Proverbs 24: cynics desecrate beauty

 in Proverbs 24 we read:

Intelligence Outranks Muscle

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24 1-2 Don’t envy bad people;

    don’t even want to be around them.

All they think about is causing a disturbance;

    all they talk about is making trouble.

> Be careful who you choose as companion.

20

3-4 It takes wisdom to build a house,

    and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;

It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms

    with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.

> It takes wisdom (and money) to build a house beginning with its foundation. It takes wisdom (and the Lord's blessing) to choose a spouse.

21

5-6 It’s better to be wise than strong;

    intelligence outranks muscle any day.

Strategic planning is the key to warfare;

    to win, you need a lot of good counsel.

29

19-20 Don’t bother your head with braggarts

    or wish you could succeed like the wicked.

Those people have no future at all;

    they’re headed down a dead-end street.

> It's better to be wise than rich, strong, wicked, etc. The wisdom is a gift from the Lord.

22

7 Wise conversation is way over the head of fools;

    in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue.

> it is interesting to listen to the conversation from leaders of a company. Are they wise?

23

8-9 The person who’s always cooking up some evil

    soon gets a reputation as prince of rogues.

Fools incubate sin;

    cynics desecrate beauty.

> Cynics are unhappy people that can't find wisdom or beauty outside themselves.

Rescue the Perishing

24

10 If you fall to pieces in a crisis,

    there wasn’t much to you in the first place.

27

15-16 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;

    don’t try to get the best of them.

No matter how many times you trip them up,

    God-loyal people don’t stay down long;

Soon they’re up on their feet,

    while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

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17-18 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;

    don’t gloat over his collapse.

God might see, and become very provoked,

    and then take pity on his plight.

> Jesus finished the sermon of mount with a parable about two men: one who listened and practicced his words. He was prepared for the bad days. Another man listened but didn't practicced his words. He was not prepared for the bad days.

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11-12 Rescue the perishing;

    don’t hesitate to step in and help.

If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,”

    will that get you off the hook?

Someone is watching you closely, you know—

    Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

> How should I rescue the perishing? A very obejctive way is to spread the gospel.

26

13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—

    and delicacies that melt in your mouth.

Likewise knowledge,

    and wisdom for your soul—

Get that and your future’s secured,

    your hope is on solid rock.

> Love to get wisdom; love to learn.

30

21-22 Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;

    don’t be defiant or mutinous.

Without warning your life can turn upside down,

    and who knows how or when it might happen?

> Fear God is related to fear the consequences of being far from the Lord.

More Sayings of the Wise

An Honest Answer

23 It’s wrong, very wrong,

    to go along with injustice.

24-25 Whoever whitewashes the wicked

    gets a black mark in the history books,

But whoever exposes the wicked

    will be thanked and rewarded.

> Some read the Bible and understant that we are not to confront the wicked. This proverbs says the opposite: exposes (condemn) the wicked and you will be rewarded.

26 An honest answer

    is like a warm hug.

> Although an honest answer may harm some, it like a warm hug. An honest answer shows respect and love.

27 First plant your fields;

    then build your barn.

> There is an order to follow when doing things.

28-29 Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs—

    no slander or gossip, please.

Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me.

    I’ll make you pay for what you did!”

> Take care of your mouth: don't gossip and even don't promise to harm someone.

30-34 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones,

    and then passed the vineyard of a slob;

They were overgrown with weeds,

    thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.

I took a long look and pondered what I saw;

    the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:

“A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,

    sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,

    with poverty as your permanent houseguest!”

> Don't be lazy: do what you have to do; otherwise you may end up very poor.

Proverbs23: wisdom is precious

 In Proverbs 23 we read:

Restrain Yourself

6

1-3 When you go out to dinner with an influential person,

    mind your manners:

Don’t gobble your food,

    don’t talk with your mouth full.

And don’t stuff yourself;

    bridle your appetite.

Restrain yourself when you have a dinner with an influential person.

