Proverbs 15

1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Therefore, if you picture somebody standing right there in front of you and they are blazing mad at you, if you tell him or her to go fly a kite, they would probably punch your lights out. The potential for a different outcome is much more likely if you say to them something with an attitude of, “What can I do to help resolve our differences?” You most certainly turn their wrath, at least for a moment. Remember verse 14:17 – “He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.”

The use of the word “grievous” in this verse is in the context of being deceptive. Once deception is discovered the framework of trust is set ablaze and soon found in ashes. In most cases when someone is angry their keenness for the deceptive is on full alert.

2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Part of being wise is using that Wisdom in the right way. The fool on the other hand, may have information or facts but seldom uses them correctly. Instead they use information to seize the unsuspecting. This is hard work for me. I often am tempted to assume because “if something similar is a certain way, then obviously this has to be like this.” The humbling result of inaccurate assumptions is finding out later that you were wrong. Even worse, is finding out all of those you were wrong in front of knew you were wrong.

We all remember what James 3:5 - 6: "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

No matter where you go or where you hide or where you have your spirit, the LORD knows where you are. This verse is talking about the people not the things they do.

4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

This is huge; if a wholesome tongue is likened to the tree of life and the tree of life yields life-giving fruit, then too, our wholesome tongue should bear life-giving fruit. It was pointed out to me that the tree of life is only mentioned in Genesis and Proverbs then finally in The Revelation. Look here at Genesis 3:22-24 “²² And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ²³ Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴ So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

In the second part of the verse it talks about “a breach in spirit” which is a torn spirit. The torn spirit is a troublesome thing to contend with, however, it says here if you are perverse you will have a spirit grappling within itself to find a means of repair. Having a lack of harmony within causes us to fight for clarity in matters. This is not the intention and it should be noted that Wisdom dwells with the prudent.

5 A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

I have heard many youngsters complain about their parents being too restrictive in the activities they wish to participate. They complain about how parents want to know too much about their friends. Where they go, what they do when they get there, who was there when they got there…and on and on it goes. This is not despising, it only becomes despising when the actions of rebellion appear if the youngster does not get his or her way.

And so now the prudent, what does the prudent person look like and how do the non-prudent conduct themselves? In the following verses the non-prudent is depicted as a fool. Pr 12:16 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent [man] covereth shame. Pr 12:23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. Pr 13:16 Every prudent [man] dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open [his] folly. Pr 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent [is] to understand his way: but the folly of fools [is] deceit. Pr 14:15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going. Pr 14:18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. Pr 15:5 A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. Pr 16:21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. Pr 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. Pr 19:14 House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD. Pr 22:3 A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Pr 27:12 A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.

I think I made my point.

6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

Remember that treasures are where the heart finds value. In the house of the righteous, those treasure are abundant. They may not be things but instead a healthy life or a parent honoring child. In contrast, these types of things are not found in the house of the wicked.

7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

Have you ever had that thought that went through your mind when you said to yourself, “If I tell them they will have the same knowledge I have?” The point is this, if you know there is information that would lead others to know you were up to no good, would you tell them? Of course not. By contrasting that perspective with a wise person, you should find it enriching.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

The reason the sacrifice of the wicked is so hated is due to the purpose in which it was given. The heart of the wicked is not making a sacrifice in the form of payment for sins with the purpose of fleeing them. Their purpose is sometimes twofold. One to seem religious and to be accepted by them that seem religious. The other reason come from the concern of maintaining a manageable slate where God is concerned. You have to remember there is available to every man the opportunity to come to Christ. Having said that, the tormented conscience of one out of fellowship could be plagued by His calling.

The prayer of one that is upright is the salve of love to our Father. We should all pray more but to pray as Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” Is where we bring upon ourselves a form of reality where we consider the litteral and complete immersion of one’s self into prayerful ongoing conversation. We say to ourselves this it imposible. The actual purity of what Paul is talking about however is that we never really have to say Amen because we are constantly saying things to the Lord…all the time. God delights in this.

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

The way of the wicked is described specifically in Pr 6:15-19 “¹⁶These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: ¹⁷A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Don’t forget that list and don’t forget how subtle each aspect of them may be because in their subtly they can affix themselves to us.

10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.

Hebrews 12:5-13 is a good place to go when you find yourself being corrected: “⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ¹²Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; ¹³And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”

11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?

Often times we forget all that is within the reach of God. His domain is all that is, everything that exist was created by Him and there is nothing that is ever out of His sight. This includes our hearts. Never let the deceiver linger a thought of your insignificance before our LORD.

12 A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.

This goes along with the verse above Pr 15:7, but give us a good reason why the foolish and the scorners do not dispense Wisdom. It would bring them reproof.

13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Not much is said about countenance these days. Its all about how you dress, what diet you are on that makes you look like you are years younger that you actually are. The one thing however that gives off the position of your heart is your countenance. There are folks that do nothing but look for ways to read individuals. Our countenance cannot be hidden from the Wise. We tend to try to distract onlookers. This is where the sorrow of the heart comes in. while we believe we are truly happy, in fact when the moth and rust doeth corrupt we find ourselves looking for another remedy. The heart should be seeking that which God has for us.

