The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
9 The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”
14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
Bob
After I preached today at church, a man called Bob came up and we talked about his life. He was working through a lot of pain because of where his life had taken him. Ultimately, though, it became clear that he lacked a clear idea of who he wanted to be. Proverbs are useful in that they show that our actions reflect the vision of those doing them. Who do you want to be? How can you create an environment that is conducive to that?
Questions
- In this passage what kinds of actions are perpetrated by what kinds of people?
- What kinds of people, not metioned in this passage, does God want his people to be?
- What defines you?
- If other people used three words to describe you, what would be the first three words?
- How can you adjust your life to reflect your goals?
Plymothian 