God Speaks
A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
3 The Lord is watching everywhere,
keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.
4 Gentle words are a tree of life;
a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5 Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;
whoever learns from correction is wise.
6 There is treasure in the house of the godly,
but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.
7 The lips of the wise give good advice;
the heart of a fool has none to give.
8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but he delights in the prayers of the upright.
9 The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but he loves those who pursue godliness.
10 Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined;
whoever hates correction will die.
11 Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord.
How much more does he know the human heart!
12 Mockers hate to be corrected,
so they stay away from the wise.
13 A glad heart makes a happy face;
a broken heart crushes the spirit.
14 A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
while the fool feeds on trash.
15 For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,
than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.
17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love
is better than steak with someone you hate.
18 A hot-tempered person starts fights;
a cool-tempered person stops them.
19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
but the path of the upright is an open highway.
20 Sensible children bring joy to their father;
foolish children despise their mother.
21 Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense;
a sensible person stays on the right path.
22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice;
many advisers bring success.
23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise;
they leave the grave behind.
25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
but he protects the property of widows.
26 The Lord detests evil plans,
but he delights in pure words.
27 Greed brings grief to the whole family,
but those who hate bribes will live.
28 The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking;
the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart;
good news makes for good health.
31 If you listen to constructive criticism,
you will be at home among the wise.
32 If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself;
but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
33 Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom;
humility precedes honor.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: For purpose of study in comparison and contrast, Proverbs 15 is presented here with the good or godly statements in italic.
1. A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
2. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
3. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping His eye on both the evil and the good.
4. Gentle words are like a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5. Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.
6. There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.
7. The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give.
8. The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright.
9. The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue godliness.
10. Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.
11. Even Death and Destruction [Sheol and Abaddon] hold no secrets from the LORD. How much more does He know the human heart!
12. Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise.
13. A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.
14. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.
15. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
16. Better to have little, with the fear of the LORD, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.
17. A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.
18. A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.
19. A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.
20. Sensible children bring joy to their father; foolish children despise their mother.
21. Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path,
22. Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisors bring success.
23. Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
24. The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind.
25. The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but He protects the property of widows.
26. The LORD detests evil plans, but He delights in pure words.
27. Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live.
28. The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.
29. The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous.
30. A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.
31. If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home with the wise.
32. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
33. Fear of the LORD teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.
Consider the following questions regarding Proverbs 15:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God knows and sees everything, so He is the only One who can judge rightly. He sets the standards.
2. People because of our sinful nature can be greedy, hot-tempered, deceitful, uncaring, undisciplined, stubborn, and rebellious.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Proverbs 15?
Dear loving Father God, please help me to be wise and godly. I desire to honor You in all I say and do. As I interact with other people, please help me to be kind, helpful, cheerful, generous, unselfish, and gentle. Help me to discern if a certain course of action only seems right from a human perspective but will ultimately lead to death. I want to be cautious and alert and turn away from evil. Please help me to be gracious to the poor and to cooperate in raising them out of poverty. Fearing You, LORD God, makes me confident and strong and serves as a fountain of life. I humbly submit to You in reverential awe, my Savior and LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Proverbs 15? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will monitor what I say to be sure that I am giving a gentle, uplifting answer rather than a harsh putdown.
- I will put on a cheerful face, like putting on cologne, whenever I am with other people.
- I will commend the person (especially a child) whenever I see them acting wisely or in a godly manner.
- I will mentally bring all of my concerns (good or bad) to God, so that I can know how He wants me to respond in any given situation.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.