Proverbs - Chapter 17

How do I guard my heart? A verse-by-verse study on the 16th chapter of Proverbs.

The Book of Proverbs

Chapter 17

1 Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.

A house full of strife is a terrible way to live. Those who live in conflict value more than others what it means to have peace within the home and are willing to settle for just about anything to obtain it. So then, it becomes easy to understand why a person would settle for little if only they could live in peace.

2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son and will share the inheritance of the master’s children.

Back in Bible times, and possiby even in today's society, when the biological son brought shame to the family he was cut out of the inheritance of the father. If there was, however, a trusted servant, the servant got the son's portion of the inheritance because he could be more trusted to use that inheritance wisely.

3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Gold and silver are refined by fire to remove the dross to make it more pure. The more the fire, the more the dross will come to the top to be removed. In the same way, the Lord tests our heart to remove the dross of sin out of our heart. God so desires us to live holy lives as He is holy. In order to do that, we must rid ourselves of the hidden sins of our heart.

4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.

People are drawn to listen to gossip, even if it is a lie. It takes a disciplined and wise person to walk away or come against the gossiper regarding the spreading of lies. For that is slander to another person. As Christians, we know the danger of gossip and how it hurts people. As the Book of James tells us, no one can tame the tongue. Gossip is a sin, and one that all Christians need to avoid. We need to be willing to confront those who do gossip.

5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.

Those who walk in pride thinking themselves as better than those who have less sin against God, themselves, and certainly against the one they mocked. Little do they know that one day they will stand before God to be judged for their pride and cruel heart toward those less fortunate than them. Little do they realize that God is their maker, and God has allowed them to have riches, and as such, they are responsible for the sharing of the gifts that God has given them.

6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.

When children are raised in the way they should go, as Proverbs 22:6 tells us, they then beome a glory to the father (and mother). Pride in their children becomes their glory and children get their self-worth from their parents. Grandchildren, even more so are a crown of glory for the grandparents, giving an incredible amount of pleasure and satisfaction. This shows us the psychological interdependence that goes on from generation to generation.
Sadly, when parents neglect their children, shame can replace pride in all parties involved. This shows us the importance of the roles of both parents and children and how we all need to cultivate and protect the family.

7 Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

Again, out of the heart the mouth speaks. Eloquent speech does not come from the mouth of a fool. In fact, fools not only would not know how to talk eloquenty, they would refuse to talk that way, for fools say foolish things.
In making a comparison, King Solomon was telling kings and rulers of other nations to not lie to the subjects in their kingdom, for that would be worse than a fool.

8 A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper!

For the past several chapters I have been using the New Living Translation to help you understand these scripture verses easier. Every once in a while, however, the New King James Version, of which I faithfully use, is easier to understand. In this verse, that is the case.

The NKJV states this verse to say: A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

In this context, the Hebrew meaning of "present" could be a bribe, but I like the rendering of the NKJV better because it seems to be more accurate to the original Hebrew meaning. The present given here is considered like a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor in that wherever the possessor turns, he prospers. It becomes like a lucky charm to him.

In the eyes of God, however, there is no such thing as a lucky charm. God wants us to put our faith and trust in God to prosper, not some piece of stone or any other possession.
For an unbeliever, refusing God's help in life then often puts their faith in themselves, other people, or even animate objects.

9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

We live in a world where everyone sins, or should I say here makes mistakes, and that including Christians. If love is to continue in any relationship, repentance and forgiveness must be in operation on a regular basis. When someone has repented and asked for forgiveness, especially if the sin was against them, it is then the responsibility of that person to receive that forgivenness. If that person continues to dwell on the sin or mistake committed, it can ruin the relationship because unforgiveness has consumed that person.
Just as Jesus has forgiven us of our sins, those sins have been wiped clean, never to be brought up again. Shouldn't we be doing the same thing to those who sin against us?
While there is a time and place for the exposure of sin (Eph 5:11), in most cases the sins of others need to be lovingly covered and not brought up to anyone - especially when repentance has taken place. To expose someone else's sin is divisive, and not love - it can ruin a friendship.

