Proverbs 17: what to do when offended?

in Proverbs 17 we read:

5 Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator;

    gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.

It is a sin to mock a person just for being poor. 

9 Overlook an offense and bond a friendship;

    fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

10 A quiet rebuke to a person of good sense

    does more than a whack on the head of a fool.

When offended, what do I have to do? It depends on the one who offended me and on the degree of offense. In case of a friend, to overlook an offense is the way to bond a friendship; in case of person of good sense, a quiet rebuke is enough. In case of a fool, even a wahck on his head may not be enough to correct him. 

17 Friends love through all kinds of weather,

    and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

who is a friend? The one who stick to together in all kinds of trouble. 

20 A bad motive can’t achieve a good end;

    double-talk brings you double trouble.

A bad motive can bring short-term good results, but can't achieve a good end. Maybe the end is in judgment day.

22 A cheerful disposition is good for your health;

    gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

I don't know how much we may look for a "cheerful disposition", but if I don't have it, the first step is to pray to the Lord, asking for it. The Lord is the one who wants to participate in building Shalom here in earth. It is good to believe that dreams may become true.

24 The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard;

    fools look for it everywhere but right here.

Where is wisdom? It is so easy to find to some, and so difficult to find for others. It is not necessary to study abroad in the best USA universities to find wisdom.

Proverbs 16: God has the last word.

 In Proverbs 16 we read:

1 Mortals make elaborate plans,

    but God has the last word.

9 We plan the way we want to live,

    but only God makes us able to live it.

The Lord has given our capability to elaborate plans, but it is in the hand of the Lord that our plans succeed or not. It is somehow difficult to remember that God has the last word.

6 Guilt is banished through love and truth;

    Fear-of-God deflects evil.

My guilt is banished through the Lord's love. However, I must fear the Lord to deflect evil.

26 Appetite is an incentive to work;

    hunger makes you work all the harder.

The Lord created a great incentive to work: the hunger. 

32 Moderation is better than muscle,

    self-control better than political power.

It is easy to loose control and do silly things. The one who controls himself (don´t loose temper) is more valued more than a political leader.

Proverbs 15: self-willed life x God-willed life

 In Proverbs 15 we read:

8 God can’t stand pious poses,

    but he delights in genuine prayers.

It is disgusting to the Lord pious poses with no connection to pious life. The Lord doesn't lie and delights in genuine prayers.

15 A miserable heart means a miserable life;

    a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

16 A simple life in the Fear-of-God

    is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.

A miserable heart may happen to a wealthy man. The who fears the Lord is more prone to a simple life with cheeful days.

31 Listen to good advice if you want to live well,

    an honored guest among wise men and women.

32 An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny;

    an obedient, God-willed life is spacious.

The arrogant doesn't take good advice from wise men. He is self-willed and undisciplined. This makes his life puny, empty. The humble listens to good advice, he is obedient seeking to please the Lord. His life is meaningful.

proverbs 14: pro and against Shalom

 In proverbs 14/MSG we read:

6 Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it;

    the open-minded find it right on their doorstep!

7 Escape quickly from the company of fools;

    they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.

8 The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;

    the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.

9 The stupid ridicule right and wrong,

    but a moral life is a favored life.

10 The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends

    will be an outsider at their celebrations.

The wise discerns what is good and bad. The cynic can't find wisdom despite it is obvious (v6). The one who constantly doubts is seen as wise guy in our world, but we are in company of fools if we doubt more than we should (v7). The cynic ridicules right and wrong with arrogance (v9). The cynic shuns the bitter moments of others so he will be an outsider in good times (v10).

12-13 There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough;

    look again—it leads straight to hell.

Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,

    but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.

The one who doesn't fear the Lord believes that he can do whatever he wants with no consequences.

15 The gullible believe anything they’re told;

    the prudent sift and weigh every word.

16 The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;

    fools are headstrong and reckless.

The fool doesn't discern what is rigt and wrong, what is true and false - so he listens and believe in contradictions. The wise man listens and meditates on every word. This makes the wise understands and avoids evil. The fools think that they know what they are doing, they are headstrong and reckless.

18 Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion;

    wise realists plant their feet on the ground.

19 Eventually, evil will pay tribute to good;

    the wicked will respect God-loyal people.

Foolish dreamers live in another world disconnected with our reality. They will make a lot of bad decisions and at some moment, they will that the results got by the wise were much better.

20 An unlucky loser is shunned by all,

    but everyone loves a winner.

