Proverbs 12: 16 – Stop and THINK!

 I’ve chosen to title this post, “Stop and THINK!”  This verse seems to say that doing that, is the difference between being called a “fool” or being someone who is “prudent.”

Proverbs 12: 16 (NKJV)
       ¹⁶ A fool’s wrath is known at once,
      But a prudent man covers shame. 

First, lets look at the definitions of the main words in this verse.  I used the online Free Dictionary by Farlex. 

fool:  1. One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding.  2. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion

wrath:  1. angry, violent, or stern indignation  2. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger

prudent: 1. discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect 2. practical and careful in providing for the future  3. exercising good judgment or common sense

covers: 1. a. To protect or shield from harm, loss, or danger.  

shame:  1. a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of having done something dishonorable, unworthy, degrading, etc.2. an occasion for regret, disappointment, etc.

The first part of this verse says that “A fool’s wrath is known at once.”  As we see from the definitions, a “fool” is someone who is deficient in judgment and/or one who acts unwisely on a given occasion.  In this case, the occasion is one of ANGER, and can even be some kind of vengeance because of that anger.

An example of this would be the person who can’t control their temper and strikes out with a fist or something at the person they are mad at… or even at someone that is “in their way” during a fit of anger at something or someone else.  They are fools because they act before thinking, being carried away by their feelings instead of controlling them.  God calls these people, “fools!”

The second part of the verse contrasts the “fool” with the “prudent man.”  A prudent man is a person who is discreet or cautious in managing his activities.  This person exercises good judgment and common sense and is careful to provide for the future.  He doesn’t jump into things with “fists ‘a flailin’” but takes a step back and thinks about the next step and what it could mean for his future.

One of the definitions of “cover” is to protect or shield from harm, loss or danger, and this is the one that seemed to me to be the closest to the meaning in this verse in its context.  IF a person steps back and thinks things through, with an eye to the future, then they will want to protect or shield themselves, and/or those they love, from the loss or danger that comes with doing something dishonorable, unworthy or degrading.  

 They don’t want to have to look back on their actions with regret and disappointment in themselves and in what they have done.   They don’t want to have to say, “I’m sorry,” but want to be able to stand up as having acted honorably, so that they can be proud of themselves, and, more importantly, so that those they love, like God or their families, can be proud of them.

Lord, I ask that when trying situations come into my life, that I will STOP and THINK before I act or say something that I will regret later on.  Please give me wisdom in these situations.  Amen.

Proverbs 12: 9 (NKJV) Humility vs. Pride

I have had some trouble with this verse and finally decided to look it up in some Bible Study notes. The definitions below give some clues, as well.

Proverbs 12: 9

9 Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,

Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.

Here are the definitions of the main words. The Bible commentary that I used said that the part about “honoring himself” meant that the person was arrogant, so I added the definition for that word as well.

slighted: 1. To treat as of small importance; make light of. 2. To treat with discourteous reserve or inattention.

honor: 1. High respect, as that shown for special merit; 2. Good name; reputation. 3. Glory or recognition; distinction.

lacks: To be without or in need of

arrogance: The state or quality of being arrogant; overbearing pride.

A person who is “slighted,” is one who is looked down on or made light of. They are treated discourteously by ignoring them purposely. The person that is spoken of in the first part of this verse, is well off enough, though, to have a servant. He may not be treated nicely by those around him, and he may even be ignored, but he doesn’t come to his own defense. He is humble.

The second part of the verse speaks of a person who “honors HIMSELF.” He acts like he is something special, and seeks after glory or recognition, putting himself above others. Another word that describes this attitude (as given in the Bible Commentary I used from my NKJV Bible’s notes) is arrogance, or an overbearing pride.

The person that is being arrogant and prideful in THIS case is one that doesn’t even have enough money to buy bread.

The point of this verse is that even if you are treated badly by those that around you, but you still are “solvent” enough, or have enough money to have a servant, you are much better off than someone who is to prideful and arrogant to do what needs to be done to help to support himself and/or his family.

I would note, at this point, that pride is also one of the “Seven Deadly Sins” spoken of earlier in the book of Proverbs.

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 12:6 Watch your tongue…

Today's verse contrasts the way that wicked men speak with the life giving way that people who follow God talk, and shows what results from each manner of talking.




