Tag: Proverbs 17:1-5

Saturday, July 9, 2022

A Whack on the Head of a Fool

17 A meal of bread and water in contented peace

    is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels.

2 A wise servant takes charge of an unruly child

    and is honored as one of the family.

3 As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan,

    so our lives are refined by God.

4 Evil people relish malicious conversation;

    the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.

5 Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator;

    gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.

-Proverbs 17:1-5 The Message

17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet

    than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully

    and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

    and the Lord tests hearts.

4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

    and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;

    he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Verse 3 study: Refining gold and silver requires intense heat. As a Christian, it takes the heat of trials to be purified. God shows us what is in us and clears out anything that gets in the way of those trials to completely trust in him. Peter says that “trials do come, so the proof of your faith is more precious than gold which is perisable. Even though tested by fire, many found to result in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” When tough times come through, realize that God wants to use them to refine your faith and the purity of your heart. Metals are purified by heat, so God purifies your heart by adversity.

Verse 5 study: Many people are cruel about making fun of people less fortunate. They do this because it makes them feel good to be better and more successful than someone else. Mocking the poor is the same as mocking the God who made them. We ridicule God when we mimic the weak, those who are different, or anyone else. When you find yourself mocking or making fun of someone, remember who created them.

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

-1 Peter 1:7 ESV