Proverbs chapter 14

vs 12

Isn't it comforting to know that we can get confused and mistaken about what is righteous. I think so. Makes me feel less bad if I make a wrong decision based on such confusion. At least I was trying.

vs 13

Sometimes we laugh because it's either that or cry. I think Australians might be particularly good at this.

vs 14

Oh dear. It's not until you think of the results of faithnessless as a reward that you think, "Hmmm, what the hell is it I actually hope to achieve through this action? If I achieved everything possible that I could hope for through it, would I really be satisfied with the results?"

vs 15

There are plenty of gullible people out there. I mean, even some usually prudent people can be tricked by others. So we should make sure we give thought to our steps, I guess.

vs 16

Sometimes fools don't even realise how bad their situation is in wickedness. But wickedness brings no security at all.

vs 17

Anyone who has ever made a decision based on a hot impulse knows that it's very easy to make that decision wrongly. And anyone who has planned to hurt someone else knows how much people hate it when others deliberately hurt them.

vs 18

Foolishness and wisdom are both reproductive harvests. You water either, give it time, and you get more back. That's worth remembering.

vs 19

How can it be any other way, if there is a righteous God? I mean, we listen to this and we think, "How can this be?" But if we know God is there and he is good, surely we should be saying, "How could this not be?"

vs 20

Sad but true. I'm not sure if a value judgement is being made here, or if it's just stating the facts.

vs 21

This certainly puts the last proverb into perspective. If the last one wasn't making a value judgement, this one certainly is - don't be like the previous proverb!

vs 22

Just because you plan something doesn't suddenly make it good. It's what you plot or plan that counts. I don't stand by the idea of neutral tools (that planning is somehow neither good nor evil).