Let’s look at Proverbs 21 today. I am thankful to those who have reached out and enjoy this study so far! We only have eleven days left! I am looking at some other studies to do in the future. Be on the lookout for when I start something new soon. Let’s look at Proverbs 21 now!
A Proud Heart
Read these verses and you will see that the proud person thinks they are right, not someone else in a situation. The Lord though, looks at our heart! God wants more from us that just giving things to Him or to others! He desires that we do what is right and just.(Verse 3). A Proud person usually get very angry and arrogant. Pride also looks at others who have needs and doesn’t care. They look at their own problems and needs. Also, they tend to love self-pleasure.
Verse 2 “A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Verse 3 “To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Verse 4 “Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the unplowed field of the wicked produce sin.”
Verse 24 “The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—
“behaves with insolent fury.
Verse 29 “The wicked put up a bold front,
but the upright give thought to their ways.”
Verse 13 “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered.”
Verse 17 “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.”
The Battle Is The Lord’s!
I love these three verses! Especially in verse 30 and 31, we see that NOTHING can succeed against the Lord! Nothing is better than Him! In all the wisdom we may have, nothing is better than what He gives to us! It is so coincidental, as I am writing this, the song Battle Belongs came on. It is my favorite song these days! The Battle Belongs TO YOU!!!! (God). Nothing can stand against the power of our God!!!!!
The horse is made ready for the day of battle BUT victory rests with the Lord!!!! Regardless of what we do, prepare and try to accomplish, the victory is already His!
Verse 1 ” In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.”
Verse 30 “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.”
Verse 31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.”
The Nagging Wife and An Uncontrolled Tongue
It sure is easy as a wife, to nag, to get on my husband over and over again for something I am upset about or something that I want him to do. It destroys our relationship though and we have to take a break and go to another room and settle down. Then we restore our relationship. Verses 9 and 19 speak of it being better to go somewhere else than to be with a fighting, arguing and nagging wife. We get this way when we don’t guard our mouths. Watching our anger will help all of our relationships.
Verse 6 “A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.”
Verse 9 “Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
Verse 19 “Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.”
Verse 23 “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.”
Verse 28 “A false witness will perish,
but a careful listener will testify successfully.”
Verse 14 “A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.”
The Righteous Vs The Wicked
Read through these verses and you will probably be reminded of some other scripture that you read about the righteous or the wicked. When we are righteous, we are on the path that will bring the best reward and pleases God the most.
Verse 3 “To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Verse 7 “The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right.”
Verse 8 “The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.”
Verse 10 “The wicked crave evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.”
Verse 12 “The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.”
Verse 15 “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.”
Verse 16 “Whoever strays from the path of prudence
comes to rest in the company of the dead.”
Verse 18 “The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the unfaithful for the upright.”
Verse 21 “Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.”
Verse 27 “The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with evil intent!”
The Wise Vs The Fool
According to Verse 5, the plans of the diligent lead to profit… Those who are wise and diligent PLAN. For the foolish, those who don’t plan, their lifestyle will lead them to poverty. Verse 20 also states that “the wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” So, the wise are careful with what they buy and use. They don’t just use it all up quickly. They are not gluttons. They save.
Verse 5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
Verse 11 “When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.”
Verse 20 “The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
but fools gulp theirs down.”
Verse 22 “One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.”
The Sluggard
The sluggard craves. He/she wants! But they can’t have or don’t get much at least, because they refuse to work. Once they have something, they use it up quickly, just like in verse 20. They aren’t careful how they buy and save because they don’t even work. They only have because because others give to them. Verse 26 says that “All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
The righteous give! It is a shame that sluggards(or lazy) are unwilling to work, and expect other people to always give. Giving is great, but it is so important to still have a work ethic and not be entitled. They should not have expectations that people are always going to give and they don’t have to take any responsibility for themselves.
Verse 25 “The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work.”
Verse 26 “All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.”
So many hard subjects to cover that need to be covered. You did great. Many are being convicted and blessed you can be sure. As you water, you will be watered! I get blessed every time!
Thank you! Some of these are real hard subjects! It is tough to know what to do in some situations. Do I enable or do I help? This is the reason why we need to have regular discussions with our Father, God, asking Him for wisdom. My husband and I have been making some hard decisions lately, but these verses confirm what we have to do sometimes. Rest well and God bless you again!
You have and are living the Word and it shows. God Bless you too!