Proverbs 10: King James Bible
Life and Death – Daily Devotion of Proverbs chapter ten, Verses 12-17
12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Daily Inspiration from These Verses – Life and Death
In the verses above, we’ve got two different camps forming. I’ll divide the two so you can see what I’m talking about.
Camp One: God’s Side
- But love covereth all sins
- In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found
- Wise men lay up knowledge:
- The rich man’s wealth is his strong city:
- The labor of the righteous tendeth to life:
- He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction:
Camp Two: Satan’s Side
- Hatred stirreth up strifes:
- But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
- But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
- The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
- The fruit of the wicked to sin.
- But he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Having separated these verses into two sides, we can see the two different themes a bit more clearly.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; (and) the labor of the righteous tendeth to life. He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction; (and) in the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found. Wise men lay up knowledge; but love covereth all sins.
However:
Hatred stirreth up strifes; But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. He that refuseth reproof erreth; But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding. The destruction of the poor is their poverty; (but) The fruit of the wicked to sin.
Of the two different sides we’re looking at here, which side would you rather be found dwelling in? When you see it laid out like this, it’s easy to determine which side is the most desirable. So then, this being the case, why in the world would the vast majority of people across the face of the earth, choose Camp Two?
In my opinion, the fault rests on the shoulders of three different persons. First being Satan himself, due to all of the deception that has been injected into our lives via the world itself. Second, would be the person him / her self. The Father has given us all the opportunity to reject him, and be as foolish as possible, should we choose to be so. That’s not his will for us, but us using our will.
The third, and most troubling, would be the Church. When we don’t have the Holy Ghost giving us what to speak when we open our mouths; when we fear repercussions for preaching Christ & Christ crucified; when we don’t take the time to get to know the Word of God well enough to answer people’s questions; when we become catatonic spiritually, seeking the world’s approval; then we are an enormous part of the problem.
While writing this, I’m reminded about something. Quite awhile ago, I received a powerful message from the Lord that I’ve since posted here on the site, called “Message from the Lord,” which hit me between the eyes at the time, and has for many others as well.
It runs along the same vein that we’re talking about here. I’d like to invite you to check it out with an open mind, and weigh it against the scriptures.
The Lord presents before us, life and death. It doesn’t end when we come to the understanding of Christ Jesus. It’s on us in many different ways, to be knowledgeable enough to help others along to that same understanding, justly able to wash our hands of their fate being in our hand (please click link above to know what I mean by that).
Related New Testament Scripture
Matthew 28: King James Bible
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mark 9: King James Bible
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Mark 13: King James Bible
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Luke 12: King James Bible
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
2 Timothy 4: King James Bible
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
James 4: King James Bible
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Prayer
Father,
In one way or the other, you sent someone into our lives to introduce us to you, and pull us from the pit. Whether it was in person, on TV, the radio, whatever, someone was there and played their part somehow. Should any time come, where it is put upon us to do anything at all in your service, quicken us to be mindful in our standing with you, and may the Holy Ghost put the perfect and most effective words in our mouths, to fulfill your will, and perhaps take part in pulling someone else out of the fire, and leading them to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen
Question
When it comes down to making a decision that divides between life and death, ever notice how much easier it is, to choose things that could, or might someday kill you or someone else?
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Hi there George,
We’ve all been taken down different paths that has wound up in repentance. The Lord’s creativity boggles the mind sometimes. Take the testimony you just laid out…
All of the different steps, the different things that had to line up, in order to get you in the service with Dr. Estep. The Lord is so good! Our testimony should also be a good reminder to ourselves when we’ve reached low times, and remember that the Lord is always active in our lives, and didn’t stop with us after we repented and turned to him! He led us to a place of repentance, and led us after that as well.
Thank you for your comment Brother, Amen and Glory to God! And I thank you for your charitable heart as well, because you’re right, this does need to keep going for as long as it’s possible!
You stay strong as well Brother, In Jesus name!
Thanks Brian…so true, in our past, there was someone or some thing which lead us to the Lord. Besides a training partner at Camp Pendleton in 1978, I also watched the movie The Late Great Planet Earth, based on the book by Hal Lindsey. I began watching the late Dr. Howard C. Estep on Sundays, and eventually drove out to Colton for a preaching service by Dr. Estep, which lead to my repentance. This is why I donate money to various ministries monthly; some one now needs to hear the Good News, so we must keep this going. Each soul is precious. Thanks Brian, stay strong Brother.