Wise Up: Proverbs 29
Proverbs 29 (NIV)
1 Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
4 By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.
5 Those who flatter their neighbors
are spreading nets for their feet.
6 Evildoers are snared by their own sin,
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.
8 Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.
9 If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
10 The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.
11 Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.
12 If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.
13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.
14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will be established forever.
15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.
16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.
17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.
18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.
20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
21 A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.
22 An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
23 Pride brings a person low,
but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
24 The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
they are put under oath and dare not testify.
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.
27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.
Verse 20 – chose your words wisely – you can’t take them back.
The verse about disciplining your children speaks to me of our family life. I was never organized enough to follow through with discipline. But I talked to them for a looooong time when they were out of line. Apparently some of my words made their way through because our children have certainly fulfilled all the desires of our hearts. But it must have been hard for them to take at the time, because there was one time when our son said,
“Mom, just hit me!”
Also, I prayed over them every night that God would guide them, guard them, and protect them for me, knowing that I had no clue what I was doing as a mother. Today I will reflect on this verse to ask forgiveness and freedom from the child that I was long ago and ask for wisdom to outgrow my own
childish ways.
Tim – My feelings exactly and one of the verses I was drawn to Today.
It is reassuring that placing out trust in the Lord is safe. Many times we put our trust in our finances, jobs, and in friends. Yet, this scripture clearly reminds us that placing our trust in the Lord is the best place for all of our situations or issues. A great reminder to jump start the day!
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Love it. Thank you for the reminder Jo-Ann!
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
A good reminder of just how important leadership is. I’d paraphrase this proverb, “Good leaders make joyful people, bad leaders make people miserable.” God help me to be a righteous leader: as a pastor, dad, grampy, boss, planner. Help me Lord to first work on my character, to be Christlike, to be someone who makes following a pleasure. Help me to be righteous.
I will be praying this for you Britt.
I am blessed and thank the Lord for my children, who put their trust in God. And for my wife that guided and nurtured them well in the Lord.
Verse 17
Vs 15a
A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom.
Lord, help me to be consistent and thoughtful in disciplining my children. I want them to grow up into wise, wisdom-loving adults.
Vs. 11
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
This is an excellent reminder to pause and reflect before we speak. I want to be someone who is “under control”, not a fool who says everything that comes to mind.
Amber – This was the second verse that I was drawn to today with Vs. 20, They kind of go hand and hand. Because they are close in nature I believe our father is probably whispering trying to tell me something. Now I must reflect and adjust!!!
v. 20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
Lord, let my mouth be slow to speak, and only words that are needed and glorifying to God! All the more in context of Linda’s reflection above, as a wife and parent! No leaky faucet!
Proverbs 29:11 – Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.
Prior to coming to Christ, I played the fool — a lot! I loved giving full vent to my rage. I may have even been proud of it. Looking back, I cannot think of an instance where I didn’t regret my actions or words when in “full vent mode”. Even as a follower of Jesus I still find myself struggling with giving full vent to my anger at times, but through the power of His Spirit I can find peace and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control;”
My two nuggets: Discipline my son so that he won’t end up a dunder-headed ninnymuggins, and wait before speaking.
15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.
17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.
I really think that these two verses are some of the most applicable wisdom for our society today.
V. 20
And what else? AWE
This should keep me from being too quick. I need to assume I don’t know the whole story.