Proverbs 12: 21-28

²¹No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
²²Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
²³A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
²⁵Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad.
²⁶The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
²⁷A lazy man does not roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a man is diligence.
²⁸In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.

Today's Thought Question:

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?

Verse 23: "A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly."

The heart of fools proclaims folly. Absolutely! If there is one thing Proverbs has been consistent about, it is that the heart that has silliness already within it is incapable of proclaiming anything else but silliness.

But, why would a prudent man conceal knowledge? Wouldn't you want to share knowledge with others, so that they might grow in their understanding? True. What this verse is suggesting is that there is a right way and a wrong way to share knowledge--not that it shouldn't be shared at all.

"There is, therefore, a reserve and studied progress in regard to the statement of facts, that is not always a suppression of truth. God withholds more than He reveals."[Strong's]

This is so much truth in this, especially with our mighty God. He does not reveal His intents and purposes. Even with prayer, we need to be diligent in our prayer life to discern the direction that God wishes us to go. God has revealed much about Himself through the Bible, yet, it takes us study after study to glean just a little something each time. And what about life's circumstances and discipline--to visit that topic again. Do we find that God lays all the cards out on the table for us? No...because He understands that we need to be taught in bits and pieces, not in one lump sum. The manna didn't fall from Heaven one time. Faithfulness!! It's a daily walk.


I think I probably do desire to share everything all at once more often that I should. It is difficult for me to be self-disciplined to know what to share, when. But, again, that's what growing in prudence is about, as I continue to understand how I receive wisdom and what God wants me to do with it.

P.S. I like verse 25 an awful lot, too. So much truth that I have learned about that one in these many years.....



Photo: http://www.cts.edu/ImageLibrary/Images/June_2000/Manna.jpg

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Tomorrow's Scripture Focus and Thought Question:

Proverbs 13: 1-9

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?
   

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Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation, specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB). I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (with notes from the King James Version).