10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

As Christians, we need to live in a repentant lifestyle. In other words, the moment we realize we have sinned against God, man, or even ourselves, we go to God and ask for forgiveness. If we need to go to another person to say we are sorry, then that is what we need to do. There are at times, however, where someone may come to us to give us a rebuke for something we committed as a sin. If we are wise, we will listen to the rebuker. If we recognize right away that we have sinned, it is then our responsibility to say we are sorry - asking for forgiveness. There are other times when we have been rebuked, where we need to go to the Lord and seek out his wisdom on whether, first of all, it was a sin, and next, what to do about it.
A fool, however, never wants to admit fault, and will keep blaming others; therefore, he/she will stay in that state of a fool, never learning from good people who are trying to help them. No matter how many times they have been rebuked, disciplined, or even punished, they still refuse to learn. As such, a fool will remain a fool and suffer the results of being a fool all of his/her life. Then in the afterlife, have to face God for the same sins committed while in the flesh.

11 Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished.

The natural response of an evil person is to look for trouble, being rebellious against authority of any kind. Life will then be a cruel messenger, as the NKJV states, to them all their life, and it will be that same messenger that will bring death. It becomes like a "hit man" always on their tail, surrounding them with one calamity after another.

12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.

A mother bear always watches over her cubs, and for someone to attempt to steal her cubs, it would be extremely dangerous. No person in their right mind would attempt such a dangerous act.
Confronting a fool is no different - in fact even worse, because a fool will not change no matter how severely punished. In fact, the fool can be just as dangerous as a mother bear without her cubs to anyone who attempts to confront them.

13 If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house.

All through the Book of Proverbs we have learned that wisdom says not to provoke an angry person, and when confronted with an angry or evil person, do all you can to gently calm that person down. Then avoid them, for their hearts are set on evil, and we are to avoid evil at all costs. Romans 12:17 tells us to not pay evil for evil, looking out for the good for all men.
God considers those who pay evil for good an abomination. It is a abominable sin against God, against those in whom they do evil acts, and a sin against themselves. If not dealt with, these kind of people will continue to live with evil, meaning their homes and their surroundings are continually filled with evil because evil dwells within their heart.

14 Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.

Water can be a force like as flood. Once it takes over it becomes uncontrollable. Strife can be the same way. Once an argument takes over, you are in a battle, and then it becomes difficult to stop it, and it can cause much damage. That is not what God wants for His family.

So then, I am going to leave you with two verses:
Jesus told us in Matt 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Contention needs to stop - before things get out of hand. How then do we do that?
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart for out of it comes the issues of life. We have to diligently watch what is put into our heart. We have to guard it at all costs so that the enemy doesn't get a foothold of our heart. Don't allow strife to come into your heart through anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, or anything that will cause you to remove the peace of the Lord out of your heart. You seek, what is in our heart will come out of our mouth. And then what comes out of our mouth is put into action. Everything starts in the heart - Guard it everyday faithfully.
Let the peace of God reign in your heart!

16 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning.

When we refer here to a fool, we can also include a rebellious, angry, or evil person because they have no desire to be corrected.

A fool refuses instruction, void of understanding
A fool can have a haughty and proud spirit
A fool is ungrateful, and simply wants his own way
A fool certainly does not have a teachable spirit
A fool is a deceiver of many, and most of all a deceiver unto himself.
A fool is a reactor, often flying off in anger
A fool lives with turmoil, physical or inner turmoil, and maybe both.
A fool does not want to change
A fool does not fear God
A fool is a fool in his heart, so furthermore, and only God can change the heart of one who is truly wants and is ready to change.
The list goes on and on of who is a fool.
So then, it is senseless to waste time to educate a fool, for he has no heart for learning.

We know that to gain the wisdom of God it will cost something - it will be expensive in time, energy, and the desire to learn God's knowledge through His Word, purposing to understand in order to then apply God's wisdom to your life. While it can be expensive, it is the most valuable thing you will ever receive in life - God's wisdom.

