Familiar Phrases That We All Use – Proverbs 16-18

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  This is Episode #199 and today we’ll read Proverbs 16-18 together.   You just might hear several familiar phrases that we all use today!  

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me – from the beginning – simply reading God’s word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Proverbs 16

The reflections of the heart belong to mankind,

but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

All a person’s ways seem right to him,

but the Lord weighs motives.

Commit your activities to the Lord,

and your plans will be established.

The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose —

even the wicked for the day of disaster.

Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the Lord;

be assured, he will not go unpunished.

Iniquity is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness,

and one turns from evil by the fear of the Lord.

When a person’s ways please the Lord,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Better a little with righteousness

than great income with injustice.

A person’s heart plans his way,

but the Lord determines his steps.

God’s verdict is on the lips of a king;

his mouth should not give an unfair judgment.

Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his concern.

Wicked behavior is detestable to kings,

since a throne is established through righteousness.

Righteous lips are a king’s delight,

and he loves one who speaks honestly.

A king’s fury is a messenger of death,

but a wise person appeases it.

When a king’s face lights up, there is life;

his favor is like a cloud with spring rain.

Get wisdom —

how much better it is than gold!

And get understanding —

it is preferable to silver.

Every Decision is from the Lord

The highway of the upright avoids evil;

the one who guards his way protects his life.

Pride comes before destruction,

and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble

than to divide plunder with the proud.

The one who understands a matter finds success,

and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy.

Anyone with a wise heart is called discerning,

and pleasant speech increases learning.

Insight is a fountain of life for its possessor,

but the discipline of fools is folly.

The heart of a wise person instructs his mouth;

it adds learning to his speech.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb:

sweet to the taste and health to the body.

There is a way that seems right to a person,

but its end is the way to death.

A worker’s appetite works for him

because his hunger urges him on.

A worthless person digs up evil,

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

A contrary person spreads conflict,

and a gossip separates close friends.

A violent person lures his neighbor,

leading him on a path that is not good.

The one who narrows his eyes is planning deceptions;

the one who compresses his lips brings about evil.

Gray hair is a glorious crown;

it is found in the ways of righteousness.

Patience is better than power,

and controlling one’s emotions, than capturing a city.

The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs 17

Better a dry crust with peace

than a house full of feasting with strife.

A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son

and share an inheritance among brothers.

A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,

and the Lord is the tester of hearts.

A wicked person listens to malicious talk;

a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,

and one who rejoices over calamity

will not go unpunished.

Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,

and the pride of children is their fathers.

Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;

how much worse are lies for a ruler.

A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,

but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person

more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

An evil person desires only rebellion;

a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than a fool in his foolishness.

If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will never depart from his house.

Joy and Sorrow

To start a conflict is to release a flood;

stop the dispute before it breaks out.

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just —

both are detestable to the Lord.

Why does a fool have money in his hand

with no intention of buying wisdom?

A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a difficult time.

One without sense enters an agreement

and puts up security for his friend.

One who loves to offend loves strife;

one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

One with a twisted mind will not succeed,

and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;

the father of a fool has no joy.

A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

A wicked person secretly takes a bribe

to subvert the course of justice.

Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,

but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is grief to his father

and bitterness to the one who bore him.

It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person

or to beat a noble for his honesty.

The one who has knowledge restrains his words,

and one who keeps a cool head

is a person of understanding.

Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent —

discerning, when he seals his lips.

Proverbs 18

One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires;

he rebels against all sound wisdom.

A fool does not delight in understanding,

but only wants to show off his opinions.

When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,

and along with dishonor, derision.

The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters,

a flowing river, a fountain of wisdom.

It is not good to show partiality to the guilty,

denying an innocent person justice.

A fool’s lips lead to strife,

and his mouth provokes a beating.

A fool’s mouth is his devastation,

and his lips are a trap for his life.

A gossip’s words are like choice food

that goes down to one’s innermost being.

The one who is lazy in his work

is brother to a vandal.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

the righteous run to it and are protected.

The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;

in his imagination it is like a high wall.

Death and Life

Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud,

but humility comes before honor.

The one who gives an answer before he listens —

this is foolishness and disgrace for him.

A person’s spirit can endure sickness,

but who can survive a broken spirit?

The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks it.

A person’s gift opens doors for him

and brings him before the great.

The first to state his case seems right

until another comes and cross-examines him.

Casting the lot ends quarrels

and separates powerful opponents.

An offended brother is harder to reach

than a fortified city,

and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.

From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;

he is filled with the product of his lips.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

A man who finds a wife finds a good thing

and obtains favor from the Lord.

The poor person pleads,

but the rich one answers roughly.

One with many friends may be harmed,

but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

Close

In these chapters, we see a few familiar one-liners that have become part of our daily vernacular.  It may surprise you to find out they come from the Bible.  Chapter 16, verse 18 says, Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.  We just usually say, Pride goes before a fall.  Proverbs 17:28 says, Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent — discerning, when he seals his lips.  Okay, this one sounds a little different in our everyday.  Maybe this sounds more familiar:  Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. 

That’s just two.  Did you see others?  Point them out to me at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will by changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.