With Dishonor Comes Reproach

Proverbs 18:1–12
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

When the first Memorial Day was celebrated, a group of women from Washington D.C. asked the War Department for permission to put flowers on the soldiers’ graves at Arlington Cemetery. After a lot of haggling, permission was finally granted on the condition that no flowers be placed ... More

Separation

A man who is not sociable cares only for his own selfish concerns (v. 1). His separation is not for God’s glory but for his own pleasure. A fool is “closed minded” and “open mouthed.” He doesn’t want to gain knowledge; he only wants to share his views (v. 2). A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package. An interesting progression is suggested: “contempt” leads to “shame” and “shame” leads to “disgrace” (v. 3). Unlike the fool who airs his unwise ideas, a wise person’s words are helpful and encouraging (v. 4). It’s wrong to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from getting justice (v. 5). A fool constantly gets in trouble because he speaks from a corrupt heart. His mouth eventually will lead him to destruction if he does not repentance (vv. 6-7). He who thinks by the inch and talks by the yard deserves to be kicked by the foot.

The fool enjoys listening to the gossiper, swallowing every word as if it is delicious food (v. 8). Half-truths quickly become full blown lies and the lives of the innocent are destroyed. It only takes a few minutes for a gossiper to tear down a man’s reputation. That is why God’s Word repeatedly condemns gossip. Being lazy is no different from being a troublemaker (v. 9). The LORD is a mighty tower where his people can run for safety (v. 10). The rich think their money is a wall of protection, but they are sadly mistaken (v. 11). The government may cease to back it, thieves may steal it, inflation may rob it of all value, however God never loses His power. Pride leads to destruction; humility leads to honor (v. 12).

Application

I need to think about my life. Have I separated myself from the things that are good, like a daily Quiet-Time, family devotions, going to prayer meeting, etc? On the other hand have I separated myself from things that are bad, like watching drinking, killing and immorality on the television? It is important what I separate myself from anything that does not glorify God.

Proverbs 18:1-12 (English Standard Version)

Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (Space required at line 39, column 24) in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/magpie6-1/rss_fetch.inc on line 230

Warning: array_slice() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /var/www/html/familytimes/includes/rss/esvLookup.php on line 15

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »