The Righteous Are Bold as a Lion
01 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
00But the righteous are bold as a lion.
02 Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
00But by a man of understanding and knowledge
00Right will be prolonged.
03 A poor man who oppresses the poor
00Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
04 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
00But such as keep the law contend with them.
05 Evil men do not understand justice,
00But those who seek the LORD understand all.
06 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
00Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
07 Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
00But a companion of gluttons shames his father.
08 One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion
00Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.
09 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
00Even his prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way,
00He himself will fall into his own pit;
00But the blameless will inherit good.
11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
00But the poor who has understanding searches him out.
12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory;
00But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.
13 He who covers his sins will not prosper,
00 But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
14 Happy is the man who is always reverent,
00 But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion and a charging bear
00 Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor,
00 But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.
17 A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit;
00 Let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved,
00 But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
00 But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
00 But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good,
00 Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
00 And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.
23 He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward
00 Than he who flatters with the tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother,
00 And says, "It is no transgression,"
00 The same is companion to a destroyer.
25 He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife,
00 But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered.
26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
00 But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
27 He who gives to the poor will not lack,
00 But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
28 When the wicked arise, men hide themselves;
00 But when they perish, the righteous increase.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. King Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel wrote Proverb 31. Now many believe Lemuel was in fact King Solomon and Lemuel was just a nick name his Mother, Bathsheba gave him. We are told that Solomon write over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one two proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
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