17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Signs of a true friend is one who loves and accepts you in good times and in bad. A true friend is loyal, trustworthy, and will be there for you in times of need, and you will be there for them in their times of need. It is a two-way friendship on both sides. Other "so called" friends may be considered acquaintances or fair-weather friends in that as long as things go their way, you can remain their friend. When things get tough, however, they disappear. Please don't ever be that kind of friend.

With Facebook and other social media, the word "friend" has been grossly exaggerated, stretching from true friends to acquaintenances or acquaintenances of acquaintenances, and some of social media friends you have never heard of. That certainly is not a list of friends in the true sense.

We can only be a true friends with only a certain number of people because true friendship is an investment in someone you have grown to like and then to love. You want to be a part of their life. So what I say to you, if you are going to invest yourself in the commitment of being a friend, then be a true friend.

18 It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.

We have had two other verses in Proverbs that we have studied so far warning us not to take on the responsibility of guaranteeing someone else's debt. In doing so, you are risking having to pay the debt yourself, thus risking a breach in the relationship between you and that person that you were trying to help out. Each of us alone need to be responsible to honor our own debt.

As I brought out earlier, the only way to take on another's debt is by considering what you do as a gift and not a promise of a guarantee of the person's debt. For when you have the attitude that you are blessing someone in need by giving out of your heart should there be a default in the loan, you already have made the decision that your guarantee is as gift lovingly given by you. If you can't do that, don't risk the friendship by guaranteeing a debt that has yet to be paid.

19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.

There are people who thrive on conflict. Chances are that is all they know. They are prone to anger, and unwilling to listen to sound advise. These people were more than likely raised under such an environment, and conflict runs their life. Such people will probably not, and definitely should not sit in positions of leadership and authority. For if they do, they are going to need protection from the many they come in conflict with, thus they place walls or gates of protection around them. That is only an invite for destruction.

20 The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.

The New King James Version calls a crooked heart a deceitful heart. The one filled with deceit will not only deceive others, but deceive himself. A deceitful heart cannot prosper, even though that is his agenda, but his life will turn to ruin - sooner or later.
A deceitful heart also has a lying tongue to accomplish his deceitfulness, which only leads them into greater evil and destruction.

21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.

We've been talking about the ways of a fool, void of understanding, refusing instruction, having a proud and non-teachable spirit, ungrateful, a deceiver, one filled with anger, reacting to situations when things don't go their way, does not want to change, and does not fear God. Of course a parent will be extremely sad in how their child is behaving, bringing absolutely no joy at all. It certainly does not give a parent pleasure in see their child behave like a fool, knowing the consequences that await him or her when their walls come crashing down - and they will - sooner or later.
We can see here the necessity of why we need to teach our children from an early age on in the ways that God wants them to go so they don't turn out to be a fool, walking in the evils of this world.

22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Laughter is good medicine. It is good for the soul. If laughter is not geniune, however, such as one who has a sad and lonely heart and covers it up by laughter, laughter the is simply a coverup for what really is going on in the heart.

Sadness and loneliness can lead to despondency, which brings on a broken spirit, done by brooding over what is heavy on one's heart. This is so destructive to one's health and well-being.

We all have the choice to look at life from a positive or negative view and attitude.

We can choose to get bitter or better of which we have discussed in earlier episodes.
We can choose to cover up a broken spirit in front of others by fake laughter.
We can look for happiness in other things or even other people, but that is temporary - very temporary.

What God wants for us is joy, real joy that comes from deep within our hearts, and true joy only comes from the Lord.

What we have been talking about throughout Proverbs in seeking a closer relationship with the Lord by receiving His knowledge - through His Word, purposing to understand what He is saying to us, and then applying His wisdom certainly plays a key role in bringing on that inner joy.
Spending time - quality prayer time communing and just loving the Lord brings on an inner peace that nothing can compare.
Encouraging ourself and others in the promises in the Word of God, helps us draw closer to the Lord and see life in a different light.
So then, look at life from the bright side - recognizing all of the many blessings God gives us.
Laugh, love, and let the Joy of the Lord fill your heart.

