God Speaks
To learn, you must love discipline;
it is stupid to hate correction.
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.
4 A worthy wife is a crown for her husband,
but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.
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.
8 A sensible person wins admiration,
but a warped mind is despised.
9 Better to be an ordinary person with a servant
than to be self-important but have no food.
10 The godly care for their animals,
but the wicked are always cruel.
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.
13 The wicked are trapped by their own words,
but the godly escape such trouble.
14 Wise words bring many benefits,
and hard work brings rewards.
15 Fools think their own way is right,
but the wise listen to others.
16 A fool is quick-tempered,
but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
17 An honest witness tells the truth;
a false witness tells lies.
18 Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.
19 Truthful words stand the test of time,
but lies are soon exposed.
20 Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;
joy fills hearts that are planning peace!
21 No harm comes to the godly,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.
23 The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge,
but fools broadcast their foolishness.
24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
25 Worry weighs a person down;
an encouraging word cheers a person up.
26 The godly give good advice to their friends;
the wicked lead them astray.
27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
but the diligent make use of everything they find.
28 The way of the godly leads to life;
that path does not lead to death.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: For purpose of study in comparison and contrast, Proverbs 12 is presented here with the good or godly statements in italic.
1. To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
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.
4. A worthy wife is a crown to her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer to his bones.
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.
8. A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.
9. Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.
10. The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.
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.
13. The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.
14. Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.
15. Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
16. A fool is quick tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
17. An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.
18. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
19. Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.
20. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!
21. No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22. The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.
23. The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.
24. Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
25. Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
26. The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.
27. Lazy people don’t cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.
28. The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.
Consider the following questions regarding each Proverbs 12:
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 rewards those who seek Him and live wisely.
2. People who go against God and His wise ways will suffer consequences.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Proverbs 12?
Dear all wise Father God, thank You that You have given us these proverbs so that we can learn to be wise instead of foolish or wicked. We human beings frequently do foolish things, but we do not have to remain in our folly. Through exercising faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can bring everything to You and have it forgiven, cleansed, and restored. We can then go on to be the worthy wives, hard workers, honest witnesses, diligent students, good leaders, truthful speakers, and encouraging advisors to whom these proverbs refer. Then we will be happy and bring You glory. 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 12? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will learn to discipline myself so that I will not be a stupid fool. (Learning to play an instrument or a sport well is good training in this regard.)
- I will carefully watch over my animals and/or possessions.
- I will think before I speak to be sure that my words are true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind. [not original, but author unknown]
- I will ask the LORD to lead me to 2 or 3 friends with whom we can all share mutual, honest, and helpful critique, advice, and encouragement.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.