Proverbs 11: 29 Heir or Servant

Proverbs 11: 29 (NKJV)

29 He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,

And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

heir: 1. A person who inherits or is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another. 2. A person who succeeds or is in line to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office. 3. One who receives or is expected to receive a heritage, as of ideas, from a predecessor.

v. troubles: 1. To agitate; stir up. 2. To afflict with pain or discomfort. 3. To cause emotional strain or anxiety to; worry or distress. 4. To inconvenience; bother

servant: 1. One who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another


The first part of today’s verse talks about a person who agitates, or stirs up problems in their own home. This type of person brings worry, distress and emotional strain to all those around them. A person of this type can cause so much trouble that they could be “kicked out” or “disinherited” from the family, thus inheriting nothing but “wind/air” in the long run.

The second part of the verse goes on to say that a person that is foolish like this, will end up serving or owing others who are “wise of heart.” In past verses, we have seen that, in the Bible, God considers a person to be “wise of heart” when they follow His leading and teachings in their lives.

Several of the “Fruits of the Spirit,” which grow in those that DO choose to follow God and become born again so that His Spirit lives within them, are attributes that would be the opposite of “stirring up troubles,” but instead, will bring peace and love into the family.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Proverbs 11: 12 Neighborhood relationships

Note: Sorry I skipped a day… it was hubby’s and my 34th wedding anniversary and I played hooky over the weekend from writing my blogs… :)

Today’s proverb is one that speaks of neighborhood relationships, and the wise way to handle them.

Proverbs 11: 12 (NKJV)

12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.

First, let’s look at the definitions of the main words. The Online Dictionary gives the definition of the word, “devoid” as: Completely lacking; destitute or empty… and the definition of the word, “despises” as: 1. To regard with contempt or scorn 2. To dislike intensely; loathe 3. To regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern:

This verse, then, speaks of those that are completely lacking in wisdom and the fact that they tend to have no interest or concern for their neighbors. Throughout God’s word, His purpose is to draw people together in love and care for each other. We see that He feels that someone who doesn’t care about others is lacking in His wisdom.

The end of the verse goes on to tell us that “a man of understanding,” which we have seen in other studies in this book is a description of a “righteous man,” will “hold his peace…” Generally when THIS phrase is used, it means that person will hold his tongue or be very careful in the way that he handles situations. He will be in control of himself and his reactions to the problems that come up, and handle them in ways that God would lead him in. This, in turn, will lead to healing instead of further strife.

Proverbs 10:24 & 25 The Wicked vs The Righteous

These two verses speak of the contrasts between the “wicked” and the “righteous” again. God repeats this thread throughout the book of Proverbs in many different ways to plant it deep into the hearts of those who would search for wisdom… and isn’t that the whole reason for this study?



Proverbs 10: 24 & 25 (NKJV)

24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.


Both of these verses start with the “wicked.” In verse 24, we are told that those that are “wicked” will have their “fears” come upon them. All of us have some kind of “fear” in our hearts. I think that the more “wicked” (not following God’s ways or paths) a person is, the more fear they have deep down in their souls whether or not they choose to see that.



Often, it is those “fears” that drive their thoughts. It is said, by many psychologists, that those that “fear” or that have deep inner hurts (which would engender fear that often leads to anger) are the ones that strike out at others.


The second verse also starts with words about the “wicked.” There are many parts of life that are like a “whirlwind.” Trials and tribulations swirl around our lives on this earth all the time like whirlwinds. All of us have gone through these storms… why is it that some end up committing suicide or murder, while others just seem to get stronger?


I think it is because the wicked have nothing with a strong foundation to hang onto, while those that DO have a strong foundation (God and His wisdom) are able to “hang in there” and even build stronger walls in their “houses of life.” This exactly what the second part of verse 25 states, and it goes even further to say that this “foundation” is an EVERLASTING one. Praise God, our foundation goes on forever!


The second part of each of these verses speak about those that are “righteous.” For those that may be new to this study, we have seen that the definition of “righteous” is: morally upright; without guilt or sin. The only way we can TRULY be without guilt or sin, is to accept Jesus sacrifice that nailed OUR sins to the cross and covered us with HIS righteousness.


Verse 24 says that those that are “righteous”… those that have chosen Jesus as their Lord BECAUSE of His sacrifice and love for them… will have their desires granted. God KNOWS the true desires of our heart, too. He sees our “wants” and knows whether or not they would be good for us, but our true “desires” are inner values of our hearts that bring us peace, joy, love… the Fruits of the Spirit when you get down to it!

