Today my daily Bible readings have me in Proverbs.  It has been such a delight to reread these again.  Once upon a time I read a chapter of Proverbs every day as a part of my devotions.  I may pick that practice up again after I complete my reading schedule for this year.  My favorite life-altering Proverb is no doubt Proverbs 3:5-6; today’s were not as serious but certainly memorable.  I thought I would share some of them with you, as well as a little running commentary.

Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense. 19:11

Sometimes the best thing is to just let it go.

 

A stupid child is a ruin to a father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.  19:13 

I am so thankful I don’t have either one of those problems, however I know many who suffer from these twin afflictions.

 

Discipline your child while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction. 19:18

So many of our societal ills, the apparent destruction of all that is good, could be traced to a lack of will by parents to discipline their children.  It is not a parent’s job to be a child’s friend.  It is a parent’s job to raise children into productive, moral people.

 

What is desirable in a person is loyalty, and it is is better to be poor than a liar. 19:22

Integrity is the most valuable attribute anyone brings to the community or to the marketplace.

 

The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found. 20:4

Yeah.  That pretty much sums it up.

 

An estate quickly acquired in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. 20:21

When success comes too quickly, or it has not be ‘earned’ through hard work and devotion, then it is taken for granted and will be administrated foolishly.  For more information, cross reference Lindsay Lohan.

 

The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.  20:29

Our society does not understand true beauty.

 

If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard.  21:13

Jesus karma.

 

To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble.  21:23

If we can learn to control our mouth much of the pain in life we suffer would fade away.

 

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.  21:31

We prepare and plan, and that is right and good.  But when the moment comes, it is not our strength or skill that wins the day, it is the Lord.  The way the Lord often chooses to do this is by blessing our planning and preparation.  This passage does not mean don’t get your horse ready for battle.

I’ve got to wrap this blog post up, because I am certain you are already weary.  However, let me leave you with one more.   It came toward the end of my reading today and it is among my favorites.

Do not answer fools according o their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.  Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.  26:4-5

These back to back proverbs have perplexed interpreters for thousands of years.  How can one both answer a fool and not answer a fool?  Which is the right answer.  I think I have the answer (in a heart of wisdom I have gained understanding?) The answer is that the writer of the proverb is saying “Don’t get close enough to a fool to hear his statements because once you start talking to a fool, you can’t win.  His or her foolishness will inevitably rub off on you.”

In summary, today’s blog lesson is stay away from fools, sluggards, and those who would ruin your integrity.