Reflections on Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12 (Contemporary English Version)


1. To accept correction is wise, to reject it is stupid.
   
2. The LORD likes everyone who lives right, but he punishes everyone who makes evil plans.
   
3. Sin cannot offer security! But if you live right, you will be as secure as a tree with deep roots.
   
4. A helpful wife is a jewel for her husband, but a shameless wife will make his bones rot.
   
5. Good people have kind thoughts, but you should never trust the advice of someone evil.
   
6. Bad advice is a deadly trap, but good advice is like a shield.
   
7. Once the wicked are defeated, they are gone forever, but no one who obeys God will ever be thrown down.
   
8. Good sense is worthy of praise, but stupidity is a curse.
   
9. It's better to be ordinary and have only one servant than to think you are somebody and starve to death.
   
10. Good people are kind to their animals, but a mean person is cruel.
    
11. Hard working farmers have more than enough food; daydreamers are nothing more than stupid fools.
    
12. An evil person tries to hide behind evil; good people are like trees with deep roots.
    
13. We trap ourselves by telling lies, but we stay out of trouble by living right.
    
14. We are rewarded or punished for what we say and do.
    
15. Fools think they know what is best, but a sensible person listens to advice.
    
16. Losing your temper is foolish; ignoring an insult is smart.
    
17. An honest person tells the truth in court, but a dishonest person tells nothing but lies.
    
18. Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal.
    
19. Truth will last forever; lies are soon found out.
    
20. An evil mind is deceitful, but gentle thoughts bring happiness.
    
21. Good people never have trouble, but troublemakers have more than enough.
    
22. The LORD hates every liar, but he is the friend of all who can be trusted.
    
23. Be sensible and don't tell everything you know-- only fools spread foolishness everywhere.
    
24. Work hard, and you will be a leader; be lazy, and you will end up a slave.
    
25. Worry is a heavy burden, but a kind word always brings cheer.
    
26. You are better off to do right, than to lose your way by doing wrong.
    
27. Anyone too lazy to cook will starve, but a hard worker is a valuable treasure.
    
28. Follow the road to life, and you won't be bothered by death.
    

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Chapter 12 continues the 'potpourri' of short wisdoms we have already seen in the previous two chapters. But more than simply giving statements of wisdom, it contrasts the wise with the unwise as did chapter 11. Solomon hardly ever uses the term "the wise," though. He usually refers to the wise as the "righteous." This, I believe, is because the two cannot be separated. To act righteously is to act wisely and vice versa. On the other hand, the unwise are usually referred to as "the wicked" but sometimes also referred to as "the foolish." For the same reason righteousness and wisdom are used interchangeably, lack of wisdom and wickedness are also used interchangeably. I touched on this in the previous chapter. So let's look briefly at the characteristics of these two groups, the wise and the foolish, or the righteous and the wicked. I see 5 main characteristics that are contrasted between the two groups:

• First, the wise are interested in what is good and upright. These are qualities that are directed at others. If spoken of only as regarding ourselves, they become selfish and actually disregard others. So being concerned for what is good and upright is a concern for others. In contrast, the wicked are always scheming trouble for others. At times, they even seem to take delight in causing trouble for others.


• Second, the wise listen to counsel. They want to make wise choices that benefit both themselves and others. Their primary pursuit is doing what is right rather than the pursuit of pleasure. However, pleasure is a byproduct of doing what is right, a concept the wicked or foolish would never understand. The foolish, on the other hand, consider their own ways to be right and need no counsel or instruction. They disdain instruction which is an attitude that leads to their own destruction.


• Third, the wise are not primarily concerned with their own rights. They are willing to be dishonored or to ignore an insult without flying into a rage and doing something foolish. After all, what is the wise thing? Is it to lose all rather than be dishonored, or to ignore an insult, consider the source, and remain intact? Obviously this is not the course of the foolish. They will fight to the death rather than be insulted.


• A fourth characteristic relates to one's speech. It seems that a little more attention is given this subject than to the others. The wise speak truthfully and of what is good rather than speaking deceitfully and of what is evil or disrespectful, etc. They prefer to build up rather than to tear down. Deceit and lies and false witness against others is all part of the arsenal of the wicked who are always scheming trouble.


• Finally, the two groups are contrasted regarding their productiveness. The wise are diligent and shrewd. They figure out what will be the most productive and set their hand to doing it. Obviously, this is not the case with the foolish or wicked. They are lazy and will figure a way to get by with the least effort. They can't survive by doing nothing, but they will survive on the least effort possible. If they can prosper, it will be at someone else's expense.