Proverbs 25:15-22 — The Big Three ~SDU~

 READ THIS: Proverbs 25:15-22

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. 16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit. 17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you. 18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor. 19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble. 20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. 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.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

There are three topics covered in these verses. Self-control, discernment, and unconditional love. Let's dive in!

What do the words we say, the amount we eat, and the frequency we invite ourselves over to places have in common?! Self-control! There are things that we want to do, but if we always do just what we want, we end up angering the people we want to convince of something, ruining the health of our bodies, and frustrating our neighbors. When we want something, we have to think to ourselves, "okay, in the long-term, how will the affect me and the people around me?" And that means we have to literally think before we speak, eat, or go out. 

Next, we have to use good discernment. Discernment is the ability to judge well (aka to know the right thing to do). The right thing to do is often very circumstantial, but other times the right thing is true no matter the circumstances. In the blue discernment verses, there are two situations that are not circumstantial and one that is. Telling lies about your neighbor at court and relying on someone who you know is unreliable during a crisis are both things that no wise, trying-to-be-good person does because it involves lies on one hand and laziness/endangerment of people on the other. The final blue verse is circumstantial. Singing isn't bad, but coming up to someone who is hurting and needs to talk and then singing happy songs directly in their face is not the right thing to do. A big part of discernment is taking the time to vibe-check rooms and people before you willy nilly start doing/saying things. 

Finally, we have unconditional love. Love is an action. If that is the case, then that means we can choose to love anyone we wish--no lovey-dovey emotions required. When we see someone hungry or thirsty, the best way to love them is to feed them and/or to give them something to drink. Loving without conditions means that we would do that for our best friend or for our mortal enemy. What's neat about that, is that when we show unconditional love for people who hate us, God uses that to convict our enemies!!! One day, they might even decide to show us unconditional love back because they saw the power of Jesus in our actions! 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Which of these three things (self-control, discernment, unconditional love) is hardest for you to do? Why do you think that one is harder for you than the other ones?

2. For whatever of the three things you said is the hardest, go and re-read the verses for that thing. What speaks to YOU in those verses?

TRY THIS:

 

All three of these things we talked about are not easy things for humans to do, SO ask God for help! Read outloud the verses that you read in question 2 and ask God to help you understand and apply those verses!