#932 Proverbs 27 Tomorrow May

Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring.

2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.

4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

7 One who is full loathes honey,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home.

9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

10 Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend,

and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

that I may answer him who reproaches me.

12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

13 Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.

14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

15 A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in one's right hand.

17 Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another.

18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who guards his master will be honored.

19 As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man.

20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

and never satisfied are the eyes of man.

21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise.

22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.

23 Know well the condition of your flocks,

and give attention to your herds,

24 for riches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations?

25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

26 the lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field.

27 There will be enough goats' milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls. Proverbs 27 ESV

Proverbs 27 ESV

Do not boast about tomorrow - We should plan, but never take for granted the will of the Lord, that which we do not know. There is another old wise saying, "do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today." I should pray more, then pray, I wish I knew my Bible better, then read, study, you don't know what tomorrow may bring.

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 14 You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”… James 4: 13-15

…14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first. 15 As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” 16 For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?… Hebrews 3: 14-16

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth - It is a vain thing. Do not seek the praise of men, but rather seek the glory and honor of God, and be humble when your work brings you applause. We worry that we are undervalued, and it is true in some cases, but leave room for God's wrath, work as unto Him.

But who can stand before jealousy - There is no equality here; he must need to see you fail. She wants what she thinks makes you happy, whether your husband for herself, or a rift between you and him, her content is your discontent. If you are happy, liked or doing well, then the envy will bring about the most intense hate. 

Wrath (it is true) is cruel, and does many a barbarous thing, and anger is outrageous; but a secret enmity at the person of another, an envy at his prosperity, and a desire of revenge for some injury or affront, are much more mischievous. One may avoid a sudden heat, as David escaped Saul’s javelin, but when it grows, as Saul’s did, to a settled envy, there is no standing before it; it will pursue; it will overtake. He that grieves at the good of another will be still contriving to do him hurt, and will keep his anger for ever. - Matthew Henry

Than hidden love - Love without courage or conviction, unwilling to risk a frown.

Faithful are the reproofs of a friend, though for the present they are painful as wounds. It is a sign that our friends are faithful indeed if, in love to our souls, they will not suffer sin upon us, nor let us alone in it. The physician’s care is to cure the patient’s disease, not to please his palate. It is dangerous to be caressed and flattered by an enemy, whose kisses are deceitful. We can take no pleasure in them because we can put no confidence in them (Joab’s kiss and Judas’s were deceitful), and therefore we have need to stand upon our guard, that we be not deluded by them; they are to be deprecated. Some read it: The Lord deliver us from an enemy’s kisses, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. - Matthew Henry

Better is a neighbor who is near - Help could be so close, but we tend to ostracize ourselves, and in the time of trouble it is most difficult because we have not loved our neighbor from the beginning.

That I may answer him who reproaches me - I have raised you in accordance to God's word and in opposition to the advice of those who say I am too strict. They gave their children everything they cried for, withheld discipline, had no boundaries, and supported them in wrongdoing. Follow God, and that will make me most pleased.

Iron sharpens iron - We need friends, but they must be those that we are the better for knowing.

 And he who guards his master will be honored - This is where you make your living, so where you get paid you want to do well. You want your boss to have the information he needs to succeed, so that the company does not suffer from poor stewardship. There is no use in an employee who steals or brings a bad name.

So the heart of man reflects the man - This is who you really are, no matter what you do for appearance sake, what does your heart think and what does it hold high? 

Yet his folly will not depart from him - I have never fought another man in such a way that it made him or me a better person. A fool can be crushed but the foolishness will not be removed. 

Know well the condition of your flocks - Whatever is under your charge, learn it well, look ahead, resist idleness. This was written with an audience of agrarian and shepherding people, but it applies to any legitimate means of providing for one's house, and the help of your neighbor.

…6 And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.… Ephesians 6: 6-8