Proverbs 14:1-7

Wisdom and the fool.
v.1 The wise woman. A wise woman brings prosperity to her household, but a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.
v.2 Fear of the Lord. The upright in walk fear the Lord, but the devious in his ways despises him.
v.3 The fools talk. The speech of the righteous brings safety (protection from needless pain). The talk of the fool brings punishment (a rod for his back).
v.4 The fool has no ox. The manger is clean where there are no oxen, but the strength of an ox brings abundant harvest. One must have oxen to produce crops. Although a farmer can save some work and expense by not having oxen, the benefit of keeping oxen far exceeds the cost.
v.5 A faithful witness. A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness pours out lies (and does great harm). See 19:28.
v.6 Who finds wisdom. The mocker seeks (superficially) for wisdom but cannot find it. Wisdom comes easy for a man of understanding (who is open to correction, displays humility, and fears the Lord).
v.7 A foolish man. Don't associate with the foolish man, knowledge is not found there. See 13:20.

The wise and foolish are contrasted in these proverbs. To follow the path of the wise, keep away from the company of fools.

Read Proverbs 14:1-7

Proverbs 13:20-25

Wisdom and it's rewards.
v.20 Proper company. Examine who you spend your time with as even your choice of companions has consequences. If you are associated with the wise you will become wise. Don't associate with fools or you will suffer harm.
v.21 Prosperity. The righteous will be rewarded with prosperity but disaster (or evil) pursues the wicked (sinners).
v.22 Inheritance. A good man leaves an inheritance to his offspring, while the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous. The good person's wealth lasts for their lifetime and for future generations. The wealth of the fool is only temporary.
v.23 Injustice. The poor man's hard work may produce enough food, but injustice takes it away.
Discipline and eating.
v.24 Love and discipline. The father who loves his son will carefully discipline (loving correction) him. Sparing the rod from his back means you hate him.
v.25 Eating. The righteous will have enough to eat, but the wicked will suffer want. See 10:3.

The proverbs here affirm the righteous having enough for themselves and their children. But we must be careful not to crave riches or we will end up with nothing.

Read Proverbs 13:20-25

Proverbs 13:12-19

A desire fulfilled.
v.12 Hopes fulfilled or unfulfilled. It brings great encouragement to realize ones hopes and great discouragement or depression to fail to do so. The fulfillment of desire is compared to the tree of life implying life and the enjoyment thereof.
v.13 Heed instruction. There is a reward for respecting the commandment of the father (and obeying it). He who despises instruction will pay for it (some negative consequence).
v.14 Wise teaching. The teaching of the wise is here compared to a fountain of life that leads a man away from the snares of death. The fountain of life is associated with the fear of the Lord in 14:27.
v.15 Good sense brings favor. Good sense, sound judgment, and wise opinions bring one favor in the eyes of the community (and in God's eyes). But the way of the treacherous (unfaithful) is their ruin.
v.16 The prudent. A man's actions either display his wisdom or expose his folly. The prudent acts out of knowledge (an associate of wisdom) and wins favor. But the fool will make a fool of himself and earns shame.
v.17 The faithful messenger. The faithfulness of the messenger determines the success of the mission. The wicked messenger will have troubles while the faithful will bring healing.
v.18 Benefit of discipline. A correct response to discipline brings honor and success. Poverty and shame come to the one who ignores instruction. A man with discipline can control himself and focus on the task at hand.
v.19 A desire fulfilled. A good desire accomplished is a cause for joy. A fool will not give up his evil in order to attain to this result.

Don't be a fool, listen to instruction and lead a life characterized by discipline, good sense, faithfulness, and prudence.

Read Proverbs 13:12-19

Proverbs 13:7-11

Wealth of the righteous.
v.7 Appearances can be deceiving. One person may pretend to be important and another may have wealth but not show it off. Honesty is better than pretension. The wise will not let appearances deceive them.
v.8 Disadvantage of wealth. The rich man is subject to kidnapping, blackmail and the like. He uses his wealth to get out of trouble. But the poor man is not put into such trouble in the first place (maybe because he is protected along with the righteous [v.6] or maybe because he has nothing worth stealing).
v.9 Endurance of the righteous. Here "light" represents life, joy and prosperity and "dark" represents adversity and death. The righteous are associated with light and the wicked with darkness. See 24:20.
v.10 Wisdom listens to advice. The wise listen to advice rather than quarrel out of pride. The proud refuse to listen and learn. See 12:15.
v.11 Honest investment. Steady (little by little) and wise (diligent) investment produces prosperity. But riches obtain quickly by some dishonest means (theft or speculation) will dwindle away. See 20:21.

These proverbs suggest that righteousness, wisdom and industry are to be preferred characteristics of our life.

