Proverbs 27
-Warnings and instructions fill up the 27 verses in this magnificent 27th chapter of the Proverbs. Never boast about what will happen tomorrow. We just don’t know what a day may bring forth. Jesus said something akin to this (Matthew 6:34). Let another praise us and let not our own mouth do the bragging in egotistical pride. May a stranger praise us, and not ourselves. The provocation of a fool is heavier than stones and weighty sand. No one can stand before a jealous person. They are like fierce wrath and flooding anger. It is better to get or give an open rebuke than to conceal love. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Proverbs 27:1-6).”
-A person fed beyond capacity or desire loathes honey or anything else, but a person who is famished will take anything they can get, even if it’s bitter. Like a bird who wanders away from her nest, so is the man who wanders from his home. Oil and perfume have a way of making the heart glad, and so does a man’s sweet counsel to his friend. Don’t forsake our friends or our father’s friends. We need not go to our brother’s house in the day of calamity when there is a neighbor who can help within closer proximity. A wise son makes the father’s heart glad and gives him a reply to any who try to reproach him. “A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, the naïve proceed and pay the penalty (Proverbs 27:7-12).”
-Verse 13 is basically a repeat of Proverbs 20:16 to warn of cosigning for debts. The person who blesses their friend with a loud voice early in the morning will find that they are bringing about a curse on themselves because people don’t like this sort of abrupt action at this time of day 😉. The constant dripping from a steady rain is like a contentious woman. The man trying to restrain her finds himself in a spot like trying to restrain the wind or grasping oil with the right hand. It is impossible, in other words. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:13-17).” We need to help people and they should be able to help us too. Christians should do this naturally.
-The person tending the fig tree will eat its fruit, just like a person who cares for their master will be honored. The heart of a person reflects who they are, just like the water reflects the face. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of man (1 John 2:16). “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and each is tested by the praise accorded him.” Foolishness will not depart from a foolish person even if he is pounded “in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain (Proverbs 27:18-22).”
-A short treatise on the ancient agricultural society now. An owner, or overseer, should pay close attention to his/her flocks and herds and know their condition. This has ramifications for pastoral work in a spiritual sense. Riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations (unless we are talking about the Messiah coming through David and Solomon’s earthly line). When the grass disappears, new types of growth are seen. This is when the herbs of the mountains are gathered in. The lambs will shed their coats for clothing, and the goats will be sold for $ as high as that of a field. Hard work will sustain in the form of goat’s milk enough for food for the whole household, including the maidens (Proverbs 27:23-27).
-*Application* Wouldn’t the world be such a nicer place to live if we just followed these brilliant principles and precepts. The one to focus on today is how to be a good friend. True friends don’t annoy one another, nor do they brag in arrogant fashion. We should sharpen one another in all dimensions and cultivate spiritual growth through accountability. Let’s let our hearts reflect all the goodness of Christ as we continue to live out His Word.
Verses to Memorize: Proverbs 27:2, 18
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