21 It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need,

    but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!

In practicce no one wants to get near an unlucky loser, but the Lord is generous and wants his people to be generous specially with those in need.

24 The wise accumulate wisdom;

    fools get stupider by the day.

Wise men learn one thing that will help learn another thing. They accumulate widom to take better decisions. Fools can't learn with their own errors.

26 The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,

    and makes a world safe for your children.

27 The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water

    so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.

The one who fears the Lord finds a spring of living water. They have discernment to avoid drinking from poisoned wells. They are like a fortress that protect their family.

30 A sound mind makes for a robust body,

    but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

31 You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless;

    when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.

32 The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold;

    the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.

The wise (with a sound mind) is blessed by his Maker with a robust body. He is generous (He loves other people). His integrity brings prosperity - a safe place of living. In a way he is pro Shalom. However the fool (with his runaway emotions) goes against Shalom. 

proverbs 13: wealth

 In proverbs 13 we read:

7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;

    a plain and simple life is a full life.

In this connected world, many post a showy life in facebook, instagram, etc. which denotes an empty life.

8 The rich can be sued for everything they have,

    but the poor are free of such threats.

This can be applied to big companies too: they are always in tribunals.

10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord,

    but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

An arrogant wants to be respected. He wants everyone to listen to him as a great wise, however, wise men are prone to listen to others'counsel.

11 Easy come, easy go,

    but steady diligence pays off.

In a more common translation we read: "whoever gathers little by little has plenty.". Is it wise to accumulate wealth on earth? The big question is "how much do we trust in wealth instead of the Lord?". The Lord gives plenty to whoever He wishes. Money can be a blessing too.

19 Souls who follow their hearts thrive;

    fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.

Fools don't create, they destroy. 

20 Become wise by walking with the wise;

    hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

Choose a church of wise people!

22 A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren;

    ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people.

In a more literal translation "Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the wealth of sinners is stored away for a righteous person.". Proverbs says that wealth follows a good person, so much that he is able to pass wealth to his grandchildren.

Proverbs12: If you love learning

 In Proverbs 12 we read:

1 If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it—

    how shortsighted to refuse correction!

As we are not perfect, a Christian life must be a life of learning which implies, a life that accepts correction.

    

11 The one who stays on the job has food on the table;

    the witless chase whims and fancies.

One key aspect of a Christian life is humility. The humble is greateful for his job which brings food on the table. The arrogant (witless) thinks that he deserves more in life and chase his fancies.

15 Fools are headstrong and do what they like;

    wise people take advice.

16 Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly;

    the prudent quietly shrug off insults.

18 Rash language cuts and maims,

    but there is healing in the words of the wise.

    

The arrogant doesn't take advice and explode all too quickly imposing his opinions, breaking connections to other people. The humble not only listen to others but also, shrug off insults searching for healing relationships.

26 A good person survives misfortune,

    but a wicked life invites disaster.

The Lord called us to participate in his "Shalom". In a way, the good person constructs, while the wicked destroys.

    

27 A lazy life is an empty life,

    but “early to rise” gets the job done.

"ikigai" in Japanese means a purpose in life. This is what makes one "early to rise and gets the job done. A lazy person lacks some purpose in life and has an empty life.

    

28 Good men and women travel right into life;

    sin’s detours take you straight to hell.

This verse talks about the right way to life and how sin’s detours lead to death.

proverbs 11: my righteous one will live by faith.

 In proverbs 11 we read:

3 The integrity of the honest keeps them on track;

    the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.

4 A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,

    but a principled life can stand up to the worst.

It reminds "But my righteous one will live by faith.". The faith of the righteous keeps him on track because he doesn't go by devious ways. In verse 4, a normal translation is: "Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.". The righteous one will be saved from death on judgment day while riches won't be possible to save anyone. In MSG (the Message), Eugene Peterson focus that riches can't help in certain difficult situations (he didn't focus on judgment day) while the righteous can stand up to this same difficult situation.

proverbs10: some proverbs

 In Proverbs 10 we read many proverbs, such as:

2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;

    an honest life is immortal.

A good person makes good use of his gain while a bad person can´t use properly his ill-gotten gain. Besides, an honest life can endure forever despite of material gains.

17 The road to life is a disciplined life;

    ignore correction and you’re lost for good.

In the gospels we listen John Baptist and Jesus saying "repent!". Repentance is necessary to walk in the road to life.

