Proverbs 17
Proverbs 17:1-28 (NLT)
1 Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.
2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son and will share the inheritance of the master’s children.
3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.
5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.
6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler.
8 A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper!
9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
11 Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished.
12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.
13 If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—both are detestable to the LORD.
16 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning.
17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18 It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
20 The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.
21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
23 The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice.
24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.
26 It is wrong to punish the godly for being good or to flog leaders for being honest.
27 A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
Endless behaviors describe the actions of evil vs. good, all of which can be looked at as patterns to follow or avoid. However, there is a common source for all of them that determines these actions much more effectively than determination. Most of the observations and descriptions of each proverb describe the inevitable fruit of a heart condition. Instead of attempting to change the nature of the heart by controlling all actions, all actions will be altered if only the heart can be made right. This is the power of new birth in Christ. The approach to each proverb is altered from something we must be striving for to change our heart, to a description of actions that are either the old that has passed away or the new that is everything in Christ. We identify with every behavior of wisdom and righteousness as a description of who we already are, and the actions follow. Every evil way is recognized and made to pass away with the old, never to be a practiced way.
The old way – forming the heart nature with behaviors.
The new way.- transforming the actions from a new heart.