Tag: Wisdom

Two women talking in a cozy study beside bookshelves and coffee

Seeking Good Advice

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“Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous never changes. Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬-‭16 ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Men are famously bad about asking for directions. It’s a common enough flaw in our programing that it has become its own trope. And when we don’t ask for directions, while we sometimes get where we intend to go, we more likely wind up somewhere we don’t want to be. I remember arriving back at the airport coming home from a long trip late one night with the whole family in tow. We got to the satellite lot to get the car, but I hadn’t written down our stop and got us off at the wrong one…on the complete opposite side of the lot. We had to wait for another bus to come by, delaying our arrival at home by a lot. I still rightly pay for that one. It’s always better to seek counsel than look foolish. Solomon agrees. Let’s talk about it.

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Earth colliding with a molten cracked planet in a star-filled space scene

Living within the Lines

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“Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice. Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it. Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded. A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

You’ve perhaps heard the phrase, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The idea is that spending time away from someone can allow petty qualms of the past to gradually fade away, inclining our hearts more and more in their direction where perhaps that wasn’t quite as much the case. An absence like this, though, eventually builds hope in our hearts for a reunion. The longer that hope’s fulfillment gets delayed, the greater the hope grows. But hope like this is a kind of weight. The more it grows, the heavier it gets. Leave it to grow too long, and it can start to wear you down. Sometimes a proverb points you to something you need to do better in life; sometimes they simply describe what is true about it. Let’s talk about one of these latter proverbs in this next group.

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Split scene labeled CONTINUITY and CHANGE, with signs reading CONTINUE (Established Route) and CHANGE (New Direction), and a traveler choosing between paths.

Staying Plugged In

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“The righteous hate lying, but the wicked bring disgust and shame. Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner. One person pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth. Riches are a ransom for a person’s life, but a poor person hears no threat. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is put out.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Several years ago, I heard a sermon about generosity. The preacher was talking about the myth that more money will make us happier. He shared some interesting survey data that showed there actually is a point below which more money seems to contribute to overall happiness, but it’s a lot lower than you’d think. This is an easy trap to fall into. We survey our lives, and see all the things we would or could do if we had more money, and conclude that if we had that money, we would feel more accomplished or secure or confident, and happiness would follow in the wake of all that. After eighteen years of ministry, I am in a very different financial place than when I started, yet I can say with confidence that I’m not any happier today specifically because of that. In this next batch of proverbs, Solomon makes this point in a really interesting way. Let’s dive right in.

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Craftsperson welding a gear-driven metal frame in a workshop

Hard Work Really Is Good For You

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“A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth, a person will enjoy good things, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

We used to garden. It was a big garden too. At least it was for two people from the suburbs who had never really gardened before. We had a member who had been a farmer plow it up for us, and then we did everything else. It was a ton of work that we had to commit to doing each day, but we enjoyed it thoroughly. And, after a few weeks, we enjoyed the fruits of our labors with delight. Eventually life got busy enough and kids got big enough that we couldn’t do it anymore, but it was a good season. Solomon said the wise person experiences something like this, but because of her words. Let’s take a look at this and more as we get into Proverbs 13 today.

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Four colleagues collaborating around sketches and laptops beside an idea workshop board

The Great Worth of Hard Work

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“A man is praised for his insight, but a twisted mind is despised. Better to be disregarded, yet have a servant, than to act important but have no food. The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel. The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense. The wicked desire what evil people have caught, but the root of the righteous is productive. By rebellious speech an evil person is trapped, but a righteous person escapes from trouble. A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person’s hands will reward him.” (Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

The American Dream takes a few different forms, but most of them envision someone working hard and achieving wealth and success by that hard work. There are also versions that celebrate a person’s doing this all on their own with a pioneering spirit. This is the whole pulling-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps thing. As followers of Jesus, while we cannot get on board with the idea that we don’t need a community to be successful, the idea that we should work hard and experience some version of success by our hard work is something behind which we can throw our full support. The proverbs point to that more than once, including here in this next batch. Let’s take a look.

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