30 Good people last—they can’t be moved;

    the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

We read in the Bible that "the meek shall inherit the earth". Here is another verse that supports such idea.

proverbs 9: Lady Wisdom and Madame Prostitute

 In Proverbs 9 we read about two calls: one from Lady Wisdom and another from Madame Prostitute. 

1-6 (...)

    Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,

    and invites everyone within sound of her voice:

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

    Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!

I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,

    roast lamb, carefully selected wines.

Leave your impoverished confusion and live!

    Walk up the street to a life with meaning.”

(...)

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,

    insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,

    and the years of your life ripen.

Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;

    mock life and life will mock you.

  

Madame Prostitute Calls Out, Too

13-18 Then there’s this other woman, Madame Prostitute—

    brazen, empty-headed, frivolous.

She sits on the front porch

    of her house on Main Street,

And as people walk by minding

    their own business, calls out,

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

    Steal off with me, I’ll show you a good time!

    No one will ever know—I’ll give you the time of your life.”

But they don’t know about all the skeletons in her closet,

    that all her guests end up in hell.

Lady Wisdom is generous and offers a banquet in his house, however, Madame Prostitute invites his guests to steal with her. She offers a good time, but she is lying, indeed she offers the hell.

proverbs 8: wisdom and wealth

In Proverbs 8 we read Wisdom saying:

Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,

    and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.

For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;

    nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

    

and then:

I love those who love me;

    those who look for me find me.

Wealth and Glory accompany me—

    also substantial Honor and a Good Name.

My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;

    the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.

The one who searches for Wisdom over wealth avoids the trappings of wealth, mas interestingly, the one who seeks wisdom first, receives benefits as wealth, honor and a good name.

proverbs 6: the ant woks without a boss

 In proverbs 6 we read:

1-5 Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor

    or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,

If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back

    and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,

Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.

    You’re in that man’s clutches!

    Go, put on a long face; act desperate.

Don’t procrastinate—

    there’s no time to lose.

Run like a deer from the hunter,

    fly like a bird from the trapper!

A person guaranteed the debt of his neighbor or the bond of a stranger. His financial future is compromised. The preacher commands a person to get out of that mess like a bird from the trapper. We may commit errors in our life, but we must recognize them and fix them.

6 Contemplate the ant, you sluggard;

    observe its ways and gain wisdom.

7 Even though it has no chief,

    no governor or ruler,

8 it stores its provisions throughout the summer

    and gathers its food at the time of harvest.

9 How long do you intend to lie there, you sluggard?

    When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,

    a little folding of the arms to rest,

11 and poverty will overtake you like a robber,

    and scarcity like an armed man.

The future of the sluggard is compromised by his conduct because poverty will overtake him like a robber. In order to avoid that, he must work, he must do what he has to do. He must have initiative to work as the ant woks without a boss.

Proverbs 7: how to escape temptation?

 In Proverbs 7 we read:

1-5 Dear friend, do what I tell you;

    treasure my careful instructions.

Do what I say and you’ll live well.

    My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!

Write it out on the back of your hands;

    etch it on the chambers of your heart.

Talk to Wisdom as to a sister.

    Treat Insight as your companion.

They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress—

    that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress.

The preacher claims his instructions are a treasure. In this chapter, he focus on the adulteress who seduces a man leading him to death. How to escape her seduction? By talking to Wisdom as to a sister, by being close friend to her.

proverbs5: never take a spouse's love for granted

 in Psalm 5 we read:

3-6 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,

    her soft words are oh so smooth.

But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,

    a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.

She’s dancing down the perfumed path to Death;

    she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,

    about who she is or where she’s going.

7-14 So, my friend, listen closely;

    don’t treat my words casually.

Keep your distance from such a woman;

    absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.

You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,

    to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.

Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?

    Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?

You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,

    nothing but sin and bones,

Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?

    Why did I reject a disciplined life?

Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,

    or take my teachers seriously?

My life is ruined!

    I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

Divorce and prostitution are clear examples of "waste your precious life among the hardhearted". It is not material things, the seductive woman takes the precious life of a man although she doesn't know where she’s going.

    

Never Take Love for Granted

15-16 Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,

    draw water from your own spring-fed well”?

It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home

    and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

17-20 Your spring water is for you and you only,

    not to be passed around among strangers.

Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!

    Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!

Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—

    don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.

    Never take her love for granted!

Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a prostitute?

    for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

21-23 Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;

    he’s aware of every step you take.

