To take delight in the Scripture you must develop an acquired taste for it. It does not just come over you and then you can't wait to re

Proverbs 8:7 "For my mouth will utter truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips" One of the forgotten things to consider is what wisdom is not capable of being. That is what this proverb tells us. In other words, if we think we are hearing wisdom but what we are hearing is one of these things that wisdom cannot be, then what we are hearing cannot be wisdom. truth This is the Hebrew word emet which means firmness, truth, and is a major part of the biblical word faith.

Proverbs 26:3 "A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools" The focus of this proverb is what brings about controlled positive behavior. The measures used with a horse, the measures used with a donkey, and the measures used with a fool are all harsh, constant, and demanding. The clear teaching is that if a person is selfish, impulsive, and rebellious then constant, demanding, and even harsh constraints are the only way to bring out of the

Proverbs 16:2 "All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives." This is one of the numerous passages in Proverbs and through the Scriptures that speak of Judgment Day. There will be a judgment day for every person who has ever lived. It is this sure judgment that allows for the scales to be balanced properly in the end. There will be some things that will not be settled until then. You will see some who are evil prosper while some who are ri

Proverbs 15:2 "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable. But the mouth of fools spouts folly." Notice that the mouth of the fool gushes forth with selfishness, anger, hatred, criticalness, and impulsiveness. This is very normal for each person to let their sin nature show. When sin grabs you, this is what comes out of your mouth. You become a fountain for selfishness. A great question is: Would you want to deal with you the way you are acting? Answer: No!!! When you

Proverbs 14:2 "He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises Him" There is something motivating righteousness. People don't stay within the guidelines of God's morality without a reason. That reason is a mixture of positive and negative reasons called the fear of the Lord. It is a shame that we no longer teach the fear of the Lord in our churches or our culture. And as a result, no one has the proper incentive to stay within the bo

Proverbs 13:2 "From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good, but the desire of the treacherous is violence" Solomon noticed that it is not essentially a man's talent or ability that causes him to prosper but his people skills. That is what this nugget on wisdom tells us. You can have tremendous abilities, talents, and gifts; but if you are a jerk, you will not succeed. We must all learn how to talk to other people in a positive and constructive way. It is what you say that

Proverbs 12:2 "A good man will obtain favor from the Lord, but He will condemn a man who devises evil" This proverb is the essence of moral living, but it also hints at at least one of the problems of viewing moral living from a foolish perspective. This proverb says that the person who does the good thing – the morally helpful thing and not just abstaining from the selfish and/or morally reprehensible thing – will receive favor, blessing, and grace from God. At the same time

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom" pride The basic idea is pride, a sense of self-importance, which often is exaggerated to include defiance and even rebelliousness. What is interesting about this proverb is that it proclaims that the one thing the proud person wants is exactly what this person will not receive. The person who is proud wants to be noticed and to have attention focused on them for who they are or what they do.

Proverbs 10:2 "Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death" The three-word phrase translated ill-gotten gains here in the New American Standard Bible is actually in the Hebrew two words: wicked treasures. The idea is that there is a treasury of wickedness or material gains that can be had from the storehouse of wickedness, but it does not profit a person. This is such a valuable lesson to learn. The younger that a person learns it, the better it will

Proverbs 9:2 "She has prepared her food; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table" Solomon mentions three aspects of the preparation of wisdom to receive guests. These give us a metaphorical picture of what wisdom does when you become its student. It has food prepared It has drink prepared It has a table prepared she has prepared her food The word translated prepared is actually the Hebrew word for slaughter. In fact, the actual Hebrew phrase is she has slaughtered

Proverbs 8:2 "On top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand" Wisdom wants to get the word out to people to live a different way. She does not hide what she knows in some dark place reserved only for the special few who will spend years looking and recite some bizarre incantations. Wisdom is right out in the market place. Wisdom is in a prominent place. When life is not working the way you have put it together, then look up for there is a wise

Proverbs 4:2 "For I give you sound teaching, do not abandon my instruction" This proverb speaks of a deep fear that many parents have – that their child will listen to them and agree with them when they are at home; but at some time later when they are in college or sometimes even earlier, they will abandon all the rules, ideas, and values that their parents have taught them. Solomon is acting as a spiritual father here and wants to anticipate this dynamic. Don't get rid of t

PROVERBS 29:1 "A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy" hardens: This is something that the person does; their self-will rises up and stiffens them against counsel – both friendly and divine. There is a point in which God will just say “ENOUGH” and will severely limit a person's potential, ability, opportunities, etc. Realistically they did it to themselves, but they will be broken and unfixable. Grace will come and work its wonderf