Read Proverbs 13:7-11

Proverbs 13:1-6

Discipline and righteousness (1-6).
v.1 Discipline. The wise son listens to the instruction of his parents and responds appropriately. The scoffer is not teachable and will not listen to rebuke.
v.2 Appetite. The wise speak well and eat well as a result. The faithless, however, speak and eat violence (against others).
v.3 Guard your lips. This proverbs teaches the wisdom in using discretion in your speech. The one who guards his lips preserves his life; the one with the big mouth will be ruined.
v.4 Diligence. Here is a contrast in outcomes between the soul that is diligent, who is fully satisfied, and the soul of the sluggard, who craves but gets nothing. The sluggard is driven by cravings but these desires are never satisfied because he refuses to do the necessary work.
v.5 Truth. The righteous are characterized by hating falsehood (and loving the truth). The wicked bring on shame (by their falsehood).
v.6 Righteousness. The man of integrity is guarded by his righteousness. The sinner is overthrown by his wickedness.

This section describes outcomes for (1) listening to discipline, (2) speaking well (wisely), (3) using discretion, (4) diligence, (5) loving truth, and (6) righteousness. In each case the outcome is positive and is contrasted with the negative outcome of doing the opposite.

Read Proverbs 13:1-6

Proverbs 12:24-28

The diligent and the slothful.
v.24 The diligent will rule. The diligent at work rise to the top, while the lazy person sinks to the bottom. At the bottom they may be put to forced labor.
v.25 Encouragement. Anxiety weighs a person down, but a kind word of encouragement will cheer him up. Seek to turn someone's depression into happiness by saying a good word. The work of a good person bears fruit.
v.26 Avoid dangerous friendships. This proverb advises choosing your friendships carefully. The way of the wicked leads nowhere.
v.27 Diligence leads to success. A lazy person cannot bring a project to completion (roast his game), but the diligent are successful and obtain wealth.
v.28 Righteousness leads to immortality. Those who live a righteous life by faith are on their way to a stable life here and ultimately eternal life.

There are to paths, one leads to eternal life (the path of wisdom) the other to death (the path of folly). These proverbs encourage us to choose the path of the diligent and righteous.

Read Proverbs 12:24-28

Proverbs 12:13-23

Truthful speech.
v.13 Transgression of the lips. The evil man is ensnared (or trapped) by his wicked talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble (by holding his tongue). Don’t get yourself in a bind by what you say. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” — Sir Walter Scott.
v.14 Good speech. The fruit of good speaking brings prosperity (good things) just as we would expect diligent work to also prosper us. If your conversation is wise and honoring to God, it will result in blessing.
v.15 Good listening. The way of a fool is to go along the path that seems right to him, even when good advice is offered. The wise will recognize and accept good advice.
v.16 Ignore an insult. The fool shows his opponent at once that he is injured (easily provoked), while the wise is more shrewd (silent) and ignores the insult. Prudence can hold back and not give the enemy the satisfaction of knowing you were hurt.
v.17 Truthful speaking. A true witness can be counted on to always speaks the truth on the witness stand. The false witness utters lies and deceits. The setting may be business dealings or court cases; in either case, always tell the truth.
v.18 Healing words. Rash words (reckless talk) pierce like a sword (wounds), but the words spoken by a wise man bring healing (because they are true, kind, and encouraging).
v.19 Truth outlasts lies. Truthful speech lasts forever, but lies last only for a moment. A lie will eventually be found out.
v.20 Plan peace. There is joy (inner contentment) for those who plan (advise) peace, but not for those who devise (plan) evil in their hearts.
v.21 Security of the righteous. The wicked get their fill of trouble (evil) but no harm (calamity) comes upon the righteous. The idea may be what they ultimately get in the end.
v.22 Speak truthfully. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but he delights in the ones who speak truthfully.
v.23 Discretion. The prudent restrain themselves (use discretion in their speech), while the fool blurts out folly.

We are here taught the value of wisely using speech (verses the way of a fool). This includes times of silence contrasted with a babbling fool. Exercise discernment when speaking, words cannot be taken back. Truth brings healing and builds trusting relationships.

Read Proverbs 12:13-23

Proverbs 12:8-12

Honor and shame.
v.8 Appreciation of wisdom. A man with good sense (capacity to think straight) is commended (by the community); while a man with a twisted mind is despised. Praise for a person is in proportion to the wisdom he displays. Note that honor and shame are great motivators.
v.9 Humility. It is better to live modestly and have some of the conveniences of life then to live outside your means for show and thereby lack the essentials.
v.10 Compassion for animals. Your character is indicated by how much compassion you have for your animals. The righteous cares for the needs of his animals while the wicked is cruel. It is better to be the righteous person's cat than the wicked person's neighbor. If a person is kind to his animals, how much more so to fellow human beings. Even the compassion of the wicked is done cruelly.
v.11 Diligence. You ensure that you will have income (and food to eat) through diligent work, not by following worthless pursuits. See also 28:19.
v.12 Fruit. There are rewards for the righteous (root) who bear fruit, but the wicked covets the spoil of evil doers. The righteous work for what they own, but the wicked want what belongs to others.

This section comments on character and how communities assign praise or blame. The wise person wins honor while the wicked earns shame.

Read Proverbs 12:8-12