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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/17



Proverbs 17 - NIV
Proverbs 17 - ESV

Proverbs 17:28 . . .

Even a fool is thought wise if
. . . he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.


Commentary:


Even a fool - He is counted wise as to that particular. He may know that he cannot speak well, and he has sense enough to keep from speaking. He is, as to that particular, a wise fool.

A man may be golden-mouthed and silver-tongued in eloquence; but to know when and where to speak and to be silent, is better than diamonds. But who that thinks he can speak well can refrain from speaking? His tongue has no rest.


From: http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/16902/eVerseID/16902/RTD/Clarke

Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.
_________

WISDOM PROJECT: For this month, I will supply links to both the NIV and ESV versions of the chapter each day (Feb. 1 = Proverbs 1, etc.) in the post—both of which contain the audio.

And in the month of February a unique feature for the WP will be Commentaries on selected passages/verses from within the chapter for the day. And for the most part, these comments will be from links in the Online Bible Study Resources feature here on the 3 John 8 blog (scroll down in the column to the right to find the links).

Note to Proverbs class participants: this is the place where you should post your application comments for the Daily Proverbs Reading Assignment.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

Today’s thought – centers on verse 28 where the fool is considered wise by not speaking - by closing his lips (ESV), and by holding his tongue (NIV).
This final verse of the proverb drew my attention toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus exemplifies wisdom; He is Wisdom. In Isaiah 53:7 we have the LORD’s promise and prophecy of the cross – “like a lamb is led to the slaughter…so he opened not his mouth.” In His wisdom, Christ chose to not speak so that the will of the Father may be accomplished.
May we be so bold, and yet humble, to choose to follow wisdom – not folly, in those times of persecution and trial that lie ahead, so too the will of the Father may be accomplished.
“Lord, I need your help daily – even today, to guard my tongue and my lips, and to share with others out of my heart your love.”
Mike T.

Jilli Bair said...

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones." - vs.22
Oh, the power of being positive and joyful! It's actually proven that cancer patients who are cheerful and have a positive outlook on their condition tend to heal, or at least improve their condition. Cancer patients who are gloomy and bitter die quicker. Therefore we see once again Scriptures verified in life today - and this principle applies not only to physical conditions, but emotional and spiritual ones as well. When I have a joyful heart, things just look better from the inside out.

Unknown said...

Verse 28: "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." It is hard to believe that even a fool is given the appearance of being wise if they keep silent. There is a lot of value in keeping silent when emotions are stirring. James tells us that the tongue is like a wild fire and we should learn to tame it. If left unchecked it can produce some deadly poison that will destroy people. Discernment is really important when speaking because you can never take back what you said.

Carrie L. said...

Several times in this chapter it talks about the wise man who holds his tongue. Verse 14 says to hold our tongue, to "drop the matter" before an quarrel breaks out. How many times do we provoke a foolish argument and cause strife? I need to remember to hold my tongue when a topic for an argument comes up.
Verses 27-28 "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue".
Wow, even the fool is thought to be wise if he holds his tongue! If a fool can even practice restraint I know I can.

Tim K. said...

"A rebuke impresses a man of disernment more than a hundred lashes a fool." (vs.10) This verse seems so true. I have seen people suffer the consequences of their actions over and over again without learning their lesson. Others seem to never need much corection to change course. This makes me reflect on my own life and ask: are their things I seem to return to even after being corrected time and time again?

julee said...

A cheerful heart is good medicine. I can be very serious most times, yet I know that it is good to be around someone who is cheerful; it is good to laugh. Often it (laughter, cheerfulness) brightens my day and energizes me. It is great encouragement. I want to be that kind of encouragement.

Unknown said...

Verse 27 - "He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding". Again, this is something I needed to be thinking of daily. Not only do we need to watch what we say, but we need to not have quick tempers either. We need to stay under control and understand the power of our speech.

Unknown said...

3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
This verse is about refining sometimes when we go through rough times we think that we are being punished but do we ever take the time to see what God is refinig(or teaching) us through this moment of trouble. Yes there are times when we are suffering the consqueneces of our sin but that also can be a santification process.

Krista Harrison said...

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the Lord tests hearts...This is a verse that i have loved for a long time. The Lord puts our hearts through the fire whether it be through tough decision making, heart breaking trials or punishment God tests our hearts and this is an exciting thing because this means that God has not given up on this world and he still loves us enough to see our hearts grow more like his. I also like the last verse where it says even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent. I often want to say the perfect thing to make things better but often silence is better

Sarah said...

Verse 14 really caught my attention, because it was talking about disputes. Honestly, a quarrel with a friend is not good if it is not solved completely. The anger and bitterness will just build up inside if the problem does not get worked out. Also this is something that I need to remember because I sometimes hold inside what I am feeling, and that is not a good thing.

