Proverbs 9:1-12
The Way of Wisdom
Proverbs 9:13-18
The Way of Folly
Proverbs 10:1-10
How to Redeem The Time
Proverbs 10:11-16
Contrasts in Life
Proverbs 10:17-24
Discipline Brings Quality to Life
Proverbs 10:25-32
The Contrast of Righteousness And Wickedness
Proverbs 11:1-5
The Lord Hates Dishonesty And Pride
Proverbs 11:6-11
A Hyprocrite is Ready to Falsely Accuse
Proverbs 11:12-15
A Discussion of Community Relationships
Proverbs 11:16-21
Wealth is Very Inferior to Honor
Proverbs 11:22-25
All we Really Have is What we Give
Proverbs 11:26-31
Only The Righteous Have a Secure Future
Proverbs 12:1-5
Right Thoughts Result in Right Actions
Proverbs 12:6-10
Our Chief Aim Should Be to Build Others up
Proverbs 12:11-16
Wicked Words Are The Product of An Evil Heart
Proverbs 12:17-22
Careless Words Are Harmful
Proverbs 12:20-28
A Contrast Between Diligence And Laziness
Proverbs 13:1-5
Our Speech Should be Uplifting
Proverbs 13:6-13
Pride Causes Us to Be Contentious
Proverbs 13:11-15
Following Instruction Will Spare You Sorrow
Proverbs 13:14-20
Friends Will Take You Up or Down
Proverbs 13:21-25
When Genuine Love is Questionable
Proverbs 14:1-5
No Work Means No Harvest
Proverbs 14:6-12
Fools Think Their Ways Are Right
Proverbs 14:13-17
Failing to Live by The Truth of God’s Word
Proverbs 14:18-23
It’s Important to Listen to Instruction
Proverbs 14:24-29
A Bad Temper is a Sign of Weakness
Proverbs 14:30-35
Emotions Effect Our Physical Conditon
Proverbs 15:1-5
Choose Gentle Words
Proverbs 15:6-11
Refusal to Take Correction Brings Discipline
Proverbs 15:12-15
We Feed What Our Heart Craves
Proverbs 15:16-22
Love is More Important Than Riches
A Contrast Between Diligence And Laziness
Proverbs 12:20–28
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Many years ago there was a pastor who was visiting a very large church in Marietta, Georgia. This pastor was there to try to find out why this church had grown to be so large. The pastor of this large church was very gracious and was giving this visiting pastor a tour of his faci … More
A simple contrast is made between the ability and inability to keep quiet (v. 23). A fool is prone to blurt forth all that he knows (which may not be much) while a wise man is careful to practice silence in the presence of others. Next we see a contrast between diligence and laziness (v. 24). A person who is too lazy to labor at the appropriate time will often be forced at a later time to labor as a slave to earn the bare necessities of life. In contrast the diligent, who take opportunities to work industriously will one day rule over the sluggards.
We find the sluggard pictured as a lazy hunter (v. 27). Even if he does muster up enough energy to get out and kill some game he will run out of gas before he builds a fire and roasts it. In other words, he is just too lazy to cook his own meet. Diligence, however, leads a hunter to value what he works to get. He knows the price of the labor he has invested and appreciates the preciousness of that which he now possesses. Laziness is not a joke as some may picture it to be. It is sin for us to fail to invest our God-given abilities in a productive way for his glory. It is like having a million dollars in our checking account while we let our family starve to death because we refuse to write a check and buy some food.
Application
What Biblical principles have I taught my family concerning work? (II Thess. 3:10) says, “that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
Proverbs 12:20-28 (English Standard Version)
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