Proverbs 12:9

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:9, “He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.” This is a verse that emphasizes the importance of practical things in life. Sometimes when people have a spiritual awakening, they think that practical and material things are not important. God made this world and everything in it, so it must be important to Him. There is no great honor in being poor if you can avoid it. Once you have material things, if you have wisdom and are a follower of Jesus, you will know how to use them for His glory. One reason that some people are poor is that they have been foolish in regards to how to acquire material things. You might need training or some way of getting a skill, you need to learn to take advantage of your opportunities, and you need to be willing to work.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” One of the responsibilities that God has given to man is to take care of God’s creation. If you are right with God, then you understand that naturally, and you will be kind to animals, especially the animals that help you. The wicked people of the world are full of evil and are cruel to animals. They can be so cruel that even their times of mercy are cruel.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:11, “He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.” This is another verse that talks about the practical side of life. You must go about doing the things that need to be done. That means you must avoid the people who will be a bad influence on you and who will try to get you doing things that are of no value and no profit. Do not be a follower. Be a leader.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:12, “The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.” You will find what you are looking for, and therefore be careful what you desire. It is strange that there are people who desire to do what the wicked people do. But they will perish. One of the purposes of life is to accomplish something meaningful, and if you believe in Jesus and follow Him, then you will bear fruit.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:13, “The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” It is easy to spot the wicked ones by how they talk. They sin even with their speech. And their speech causes them great trouble because they say the wrong things at the wrong time. But those who know Jesus are delivered from their troubles. One of the advantages of knowing Jesus as Savior is that He is always there to help us. Jesus can even turn bad into good. Believers have their troubles, but God delivers us from all of our troubles. The final deliverance is when we are taken off the earth and taken to heaven.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:14, “A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.” If you say the right words, then you will accomplish good. You will reap what you sow, both with your words and with your actions. That is one of the great principles of life. You reap what you sow. Be careful what you say and what you do because you will be determining what consequences come your way.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” This verse tells how people become fools. They are fools because they think they already have the answers. You are not going to learn if you think you already know. To hearken means to “give ear to, to hear, and obey.” Start doing that and you will go from foolishness to wisdom. Give your heart to Jesus, and you will start learning wisdom from the Teacher.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:16, “A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.” This verse ties foolishness and anger together. A spiritual person understands the danger of anger, and turns away from it. One of the benefits of being a Christian is that we can trust in the Lord for everything that comes our way instead of being angry about what happens to us. After you get angry, the consequences of that anger will make you ashamed. If you are wise, you will avoid the shame that will come upon you by avoiding the anger.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:17, “He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.” How do you live a righteous life? Tell the truth. That will be a good start. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If you are not committed to the truth, then you will be overtaken by falsehood, and you will be a deceiver.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:18, “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” The words that come from your mouth can be very powerful. Your words can destroy or they can heal. Just think of the great things that can be accomplished by the words of the Gospel of Christ. Souls can be saved. People can go from death to life. People will spend an eternity in heaven instead of hell. All of this and much more just because of the words that you say: as long as those words have the power of the Spirit.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:19, “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” This verse compares how long the truth will endure to how long lies will endure. The truth will endure forever, but lies endure only a moment. An entire lifetime is only a moment compared to eternity. The truth will come out at the judgment, if it does not come out in this life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellers of peace is joy.” Those who turn away from God “imagine evil.” Evil comes out of their imaginations. That is why the world goes into more and more evil and becomes worse and worse. This is what God saw in the human race before He destroyed the world with a flood. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” This verse in Proverbs also implies that the wicked are miserable. Wickedness and lying and deceit do not bring happiness. Goodness brings happiness and joy. In the age of the New Testament in which we live “counsellers of peace” tell people about the peace of God that passes understanding that comes when you know Jesus as savior. Once you have the joy od the blessed Redeemer way down in the depths of your heart, you have true joy indeed.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:21, “There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.” The reason that “no evil” can happen to those who believe in Jesus is because God guides our lives, and God only lets into our lives what He wants to happen. If we think something bad happens, God lets it happen for a reason: a good reason according to His plan. That is why it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

When the last part of Proverbs 12:21 says, “the wicked shall be filled with mischief,” it is referring to the fact that the wicked do not have God’s protection on their lives. They are not under the blood of Christ. They do not have God’s mercy and forgiveness. That is not a good place to be: under God’s judgement and still in your sins.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” This is one more verse that emphasizes the fact that God loves the truth and hates lying. If you want God to be pleased with you, then tell the truth. Tell the truth that you are a sinner and need forgiveness from Jesus the Savior. And then keep telling the truth the rest of your life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:23, “A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” This verse means that there are times when you should be quiet. Just because you know things that other people do not know, does not mean that you should tell them. God gives everyone a free choice. And so we give them a free choice also. If they do not want our message, then we will keep our message to ourselves. Fools talk too much. A fool can be easily spotted by what they say.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:24, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” Once again we are told about practical wisdom. You can either be diligent, or you can be lazy. The world is made up of a hierarchy. There are those at the top and those at the bottom. God says that if you want to be one of those at the top, then be a hard worker. If you want to be in debt and someone who owes others, then be lazy and slothful. There are several reasons for poverty: lack of opportunity and lack of education are a couple of reasons. Another reason is laziness. Some people are poor because they are too lazy to work hard to improve their situation ion life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:25, “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” This is a verse about how to handle your emotions and how to be happy. God wants us to be happy. It is definitely not good to be unhappy or depressed or miserable. We need to know what can keep us from such a state: “a good word.” Where will you get such good words? The Good Book might be the place to start. And once you have the words in your mind and heart, make sure that you use them. Others might not tell you the good words, but you can tell yourself. Some people harm themselves and cause their own misery because they tell themselves the wrong words. Make sure you tell yourself good words, and that you think good words and good thoughts, and then you will be glad. You will control your own happiness.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:26, “The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.” In the age in which we live the righteous are those who believe in Jesus. And of course, it is true. The best people in this world are Christians. They have more love, more generosity, and more kindness by far than those who are not Christians. Christians also are more honest, are better workers, and make better citizens because they know how to live under authority. The reason that a Christian has improved behavior is because when they become Christians they repent and turn to Jesus. To repent means to change your mind about the direction you are going in life, and you start following Jesus and His teachings. Jesus’ teachings are the good way, the best way to live on this earth. And so true followers of Jesus are better than other people. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, today you can repent of your sins, fall at the feet of Jesus, ask Him to forgive you and save you, and start following Him.

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