14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

The power of your seeketh will guage and give a reading on your understanding. We will only have the level of understanding that is proportionate to the level of our seeking Wisdom.

Fools on the other hand must continue to proliferate their folly in order to find a purpose. They feed on the morsels of calamity and seek to make gain from treachery and deceit. By sharing their heart they seek affirmation and alies or conditions for the convenents of hell.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

What would designate affliction? I know for me it would be something that bothered me really bad. I also know however that sometimes the trials and rough times are for the purpose of learnging and being strethched by God. But if I have the attitude that God wants me to learn something and I concentrate on what that is, is that then an affliction or is it God’s hand in my life working to make me more like He wants me. Then I would have to suppose that an affliction or being afflicted would indeed be evil as long as it rests in our hearts.

One that is of a merry heart could in fact have some area that God is hammering them on, yet knowing God is at work and the benefits of learning makes those trials a joy and thus the heart has a continual feast. To reiterate an earlier point about the countenance, you can well imagine the radience of one seeing and feeling the power of God in their life and add to that the confidence of Wisdom’s guidance.

16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.

The thing that strikes me here is that there is trouble without having “the fear of the LORD.” There will be struggles even though one might find themselves with the treasures of the world, having them will not dissolve the conflicts. Our perspective of what we have will change when we have Wisdom. Having little and having a life fulfilling is another way of saying, “living a simple life.”

17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

The word strife here means contention and contention means to have an ongoing objection or debate. The wrathful man has to debate in order to offset and justify his or her actions due to another activity which inflicts itself on those whom are easily angered, Pr 14:17 “He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly…” something else to notice here is that it does not say you cannot be angry, but it does say when you are slow to anger you will resolve more. Don’t jump to conclusions. Look at Pr 16:32 “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”

19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

In most cases when you see a home that is neat and tidy, the hedges are trimmed the grass is cut and you can see that someone has worked to keep it that way. However, the run-down home has a variety of problems. It seems that when you see a home that is run down, if the garage door is open, you cant fit a car in there either. There is just tons of clutter.

20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

When a son conducts himself with the integrity of having Wisdom, both the mother and father are delighted. A foolish man cannot love his parents because he is not capable of loving himself. His folly and wickedness against those in his path may even include his parents. It is also likely that if he himself is wicked then he was reared in wickedness thus his parents would fall into the category of Pr 1:18 “These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!”

21 Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

Have you ever been restless and unable to sleep the night before you were leaving to go on vacation or the night before a special event? The excitement and focus were more than you could stand. In your mind, looking back it was the sweet warm mist of exuberance and anticipation that kept you awake. Well the heart of the fool gets that way when his folly or deceitfulness is unfolding according to his wicked plan. It is all he has in the way of hope. A hope that he finds wealth or notoriety among his peers. Yet his destitution grows and he is oblivious.

A man of understanding will find himself on the right path more often than not and when his head hits the pillow at night he will rest well. His first step of each day is the predecessor to the next and a combination of steps is a walk. Its not an accident one finds themselves walking uprightly.

22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Part of having Wisdom is knowing when you don’t know. Knowing when you don’t know is when you need to seek counsel. Another benefit of having Wisdom is to know whom to seek counsel from and knowing that it may take more than one depending on the situation.

23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

There is little made of the things that come out of our mouths these days but scripture is clear about the impact of words set in motion. Remember what Issac said after he had given his blessing to Jacob when Esau came into his presence? Issac had to explain to Esau that he had already spoken the blessing to Jacob and there was no retrieving them. The blessing was set into motion. The words were out and the power they carry with them were energized to conduct their business. it interesting to note as well that Issac did bless Esau with the blessing of sustenance but could not change the blessing of Abrahamic authority. The principle is established that once something is spoken it is in effect. This is of course true if it is either good or bad. Paul said in Romans 3:13 “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:” let us establish another part of this principle which may be the most beneficial aspect, “…in due season” which actually means “the right time.” Hebrews 13:15 says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” If it is joy that we seek and if it is in us to please our LORD then it should be known of us that our lips are continually praising and giving thanks.

24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

How is it that we perceive our direction? Does it come from above? Wisdom has her compass set in us to journey above them that frolic in their folly. Our path is the high road leading to rest. Hebrews 4:9-11 “⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. ¹¹Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Do not confuse chastening as something “…from hell beneath” because there is nothing good set forth as an outcome from hell. Wisdom cherishes our growth and is willing that we should suffer in order to prosper.

25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

This word, “proud” is only used 9 times in the entire Old Testament and it refers to those living in a pious spirit. They may even be religious but hollow when it comes to the principles of the LORD not to mention empty of Wisdom’s direction. It should be understood that the “house” in the Biblical times was the center of every family and how it was established and maintained was paramount to the character of the family that dwelled there.

