Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
16 A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
This starts off letting us know that those who work for it gain knowledge and those that good listeners to the word seek even more knowledge. The wisdom gained her is then used to give someone insight as to what would be a good gift to give to someone that has done something for you and to let someone know how much they mean to you. A nice gift seems to soften the heart and make the way easier. The last verse to take this wisdom a little further shows us how in an argument there are always two sides to story. When we hear the first side we have a tendency to believe it is right until we hear the other side. Once all the facts are presented we can make a better judgement on who is right.The moral of this is, cross examination avoids hasty judgment.
Proverbs 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
We all have seen people who think they are smarter than they are. They will answer a question before you can get it out and usually it makes them out to be a fool. Only a wise man will wait until the question is asked before he answers. Also the spirit of a man will sustain him through almost any trial. even sometimes when doctors say there is no hope and the patient says “I will not die”, to the amazement of the doctors they heal faster and live longer than the doctors ever imagined. It is called the will to live. But when you heart that is broken sometimes they lose the will to live and they usually do not live long. We need to be aware of these broken people and try to help them regain that reason to live.
Proverbs 18:11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
The people we see here are wealthy and think this is all they need to get into heaven. They flaunt their wealth to a point where people start to ignore them and have nothing to do with them and this is like a wall being constructed between them and the rest of the world. They are very proud of their wealth, and pride goth before a fall. Verse 12 goes on to say that the speech, probably of these same people, becomes destructive which leads to their own demise. Finally though we see that if we humble ourselves before God he will have great love for us and we will also be able to reach to others.Today is the the Lord’s day rejoice and be glad in it and get up and go to church. God has something special for each person that comes to Him asks for what they need. Please attend the the church of your choice and I pray it will be one that teaches the truth of God’s word.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
This is a verse that is familiar to a lot of Christians but this is where we get our strength, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and protection. The name of the Lord is a place of complete safety if for those that trust in Him. We can see form this that without the Lord Jesus Christ we may not even exist. “The name of the Lord” stands for the manifest perfections of God such as faithfulness, power, mercy and wisdom, on which the righteous rely for security.
Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”
Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
We see hear in these two verse people we see every day. They love to take a peace of gossip and tell it to someone who they know will eat it up and get it down pat so they can spread the gossip. The talebearer is not by himself in sinning here but the listener is also. Next we see the ones that are too lazy to accomplish anything and what he does do does not amount to anything. then you the one he he does accomplish something he destroys it before it finished. Neither one of these will never have anything or amount to much.To me these are some of the hardest people to reach because they think everyone is against them and that is where we really need to let them see the love of God in us.
Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
The words of a man come from the heart and one who is wise has wellspring of wisdom that gushes forth like a river but soothes like a gentle flowing brook. We see to that it is not good to allow the riches, influence, friends, or offices of a wicked man to pervert justice of the poor or of the righteous man. To listen to the ramblings of what a wicked person says is wrong. Also a fool would just assume enter into a fight rather reason with someone to solve a situation. A fool with his words causes only trouble because they are guided by his own selfish desires. His words will only bring destruction and snare his soul. We can see the contrast in these verses of how with the righteous the words are spoken to help but the words of a fool are spoken to tear down.
Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
3 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.
Now we see someone who seeks self gratification, they will remove themselves from others to seek wisdom on their own. They will become a recluse trying to find what they are looking for when all God ask is that we pray and ask for wisdom. Then we see the one who is interested in only pleasing self. These people are dense and stupid and have no desire for knowledge A fool will pay a great price for knowledge but thinks he gains more from it than he paid but he did not. Finally we see the person who is wicked but even has contempt for their own kind. Even the righteous despise these and this brings disgrace which brings shame and reproach. Here again we see people who need to find the real truth and we need to be well prepared to help in any situation by keeping our eyes focused on God.
26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
We know that it is never right when the just are punished for doing nothing wrong. we know many saints were martyred for the word of God and God will deal with the people who treat His followers wrongly. Next we see that a man with wisdom knows when to speak and when to hold his peace. A man of understanding is also a man of wisdom who says what needs to said at the appropriate time. We have seen where a fool is almost without hope but if he learns how to control his speech it shows he is gaining wisdom. Then if a wise man does not know when to hold his tongue he can be considered a fool. How often is that we let our tongue get us trouble? Again we need to ask God to help us gain all the wisdom and knowledge we need to make it through each day.
Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
24 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.
This starts off showing us that people will wait till we are looking the other way and take a bribe to persuade us to be on their side even when it is the wrong thing to do. As we see in the next verse wisdom is available to anyone who desires it and seeks God for it but for the fool he never sees the need to ask for it because he thinks it is too far from his reach. This last verse shows us that a father is pleased to have a son but wants him to listen to his instructions but when he does not it brings grief. The mother is sadden because the child has made bad decisions and as parents both want their children to be better people than they are.We see so many instances in God’s word where it should encourage us to ask everyday for the wisdom and knowledge to say and do the right things and we gain that by reading His word.
Proverbs17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Again a short verse but filled with wisdom. It is almost a proven fact if we keep an upbeat happy attitude we will live a better and more stress free life. When God breathed life into man I believe it was life with a merry heart, now today for us to get that breath of life into us we have accept Jesus as savior and let Him file us with that breath of His spirit. Those that have a broken spirit and are dejected open themselves up to all kinds of illnesses.Heath is ruined by such things as grief, continual worry, anxiety, fretfulness, bad tempers, hatred , and malice. If these things persist in someones life it will end in nothing but death, like the dry bones. If you are struggling with some of these I urge you to find a God believing, truth teaching church and let God breath that life saving spirit into you. Everyone is welcome at Luverne First Assembly of God,services start at 9:30 AM with Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service, Sunday night Service at 5:00 Pm.
"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