Rachel said...

"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
It is not easy to constrain yourself (myself) when the initial reaction to a situation seems to be a quick retort or a haughty reply. However, control of the mouth is repeatedly mentioned in the book of Proverbs and, here again, it is likened to wisdom. The person who keeps their mouth in check and restrains from saying what they may be thinking, because it would only bring greater trouble, is wise.

Anonymous said...

Proverbs 17:28 . . .
Even a fool is thought wise if
. . . he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
The fool is usually an expert about everything. The more the fool says the more he shines his ignorance. He is far better off keeping silent. Case in point, I have met many people through the years that claimed to be an expert about the Bible. Yet they could not show anyone whether the Gospel of John was in the Old or New Testament.
John Erbentraut

Danielle Cummings said...

i was always told as a child, and even now, that sometimes its better to not say anything at all. For someone who loves to talk, that can be hard. But God tells us that its foolish to just let our mouths run and not use discernment in what we say. We must be conscience of what is appropirate to say and when. I also liked verse 22 where it talks about have a good attitude. One whos nature it to complain and have a bad attitude, not only affects themselves but the people around them. Its important to be conscience of what were allowing to show through us. I have a poster in my room (its for an elementary classroom =]) but it says, "Attitudes are contagious. Is your worth catching?" I ask myself that throughout the day. It keeps me accountable.

Mandi said...

9 Whoever Covers an offense seeks love,but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. This verse really stuck out to me while reading today! A friend loves at all times...This phrase challenged me today to look at how I am doing at being a friend.

Renee K said...

v. 14- The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

The only thing I really can say to this particular verse is that this is so hard! I have to admit, there is one particular person in my life that I am always in contention with. And no matter how many times we both shift the blame, I am still always somewhat at fault whether I admit it or not. It is so true though that once you allow one quarrel through, the floodgates break loose. I wish I had chosen earlier in life to love rather than be right towards this person. It is something I work on every single time we talk, and yet it is something that is so hard to change.

mdungan said...

verses 27 and 28 are my favorite of this chapter. It talks of keeping your words and keeping a cool spirit shows knowledge and understanding. Even a fool is considered if he keeps silent. I find this to be so true. A man of true wisdom does not say much but when he does it is very profound.

Nate said...

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.- This verse really hit home to me because of my circumstances the past week or so. I have just had some heath issues in my family that have drained me. And yet I believe in many ways I dried up myself. I spent a lot of time wallowing in self pity and allowing my spirit to be crushed that I because so incredibly depressed. I really have to work on seeking joy in my life more often!

SarahK said...

"A Friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." I've never fully understood that verse. Friends don't always love. They have falling outs. And the second half just sounds awful..

Lisa Griffiths said...

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones
I've always loved this verse. Ever since I was little. I remember Steve Green had a whole song based on this verse. Its so true though, I need to make sure that my heart is one that is joyful and pleasing to Christ. For when I have a joyful heart others can see who Christ really is.

Unknown said...

“Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children” (Prov. 17:6)
I believe large families are a blessing. Old age crowns the righteous life with the blessings of children and grand children, and likewise godly parents and grandparents are is a precious gift from God to children. As Christians, we have a rich heritage of godly “fathers” such as Abraham, Isaac, Moses and the prophets, and the apostles and evangelists.

Jim Morrison said...

Verse 14 - "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."

Stevenson points out that "Although the conflict may be small at the beginning, it may rapidly get out of hand and become an explosive situation." This is a good reminder to stop and think about things before we choose to make an issue out of it. Maybe we should ask ourselves "is this really that important that we should take the chance of causing a major dispute out of it?"

I think most of the time we will find that it is not that big of a deal and not worth the loss of a friendship, relationship or our testimony.

Jessica said...

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones
This verse is a good reminder that I need to have a joyful heart in my life. This way others can see Christ through my life

Renee said...

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

It is important to think through everything that we say, examining every word for its effect. Being even-tempered goes beyond this further to our heart attitude toward others. I should not even think ill thoughts about others.

Unknown said...

"he who covers over an offense, promotes love" vs 9 this is something i need to put more into practice, love covers all

Unknown said...

The second line of verse 6 was important to me to see. Here it says the pride of children are their parents. That is something I needed to see because when I was little and growing up I never really respected my parents. Especially my father. To think of him that way was far from my mind. I really regret the relationship we had growing up even through things that had happened I still should have respected him more.

Cody F said...

I thought verse 20 was interesting, it has challenged me to watch what i say so I don't fall in other areas.

TWash said...

Again this was talking about the tongue. A lesson that I have learned the hard way and still face consequences. There have been many people I have hurt through my words and responses. GOD is so much bigger and demands more out of his kids. When we respond that way satan gets two victories! Control your tongue and responses!