5Better is open rebuke
than hidden love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy…
9Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away…
17Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
REFLECTION:
These few proverb verses especially teach us how to communicate with friends sincerely. Who would like a friend’s rebuke rather than an enemy’s compliment? Who would like the wounds of a friend better than the kisses of an enemy? They are those who have the wisdom to see the hidden motives behind them. A friend who really cares about you will give you unpleasant advice, like a bitter medicine, you know it is for your benefit; on the contrary, the enemy will use sweet words to send you to death when you are burst with joy. But everyone likes to listen to what is pleasant to the ear, even if the enemy says it. Remember that no matter how unpleasant a friend’s advice is, it is better than an enemy’s compliment. When people get along with good friends, they get mutual encouragement. The sincere exchange of ideas between good friends can give people new insights, and they can get rid of the bad ideas. Reflect if someone is always your good friend. And are you often other people’s good friends?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you wisdom to discern right from wrong, be willing to listen to unpleasant words of truth, and be able to discern people’s secret motives, and not listen to sweet words of harm. Pray for God to give you more brothers and sisters in the church to be good friends with you. Encourage each other, watch over each other, build up each other, and walk together on the path of truth.
20For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. 22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body. 23 Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart. 24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart; 25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are seven abominations in his heart; 26 though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. 27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. 28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
REFLECTION:
Saying things that irritate people or spreading gossip will only keep the fire of anger burning. Keeping quiet is like taking away the firewood under a cauldron, and the fire naturally goes out. Does anyone keep irritating you? Make up your mind not to blame that person and see if your anger will be extinguished due to lack of firewood. In order to fight back, do you intentionally or unintentionally anger others, especially those close to you? May you control your tongue from now on, no matter how others treat you, you only treat others with a gentle and kind heart. We must also guard against the sweet words of deceitful people, and have the wisdom to discern their hidden motives. We all love to listen to words of praise and flattery, and we should be awakened to the dangers, and avoid unknowingly falling into the trap dug by the deceitful. These proverb verses also warn those who are double-tongued that they will eventually harm themselves by trying to harm others, and they will be judged by God justly.
PRAYER:
If someone irritates you, ask God to calm your anger and give you patience, kindness, and goodness. Do not insist on a tooth for a tooth or an eye for an eye; ask God to give you the strength to trust Him, protect your heart, and control your tongue, never say anything that irritates people, and treat those who oppose or hurt you with gentleness, integrity, and honesty.
1These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied…
11A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. 12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear…
15With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone…
21If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
REFLECTION:
Appropriate words have precious value. They can encourage people to be more active toward good, and they can also persuade people to abandon evil. Appropriate words are not flattering, but to speak honestly with love, without seeking your own benefit, and with patience and humility to exhort and build others. Appropriate words also contain wisdom from God, and this wisdom teaches us how to look at other people’s difficulties from their perspective with empathy. Do you often say appropriate words in your family, church, and workplace? Ask God to give you the wisdom to do this.
Repaying evil with good is a way of return pleasing to God, and it is also the most effective way of return, but it is difficult to implement in humans. Paul quoted this Proverb verse in Romans (cf. Romans 12:19-21), and the Lord Jesus also urged us to pray for our persecutors in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. Matthew 5:44). Repaying evil with good means that God who is righteous will judge everything. He will reward those who do this and will also redress for those who have been wronged. Consider whether you have encountered or are experiencing injustice. Are you willing to deal with it in a way that pleases God?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you wisdom and dexterity, so that you can speak appropriate words with honesty and love on different occasions, resolve disputes, and encourage others; pray for tolerance and kindness, so that you can learn the lesson of returning evil with good. Not only are you willing to forgive those who have hurt you, but also willing to pray for them and lead them to God. Please pray for someone who has hurt you.
