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.