The shadow of your sin will overtake you;

    you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.

Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;

    your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.

    

The seductive woman ruins a marriage. The man who falls take his spouses' love for granted but he shouldn't. In a way, it is not clever to take the Lord's love for granted when falling in sin.

proverbs4: brighter and brighter

In Psalm 4 we read:

18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;

    the longer they live, the brighter they shine.

But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—

    travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

The right-living people repents and learn how to do well. The longer the one who searches for wisdom lives, the brighter they shine. However, the wrongdoing can´t see where they are going, they can't discern their own wrongs, they don't repent and fall falt on their faces.

    

20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;

    tune your ears to my voice.

Keep my message in plain view at all times.

    Concentrate! Learn it by heart!

Those who discover these words live, really live;

    body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

The preachers asks the reader to pay attention to his words because it is so easy to forget how to discern what is right and wrong and keep walking blindly in life.

proverbs3: the reward for trusting in the Lord

 In proverbs 3, we read:

1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;

    take to heart my commands.

They’ll help you live a long, long time,

    a long life lived full and well.

3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.

    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.

Earn a reputation for living well

    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.

    Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

    your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;

    give him the first and the best.

Your barns will burst,

    your wine vats will brim over.

But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;

    don’t sulk under his loving correction.

It’s the child he loves that God corrects;

    a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Bible repeatably says to trust the Lord. There is a reward for trusting in the Lord: he will make you prosper. To trust the Lord means to abandon our ways. This may happen by a loving correction. 

27-29 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;

    your hand is God’s hand for that person.

Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”

    or “Try me tomorrow”

    when the money’s right there in your pocket.

Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor

    when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

In Brazil, there are many beggars, but who deserves help? Here we read to help who deserves help. For me, it is better to help our brothers and sisters in church because we know their struggles in life. Anyway, the Lord is good and wants me to be good, generous.

30-32 Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,

    always spoiling for a fight.

Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.

    Why be a bully?

“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.

    It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

Some people fight for the pleasure of winning a fight. The Lord is not pleased by this kind of people. Am I fighting for the pleasure of feeling above others?

proverbs2: set your heart on a life of Understanding

 In proverbs 2, the preacher says:

Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;

    set your heart on a life of Understanding.

That’s right—if you make Insight your priority,

    and won’t take no for an answer,

Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold,

    like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,

Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;

    you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

The one who studies the Word of the Lord, who is serious about searching for Wisdom, will realize at some point of his life that he has the Fear-of-God. Most of people don't care about the Word and don't understand what displeases the Lord.

There are blessings for the one who gets wisdom:

20-22 So—join the company of good men and women,

    keep your feet on the tried-and-true paths.

It’s the men who walk straight who will settle this land,

    the women with integrity who will last here.

The corrupt will lose their lives;

    the dishonest will be gone for good.

provers1: how to get wisdom?

 How to get wisdom?

7   Start with God — the first step in learning is bowing down to God;

    only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

It is necessary to be humble to learn from the Lord. It is necessary to recognize that our lives are in his hands, so we fear Him.

20 Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts.

22 “Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?

23-24 Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you;

    I’m ready to tell you all I know.

As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear;

    I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me.

25-28 “Since you laugh at my counsel

    and make a joke of my advice,

How can I take you seriously?

    I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!

What if the roof falls in,

    and your whole life goes to pieces?

What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing

    to show for your life but rubble and ashes?

You’ll need me then. You’ll call for me, but don’t expect an answer.

    No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me.

It is easy to despise the wisdom and think we are in control when everything goes well. However, the simpletons will not find wisdom when in trouble.

    

29-33 “Because you hated Knowledge

    and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God,

Because you wouldn’t take my advice

    and brushed aside all my offers to train you,

Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it;

    you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it?

Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?

    Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.

First pay attention to me, and then relax.

    Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”

The Wisdom is calling the idiots and simpletons to listen. Will they let to be idiots? Will they repent and abandon their ways?   

psalm 150: let all the world praise the Lord

In Psalm 150 we read:

1-6 Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy house of worship,

    praise him under the open skies;

Praise him for his acts of power,

    praise him for his magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,

    praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise him with castanets and dance,

    praise him with banjo and flute;

Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,

    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

    Hallelujah!

Imagine a world where every breathing creature praise the Lord. It would be a loving world without murderers,  thieves, etc. Not only that, but imagine a world full of love for the Creator and for each other. This Psalm calls everyone to praise the Lord for his acts of power, for his magnificent greatness.