Proverbs 11 (New King James Version)
1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of the unjust perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, And it comes to the wicked instead.
9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace.
13 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure.
16 A gracious woman retains honor, But ruthless men retain riches.
17 The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
18 The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
19 As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
21 Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
26 The people will curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
29 He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth, How much more the ungodly and the sinner.
Too many amazing verses to do this chapter justice! My theme is Proverbs 4:23 so I am looking for a heart response that deals with actual or potential issues of life. I love verse 28 because it reflects the verses in Jeremiah 17 about trusting in God not in man. We are the righteous and we will flourish like foliage. Though the world (that is trusting in their riches) falls, we will always flourish when we follow after righteousness! I refuse to allow my heart to fear man or trust in man. I will trust in the Lord and prosper even in the drought! Read this amazing promise in Psalm 94 (paraphrased in the Message)...
Psalm 94:15 (The Message)
12-15 How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your Word, Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil, while a jail is being built for the wicked. God will never walk away from his people, never desert his precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right.
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25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
The spiritual law of sowing and reaping is taught in so many places in the Word. We usually think of tithing and money in regards to this scripture, but I think it goes far beyond that. If we want friends, let's be friendly...if we want people to be nice to us, be nice to them...if we want mercy, sow seeds of mercy. I want to "water" my fellowman with friendliness and love, because I want to be "watered myself" with those things.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
God kept redirecting me to this verse. The dictionary definition of “perverse” is “to be willfully determined to go counter to what is expected or desired.” God expects and desires me to be blameless. There are times that I am “willfully determined” to go against those expectations. Of course this is foolish! When I choose to protect my heart by keeping it blameless, I am a delight to my Father. When I offer my heart to God, I want it to be a pleasant aroma that pleases Him. Not the stinky odor that I give off on too many occasions.
“May the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
This chapter has been one of the most prolific for me thus far in the study of Proverbs. Verse 2 reminded me not to be prideful. I may have talents, but they are given to me by God and should only be used as he instructs. Being humble shows that our hearts trust in God and give him the glory. Also, as Laurie said, the sowing and reaping effect is so clear to me in this chapter. It all goes back to treating others as you want to be treated. It sounds simple, but in reality it is difficult. However, I was reminded recently during a tirade about the demands my grandmother puts on me recently that I will be older someday. If I do not sow good seeds now, how will I be treated in the same situation. Believe me, this was the best time for me to study Proverbs. :) I hope my words make sense to you all.
I know in verse 1 God is talking about fair and just business practices, but spiritually I think He may also be talking about deceitfulness, carnal thinking, etc. Honest scales will always be in perfect balance. Is our hearts honest, or our we off balance in some areas of our lives? We are studying the heart, and God measures everything by the heart, so how balanced are our hearts? Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Jer 17:9
In those days things were measured with stones. That is interesting to me because, we may need to take away some stones in our heart to get in perfect balance. Then our "just" weight will be His delight.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
Thinking about my heart...I am not blameless in myself. Praise God, mercies are new every morning...I am thankful for the Lord's forgiveness.
With that stated, we are blameless and a delight to the Lord when we diligently keep our heart open to the Lord for correction. With His wisdom in our hearts our ways are blameless. We have Christ's righteousness.
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