Today's Proverb: Proverbs 25

The 25th chapter of Proverbs has many verses which seem to be aimed at those in leadership or those working closely with leaders. At some point, we will all be in a position of leadership, so pay close attention to this chapter. This chapter has some meaty concepts in it, so take your time.

These are my own reflections on the chapter:

Proverbs 25

4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and out comes material for the silversmith;
5 remove the wicked from the king's presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.

Metalworkers often have to remove a metal’s impurities, before they can work with the metal. The more pure a metal, the softer and more manageable it is. This is a good parallel for leaders. If you remove the wicked(ness) (impurities) from your presence, your kingdom (household, business, program, political office etc.) will be better established. God can use you better.



6 Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,
and do not claim a place among great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
What you have seen with your eyes
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

I was in a position once, where I had to deal with lots of company presidents and CEOs. I often felt humbled, like “I know I don’t belong here”, but that is where God had me. I was dining at city clubs with congressmen and presidents of million dollar empires. I was so insecure, that I convinced my company to hire for me an image consultant to work with me one on one, but really I was only trying to disguise the fact that I felt like I really did not belong. Somehow this image consultant got me to admit this insecurity in our session and she told me this, “No one is looking at you as if you don’t belong. If you did not belong, you would not be here.” That meant a lot to me. Now had I tried to force myself into that situation, maybe I would have been humbled.



11 A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.

Have you ever been going through something and someone knew just what to say to give you hope. It has happened to me over and over. I remember being a ninth-grader and trying to stand for Christ in my high school, and being pretty much ridiculed for it, even by my friends. I was so depressed, then I got a card from someone at my church telling me she was watching me and that God was going to bless me, or something to that effect, and it was all I needed. More recently, I was at a prayer meeting with some colleagues from the DC business community about a prayer breakfast. I was praying earnestly that this breakfast would be a success, but in my heart I was torn, because my household was in financial turmoil. I could not even concentrate on what I was praying for, because my mind kept going to my own situation. At the end of the meeting, the other young woman who had been participating, a quiet accountant, asked if I would walk her downstairs to her car. I didn’t know her. She did not know my situation, but she said that while we were praying God had told her to share something with me. She opened her word and showed me 2 Corinthians 9:8:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Right there in the lobby of my office building, I cried.



13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the spirit of his masters.
19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

If you are an employee, make sure you are like the former example, and not the latter. If you are in leadership, hire well.



14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

In other words, he’s full of it.



16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.

Too much of a good thing, can be bad. Be self-controlled.



17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—
too much of you, and he will hate you.

Another area to use constraint. She may love you like her own sister, but even sisters have to go home sometimes.



20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on soda,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

If your friend is hurting, empathize with her.



21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

This is hard to do, when you feel you have been wronged, but if you do it, God will bless you and you might make the person feel ashamed for how they treated you.
A real way to apply this is when someone has wronged you, in a big way, pray that you will be able to forgive them in such a way that they will need you one day and you will be able and willing to help them. That’s redemptive love.



24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Pray, don’t nag. See my commentary on Chapter 21.



26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

If you give in to wickedness surrounding you, you have become pollution. There’s a lot of pollution out there, from music and television to friends and coworkers.



28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.

A city’s walls refer to its defenses, from when cities were fortified to keep out warring intruders. If you lack self-control (self-discipline, restraint) you are leaving yourself wide open for major drama.

--Saucy Sister