As I read through Proverbs 13 & 14, a few thoughts came to me. First, Solomon gives us significant wisdom throughout this text. Second, Dave Ramsey is right – there’s a ton of useful proverbs about money. Third, I kept coming back to the word “keep”.
What we keep, what we hang on to, says a lot about who we are and what we value. Some of those verses about money are like that. Keep some money “little by little” and it adds up over time (Proverbs 13:11) and you’ll eventually be able to leave an inheritance even to your grandkids (Proverbs 13:22). But, the two places that really jumped out at me had to do with our words and our company.
“Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
“By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.”Proverbs 13:3; 14:3 (ESV)
When we learn to keep our mouth shut, to think before we speak, we allow whatever wisdom God has bestowed to influence what we say and how we react. Political allusions aside, how many of us can think through examples where we fell short on this one. When we’re angry or believe we’ve been wronged, it’s so easy to want to say something in reaction to that frustration, and Solomon reminds us, “Hey, that’s not smart. Maybe you should just not talk right now.” Give wisdom a chance to have its impact, then speak.
This takes practice, and is facilitated by the company we keep.
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
“Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.”Proverbs 13:20; 14:7 (ESV)
Who we spend time with matters, and catch this – it’s not necessarily physical time. What I mean is these verses are about who we allow to have a voice in our lives.
Who we eat lunch with. Who we read. Who we watch. All of these.
Whoever we allow to have an influence in our lives – fools should have no place there.
Now this doesn’t mean we should sequester ourselves and have no contact. It simply means we shouldn’t let them have influence.
So, take inventory. Who has your ear? Who do you allow to influence the way you think and act? Do they promote wise living, or do they set the example of what not to do? We should be careful because sometimes the company we keep might just drag us down to their level.
And, we might not survive it.
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