Miscellaneous….but Important

Miscellaneous…But Important

Much of the ideas and truth in Proverbs are repeated frequently.  In part, I think that is so because we need to be reminded again and again, and again!  In Proverbs 17:17-21 we have some of these repeated ideas: 

A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.  18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes surety for his friend.  19  He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.  20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.  21   He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

Vs 17:  Relationships are important.  Friends are there for you at all times, and they are especially important during the difficult times.

Vs 18:  Proverbs spends a lot of time warning the reader to not make bad or foolish financial decisions.  We should not put ourselves in bad situations with financial promises.

Vs 19:  Some people just seem to go from one conflict to another.  Usually that is because there is something in their character that leads them to this path.  It is possible for someone to “love strife” and live in consistent turmoil.  Though they might bemoan their situation, in reality, they “enjoy” it.  Watch out for those people!

Vs 20:  The heart and tongue are often related in Proverbs.  If a person has a “good heart”, good things will come out of his/her mouth.  The opposite is true also.

Vs 21:  A father is heavily influenced by the ways of his children.  Both joy and heartache can originate from the actions of a child.

Each of these little nuggets of truth will often find their way into our lives depending on what our circumstances are at that time.  That is one of the wonderful things about Proverbs.

In wisdom,
Eric