Proverbs 12-13
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12:10 -- I think the point this verse is trying to make is this: The righteous person is so careful not to do wrong to anyone that he even takes good care of his animals. On the other hand, the wicked person has cruelty so ingrained in his mind that even what he considers to be "tender mercies" are actually cruel.
12:11 -- This verse reminds me of gambling. So many people throw so much money away in their endless addiction to gambling because they hope that someday they'll strike it rich. That's not the smart way to go about it. Solomon here says that the most reliable path to take to make your way in the world is to work hard and reap the rewards that come from your work. (13:4, 11 also talk about becoming wealthy through honest work.)
12:24 -- I think this is pretty cool. You've got two people - the diligent worker and the lazy slob. The lazy slob never does anything to better himself because he'd rather just be lazy and hang around. On the other hand, the diligent worker goes out and finds himself a good job and then proceeds to work his way up in the corporate world until he's the boss of a big company. So how does this little scenario end? Well, the diligent man is the big dog. He's livin' the good life while the lazy man is nothing more than slave labor.
13:12 -- I've always viewed this as sort of an obvious statement. It's like, "When you don't get what you want, you're sad.... and when you do get what you want, you're happy." Well, duh. But, looking over it today, I decided that there might be more to it than just that. I think that maybe sometimes God temporarily takes away some desire that we want so it will be a "tree of life" to us when He gives it back. In other words, it will give us much more joy than if He had simply given it to us right at first.
13:20 -- I've noticed that I have a tendency to subconsciously copy some of the behaviors of my friends. I think this is pretty normal for people. So Solomon tells us to spend our time with wise men. Not only will wise people be able to teach you wisdom, but you will probably just pick stuff up from them that will be beneficial to you. On the other hand, if you spend your time with fools, you will only become more foolish.
12:10 -- I think the point this verse is trying to make is this: The righteous person is so careful not to do wrong to anyone that he even takes good care of his animals. On the other hand, the wicked person has cruelty so ingrained in his mind that even what he considers to be "tender mercies" are actually cruel.
12:11 -- This verse reminds me of gambling. So many people throw so much money away in their endless addiction to gambling because they hope that someday they'll strike it rich. That's not the smart way to go about it. Solomon here says that the most reliable path to take to make your way in the world is to work hard and reap the rewards that come from your work. (13:4, 11 also talk about becoming wealthy through honest work.)
12:24 -- I think this is pretty cool. You've got two people - the diligent worker and the lazy slob. The lazy slob never does anything to better himself because he'd rather just be lazy and hang around. On the other hand, the diligent worker goes out and finds himself a good job and then proceeds to work his way up in the corporate world until he's the boss of a big company. So how does this little scenario end? Well, the diligent man is the big dog. He's livin' the good life while the lazy man is nothing more than slave labor.
13:12 -- I've always viewed this as sort of an obvious statement. It's like, "When you don't get what you want, you're sad.... and when you do get what you want, you're happy." Well, duh. But, looking over it today, I decided that there might be more to it than just that. I think that maybe sometimes God temporarily takes away some desire that we want so it will be a "tree of life" to us when He gives it back. In other words, it will give us much more joy than if He had simply given it to us right at first.
13:20 -- I've noticed that I have a tendency to subconsciously copy some of the behaviors of my friends. I think this is pretty normal for people. So Solomon tells us to spend our time with wise men. Not only will wise people be able to teach you wisdom, but you will probably just pick stuff up from them that will be beneficial to you. On the other hand, if you spend your time with fools, you will only become more foolish.