Proverbs 13:1-9 (KJV) A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. 3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. 4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. 5 A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. 6 Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. 7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. 8 The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. 9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

To Be Blessed, You Need To Listen And Do

Proverbs 13:1 (KJV) A wise son HEARETH his father’s instruction: but a SCORNER HEARETH not rebuke.

In the original language the word HEARETH is not found in the reference to the son, but to the SCORNER. The text actually reads:

“A wise son his father’s instruction, but a SCORNER (lûṣ) HEARETH (šāmaʿ) NOT (lō’) REBUKE (gᵊʿārâ)”

Various translations ADD the word HEARETH between the words SON and HIS FATHER’S, reasoning that this is what should be there. In believe the word was left out intentionally by God. The word “HEARETH” (šāmaʿ) means “to hear with intelligence or with the intent of obedience, to perceive, to hear with interest or give heed”. The SCORNER (lûṣ) – “one who scoffs or makes fun of, one who derides or belittles” will never hear the counsel of the mentor, because that person is their own god or goddess. They minimize all others but themselves. They are the ones who choose their own pronouns or declares that they can desexualize their chromosomes by what they feel. People who are self involved, the scorner, the scoffer, the mocker, these people cannot be helped. They will not listen to the counsel of their mentor.

The greatest gift God can give us outside of salvation and a good spouse is a good mentor, a wise guide.

Solomon was not born into a perfect family, but his father David, though he made many egregious and horridly sinful decisions in his life, was nonetheless a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). David’s sins were many. He stole another man’s wife, then had that man murdered. David spoiled his son Absalom, instead of punishing his many transgressions. David numbered the armies of Israel so he could brag about what a good king he was. David had feet of clay. But when confronted with his sin, David repented and told the Lord:

Psalm 51:4 (NASB) Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

David heeded God his Father, and considered the mentoring that God gave him as precious. Solomon paid attention to his father David. By heeding his father David’s example, and trying to stay close to the Lord through obedience and repentance, Solomon’s kingdom grew to be one of the greatest in all the ancient world.

Solomon’s son Rehoboam, however, did not heed his father’s example. He would not listen to what his grandfather David said, nor did he imitate his father Solomon. As a result Rehoboam divided the kingdom of Israel into North and South.

A wise mentor always follows God. The Apostle Paul said:

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) Follow my example, AS I FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST …

Paul followed Jesus. Who did Jesus follow, Jesus Who is the Greatest Mentor of all time? He said:

John 4:34 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

John 5:19, 30 (ESV) So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. … 30 I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 14:31 (ESV) but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

The wise son watches the Father, the Mentor, and does as He does. The scoffer, the scorner, the fool does as they please.

You cannot help a scoffer.

What You Say Matters

Proverbs 13:2-3 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. 3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Good words from a person will bring forth good fruit, good results. When Peter failed Jesus, denying the Lord three times (Luke 22:54-62), the fruit of his mouth caused great violence to his soul. We are told:

Luke 22:62 (ESV) [Peter] went out and WEPT BITTERLY.

It is true that “the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence”. The misuse of his mouth brought violence to his soul. Following Peter’s failure and our Lord’s resurrection, Jesus approached Peter and asked him three times:

John 21:15, 16, 17 (ESV) Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

Each time Peter, ashamed of what he had done before, said “Lord, You know everything. You know I love you.” (John 21:17). Each time Peter affirmed his love for Jesus, our Lord told him:

“Feed My Sheep. Feed My little Lambs. Tend to the Flock of God.”

What Jesus was telling Peter – and us – is to use our tongues as Jesus used His tongue. Speak so as to yield fruit, not destruction. Speak so as to point to Christ, and to spiritually nourish others. Peter heeded this Word, and on the Day of Pentecost preached Christ crucified and resurrected. The Bible says that the good fruit of his mouth blessed not only Peter and the 120 of the upper room, but the whole Church:

Acts 2:41 … those who RECEIVED HIS WORD (the Gospel) were baptized, and there were ADDED that day about THREE THOUSAND SOULS.

Peter heeded the word of his Mentor, and spoke the Scripture. God blessed the fruit of his mouth with the salvation of three thousand who previously did not know God. Contrast what Peter did with King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who was a scoffer and a scorner of God and his father. Though given godly counsel, Rehoboam would not listen. As a result Northern Israel revolted from Judah, making Jeroboam their King, and making Samaria the capital of their new Kingdom (1 Kings 12).

Rehoboam not only divided a once peaceful empire, but his foolishness caused Israel to leave the Temple and create their own gods and temple to worship in.

Proverbs 13:3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Had Rehoboam controlled his tongue, he would have kept the Kingdom his father left for him. Instead he “openeth wide his lips” and brought on the kingdom “destruction”. God’s Word is so true!

Is Your “Soul” Lazy Or Diligent?

Proverbs 13:4 The SOUL of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the SOUL of the diligent shall be made fat.

As I said before, you cannot help a person if they are not willing to change. Some are in bad places in this life because – though they are in bad places – they refuse to move. This happens with people, with companies, even with local Churches.