The widow in many circumstances would be taken advantage of because she would be without the strength of her spouse. Whether it is her property or her business, the LORD promised to establish her.

26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

Our thoughts are known of the LORD. This actually should not surprise us if we spend time in the Word. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” There is much said about Christ, God in the flesh, knowing the heart or thoughts of them he came in contact with. For instance, the rich young ruler of Matthew 19, when he came to Christ and asked him what he should do to have Eternal Life. Christ told him to keep the commandments. The rich young ruler immediately began to set his table in the banquet hall of hell by responding, which? Christ responded with six of the Ten Commandments. The rich young ruler then responded, “… all these have I kept from my youth, what lack I yet?” Here is where the “thoughts and intents” of this man were put to task. Christ said, “if thou be perfect, go and sell all that you have and come and follow me.” Notice carefully that it is not so much the man had great wealth but that in his state of mind he thought he had kept the law so well that it should please God to have such a perfect one in heaven. In this case the distinct problem with the rich young ruler was his internal condition not his external one. Make no mistake; wealth may seem to be the icing on the cake when in fact it might be the icing on the road.

27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

The word “greedy” is key here in this verse because in the Hebrew it means someone that is willing to do virtually anything for the sake of gain. The word carries with it a number of character qualities that would destroy even the noblest intentions. Proverbs 1:19 “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” As you can see this person is one that deals in treachery and has no concern for the life of them from which he benefits. It is no wonder his house is troubled. As we look at our own life, we have to be careful not to cast this warning aside because without Salvation and Wisdom this would likely be our mode of operation. Let me also warn that the principle of “greedy of gain” is in fact a principle and that any gain wrongfully acquired will trouble our house. This should substantiate our “Fear of the LORD” and add focus to our concern regarding Wisdom’s discernment. Without it we would be recklessly plowing through life to a meaningless end.

“He that hateth gifts” means not wanting to receive those gifts that are either paid for the purpose of doing or having done something evil. The ultimate example of this would be Judas Iscariot when he received the 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Matthew 26:14-16 “¹⁴Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, ¹⁵And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” Unfortunately not every gift is so obvious.

28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

When we hear something and consider what we hear we often are oblivious to the intentions of what was said. Our keenness comes from Wisdom as She pricks our heart to alert us to evil. Often it is not explainable and sadly, many times we are so busy with the noise of life we miss the warnings. That is why it is important to head this warning James 1:19 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” Slow to speak means the same thing as “studieth to answer.” I have heard countless speakers talking about leadership or partnership qualities and the common thread through all of them is the skill of listening. Being able to hear what is being said is crucial to success. In sales, young salespersons are taught to ask certain questions in order to glean from the answers the things that will help sell their product.

If we become swift to hear then the stuff, which pours from the wicked, will be heard. If we are slow to speak it is likely we will avoid trouble.

29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Make no mistake here. The LORD is not moving around nor is He pulling back from the wicked or anyone else for that matter. The wicked are running from Him. It will be true as it has been true from eternity to eternity, the LORD is always on the other side of repentance. No matter how wicked or perfect.

30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

There is nothing on the face of the earth that radiates like the soul of a child through his or her eyes when they are happy. When we are full of light there is no hiding it. Luke 11:33-35 "33No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
34The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
35Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."

In this day and age, fat bones are not a good thing. But actually the principle is interesting when you think about where fat comes from. In basic terms fat bones means healthy. Fat is a product of abundance. When fat is produced it is meant for future use when there is a lack of resources. I am certainly not trying to coin a new phrase like “thankfully fat” but it certainly is true of the bones when they are healthy. The bones generate the principle components of the blood and when healthy they produce healthy blood. Healthy blood nourishes the rest of the body. It is astonishing that something written so long ago compared to what we know today in modern times could be so scientific.

31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.

There seems to be a theme sewn into this section of scripture. Listening with the intention to live and act upon what is heard may be one of the most difficult things we have to learn. I can assure you, as soon as Wisdom arrives, there will be reproof. Make yourself ready, willing and able to be humbled. Look at the next verse.

32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

By refusing to listen to instructions we make ourselves the authority of our soul. That is the same mentality for which Lucifer was cast out of heaven. It is also the same thought process Adam and Eve had in the garden. The difficulty is that we all want understanding. The LORD created us that way. We will always seek to understand. The Deceiver however, would have us to believe we can gain that understanding outside the will of the LORD.

33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

If the fear of the LORD is the instruction of Wisdom then what is the instruction of Wisdom? Well, if we go back to chapter one and find the purpose of Wisdom. Proverbs 1:2-7 “²To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; ³To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; ⁴To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. ⁵A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: ⁶To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. ⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” As you can see, that is quite a list considering what we have just learned. As we grow in understanding, the supernatural blessing is that understanding yields further understanding. As understanding grows, then, and only then are we able to fully grasp Wisdom’s version of humility. Without the willingness to be humble there is no hope of honor.