Proverbs Blog-Along: Days 23 and 24

In the last Proverbs Blog-Along post, the last few verses of Chapter 22 began with 5 of Thirty Wise Sayings, and they continue in Chapter 23. As always, I'll choose the verses that stood out the most to me. Please feel free to share what jumps out to you from these chapters, in the comments :)

CHAPTER 23

Wise Saying #6

1When you are invited

to eat with a king,

use your best manners.(CEV)

It actually goes on to say a bit more, but just this first verse caught my eye. If you take it on its own, it's pretty clear that the message is to watch your manners and behave properly in the presence of a king, or someone of influence maybe. Taken with the verses that follow though... it's a little more tricky. If you get it, please tell me in the comments. 



Wise Saying #7

4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.

Be wise enough to know when to quit. (NLT)

Sometimes you hear people saying that you should never quit at this or that. But truthfully, there are some things that at the end of the day aren't worth pursuing. It takes wisdom to know when it's time to move on (moving on sounds better than giving up).

Wise Saying #12

13-14Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones [children];

a spanking won’t kill them.

A good spanking, in fact, might save them

from something worse than death. (MSG)

Again, more talk about physically disciplining your children. See my last Proverbs post for how I feel about physical discipline. 

Wise Saying #16

22-25Listen with respect to the father who raised you,

and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her.

Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money;

buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.

Parents rejoice when their children turn out well;

wise children become proud parents.

So make your father happy!

Make your mother proud! (MSG)

Just focusing on the verses about parents, this one makes me hope that my parents are proud of me. They have both told me at different points in time, but I hope I can keep making them proud and happy.


CHAPTER 24
There are lots of good verses in this chapter, but I'm starting all the way down... at verse 26

26Giving an honest answer

is a sign

of true friendship. (CEV)

If you're a true friend, you should be able to be honest. This isn't grounds to be hurtful. I have that problem, in that a lot of times, I can be very direct and while I'm not trying to be unkind, it comes across that way. I've been told to say something nice first, then deliver the hard truth.

30I once walked by the field and the vineyard of a lazy fool.

31Thorns and weeds were everywhere, and the stone wall had fallen down.

32When I saw this, it taught me a lesson:

33 Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs.

34Suddenly poverty hits you and everything is gone! (CEV)

To me, this little story has a big lesson. Sleep a little, doze a little - I think this signifies procrastination and/or laziness. If you keep putting things off, just a little here, and then a little there, one day you'll find yourself in deep doo-doo! Ah, you can even apply it to other parts of life. Shey this time last year, I was exercising and eating properly. After the wedding, it was "okay, I won't exercise today... enh, let me just eat that cake... oh I just want a little bit of ice cream... don't worry, I'll exercise tomorrow;" and then one day, BAM, the scale said I had gained almost 20lbs!!! Duh! Little things add up over time. What little things are you not doing, that over time, when combined, will become a catastrophe?


I shall be back with more during the week and weekend. I must finish this series by the end of the month!!!

Peace out!