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13 A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
The righteous hates falsehood,
but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
but a poor man hears no threat.
The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
By insolence comes nothing but strife,
but with those who take advice is wisdom.
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,
but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
but a fool flaunts his folly.
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,
but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Disaster pursues sinners,
but the righteous are rewarded with good.
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
(ESV)
Proverbs 13 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.””
1 Corinthians 15:33 HCSB
Through God’s pursuit of sinners, we are empowered through the Holy Spirit to live according to His commands. We are empowered. This overflows into every aspect of our lives, including, who we associate with, and how we live with others. This is why it is so important for believers to be grounded in a church family. It’s not that we should always be around “church people,” but that we should be like “iron sharpening iron” with others. This is the difference between a wise person and a foolish one. As Proverbs 13:16 says,
“Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity.”
Proverbs 13:16 HCSB
Acting with knowledge is a decision to be responsible. We can’t do that without the Holy Spirit, however, now that the Spirit is evident in our lives, we are empowered with God’s knowledge and wisdom to confidently turn from our past. The balance of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and our own decision making is always very blurry, but God knows the heart. He sees your motives and intentions. He knows, like you do, if you are faking it or not.
Proverbs 13 is a gut check for who we say we are. Are we proclaiming to be righteous and acting wicked? Are we hypocrites? Each one of us must answer those questions for ourselves.
“All through Proverbs there is this contrast between righteousness and wickedness. God hates pride; He hates lawlessness; He hates hypocrisy. He has no use for this type of thing that arises out of our human nature. That is the reason that God will not accept anything that we do in the old nature. It is only what He can perform through our new nature that is acceptable to Him. One thing is sure: He is not going to take Vernon McGee’s old nature to heaven. I’ll be glad to get rid of it. In heaven you and I will be forever parted from that old nature which produces all the sins that are inherent in each of us.”
J. Vernon McGee