Proverbs 10: 16 Use Money Wisely

Today’s verse is about the way we use our money.

Proverbs 10:16 (NKJV)

16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.

We have seen in past studies that being “righteous” means to be morally upright, or without guilt or sin, and that by living a “righteous” life, we are blessed by God in many ways. The first part of today’s verse speaks of another way that God will bless us. It says that the ‘labor” or work, of the righteous will lead to life. God gives us each different types of work to do, and we are admonished to do EVERYTHING we do for the glory of God.

Some people work as mechanics, some in health professions, others as pastors, others have gifts of service… whatever God calls us to do, when we are seeking HIS righteousness first in our lives, will be blessed and lead us closer to Him. Eventually, THAT will lead us to an abundant life here. A life that is satisfying and blessed, not always with lots of money, but in peace and joy in our hearts and minds. We will also be given eternal life after we leave this one.

The second part of the verse, contrasts (as usual in the Hebrew form of poetry) with the first in that it is speaking of those that aren’t righteous, but lead sinful lives. It tells us that their “wages”: 1. Payment for labor or services to a worker… or 2. a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing, are spent on things that lead to sin in their lives, and “the wages of sin is death…”

Those that are “wicked” (1. Evil by nature and in practice. 2. Playfully malicious or mischievous 3. Severe and distressing:.4. Highly offensive; obnoxious ) spend their pay on things that lead them deeper into sin, and eventually, this will lead to their demise unless they allow God to change their ways.

Proverbs 9: 7 - 12

Today’s verses speak of how we should handle scoffers. They also speak of the differences between scoffers and wise men. The Online dictionary defines a "scoffer" as: "someone who jeers or mocks or treats something with contempt," and in this case it would be someone who is treating God's Word and wisdom this way.

Proverbs 9: 7 - 12 (NKJV)

7 “ He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,

And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

I found verses 7 & 8 to be very interesting. They tell us NOT to even try to correct scoffers because, apparently it very rarely, if ever, does any good, and all it DOES do is cause arguments that bring “shame” on the person who is trying to help and drives the “scoffer” away from you.

It may even cause him to “hate” you. Worse, if you try to rebuke a “wicked man,” you might even come to bodily harm yourself!

I know that there are people like David Wilkerson, that wrote “The Cross and the Switchblade,” that have been given special grace and power by the Holy Spirit to work with people of this “nature,” but they have received a specific “call” of God. For the average person, I think that we should remember that arguing with someone like these that are mentioned, just causes more problems. I think the best thing we can do is to keep them in prayer, until, or unless they come "seeking"!

The end of verse 8, and all of verse 9 tells us that those that are “seeking” wisdom, or “wise men” react quite differently to rebukes (done properly), instructions, and teaching. THESE type of people will see the wisdom in your “help” and end up loving you, becoming “still wiser” and add to his “learning.”

The principle from Prov. 1:7, which says “7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (NKJV)” is sort of repeated in verse 10 of this chapter, and this verse goes on to say that “the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” As I mentioned when we studied Proverbs 1:7, This is a scripture that is quoted quite often… and we see this one illustrated way too often in our world today… at least the part about “fools.” (For those that weren’t with us at the beginning of our study of this book, I will repeat the paragraph from that study)

The Hebrew words that are translated as “fool” in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote one who is “morally deficient,” which is the ultimate end of those who turn away from seeking to become wise and/or those who reject discipline in their lives. It is easy to see that more and more of our young people are turning away from seeking wisdom from their elders, and are rejecting discipline in their lives. This verse tells us that this is the reason that our country is becoming more and more devoid of morals in so many of our youth.

Verse 11 also repeats a principle that has been put forth in our earlier studies in Proverbs 3:2. It states, again, that having “wisdom” will add to the life that we are given. We also learned in that study, that King Hezekiah DID ADD YEARS (15 to be exact) to his life because he understood God and His principles. (See 2 Kings 20: 1 – 6)

Our last verse today tells us that we can’t “make” anyone else wise… we can only work on making ourselves wise. We can help those who are also searching for wisdom, but it is up to them to seek, search for, ask, and then put the principles into their lives so that they can grow in wisdom. It goes on to say that being a scoffer, will ALSO be up to you and the way you decide to live, and you will have to bear the results of that choice.

Proverbs 8: 1 - 3

Today we start chapter 8 of Proverbs. This chapter is all about the “Excellence of Wisdom.” It goes over the attributes of wisdom and the things that result from following Godly wisdom. There are many principles in this chapter that, if followed, will bring prosperity in body, soul and spirit, and it even speaks of the possibility of getting “wealth” as well. This is a totally uplifting chapter with only the final verse again stressing the warning of NOT following wisdom.

