The Book of Proverbs

Chapter 12

I have said repeatedly that it is so important for us to know that first comes knowledge, then we must seek to understand that knowledge, and then when applied to our lives, then we can walk in wisdom - God's wisdom.  I believe that this is the most important thing that any of us can get on the inside of us regarding the Book of Proverbs.

So verse 1 only emphasizes it again... from the New Living Translation.

Proverbs 12:1  To learn, you must love discipline;  it is stupid to hate correction.

• Love instruction or discipline - always seeking to learn.  In other words, become a lifelong learner, because, if you want to get anywhere in life, you must not only be willing to learn, but learn to love learning.  That means having a teachable spirit.
• In all learning, we will make mistakes, so then we have to be willing to have our faults pointed out to us to help us understand where we made our mistake.  For a person to say, "I've always done it that way" when a mistake has been pointed out, "and am not about to change" is really foolish, or in our modern language - is really stupid.  That person has just admitted that he or she is not willing to receive any sort of correction or instruction, and will remain in their ignorance or stupidity.

² The Lord approves of those who are good, but he condemns those who plan wickedness.  ³ Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.

• It has also been pointed out many times that a good man - one who walks in the wisdom of God - receives favor from the Lord.  God delightfully approves of what that person is doing, and because of that, gains God's favor.
• The wise righteous believers has learned how to make good decisions in life, thereby receiving the blessings of God. 
• In addition, one of those blessings is that we, as believers in Christ, draw closer to the Lord because we are continuously trusting in Him to show us what to do.  The more we trust in Him, the more God establishes us with deep roots of trust in Him.  So then, when the storms of life come, and they will come, we will stand firm and cannot be shaken.   
• I John 1: 6 tells us that we cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with God at the same time.  But if we walk in the the wisdom or light of God, we have fellowship with Him, thereby our trust continues and deepens our fellowship with Him. 
• Old Covenant believers and followers of the Mosaic Law especially knew about blessings and cursings.  When obedient to the Law, blessings came.  When disobedient to the Law, curses followed them.  God cannot honor someone who walks in darkness.  Light and darkness do not mix.  One who purposes to walk in darkness, or wickedness, often lie, cheat, and use deceptive devices while treating others badly to gain something for themselves.  It's the condition of a wicked heart.  That is never God's way, and God cannot bless that kind of person.  It may appear that he or she continues to walk in their success, but we must all understand from God's Word that when wickedness of the heart is at work, that person is on the road to destruction, death, and judgment by God.  It's only a matter of time.

⁴ A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

• We have discussed a lot about the promiscuous woman, as Proverbs has done a lot of warnings against these kind of women, whether she is a wife of another man or a single lady under the household of her father.  As a wife of another man, she brings shame to her husband and unhappiness to the home when she goes outside of the home looking for pleasure in another man.  She becomes a disgrace to her husband and that disgrace eats a way at him like cancer rotting his bones.

• On the other hand, a worthy wife, or as the King James Version renders it, a virtuous wife honors her husband, becoming a crown for him to stand strong and tall.  In the original text, a "virtuous" wife means one who has worth and strength, and the word "crown" is a symbol of honor, respect and one of importance.  This is how God wants a virtuous woman to view her husband so he can stand strong and tall, being viewed with respect and honor by those around him as she supports him in that strength. 

⁵ The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous. ⁶ The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives. ⁷ The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.

• Psalm 37:30 tells us that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Proverbs 16:23 tells us that the heart of the wise instructs his mouth to speak forth wisdom.  So then, what goes on in the heart of the godly are shown to be right and honorable as they purpose to speak forth wisdom from their mouths.
   
  • As a believer in Christ, our Bible tells us to renew our minds according to the Word of God so that we can prove what is the perfect will of God (Rom 12:2).  So then, God teaches us how to use our mouth to minister out to others, but also to preserve others and ourselves.  God honors those who use His wisdom.  Why would'nt we not want to get all of the wisdom of God that we can get.
      
• The wicked - those doing things outside of the will of God - cannot and will not stand.  Again, everything starts in the heart.  As such, we, even as believers, all need to continuously examine our heart to make sure that we are not thinking or doing anything outside of the will of God.  But for those who continuously live outide of the will of God (unbelievers), they are living out of a deceitful heart.  Remember, out of the heart the mouth speaks, so furthermore, unbelievers have no roots in righteousness, so their words turn to action to where they hurt others to gain for themselves.  One day, they will leave this earth, be forgotten about, but will have to stand before God in judgment.

⁸ A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.

• The King James Version says here that a man is commended for his wisdom.  A wise person then is a sensible person, and will be recognized and honored by others because of his or her wisdom.  People follow those who lead and speak forth wisdom.  The greater the wisdom, the more people will recognize and honor that person.  In the eyes of God, this is most certainly true - wisdom has its eternal rewards.
• A warped or twisted heart, however, will be despised and looked down upon by others.

⁹ Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.

• Where a person is located in the world can determine the meaning of this scripture verse. In some countries, having one servant is normal practice for the ordinary person.  Whereas in other countries, having a servant, or even many servants, is a mark of distinction.  The point here is that we remain humble and satisfied in what we have, not boasting in what we have not.