Proverbs 12: 6 (NKJV)
6 The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.



wicked: 1. Evil by nature and in practice 2. Highly offensive; obnoxious
upright: Adhering strictly to moral principles; righteous
deliver: To set free, as from misery, peril, or evil


Those that are offensive, obnoxious, and evil in everything they think or do show the things that are in their hearts by spewing it out in their words. They plan evil and death with their friends.


In contrast, people that stick to high moral principles speak words of comfort, love, care, and peace… things that will help them to be set free from misery, peril or evil when they find themselves in difficult circumstances.

Proverbs 11:1 Don’t Cheat Others!

Hi, fellow Wisdom Seekers! Today we will be starting a new chapter. Let’s see what the Lord has to teach us for today!

Proverbs 11:1 (NKJV)
1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,

But a just weight is His delight.

The note in my NIV Bible says that, “In a culture with no bureau of weights and measures, cheating in business by falsification of standards was common…” God calls those that follow HIM to be very careful NOT to cheat others in any way! He says that cheating is an “abomination” to Him. The word, “abomination,” as defined in the Online Dictionary, means, 1. Abhorrence; disgust. 2. A cause of abhorrence or disgust. 3. an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence.

This would be another form of lying, and John 8:44 (NKJV) says, that if you lie, 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. Proverbs 6: 17 lists lying as one of the “Seven Deadly Sins” that God hates!

As we can see, God feels quite STRONGLY about cheating and lying, which go hand in hand. Revelation 22:14-15 (NKJV) makes this VERY clear! It says, 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city [speaking of heaven]. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Lying and cheating are the exact opposites of everything the Lord wants of His people. This verse concludes with “a just weight is His delight” because God’s ways are ways of love, caring, help, and truth toward our “neighbors.” These things build up trust and confidence between His children (those that choose to follow Him), and eventually, we will all be living together in His kingdom, so we need to start building the type of relationships here that we will live with, forever, there!

Proverbs 10 : 10 & 11 Speak Righteously

Today, we will look at two verses that have to do with the proper use of our mouth, or the words we speak.




Proverbs 10: 10 & 11 (NKJV)

10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

The first part of verse 10 speaks to us about those that “wink with the eye.” This is often a technique that people use to show that what they are speaking of at the time, is NOT what is really in their hearts. It tends to denote that there is a “lie” in their words, and this will always cause trouble sooner or later.

The second part of this verse again uses the words “a prating fool will fall,” and as we saw when this phrase was used in verse 8 of this chapter, a couple of studies ago, this part of the verse tells us that foolish people speak of only empty, foolish or trivial things that help no one. These people will ultimately fail or “fall.”

The first part of verse 11 points out that those that speak “righteous” words… words that are morally upright, and without sin, are people that bring “life” to others. Anytime we speak Godly wisdom, or the “Word,” we are passing around the “living water” spoken of by Jesus, who is known as “The Word.” John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

The second part of Proverbs 10:6 is the same as the second part of verse 11. As we saw then, the violence spoken of through a person’s lips will eventually overwhelm them. These people will follow the lead of their lips, because out of the hearts of men, come their words, and death is the eventual result of a violent, sinful life.

Proverbs 10: 1

The Book of Proverbs is broken up into several parts. The first 9 chapters, as we have seen in our studies so far, were written by Solomon and specifically contrasted the value of searching for wisdom and the foolishness of following “folly” or our own sinful nature.

This next section that starts in Chapter 10 and continues through Chapter 22: 16 is a collection of single verse proverbs, in most cases. They are short, proverbs that are like “snapshots” of things that God would like us to see and remember. Throughout this section, we will probably only study one or two of these at a time, so that we can have time to meditate on them between each study. I may be able to start posting more often, as well.

Proverbs 10:1 (NKJV)

1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

The first verse of this new chapter states that Solomon is the author of these Proverbs just like the beginning of the book did. There is a part toward the end that many believe was written by someone other than Solomon. It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew word for Solomon, the numerical value of the consonants add up to 375, the exact number of verses in this section of Proverbs. It is believed that these proverbs were taken from a larger number of sayings, but chosen for this reason.

Verse 1 reminds us that when a son makes wise choices in his life, his parents will be proud and happy, but that they (especially the mother, as mother’s tend to react more with emotions) are filled with grief when he follows a foolish path.

