enemy and the best friend is in the power of the tongue. We speak blessings and curses with the tongue and we will reap the results of we speak. So these two verse show us how important it is for us to watch what we say about people an situations in our lives. We need to always speak positive things over every situation no matter how bad it is or how good it is.
Proverbs 18:18 The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.
19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
First here we see that casting lots can solve some problems and whatever the outcome is the matter is solved. By this being settled it means the two parties have no reason to be at enmity with one another. The next verse says if the matter is not settled and your brother or friend is offended it is harder to overcome than if you had gone to war with a city. This goes on to say if the friends or bothers stand together they are stronger than a castle. One of the hardest disagreements to resolve is between family members and these barriers are the hardest to bring down.Hence, great care should be taken to avoid such conflicts.The Bible reminds us that if we expect God to forgive us we must forgive others, how many times, 70 times 7.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I John 5:7
