Proverbs 13:16 "Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly." Despite living in a day and age where global literacy is incredibly high and information is excessively abundant, knowledge seems underrated.  The knowledge of this proverb is not the same as mere information.  Information can be one's opinion or another's speculation while knowledge is factual.  Knowledge ..read more

Proverbs 13:15 "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard." The book of Proverbs is a unique book in Scripture where context is rarely relevant. While there are passages like chapters 7, 9 and 31 where its author is writing a larger body of content that makes context a necessary consideration, most of the book is a collection of unrelated individual statements.  Each p ..read more

Proverbs 13:14 (KJV)  The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Human nature instinctively hates law.  It wants justice but it loathes law.  This is best proven by watching a child’s reaction the first time it’s told, “No.”  The first time a cognitively-aware child is firmly told, “No,” he or she will be stunned and often cries.  Toddlers especially hate law.   ..read more

Proverbs 13:13 "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded." While it is always more important to remember that the Bible was written by men whom God inspired, it is still important to appreciate the type of men whom God inspired.  In the case of the proverbs, God inspired a wise king to write these timeless truths.  When reading these prover ..read more

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." The human body needs a healthy heart to be healthy and to live a full life.  For that simple and good reason, medical professionals focus on heart health.  Clogged arteries, thin artery walls or heart disease are all major threats to the welfare of the human body.  Doctors take these and other heart conditions very seriously and try to get their patients to take them just as seriously.  Patients who don’t address their sick hearts are playing with fire and eventually fa ..read more

Proverbs 13:11 "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase." We can all appreciate this clear-cut statement as it doesn’t take much mental effort to get what Solomon penned in this proverb.   According to the financially-savvy king, two very different paths to wealth have two very different outcomes.  Those who take the path to wealth by working hard will increase their wealth whereas those who take the path to wealth through vain means will see their wealth decreased.  As clear cut as this proverb is, we do need to consider wha ..read more

Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." For the aspiring counselor or peacemaker, this proverb is a must!  This proverb exposes the deepest problem in any relational conflict.  It reveals the source of every conflict between any two or more people.  It also reveals what is at the heart of every contention between a man and his Maker.  ONLY means only.  ONLY pride causes contention between a husband and wife.  ONLY pride causes contention between a brother and a sister.  ONLY pride causes contention between clas ..read more

Proverbs 13:8 "The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke." What a dramatic proverb!  Whenever you hear about a RANSOM, you can't help but think of high stakes drama.  Cue the telephone call with the muffled voice and the demand for ten million dollars in untraceable bills dropped off at a very specific place and "if you ever want to see your loved one again, come alone!"  This subject always gets a reader's attention and for good reason.  While Solomon easily gets out attention, he doesn't easily get our understanding.  It is easy to ..read more

Proverbs 13:7 "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." At first glance, this proverb is all about money.  On the surface, it would appear that Solomon is warning against wealth.  While this proverb certainly applies to financial components, it is not warning against wealth.  If that were the case, it would be rather hypocritical for Solomon to do that given he was the wealthiest man in the world at the time.  Furthermore, if Solomon were suggesting that poverty was the mark of morality, he would be co ..read more

Proverbs 13:5 "A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame." There are some people in life who have a way of saying a lot in just a few words.  These are the people that know how to use words to get people thinking.  These are the teachers that uses words to incite a train of thought in the minds of their students so that they do more than simply hear truth - they learn truth.  Solomon was a master at using words to provoke thought that would, in that thought, lead to a greater or deeper truth.  He did this in his proverbs and he did i ..read more