DCLM Daily Manna 11 April 2022
KEY VERSE: “Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.” Proverbs 17:7
TEXT: Proverbs 17:1-14 (KJV)
Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [b]spiteful tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Jonathan Edwards wrote, “Never… say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honour, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the golden rule… In narrations never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity”.
Our text is a continuation of the metaphors and contrasts presented in the book of Proverbs. In today’s passage, the attitude of the foolish person is contrasted with that of the wise. A fool is said to be constantly bankrupt of sound speech. He refuses to take sound advice that could save his life and add to his knowledge and success in life.
Instead, he despises good and harmless instructions and fails to learn even after being served a thousand stripes. They are said to be very difficult to deal with, like a bear robbed of her whelps and very unreasonable and impatient. On the other hand, even a servant who is wise and speaks wisely, have rule over a son, who is foolish.
Common sense, they say, is not common at all. Those who are filled with their ways often have less room for advice. They continue living and making the same mistakes all through life. They find it difficult to accept their faults. Like clowns, they keep hitting their heads against the same obstacles and oscillate around standstill object. They drive away good friends that could help bring them to sound thinking, wisdom and success.
Like Jonathan Edwards wrote, let us make resolutions about how we speak and live from today; and subject our lives to the highest standards and scriptural evaluation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You alone hold the power over your tongue.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 68-71
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Not For Fools – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 11 April 2022