Proverbs 8: 12 & 13

In today’s verses, “Wisdom” continues to speak, using words that show contrasts to bring out the differences between being wise and being foolish. They contrast knowledge, discretion and being prudent with pride, arrogance and a perverse mouth.

Proverbs 8: 12 & 13 (NKJV)
12 “ I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and the evil way

And the perverse mouth I hate.

The first of today’s verses, names three attributes of wisdom. Prudence, is an attribute that we looked at in our last study. Verse 12 also says that wisdom brings knowledge and discretion. In past studies, we noted that knowledge is NOT the same as wisdom, for many people have a lot of “knowledge” but they never put it into proper action. For example, we can “know” that peroxide can help to disinfect and heal wounds, but it would not be wise to treat all wounds with peroxide automatically.

We can “know” that a friend is doing something wrong, and we might even have a really good idea on how the problem can be fixed, BUT wisdom will act with discretion, and wait for God’s timing (through prayer) to give an opening for a gentle nudge in the proper direction instead of jumping in with both feet and making enemies that won’t listen anyway. We need to learn to control our tongues (one of MY big problems!!!)

Verse 13 speaks of the “Fear of the Lord,” and we have discussed in previous studies how this “fear” is more of a respectful, awe of His power, than a quaking terror of being hurt or injured by Him. If we respect His power and are in awe of His love for us, then we start to understand that His ways and rules are for our protection, and we will stay on His paths and not be drawn to evil ones.

If we are too prideful and arrogant to have respect and awe for God, (I will do it MYSELF, because I KNOW ME BEST) then we are putting ourselves above Him, and will tend listen to “our” friends that have “perverse lips” (peer pressure) that will, too often, lead us down wrong paths.

The Bible tells us to be very careful of who we choose to be close to for this reason. I leave you with these two verses: Proverbs 16:28 (NKJV) 28 A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends AND Proverbs 11:13 (NKJV) 13 A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs 3: 5 – 8

Today we will cover verses 5 through 8 of chapter 3. These are verses that are quoted quite often in most Christian circles, so you will probably recognize them. They are verses that should be memorized early in life and will go a long way toward helping people live a Godly life, if they are planted in their hearts.

Proverbs 3: 5- 8

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

Verse 5 tells us that we shouldn’t depend on the way WE think things are, or should be, going, but we should put our trust in God and His ways. We should remember that verse from a couple of days ago that says that God’s ways aren’t our ways, etc.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

If we have studied the Bible, or are in the process of studying ALL of the Bible, He will lead us more and more into understanding the basic principals that He wants us to live by. By doing this, we will be acknowledging Him and He will know that we are trying to acknowledge Him in all of our ways, and He will “direct our paths.” Other translations say that He will “make our ways straight or smooth.” He has ways of letting us know which path He wants us on, and the more we learn to listen FOR HIS voice and learn of HIS ways, the more we understand which direction He wants us to go.

In Verse 7, we are warned not to be “wise in our own eyes,” but to fear the Lord and “depart” or stay away from evil. In today’s liberal, immoral culture, we have gotten so far away from God’s principals and the ways that He knows are best for us to live, that we often think that we are smarter than God.

For example, many young people today think that it is “wiser” to live with a person to “get to know them BEFORE making a commitment.” God knows that, as human beings, none of us are perfect, and a “commitment BEFORE God AND man, in marriage (a legally binding covenant)” is one of the things that will help people stay together and try to work things through.

Because so many people in this world of today are so messed up with ungodly ways of thinking and doing things, it is even more important to study God principals of “not getting unequally yoked” (often meaning not to marry outside of your religious beliefs, etc.) Doing these things—acknowledging Him and His ways – helps us to NOT lean on our own understanding, and to have an idea of the ways He would “direct our paths.” This is only ONE example of an area in our lives where we shouldn’t be “wise in our own eyes.” I’m sure you can think of many others, such as, in our health practices or in our financial practices…

If we DO choose to follow the paths that He directs us to take, things will go much smoother in life for us because we will stay farther away from evil. Evil… sin… lusts of the flesh… all end up causing stress in so many ways and it has been proven that stress messes us up physically, mentally and emotionally after a time. Conversely, by staying AWAY from “evil,” we won’t have that stress and will be healthier, and stronger, as verse 8 says. (Some other translations say “refreshment” instead of “strength” in this verse, but it boils down to the same thing.)

8 It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.