8

6-8 Don’t accept a meal from a tightwad;

    don’t expect anything special.

He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself;

    he’ll say, “Eat! Drink!” but won’t mean a word of it.

His miserly serving will turn your stomach

    when you realize the meal’s a sham.

Restrain yourself when you have a dinner with a tightwad.

It is wise (to live longer) to restrain yourself even when you have dinner alone.

7

4-5 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich;

    restrain yourself!

Riches disappear in the blink of an eye;

    wealth sprouts wings

    and flies off into the wild blue yonder.

What for do I live? To please the Lord? If so, the Lord wants me to be grateful to what He has done to me. 

9

9 Don’t bother talking sense to fools;

    they’ll only poke fun at your words.

Christians must to spread the Word with caution because they must study how is the reaction of their listeners.

12

13-14 Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones;

    a spanking won’t kill them.

A good spanking, in fact, might save them

    from something worse than death.

The Lord corrects his sons, and we must do the same as parents.

13

15-16 Dear child, if you become wise,

    I’ll be one happy parent.

My heart will dance and sing

    to the tuneful truth you’ll speak.

The father rejoices when he sees wisdom in his son.

Buy Wisdom, Education, Insight

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22-25 Listen with respect to the father who raised you,

    and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her.

Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money;

    buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.

Parents rejoice when their children turn out well;

    wise children become proud parents.

So make your father happy!

    Make your mother proud!

Is wisdom free of charge? The wise understands how wisdom is valuable.

proverbs22: have a reputation, be good at your work.

 In proverbs 22 we read:

1 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;

    a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

Any company should value much more its reputation than short-term profits to stay in business. Although, we must do what is correct by the fear of the Lord, it may have good consequences for business too.

2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—

    God made them both!

7 The poor are always ruled over by the rich,

    so don’t borrow and put yourself under their power.

9 Generous hands are blessed hands

    because they give bread to the poor.

16 Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich—whichever,

    you’ll end up the poorer for it.

22-23 Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor,

    and don’t use your position to crush the weak,

Because God will come to their defense;

    the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.

The rich must not despise the poor. We are created as the image of God. The poor must take care not put himself as a slave of the rich through borrowing. The Lord bless generous hands.

3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

    a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;

    if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

The prudent and the simpleton see the same things but interpret them differently. 

4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God

    is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

6 Point your kids in the right direction—

    when they’re old they won’t be lost.

If you want to end your life in earth with a satisfying life be meek and have the fear of the Lord. It is difficult to change life when older, so blessed are the children who are shown the right direction!

8 Whoever sows sin reaps weeds,

    and bullying anger sputters into nothing.

Many proverbs saying that we have our reward or punishment.

10 Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down;

    you need a break from bickering and griping!

If you are a teacher kick out the troublemakers and the class will be ok. 

13 The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose!

    If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”

The loafer always finds motives to not work.

15 Young people are prone to foolishness and fads;

    the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.

Young people must be disciplined to apart from foolishness and fads.

24-25 Don’t hang out with angry people;

    don’t keep company with hotheads.

Bad temper is contagious—

    don’t get infected.

You are strongly influenced by your companion. 

29 Observe people who are good at their work—

    skilled workers are always in demand and admired;

    they don’t take a backseat to anyone.

If you want to prosper, be good at your work.

proverb21: trust God and be prepared for the worst

In Proverbs 21 we read:

2 We justify our actions by appearances;

    God examines our motives.

3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors

    mean far more to God than religious performance.

> The motives are important to the Lord, not only the actions. In our world, the end justify the means with no care about actions and even less motives. The Lord is not interested in religious performance in itself.

4 Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—

    are just plain sin.

> Arrogance and pride are very difficult to detect in our own heart and even in others, but they are against wisdom and the fear of the Lord.

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;

    hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

> The Bible incentives us to careful planning, to use our minds. 

8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles;

    pure motives take you straight down the road.

