#922 Proverbs 17 Dry Morsels

Better is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully

and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

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

and the Lord tests hearts.

4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;

he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers.

7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;

still less is false speech to a prince.

8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;

wherever he turns he prospers.

9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love,

but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,

and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs

rather than a fool in his folly.

13 If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom

when he has no sense?

17 A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge

and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;

he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,

and the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret

to pervert the ways of justice.

24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father

and bitterness to her who bore him.

26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,

nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,

and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;

when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Proverbs 17 ESV

Proverbs 17

Better is a dry morsel with quiet - Home is no retreat when there is drama. If God calls us to be at peace with all men, then it should start at home. It is better to be poor and alone then enter a situation where there is much materially, but no peace.

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold, and the Lord tests hearts - Man looks on the outside but God looks at the heart. 

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. 3 And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. 4 Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.… Malachi 3: 2-4

Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker - All men are made in the image of God.

By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.… 1 John 3: 16-18

He, who is glad at calamity, will not go unpunished - We should want justice, not revenge; we should have empathy and desire restoration. There are those that go further still, who delight in the destruction of men who have better character than themselves. This chapter has already condemned those who mock the poor, and now those who find their condition a delight. These are Proverbs in deep contrast to the prosperity teachers who would assume themselves blessed as they take from the poor, delighting in their naive hopes, wolves dressed like sheep or pretending at being shepherds.

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool - He is a copier, a parrot. It is not becoming because he has no conviction, no integrity, no sincerity, playing upon feelings and lifting himself up. 

A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gave it - It worked and so he will do it again and again. He is now sure of this as business or the price of justice, a friend of the corrupt. 

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. 9 Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.… Exodus 23: 7-9

Than a hundred blows into a fool - The wise man can learn at a rebuke, and the fool cannot have such foolishness beat out of him, even with a hundred blows. You will not knock sense into him, only the desire not to be beat again. The heart is not changed with the fist, but a wise man takes correction. He is harder on himself than your words, and so he will love you for the correction.

If anyone returns evil for good - Who would do such a thing? A wretch like me. My mom gave me love and nourishment, but I often returned grief and sorrow. I have stolen from those who have given to me. I have disrespected those who have shown me the greatest respect.

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous - If you really loved either you would confront them with the truth, regardless of popularity, of station, of loss. The righteous deserves to have the truth told of them, and your protection. The law is for the lawless, and those that keep it from them. 

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise - They may think you a fool, but no one knows for sure until you open your mouth and prove it.