Proverbs 27 (New King James Version)
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, But who is able to stand before jealousy?
5 Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Great verse for fasting. When we satisfy the flesh, we are not hungry for the things of the Lord.
8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him who reproaches me.
12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished.
Another verse on how wisdom protects us!
13 Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger, And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.
20 Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is valued by what others say of him.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26 The lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the price of a field;
27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.
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2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.
I read a fable that pertains to this verse: Two geese were going to migrate south for the winter, and a frog wanted to join them. He found a piece of thick grass and asked each geese to take one end of the grass. He grabbed the middle of the grass with his mouth, and they began their journey. The three strange travelers were noticed by some humans. They were very impressed with the device and wanted to know who the genius was that invented it. The frog immediately opened his mouth and proclaimed, "It was me!" He lost his hold, fell to the ground, and died.
I think this is a neat illustration. We do sometimes get obsessed about receiving glory or praise. But the truth is: we do not deserve any praise! All of the good in us comes from the Lord. All of our accomplishments are a direct result of the abilities He has blessed us with. And all praise must be directed to Him.
Norman Vincent Peale said: "The problem with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." I want to be opened to correction and not addicted to praise. I want to boast only in God and in the things that He has done!
19 As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.
I love this verse. Healing can come when I choose to open my heart and allow God to reveal.
Verse 5 Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.
It is so easy to get caught up in despair when someone rebukes our actions. In theory, it sounds better to be loved by someone who conceals it than to be criticized openly. Let's face it, rebuke hurts. No one wants to hear what we are doing wrong. However, to grow in all areas of life, we must be open to finding out what we are doing wrong.
I pray that God helps open my heart so that I can take rebuke gracefully. I want to learn how to "not take it so personally." Oftentimes, I need to hear what I am doing incorrectly to grow as a person. This is definitely not easy, though. It would be much easier to keep doing as I was doing without critic. However, this stunts my growth as a person and can stunt my spiritual growth!
Thanks for these wise words. Praise addiction is the reason so many leaders allow themselves to be idolized when they know they need real, honest relationships. On the topic of correction: it is better to receive correction from the Word than hear it from another person when it is too late (see Eli's life).
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