Proverbs 22: 8-16 Some Don'ts and Some Do's

⁸ Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
    and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

⁹ The generous will themselves be blessed,
    for they share their food with the poor.

¹⁰ Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
    quarrels and insults are ended.

¹¹ One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
    will have the king for a friend.

¹² The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
    but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³ The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
    I’ll be killed in the public square!”

¹⁴ The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
    a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.

¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
    but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

¹⁶ One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
    and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

I know that this will seem like a large portion of Scripture to consider all in one "chunk" but as I studied, they just seemed to really go together. There is a natural break before the next verse, so I concentrated on these verses.
Six of these are things that we should stay away from -- the "don'ts" that I referred to.  Let's look at those first . . . (I'd rather deal with 'em and get 'em out of the way.....how about you?)
Verse eight -- Don't be careless with the seed you sow. No matter how hard or how furiously you try to change things, or to repair damages, your repair work will come to naught.  We see this thought in other Scriptures that mention sowing and reaping. What kind of seed are you and I sowing today? What will we harvest?

Verse 10 -- Don't be a mocker, a quarreler, or toss about insults, causing strife.  Do you know the kind of woman that walks into a room and the air fairly crackles with tension?  Are you and I the kind of Christian women "that give grace to them that hear" when we speak? (Eph. 4:29)

Verse 13 -- Don't make excuses for why you can't do something.  (Ouch! I got my own toes on that one . . .)  Solomon gives an almost humorous example here; the slothful man needs to go out into the fields or the market, or to the "gates" where public business was conducted. Instead of getting his work done, he imagines there could be a lion awaiting him, and he'll be killed in the public square! I'll admit that although I usually attack jobs head-on, I sometimes give in to imagining how difficult it might be, or how I might fail at it.

Verse 14 -- Don't give the appearance of wanting the greener grass on the other side of the fence. I found this verse ironic, seeing that Solomon had a real problem with women and their desires for him to worship their idols!  But to bring it home to our day, are we women that talk about how cute the latest movie star looks, or are we women that compliment our husbands, and point out his good traits when we can?  

Verse 15 -- Don't resent discipline from our Father. It is meant to guide and teach us, so that we are not full of "folly" but are fit instruments to do His work.

Verse 16 -- Don't be foolish with what God gives to us.  Solomon's example is of someone who neglects (or even oppresses) the poor, but gives gifts to those who are already rich. Are we women who look carefully at where our gifts to God are going? Do we know that our offerings are being used correctly, to do His work?

Did His Spirit nudge you on any of these verses? Do you need to spend some time with the Lord and ask Him to help you with any of these "don'ts"? I know I found some things I need to work on.

Don't worry --- tomorrow will be more positive . . .  we'll have some do's!