I have seen local Churches drift into extinction because it’s members are slothful or sluggish with the stewardship that God has given them.

Jesus spoke to the Church of Laodicea who were lukewarm and sluggishly content:

Revelation 3:15-18 (ESV) I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

The Church had “WORKS” but they were not Christ honoring nor glorifying, but of the flesh. In God’s eyes the Church was naked, and needed to clothe itself in Christ. God does not bless sloth in either the Church, nor in a person.

If you do not like where you are, then you must be DILIGENT to go to Christ and do as He says.

The Keil and Delitzsch Bible Commentary notes:

“The slothful wishes and dreams of prosperity and abundance … but his desire remains unsatisfied, since the object is not gained but only lost by doing nothing; the industrious gain, and that richly, what the slothful wishes for, but in vain.”

Often we allow sloth to take over because of fear of the unknown. We imagine the worst case scenario, and do nothing, but hope for better days. There is an interesting (and somewhat amusing) story in 2 Kings 6 & 7. The King of Syria waged war against Northern Israel, and his army put a siege on Samaria. Elisha the Prophet had warned Israel to repent and return to God, and they refused to do so. God allowed the Syrian Army to besiege Samaria, and a great famine was in the land because of it. It got so bad that women were killing their children, and eating them (2 Kings 6:28-30). Yet they would not repent and return to God.

Elisha prayed, and God in His mercy drove the Syrian Army away from Samaria. The Bible says:

2 Kings 7:7 (ESV) So {The Syrian Army} fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives.

There were four lepers who were starving at the gate of Samaria. As they talked among themselves they said:

2 Kings 7:3-5, 8 (ESV) Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.” 5 So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there. … 8 when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them.

The slothful will sit there until they die. But “the SOUL of the diligent shall be made fat”. There is no blessing without doing. To sit around and hope for better days will do nothing. God calls His people to get up and step out in faith, glorifying Jesus by shining brightly.

The Righteous Follow The Right Path

Proverbs 13:5-6 A righteous man HATETH LYING: but a wicked man is LOATHSOME, and COMETH TO SHAME. 6 Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

The righteous person “HATETH LYING”. The word translated “LYING” is the Hebrew sheqer {sheh’-ker}, which means “falseness, lying, deceit, falsehood, fraud”. This is the word found in the Ninth Commandment:

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear FALSE sheqer {sheh’-ker} witness against thy neighbor.

Those who speak that which is untruthful – even if they are well meaning – are “LOATHSOME, and COMETH TO SHAME”. The believer in Christ is to speak the truth in love.

Pastors, Deacons, Teachers, Elders in the Church must love the truth, and speak it even if it hurts.

When God was calling the Prophet Samuel to ministry, God called to him and said:

1 Samuel 3:11-14 (ESV) Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

The High Priest Eli had been Samuel’s mentor, and Samuel had nothing but respect and love for this older man. When Eli asked Samuel what God had told him, we are told:

1 Samuel 3:18-19 (ESV) Samuel told {the High Priest Eli} everything and hid nothing from him. And {Eli} said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

It would have been easy for Samuel to hide the truth, but that would not have been good for Eli. In America today too many so called “men of God” are hiding the truth of God, rather than speaking the Word of God. We must not look away in order to be “tolerant” or more accepted. No one grows or is blessed by half truths, for half truths are only whole lies.

wickedness overthroweth the sinner

Those who do contrary to God’s Word will suffer the consequences. The righteous are encouraged to “stay in the way”, to maintain our walk with God regardless as to what others think.

If you walk with God, God will protect you. If you walk in wickedness, it will sabotage you.

Money Is A Poor God

Proverbs 13:7-8 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. 8 The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

This proverb speaks of the foolishness of worshiping money. Those who chase after the god of wealth, who “maketh himself rich”, ends up with nothing that matters. I read an article one time that spoke of women who pursued riches and power, but who now, later in life, are sad because they cannot bear a child. They “gained the whole world, but lost their soul” (Matthew 16:26). Many who are rich and famous have burned their way through several wives, and have left a string of broken families in their wake.

The one who is poor but humble before the Lord “maketh himself rich”. When John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, he sent word to Jesus asking “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). After John’s messengers watched Jesus for a while, He told them:

Matthew 11:4-6 (ESV) Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

Those who have no sight go to Jesus and now see. Those who cannot walk go to Jesus and now run. Those with skin cancer go to Jesus and are cleansed. Those who cannot hear go to Jesus and can now enjoy music. Those who are spiritually dead go to Jesus and are given eternal life. And those who have none of the riches of this world – the poor – go to Jesus and are given the immense treasure of Heaven.

The ransom of a man’s life are his riches

The greatest gift you can have is to go to Jesus and have your life ransomed. This is why Jesus came to this earth, to ransom us from Satan, Sin, and Selfish Silliness. Jesus said:

Matthew 20:28 … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus Christ “gave Himself a ransom for ALL” (1 Timothy 2:6). Do you know Him? If you do, you are the richest person on planet earth.

Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

Those who are Christ’s are the light of this world, whereas the dark lamp of the wicked shall be extinguished. Let us shine for Jesus while we can. Amen!