Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.
Summary: Words and works are the topics of today’s proverb. Both come in two flavors; wicked and righteous. Solomon uses this proverb to encourage us to choose righteousness for both.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:14 — Words & Works”
Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
and so the innocent escape trouble.
Summary: Listening is a life skill that has many benefits. Listening well opens the door to understanding the nature of the person who is talking. Are they an “evildoer?” Their words will reveal who they are. Knowing who someone is means we can avoid the trouble they are prone to cause.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:13 — Awful Earful”
The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.
Summary: This passage leads us into a meditation on the difference between this world and God’s kingdom. There is a choice to be made in each person’s life. Do we live for things or for God?
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:12 — Choice Restated”
Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
Summary: Fantasies are Satan’s doorway into our minds. Once in the door, he introduces thoughts and imaginings that lead us to the edge of hell. Our only hope to escape is submitting to God’s will.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:11 — The Bitter Bubble”
The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Summary: Solomon’s ongoing contrast between the righteous and the wicked takes an interesting turn. Here he compares caring for animals with acts of kindness.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:10 — A Measure of Kindness”
Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
Summary: How do we relate to people with servants? Actually, it is quite easy. If you have a toaster, you have an electric servant.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:9 — The Obvious”
A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped mind is despised.
Summary: Today’s simple passage provides an important clue to applying God’s will in the world.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:8 — Opinions”
The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.
Summary: How are we to understand some of the things Solomon says? Today’s passage is a good example. Are the wicked really “no more?” Seeing things as God sees them helps us understand the words he gave to Solomon to write down.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:7 — Eternal Perspective”
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
Summary: This passage provides another argument for righteousness before God. The wisdom God provides to those who ask gives us the words we need to avoid the wicked.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:6 — The Best Defense”
The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
Summary: On this 4th of July let us remember that this nation was not founded on the will of men, but on the will of God.
Continue reading “Proverbs 12:5 — July 4th”