Proverbs 12: 8 (NKJV) Commended or Despised?

We have choices in the way we live our lives. We can live in ways that will bring commendations our way, or we can live in ways that make others despise us.

Proverbs 12: 8

8 A man will be commended according to his wisdom,

But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

Here are the definitions of the main words in today’s Bible verse as found in the Online Dictionary:

commended: To express approval of; praise.

according: 1. To grant, especially as being due or appropriate 2. To bestow upon

perverse: 1. Directed away from what is right or good; perverted. 2. Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn. 3. Marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict. 4. Cranky; peevish.

heart: 1. Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character 2. The most important or essential part

despised: 1. To regard with contempt or scorn 2. To dislike intensely; loathed 3. To regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern

As we have seen in past studies, we gain wisdom as we study God’s ways and live according to His precepts. He also promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it. When we do these things, we become more and more like Him, taking on many of His attributes. The wiser we get, the more we realize that God is the one that helps us to become more and more like Him and we can’t take the credit for it.

Today’s verse tells us that we will receive approval or have praise granted to, or bestowed upon, us in accordance with the amount of wisdom that our lives show, but those whose most important or essential disposition or character is perverted, contradictory, wrongly self-willed, stubborn, cranky or peevish will be regarded by others as contemptible. They will end up being disliked, loathed, or regarded as unworthy of interest or concern by others.

We have the choice to turn to God and study His ways to become wise and receive approval, or to continue to live in self-willed stubborn ways, and end up becoming contemptible.

Proverbs 11: 20 A Perverse Heart vs. the Blameless

“Abomination” is a very strong word, and today’s verse tells us about people who, the Lord says, are “abominations” to Him.

Proverbs 11: 20 (NKJV)
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.

As usual, we will start out by looking at the definitions of the main words in our verse:

As we have seen before, the word “perverse” means: 1. Directed away from what is right or good; perverted. 2. Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn. 3. Marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict. 4. Cranky; peevish.

“Abomination” means: 1. a person who is loathsome or disgusting 2. hate coupled with disgust 3. an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence;

“Blameless” is defines as: Free of blame or guilt; innocent. It is synonymous with: innocent, clean, upright, honest, virtuous, untarnished, and above suspicion.

The definition of the word, “delight” is: 1. Great pleasure; joy. 2. Something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment.

With these definitions in mind, we can see that a person who purposely tries to turn people away from what is right or good, obstinately persists in error and is wrongly self-willed, stubborn, contradictory, cranky, and/or peevish, God finds loathsome or disgusting.


The second part of this verse tells us that those that are innocent, clean, upright, honest, virtuous, untarnished, and above suspicion, give God great pleasure and joy.

I know that, at times, I can be some of those bad things, like being stubborn, cranky, and peevish, etc., and I need to remember the way God looks at those traits. Instead, I need to strive to let His Holy Spirit cleanse me from those things and instill in me the things that He will delight in.

Proverbs 11: 3 Integrity vs Perversity

Today’s verse contrasts the differences between the life of those that are people of integrity and those that distort or “pervert” God’s truth.
Proverbs 11: 3 (NKJV)

3 The integrity of the upright will guide them,

But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

To refresh us on the meaning of “integrity” and of “perversity,” lets re-read the definitions of these two words.

Integrity: .1. honesty; steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 2. the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. 3. the state of being unimpaired; soundness.

Perversity: 1. deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline 2. deliberately deviating from what is good;


“The integrity of the upright” speaks of people who HAVE a strict moral or ethical code. Because they are followers of God (which is what the Bible means when it speaks of the “upright”) they have decided to follow His teachings and ways. This brings about ‘soundness” and “completeness” in every part of their lives and in their spirits. This “code” will guide them in paths that are blessed by God.

“The perversity of the unfaithful” tells us of people who choose “deliberately and stubbornly” to do things that are against God and His rules and ways. They resist proper guidance from Him and His discipline as well. As we have seen from past studies, God disciplines those that He calls his children, but those that refuse to submit to His discipline, and deliberately deviate from them (what is good), will end up following paths that lead to the slippery slope of destruction.

Proverbs 10:30 - 32 More Righteous vs Wicked

Today we will look at the last three verses of chapter 10. These verses, as so many others in this chapter, are contrasts between those that are righteous and those that are wicked (or perverse.) Here are today's verses:

Proverbs 10:30 - 32 (NKJV)

30 The righteous will never be removed,

But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

But the perverse tongue will be cut out.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

The first part of each of these three verses speaks of those that God calls “righteous.” These are people who, as we have seen before, are “morally upright and without guilt or sin.” They have decided to follow God and His ways with their whole hearts, souls, and minds. They have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice that paid for their sins and have been “made righteous in God’s eyes.”

Verse 30 tells us that the righteous “will never be removed,” and, since it is contrasted by the words, “the wicked will not inhabit the earth,” it sounds like this is another way of saying what it says in Psalm 37:29 (NKJV), “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.” Isaiah 60:21 (NKJV) also says something about this when talking about the end times: “Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.”

The first parts of verses 31 & 32 also talks about those that are righteous, but concentrate on the way these people speak and what they say. Verse 31 says that people that have lived a life of following God will have gained wisdom as they have walked this path, and when they speak to others, that wisdom will show in what they have to say. Verse 32 says that these people will “KNOW” what is acceptable to speak, probably because of that wisdom they have gained.

Conversely, the second parts of these verses speak of wicked or perverse people. These types of people will not “inhabit the earth.” This means that they, and their type, will die off sooner or later. Not only will they be cut off from the earth in the future, but they, eventually, will not be allowed to speak at all. Verse 32 tells us that the “wicked” speak perverse things, and verse 31 even says that “the perverse tongue will be cut out.”

Proverbs 10: 9 Walk With Integrity...

Today, we will look at verse 9 of Chapter 10.

Proverbs 10: 9 (NKJV)

9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.


The Online Dictionary defines “integrity” as: steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, or honesty. It defines the word “securely” as: 1. Free from danger or attack: 2. Free from risk of loss; safe: 3. Free from fear, anxiety, or doubt. 4. Not likely to fail or give way; stable:.5. Reliable; dependable: 6. Assured; certain:


So the first part of verse 9 tells us that those who walk according to a strict moral code and with honesty, will walk in safety. They can be free from fear because they are not going to fail in God’s eyes. They can be assured that the “Maker” of that code, God, is reliable and can be depended upon to keep them on a path that will lead them to safety… in Heaven sooner or later.

The Online Dictionary defines the word "perverts" as: 1. To cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good; to corrupt. 2. To bring to a bad or worse condition; debase. 3. To put to a wrong or improper use; to misuse. 4. To interpret incorrectly; misconstrue or distort: So, the second part of the verse warns that those who do these evil, “perverted” things, will eventually be found out and punished… if not in this life, then when they ultimately face God, for He says “vengeance is Mine…”