Proverbs 20
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wiseThe terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man,
But any fool will quarrel.The sluggard does not plow after the autumn,
So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out.Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,
But who can find a trustworthy man?A righteous man who walks in his integrity—
How blessed are his sons after him.A king who sits on the throne of justice
Disperses all evil with his eyes.Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,
I am pure from my sin”?Differing weights and differing measures,
Both of them are abominable to the Lord.It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself
If his conduct is pure and right.The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made both of them.Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
But when he goes his way, then he boasts.There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.Prepare plans by consultation,
And make war by wise guidance.He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
Therefore do not associate with a gossip.He who curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will go out in time of darkness.An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a false scale is not good.Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord,
How then can man understand his way?It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”
And after the vows to make inquiry.A wise king winnows the wicked,
And drives the threshing wheel over them.The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the innermost parts of his being.Loyalty and truth preserve the king,
And he upholds his throne by righteousness.The glory of young men is their strength,
And the honor of old men is their gray hair.Stripes that wound scour away evil,
And strokes reach the innermost parts.
“I hope I dont let them down as much as I think I do.”
You don’t. At least not me.
This is one of my favorite chapters.
He got a great deal.
Verse 1: don’t get drunk. It’s bad for you.
Verse 3 Blessed are the peacemakers and apparently those who wisely avoid conflict. Makes sense. Me, I like to cause conflict; shaking things up is good for people in a rut. (Editor’s note: I think there’s a difference between causing strife and shaking things up)
Verse 5 Love seems very similar to this. It’s there, but it’s deep. It’s also worthwhile. Mmm…good well water tastes great.
Verse 6 It’s hard to find a friend who’s really for you. I’ve really been blessed by those God has put into my life. I hope I don’t let them down as much as I think I do.
Verse 9 My freshman Spring semester (1998 for those of you keeping track) made an Old Testament version of the bridge diagram. This was his “all sin and can’t erase it by themselves” verse.
Verse 14 reminds me of going with Jesse to buy his Jeep
Verse 15 look at the economy. The price of oil and other precious commodities is constantly in flux: but a wise man is always a good investment.
Verse 18 Don’t run off and dive into anything without a lot of preparation.
Verse 22 God’s got your back. Let Him defend you. Too many action movies have made us a people who love and seek vengeance on our own.
Verse 24 is a dang good question. Any thoughts?
Verse 25 teaches me to not make deals lightly. At work I sometimes feel as though I get into situations that could have been avoided with a little (or a lot) more footwork at the beginning. I just hate telling people “I’ll have to get back to you on that” all of the time. Maybe I need to just suck up this nonsense and change my ways.
I’m ALLLL about a nice glass of cold well water (I get cravings when I’m at school) !!!
And verse 9 reminds me of that t.v. show “My Name’s Earl.” I just saw it (or parts of it rather) last night. The premise of trying to go back and redeem your past by making up your mistakes together is a good practice, but not one that will purify the past.