Tag: Proverbs 27:22-27

Sunday, September 4, 2022

22 Pound on a fool all you like—

    you can’t pound out foolishness.

23-27 Know your sheep by name;

    carefully attend to your flocks;

(Don’t take them for granted;

    possessions don’t last forever, you know.)

And then, when the crops are in

    and the harvest is stored in the barns,

You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool,

    and sell your goats for a profit;

There will be plenty of milk and meat

    to last your family through the winter.

-Proverbs 27:22-27 The Message

22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

    along with crushed grain,

    yet his folly will not depart from him.

23 Know well the condition of your flocks,

    and give attention to your herds,

24 for riches do not last forever;

    and does a crown endure to all generations?

25 When the grass is gone, and the new growth appears

    and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

26 the lambs will provide your clothing,

    and the goats the price of a field.

27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

    for the food of your household

    and maintenance for your girls.

-Proverbs 27:22-27 ESV

Verse 22 study: Solomon considers foolishness almost indestructible. You mix things together with a bowl and a rod. A fool is unteachable even when the most drastic measures are taken.

Verses 23-27 studies: With our fortunes uncertain and life short, we should be mindful about what we do with our lives. We should act foresight to pay attention to our homes, families, and careers. We should be stewards like a farmer with his land herds. Thinking ahead is a duty, not an option for God’s people. Economic resources of a renewable sort are preferable to riches that cannot be replaced. Pay attention to the providential order of nature ensures provisions for our needs. The implications of this passage are more evident in the modern context. This passage is also rare praise of wisdom for planning ahead.