23 The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice.

God gave us the Law of Moses to first of all teach His people, the Jews right from wrong. Then, Christians, under the New Covenant still use the Mosaic Law as a teacher to teach us right from wrong as well. Laws are given to us for a definite reason - to keep law and order by the people who are obeying the law and it is for their protection. In the same way, we have civil and private laws - all meant for the good of everyone.

For anyone to skirt around the laws of society by secretly taking a bribe for any reason, it is not only illegal - it is a sin against God, a sin against the people and a sin against themselves. In order for bribes to take place, a corrupt official who has been put in place who was meant to protect the people. That person then defies the law for personal gain. As such, he (or she) is perverting the ways of justice - the very thing the populous of the people put their trust in. That person probably is conscious of his guilt by accepting a bribe, because it isk done in secret, but they are thinking they can get away with it; however, God sees everything. That person will one day get caught and when that happens, he will be shown as being corruptive lacking integrity. As such, his or her reputation will be ruined because the populous of the people will no longer trust that person.

24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

The wise or sensible person consistently keeps their eyes focused on wisdom. Everything in life has to pass through those filters of the wisdom that he or she lives by. He or she does not let their minds wander away from the things of the Lord, swaying off the path that God has put before them.
The eyes of a fool, however, is one who sways back and forth on their path of life, being tempted by Satan to do this or that of which he knows is tempting, but buys the bait by going off the path in which the Lord is leading them or simply travels on the path they chose for themselves and God has no place in their plans.

- I once was told by someone that I must accept all the ways of today's society - to not be so old fashioned - but accept everyone's lifestyle as just a fact of life and just embrace it.
- My response was this: "Understand this...everything in my life is filtered through the lenses of my Bible. If God calls it a sin, it is a sin. I may love the person, but I certainly can hate and come against the sin."
- It got silent, never to be spoken again.

25 Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.

In a previous verse in an earlier chapter, we read where a foolish or rebellious child brought bitterness to the father and grief to the mother. Here we see the opposite - grief to the father and bitterness to the mother - meaning both parents are sad, living in the pain of having a fool for a child.

26 It is wrong to punish the godly for being good or to flog leaders for being honest.

God’s laws have been laid out for the righteous to be rewarded and the wicked to be punished. Most governmental laws were also set up to protect the people, therefore, God's hand has been in the setting up of the laws from its foundation. To upset this or reverse these laws, violtates what God put into place that man has now corrupted. Then to punish leaders for their moral and uprightness is an abomination to God and against the people. According to the laws that God set up and what moral leaders originally set up, the righteous should be rewarded and honored, not punished. Sadly, we live in a world today where many of God's laws have been perverted and changed, giving liberty to wicked politicians who no longer want righteousness to prevail, but are enforcing evil to rule over our society with an agenda that violates God and His Word.
- This is why God's Word tells us in 2 Chron 7:14 to pray for our nation - for all those in authority to turn from their wicked ways so God can hear our prayers and heal our land.
- As Christians, we have our assignments in prayer so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable live in all godliness and reverence, just as 1 Timothy 2:2-3 tells us.

27 A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. 28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Out of the heart the mouth speaks - we know that! Then one who walks in wisdom knows when to speak and when to keep quiet. Wisdom does not tell us to talk a lot, but what we say, let it be important to the hearer.
Who then is a man of understanding? One who has learned about what God is telling them in His Word on how to speak and act. Then out of the heart the mouth speaks, as the heart of the man, or the spirit of the man is a calm spirit filled with peace and contentment that is reigning over him.

If a fool ever wanted to appear wise, the best thing he or she could do is keep quiet - don't speak. At least for the time being, it will appear to the people in their presence that they are not a fool. Eventually, however, a fool always exposes himself.

Abraham Lincoln once stated: "It is better to keep your mouth shut and let them think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

There we have it for today and for this week. Let's let wisdom guide our hearts as we search out God's knowledge through His Word.

Have a blessed week end.

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com

Written by Pastor Joyce A. Erickson

Believers Bible School, Founder https://believersbibleschool.com/