¹⁰ The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

God loves animals.  He created animals for mankind - for food and to work for us.  In today's society, animals can even be pets for us to enjoy.

• For most of my married life, we have had dogs as pets in our home, and we have loved everyone of them.  We considered them a member of our family.  The Bible tells us here that we are always to show care and compassion for our animals.  How people treats their animals is a good sign how they treat other people.
  
  
• Those of a wicked heart often are cruel to their animals.  Again, how a person treats their animals gives us a clue on how they will treat other people.

¹¹ A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.  ¹² Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.

In my early years of marriage, I and a friend worked for an employer of a very small company.  We loved our job.  One thing I noticed, and being young and naive, and just kind of laughed about it, but our employer always had these fantasy dreams of having this big company.  Then one day he approached my friend and I about how the company was struggling at that time to even make payroll, and if the company was going to grow, he needed some quick money to cover his immediate expenses.  He then asked if he could borrow a few thousand dollars from my friend and me.  As surprised as we were, and loving our jobs, we both went home to our husband and presented this business deal with them.  Both husbands were hesitant, but agreed to loan him the money.  For me, we had to go to the bank to borrow the money to borrow to him.  Foolish, I know.  Well, it wasn't more than a few days after we gave him the money did we come to work one day to find the place locked up, emptied out and no one in it.  This employer lived only a block away, so we immediately went to his place, and he had moved out of his apartment.  Even when we found him, he had spent the money, and had nothing to give back to us.  We took him to court, but even the judge stated you can't get blood out of a turnip, and gave him some minimum sentence and left us hanging without nothing.  So here my friend and I were both left stuck - her without the money, and me, having to pay the bank back for every penny I borrowed to him.  I will tell you this:  Every month when I went to the bank to make a payment, and I did for two years, I had bad thoughts of this thief of an employer who robbed us blind.  It was a lesson - hard learned.

• So a person who chases after fantasies has no sense.  Some of them are even thieves.  While I was a Christian at the time I borrowed this money to my employer, I certainly did not have any godly sense, and suffered as a result of a lack of it.  Lesson learned - never to be done again.
  
• So the moral here, get a job, work for your needs.  Don't go chasing after rainbow fantasies because it will cause you to do, or should I say not do things that will help you take care of you and your family properly.

¹³ The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.

Because the Bible tells us that out of the heart the mouth speaks, if there is wickedness within a person's heart, it will come out of their mouth.  Those wicked words will eventually get that person into trouble when the wrong people or person hears what is said, and as such, they are trapped by their own words. 

• The wise person, again, guards his heart to not let wickedness come in.  The wise person also learns when to speak and when to keep quiet.  They will then escape the trouble that a wicked person entrapped themselves in.

¹⁴ Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

The fruit of the mouth of a wise person speaks to edify other people, not tear them down.  As such, blessings will come to their life by the words they speak out of their mouth. 

• This second half seems to be a completely different thought even though it is a good thought.  Each person will receive what he has worked for - good or evil.  Again, we reap what we sow.  Sow to good, and good rewards will come your way.

Proverbs 12:15  A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others.

• God considers a fool in the same category as someone who is wicked or evil.  What a fool does is definitely something that God considers contrary to His will - and remember, anything that is contrary to the will of God, God considers it wicked or evil.  So then, a fool doesn't want or thinks he needs advice, and he will do as he/she wants.  While we need to be careful from whom we receive advice, Psalm 1:1 tells us not to take council from the ungodly.  We need to find godly people who walk in godly wisdom to take advice from, meaning these godly people are walking in the wisdom of the Word of God.

¹⁶ A fool is quick-tempered; a wise man stays cool when insulted.

• Again, a fool, whom God considers wicked or evil, often is quick-tempered and his/her anger will flare up at unexpected times; whereas, a wise man keeps quiet even when insulted and waits for the right moment to act appropriately in that situation.  The wise man will use the wisdom of God, as written in His Word on how to react in any situation.  As Christians, we must never forget that we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).  We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we have the Word of God that we purpose to live by.  It isn't always easy to keep our cool when insulted; however, when we do, the Holy Spirit will remind us what the Word of God tells us what to do and how to act.  We can never go wrong when we apply the Word of God to all situations.

¹⁷ A good man is known by his truthfulness; a false man by deceit and lies.

Here God uses good and the false in the same category as righteous and wicked.  These are all similar words.  A good, or righteous man, is known by others because he does not lie, but always tells the truth; whereas, a false or evil man is known for hiding the truth, lying, and deceiving people.  Polar opposites.

¹⁸ Some people like to make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise soothe and heal.

Those who make smart cutting remarks to people do not have their best interest at heart.  The purpose is making cutting remarks is to put that person down while the cutter lifts himself up.  The opposite, however, generally happens.  This person shows himself to be a fool and the intents of his heart is exposed.

• Again, God's people are called to edify others, and as it says here, it bring words that soothes and heals.  As it is written in the New King James Verson, "do what we can to promote the other person's health."  As Christians, we also have the power of the Holy Spirit within us, and it would be fitting to say to someone who is in pain or needs healing to ask him or her whether you can pray for them.  Most people willingly want those prayers given on their behalf.  