Proverbs 8: 1 - 3 (NKJV)

The Excellence of Wisdom
1 Does not wisdom cry out,

And understanding lift up her voice?

2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,

Beside the way, where the paths meet.

3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,

At the entrance of the doors:

Chapter 8 again portrays wisdom as a woman calling out to those who would listen to her. As we saw in chapter 7, foolishness was portrayed as an adulterous woman who leads into the “lusts of the flesh” and this contrasts with those verses.

Verses 1 and 2 portray the call of “Wisdom” as a call to an abundant life of God’s blessings. It is a call that God wants all of His people to listen to and follow. It is there… out in the open… in obvious places… loudly proclaiming itself to any that would open their hearts to God’s call upon their lives.

Verse 3 continues with this idea and is also based on the Jewish customs of the day where the older men would gather by the gates and in public places to discuss important matters. The young person that wanted to gain knowledge and understanding would be free to go to these places and sit and listen, or be taught, about important issues of life, area news, etc. from men that had lived long lives and gained knowledge and wisdom through those lives.

By the time they reached this age, especially in those days, only the wiser men would still be around to be at these discussions. The ones that hadn’t learned wisdom, would have died, been incarcerated, or wouldn’t be interested in speaking in a group such as this.

I think that having respect for older people that have lived much of their lives and come to a place of peace and comfort through following God was God’s original plan for young people to learn. The book of Timothy in the New Testament covers some of these areas. If we take the time to learn from older people that have lived through “youth’s mistakes,” learned from them, then went to God and found Him to be a forgiver of those sins and a lover of their souls, then we can avoid many of the pitfalls that they have gone through.

In previous chapters and verses, we have seen that God’s plan was that parents started their children out young, teaching them at home to have respect for their elders, and guiding them to wise, interesting people of God. A young person that is taught that kind of love and respect from a young age, will tend to gravitate toward wise, older people throughout their lives. That would be what God would want for us as parents of very young children. Once they hit adolescence, it is much harder for them to talk to their own parents, but if they have been taught properly, through this principle, then they will gravitate toward other older people that they have grown to trust.

If we are older, now, ourselves, then we need to take the time to sit with younger people and share, WHEN THEY ask for advice or want to talk. Wisdom can’t be pushed on another, but it can be shared. These men, which sat at the gates, were available. They didn’t go out seeking and chasing down young people to preach at them.

Proverbs 4:23 – 27

Today, we will finish up Chapter 4 of Proverbs. These last verses speak to us of keeping our “SELVES” under control. Self-control is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, and to really have “self” control, we need to give our whole “selves,” everything WE have control of, over to God’s Control, and let the Holy Spirit guide us. We do this through trusting that God really loves us totally, and only does what is best for us if we are putting HIM first. Here are the verses for today.

Proverbs 4: 23 - 27 (NKJV)

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

26 Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

Verse 23 reminds us that we should keep our “heart with all diligence…” The word diligence is defined as: 1. Earnest and persistent application to an undertaking; steady effort; 2. Attentive care; heedfulness. We must be consistent about keeping our hearts (and in the Bible, the word “heart” usually means our souls… that which makes us what we are—our “selves”) under God’s control and guidance. We do that by constantly praying and seeking God’s guidance before each move we make. He says that “out of it (our hearts/selves) spring the issues of life.

If our “hearts” are centered on God and His ways, then what springs out of our lives are fruits of the Spirit: gentleness, kindness, love, joy, peace, faithfulness, goodness, patience, and self-control, these “issues” are the ones we want.

If our “hearts” are centered on our “lusts of the flesh”, then what will spring out of our lives are the many types of sexual sin, the types of sin that put something else in front of God such as idolizing something like drugs and witchcraft—Horoscopes, Tarot Cards, etc. Galatians 5:19-21 gives a list of many of the “lusts of the flesh,” while Galatians 5: 22 & 23 lists the gifts of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:19-23 (NIV)

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Verse 24 essentially tells us to keep our mouth’s under control: stop lying and speaking in evil ways (i.e. cursing, planning evil, etc.), and verse 25 exhorts us to keep our eyes under control: look straight ahead at the path that God has placed in front of us. Verses 26 & 27 tells us to “ponder” or “think diligently about” that path, and to let our ways be established in that Godly leading, not turning aside either way, from it.

This chapter ends with the warning, again, to “Remove your foot from evil…” If we have put control of our “selves” into God’s hands, we WILL remove our feet from following evil paths that will cause us to stumble and get hurt badly.