29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot;

    honest people are sure of their steps.

> It is very good to walk with a firm direction, with pure motives. The one with mixed motives walk in a tortous direction.

9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack

    than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.

19 Better to live in a tent in the wild

    than with a cross and petulant spouse.

> Be careful to choose your spouse!

12 A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked

    and undo the evil they’ve planned.

> This verse is translated in many ways. In this translation, A person understands that another is evil and deals properly with him. In other translations, the Lord deals properly with evel people. Jesus told us to be wise as the serpents. It is necessary to deal properly with evil people: when to treat them in a good or bad way.

13 If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor,

    your cries will go unheard, unanswered.

> If you are not merciful to others you will not receive mercy.

16 Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow

    ends up in a congregation of ghosts.

> A verse saying that is necessary to watch and pray in order to keep in the narrow way.

20 Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home;

    fools put it all out for yard sales.

> The wise person knows how to keep valuables.

21 Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind

    finds life itself—glorious life!

> Don't waist your life! Pursue what is right and kind.

22 One sage entered a whole city of armed soldiers—

    their trusted defenses fell to pieces!

> It seems to me like a story plot to be developed.

23 Watch your words and hold your tongue;

    you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.

25 Lazy people finally die of hunger

    because they won’t get up and go to work.

> There are consequences for our laziness.

26 Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have;

    the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

> God-loyal people are generous. God-loyal people work, so that they have what to share.

28 A lying witness is unconvincing;

    a person who speaks truth is respected.

> The one who lies is not respected, not trusted.

30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived,

    can get the better of God.

31 Do your best, prepare for the worst—

    then trust God to bring victory.

> The Lord does what He wishes and even so, he commands us to be prepared for the battle of our lives.

Proverbs 20: Knowing what is right

 In Proverbs 20 we read:

3 It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels,

    but fools love to pick fights.

Jesus related to forgive others to be forgiven by the Father. 

4 A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring

    has nothing to harvest in the fall.

13 Don’t be too fond of sleep; you’ll end up in the poorhouse.

    Wake up and get up; then there’ll be food on the table.

It is the Lord who gives earth, seeds, sun to grow the plant but He wants us to work on the his creation.

5 Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;

    a wise person draws from the well within.

6 Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving,

    but where on earth can you find one?

8-9 Leaders who know their business and care

    keep a sharp eye out for the shoddy and cheap,

For who among us can be trusted

    to be always diligent and honest?

11 Young people eventually reveal by their actions

    if their motives are on the up and up.

14 The shopper says, “That’s junk—I’ll take it off your hands,”

    then goes off boasting of the bargain.

26 After careful scrutiny, a wise leader

    makes a clean sweep of rebels and dolts.

It is very difficult to judge people, but a proper judgement evolves a lot of empathy and reflection.

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—

    we get our basic equipment from God!

The Lord is the one who makes us understand.

7 God-loyal people, living honest lives,

    make it much easier for their children.

I want to make life easier to my children.

10 Switching price tags and padding the expense account

    are two things God hates.

23 God hates cheating in the marketplace;

    rigged scales are an outrage.

Do to others what you expect others do to you.

15 Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge

    is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.

We spend much time taking care of our bodies, but it is much better to spend time taking care of our minds.

18 Form your purpose by asking for counsel,

    then carry it out using all the help you can get.

Other people can help us to get a better understanding of the Bible, of financial and medical decisions.

19 Gossips can’t keep secrets,

    so never confide in blabbermouths.

Don't trust in anyone who gossips to you.

20 Anyone who curses father and mother

    extinguishes light and exists benighted.

Father and mother are instruments of the Lord to guide us.

22 Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!”

    Wait for God; he’ll settle the score.

It is very easy to get angry, judge and punish who offended us. It is much better to wait fo God's justice.

24 The very steps we take come from God;

    otherwise how would we know where we’re going?

Jesus is the Way. Unless we are in the Way, we can't know where we are going.