¹⁹ Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed.

• Truth always stands the test of time.  That means, lies will be exposed.  The important thing to remember is always tell the truth.  You will be respected for saying the truth.  If, however, what you say is truth and others do not believe you, just wait.  It will only be a matter of time when the truth will come out.  God will see to that!  All we have to do is ask God to reveal His truth, and because He takes care of His own, He will bring the truth out at the right moment. 

²⁰ Deceit fills hearts that are plotting for evil; joy fills hearts that are planning for good!

Always remember, God looks at the heart.  Where there is deceit - where one is plotting evil - God knows about it long before the action takes place.  God will judge that person according to his/her heart.

• For those who plan good, the hearts of the people are blessed.  The New King James Version says of those who plan good are counselors of peace.  We are counselors of peace - and in the Book of Ephesians, chapter 6, it says we are always to shod our feet with the Gospel of peace.  Everywhere we go, we purpose to bring peace - the peace of Jesus to whomever we meet, whether it comes by our actions or words. 

²¹ No real harm befalls the good - or the righteous, but there is constant trouble for the wicked.

• I think of the 91st Psalm, verse 10 here where God promises us"that no evil will befall us, nor will any plague come near our dwelling.  For He gives His angels charge over us to guard and keep us in all our ways.  And even if we dash our foot against a stone, in other words, mess up once in a while, His angels lift us up in their hands to protect us."  God gives favor to those who follow after Him.  He has our backside! 

• The wicked, however, are continuously in trouble because they are on their own because God has turned His back on them.  The reality is that none of us can travel this life successfully without God.  We will fall.  Some sooner, some later. 

²² God delights in those who keep their promises and abhors those who don’t.

• We can trust that God keeps all His promises given out in His Word - both to us as believers and even to unbelievers -  in this life and in the next.  God delights and believes in promises kept.  Shouldn't we be doing the same thing back to Him and to others?  God delights in promises kept.
• God is not only saddened, but considers it an abomination to those who do not keep their promises.  Again, it is a sin to not keep one's promise to God or anyone.

²³ A wise man doesn’t display his knowledge, but a fool displays his foolishness.

Just because you think you have all knowledge does not mean you go around displaying it.  You would be showing off what you think you know, and that would be prideful and arrogant.  Only a fool would do that.  

²⁴ Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed.

Here again, we go to the ant as is shown in Proverbs 6.  Hard work pays off.  Like the ant, hard workers do not need anyone to keep telling them what to do, for they automatically are on top of things, ready to do what is necessary to get the job done.  Mankind needs to learn from these tiny creatures.  Where we have hard workers, especially those who use their time wisely and applies godly wisdom to their life generally become leaders.  Most people tend to be followers and will automatically follow those who work hard, because hard workers generally make excellent leaders.   

²⁵ Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of encouragement does wonders!

• Anxious people are worriers.  As their anxiety overtakes them, it can lead to depression, which is a pathway to destruction.  The Bible tells us to guard our heart at all cost according to Proverbs 4:23.  "For out of our heart come the issues of life."  If we want to live in the freedom of doubt, worry, unbelief, and disease, we must guard our hearts against becoming anxious.
• Encouragement always lifts the heart.  Both from others, and we can encourage ourselves as well.  To encourage yourself, find a scripture that gives you peace and joy, and then purpose to keep repeating it over and over until you get it down in your heart.  You will know when you by when you finally truly believe it.  After all, Joshua 1:8 keeps telling us to meditate on the Word of God day and night - and then do what it says.  For when you do, you will prosper and have good success.

²⁶ The good man asks advice from friends; the wicked plunge ahead—and fall.

• The New King James says says that the righteous - those in Christ - should choose their friends wisely and carefully.   We do become like the friends we hang around with.  If our friends are living outside of God's will, guess what, you will probably end up the same way.  If they, on the other hand, are living according to God's Word, that will encourage you to do the same thing.  So here, in the New Living Translation it says a good man asks advice from friends.  Pick your friends wisely or you will plunge just like your friends who chose to do things contrary to the will of God - therefore becaming wicked in their ways.  

²⁷ A lazy man won’t even dress the game he gets while hunting, but the diligent man makes good use of everything he finds.

• The slothful or lazy person enjoys the hunt, but too lazy to dress out his game.  He lacks diligence.  He went to all the trouble to hunt and capture his prey, but too lazy to enjoy the fruit of his labor.  What he starts, he probably will not finish through lack of ambition because it may be boring or unpleasant.
• A man of diligence, however, makes good use of his time in that whatever he does; he uses his time wisely and make good use of everything.

²⁸ The path of the godly leads to life. So why fear death?

• The path of the righteous person walks in the wisdom of God; furthermore it brings life and happiness.  As Christians we can see this verse as saying when we walk in the path of life, we will never see eternal death.  As the righteousness in Christ, we will never be affected by the 2nd death because we will be spending our eternal life with Christ. 

There we have it - chapter 12 is complete.  A lot was discussed with King Solomon giving good advice - good versus bad, diligence versus lazyness, truth versus lies, life versus death.

God bless!

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com