Proverbs 27
Twenty-seven verses in chapter twenty-seven
to be read on the twenty-seventh of the second month, 2007. Not bad!
There is no way in the WORLD a person can get bored reading this chapter!
I’ll touch my favorite few again this morning –
First, let’s ask if we can move verse 14 to chapter 1 verse 1, shall we?
I think it’s a VERY appropriate proverb, particularly if you’re a natural night-owl like me:
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be reckoned a curse to him.
If you’re fixin’ to die young, just greet people in a loud ‘n obnoxious tone first thing in the morning. I love this proverb. Bernie, a good friend of mine, kind of thinks this might be his favorite verse of all. I’d like to see it as Proverbs 1.1 (I know – it’ll never happen).
__________
A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
If you’re in the company of one of these and a friend warns you it’s time to just leave, listen up. A fool provoked is nothing you want to stick around for.
__________
As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
So true! The New Living Translation reads: As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person. It isn’t until you get to know a person’s heart that you really see their true likeness refected back to you.
Those are my highlights, but there’s so much more here: Read it (slowly) for yourself and carry away something for today. It’s free.
[1] Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
[2] Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.
[3] A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
[4] Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
But who can stand before jealousy?
[5] Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
[6] Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
[7] A sated man loathes honey,
But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.
[8] Like a bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who wanders from his home.
[9] Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.
[10] Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
[11] Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may reply to him who reproaches me.
[12] A prudent man sees evil and hides himself,
The naive proceed and pay the penalty.
[13] Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge.
[14] He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be reckoned a curse to him.
[15] A constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious woman are alike;
[16] He who would restrain her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.
[17] Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
[18] He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who cares for his master will be honored.
[19] As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
[20] Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.
[21] The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him.
[22] Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
[23] Know well the condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
[24] For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
[25] When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
[26] The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
[27] And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your maidens.
Proverbs 27:1-27
Phil –
Can you elaborate on this verse for me?
[10] Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
Thanks in advance … 🙂
I’ll try – this one slowed me down a little bit too. The New Living Translation (which IS a bona fide translation, by the way, more than the Living Bible, which was a paraphrase) reads like this:
Never abandon a friend — either yours or your father’s. Then in your time of need, you won’t have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away.
Solomon is saying here that friendships, grown and developed over time — family friends and personal friends — are quite valuable when trouble comes so we need to be sure we protect and nurture those friendships.
Ours is a close family, for which I’m grateful, but not all are. So to have a friend next door that will “do anything for you” is better than a family member across town or several miles away when trouble first calls, especially if there was a chance you’d hear “Oh. It’s you.” when you call a distant relative for help. And travel was slower in Solomon’s day, planes were hard to catch. 😉
Commentator Matthew Henry has some old thoughts on this passage too – here’s a link, you’ll need to scroll down to verse 10.
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/MatthewHenryComplete/mhc-com.cgi?book=pr&chapter=027
Hope this helps —
Phil—
Thanks Phil,
Thanks – I’ll have to dig into this one further in my free time. It’s got me thinkin’ for sure!
Jonell