Proverbs chapter 16

Yes, yes, I didn't do a reading on Christmas. I'm a lazy sod.

vs 23

Wise people don't just have prudent mouths - it takes work. I guess having a foolish mouth comes naturally. That's not really all that comforting. They also promote instruction. That doesn't mean they necessarily give it. I think it just means they suggest a useful course of action - that is, the learning of wisdom. So not only should people look at a wise person and go, "Hey, I'd like to live like that," but the wise person should say, "Wisdom is good, learn it."

vs 24

Honeycomb heals the bones? In any case, it seems that there is a lot to be said for gracious words.

vs 25

Not everything that looks like wisdom is wisdom. So we have to be even more discerning!

vs 26

This is not a call for starving your workers. It's the promise of food as much as the hunger that drives them, no doubt.

vs 27

Now here's the novel thing - scoundrels actually plot their evil words. Even though we were just hearing that it takes wisdom to be discerning about what you say - you can actually spend time and thought on evil words too, as we well know I suppose. So there is a difference between foolish words and full-on evil words.

vs 28

And this is actually really easy to do. Way too easy, awfully so.

vs 29

And then, we assume, beat the crap out of them.

vs 30

Hmm, I do those all the time. I assume they meant a certain thing back then. I mean, winking, it's kind of hard to guess what it meant back then.

vs 31

So bald people are evil? I think the idea is that bad people don't generally live to a ripe old age.

vs 32

Warriors were like the celebrities of the age. Heroic people are easy to look up to. But it is the patient and self-controlled that we should look up to. It's just they're not always famous.

vs 33

So if you ever want a bible verse that tells you that your dice roll is the subject of God's attention, and indeed choosing, there you have it.