25 An impulsive vow is a trap;

    later you’ll wish you could get out of it.

It is important to make vows (to be responsible is to make a vow), but it is foolish to make impulsive vows.

27 God is in charge of human life,

    watching and examining us inside and out.

Those who fears the Lord, understand that we can't hide from Him.

28 Love and truth form a good leader;

    sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.

It may be applied to companies.

30 A good thrashing purges evil;

    punishment goes deep within us.

It is much better to belong to a class where the teacher punishes bad behavior than to belong a class with no leadership.

Proverbs 19: humans make plans, the Lord's purpose prevails.

 In Proverbs 19 we read:

3 People ruin their lives by their own stupidity,

    so why does God always get blamed?

21 We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,

    but God’s purpose prevails.

23 Fear-of-God is life itself,

    a full life, and serene—no nasty surprises.

27 If you quit listening, dear child, and strike off on your own,

    you’ll soon be out of your depth.

The Bible talks about the sovereignty of the Lord and the responsibility of men. Here we see that the Lord gets blamed by the bad decisions of men. The Lord wants us to use our heads, to think, to plain, although his purpose prevails.

4 Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies,

    but poor people are avoided like a plague.

6 Lots of people flock around a generous person;

    everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist.

7 When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you—

    yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost.

If they see you coming, they look the other way—

    out of sight, out of mind.

17 Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,

    and God pays back those loans in full.

We like to be surrounded by successful people and we avoid failed people, but is it good? The Lord is merciful and wants us to be merciful.

9 The person who tells lies gets caught;

    the person who spreads rumors is ruined.

11 Smart people know how to hold their tongue;

    their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

22 It’s only human to want to make a buck,

    but it’s better to be poor than a liar.

28 An unprincipled witness desecrates justice;

    the mouths of the wicked spew malice.

The Lord wants us to make a good use of our tongue. We may lie to ruin others or we may lie to earn something. Both motives are wrong.

8 Grow a wise heart—you’ll do yourself a favor;

    keep a clear head—you’ll find a good life.

16 Keep the rules and keep your life;

    careless living kills.

A wise man loves himself, takes care of himself.

10 Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street

    any more than workers should give orders to their boss.

24 Some people dig a fork into the pie

    but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.

Don't be lazy.

14 House and land are handed down from parents,

    but a congenial spouse comes straight from God.

It is good to ask for the Provider to get a spouse.

18 Discipline your children while you still have the chance;

    indulging them destroys them.

25 Punish the insolent—make an example of them.

    Who knows? Somebody might learn a good lesson.

20 Take good counsel and accept correction—

    that’s the way to live wisely and well.

26 Kids who lash out against their parents

    are an embarrassment and disgrace.

29 The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way;

    only a slap in the face brings fools to attention.

Today we see many undisciplined children. The Lord himself disciplines us and He wants we do the same to our children.

19 Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger;

    if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse.

Let the angry people suffers the consequence of their acts.

Proverbs 18: loners, false friends and true friends.

 In Proverbs 18 we read:

1 Loners who care only for themselves

    spit on the common good.

The Lord called everyone to be part of a church e not live a lonely life, however, it is very difficult to live in communion. The Lord wants that a lonely person (like me) cares for others.

12 Pride first, then the crash,

    but humility is precursor to honor.

15 Wise men and women are always learning,

    always listening for fresh insights.

The humble is the one who listens and are always learning while the proud has not fresh insights.

18 You may have to draw straws

    when faced with a tough decision.

There are moments when we are stuck and we need to take a decision. In some cases it is advisable to play dice instead of getting stuck.

21 Words kill, words give life;

    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

Let the words of my mouth bless others.

23 The poor speak in soft supplications;

    the rich bark out answers.

The poor begs for help. The Lord bless the humble and poor. 

24 A person of too many friends comes to ruin,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The one who seeks to be popular (as in a social network) has a bad purpose in life; instead, he should look for real friends.