Proverbs Challenge – Chapter 16

Wisdom Is Better Than Gold

16 The preparations[a] of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

Commit[b] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of [c]doom.

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join [d]forces, none will go unpunished.

In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His [e]work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before [f]a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the [g]spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.

27 [h]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He [i]purses his lips and brings about evil.

31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:1 plans
  2. Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll
  3. Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
  4. Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand
  5. Proverbs 16:11 concern
  6. Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
  7. Proverbs 16:19 plunder
  8. Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
  9. Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses

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This Post Has 18 Comments

  1. Merayebu

    Here tells us that wisdom is the principal thing and in all our getting we should get understanding…. We should also have self control because self control calms all situations

  2. Prophetess Deborah Oreofe David

    Day 13 Proverb 13:1-8 There is no one that possess the spirit of wisdom that will not follow instruction, words coming out of such a person mouth will be seasoned with grace and through this,he/ she will be favoured,and again we must also control our tongues,our tongueis a fire,we should not allow word of iniquity to be coming out of our mouth ( James 3:5-6) face whatever you need to face,don’t follow multitude to do evil, it us through righteousness that a man’s life will be preserved, a Christian dies not need to brag either,he/ she speaks good words to people around, whosoever that rejects correction, Bible called them poor people.
    Proverb 13:9-10 A righteous man always rejoice,the light of a righteous man will continue to shine brighter until the perfect day,let’s forsake our sinful ways so as to enjoy our inheritance in Christ Jesus, you can’t see a man with full wisdom understanding fighting or exchanging abusive words with people,it us not very statements, insult you reply ,thee is something I called (SILENCE HOUR) our lord JESUS CHRIST pass through His own silence hour( Mathew 27:13-14) Bible say look unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith,when you look unto someone, it simply means you see that as your role model.
    Proverb 13:11-20- 25There is a full enjoyment and peace of mind in what you labor for, though our heart is sicked when we are hopeless but trusting in God bring out life in us,we should always believe and trust in God, we should not despised His commandments, we shall live to testify to His goodness if we have a good understanding about His words ,let’s seek for divine wisdom, it is the wisdom that give light,evil will definitely follow whosoever that rejects God’s instruction for they are fools, even fools labor in vain ,because his properties are for the just, a righteous man leaves behind a good legacy, just shall be satisfied with many good things, let’s train our children to follow God’s path and we see the children.

  3. Ajisafe Oluwabusayo Marian

    Lesson learnt we should learn how to control our temperament and diligently guide what comes out of our mouth, we should humble ourselves in all our doings, we should trust the Lord and lean not on our own understanding. I pray the Almighty God will help us in Jesus name. Amen

  4. Akinsehinwa Queen

    Our way sometimes is not God’s way. We might believe in our heart that we are doing the right thing but in the sight of God we are not. We judge people becau6of what we see but God is looking at our spirit.
    Committing our ways unto God’s hands is very important cos we cabt do it all, by strength shall no man prevail is what the bible records.it’s very easy for us to plan how we would want our life to be in the next year or years to come but only God is the architect of the plan and He alone will direct our path.
    We need to learn how to respond to situations around us, listen to advice and instructions and not let our own understanding ruin us. Pride leads to destruction.
    Judge no man cos judgement belongs to God.

  5. Akinbobola Esther

    In all our doings let us put God in control, our plans will be successful if we do God will.
    The best way for leaders to gain his people heart is through Justly and Honestly.
    Verse 24 tells us what make ones to live a peaceful life,by using Words of peace
    Let us all always commit ours ways to end God, because that which seems right in us,the end is death
    Anger destroy alots of things so is better to slow to anger

  6. Imion immaculate osereme

    Man can think what he is going to think, but it requires the grace of God to be able to speak something honoring to God. He ultimately deserves all the credit for how He works in and through His servants to do good. A man in his natural state will find that his wicked heart overtakes even the best laid plans and his most noble intentions. As God’s grace works in a humble heart that wants to practice the truth, God will reveal Himself through Christ to that heart (John 3:21). A man plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps (Proverbs 16:9). we are all creatures who are dependent upon our Creator for everything. By grace through faith in the finished work of Christ is how any enduring good happens.
    Man in his natural state doesn’t realize how evil he is. He doesn’t think not realizing that he has broken, for example, all ten commandments when it comes to the thoughts and intentions of his heart. The Lord sees all including the motives of the heart. None of us will pass God’s test for holiness, for we have all sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23). We all need the grace of God manifested through the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
    We can plan all we want, but unless we are doing what God wants, we cannot expect His support and power behind what we are doing.

  7. Odogun Oluwaseun Morrison

    This chapter 16 is critical to understanding the gospel. Lovingkindness encapsulates God’s unchanging merciful and gracious nature and just how much He loves the world and desires them to repent. But because of His justice and holiness, He can’t just give people a free pass and let them into heaven. Then He wouldn’t be just any longer, and God Himself would have fallen, something that obviously never will happen. Thus, God must punish sinners. However, God did make a way for sinners to be saved through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Though He never sinned, all of our sin was placed upon Him so that our sin debt could be repaid. So God demonstrated His mercy in sending Jesus to atone for our iniquity, and in so doing He also upheld truth, justice, and holiness. Furthermore, those who come to God for salvation have only one road through which they can enter, that of the shed blood of Christ. He is the truth, singular, and there is no other way for salvation. If people desire to have their sins wiped away, they must come believing in God’s merciful forgiveness through the truth of the necessary sacrifice of Christ which alone can appease God’s justice. Those who fear God and His power to justly cast into hell will turn from evil and seek out salvation through His Son. Those who do not fear God demonstrate that they hate truth, are not afraid of His holiness, and could care less for His mercy, even the very fact that He gave up His Son to die for sin. This pride and selfishness will not go unpunished.

  8. Makinde christianah

    There are a lot of wisdom to learn from this chapter.
    1. We must commit everything into God’s hands. We must plan in His will.
    2. We must strive to please Him. In it we have peace even with our enemies.
    3. We must stay humble. Christ humbled himself Phil 2:1-6.
    4. We must speak pleasant words. Words are powerful weaponds of attack and defence.
    5. We must be control our temprament.
    These are what wisdom taught us. May God help us to be doer of his words.

  9. Gbadebo omotolani Esther

    This passage tells us to put God first in anything and everything we are doing , we make thing we are doing the right thing but in His presence we are wrong, He said we should seek for wisdom then all other things will be given to us, let held to correction and gain reward let not put pride in our heart for it will bring shame in the end, let remain righteous and holy in the presence of the lord for He will reward us in a special way.

  10. Gbadebo Toluwalope

    God is the controller of everything so He should be the first we involve in whatsoever that we do. All that we do may be pure and holy in our presence but to God it is dirty and sinful, it is only His GRACE that can save us, let seek for His grace and everything we thing will come into pass, we should not allow pride into our heart, Let be a righteous one in His presence and everything will be given to us, seek for understanding and wisdom so our ways can be smooth and holy
    Let held to correction for it has a reward for. We should also have the spirit of self control cuz it will help us wen we are angry and it helps to calm the situation at that moment.

  11. Odedairo Oladele Omotayo

    Proverbs 16 is a collection of thirty – three verses. The name of God appears in 9 of the first 11 verses. The chapter also ends with the a reference to God, forming an inclusion of sorts.
    Many of the chapter’s sayings speak about God’s control of man’s future. Verse 3 says, “Entrust your affairs to the LORD, And your plans will succeed.” Verse 9 of our chapter corroborates the notion that “all is up to God”: “A man may plot out his course, But it is the LORD who directs his steps.” Verse 4 and 25 of our chapter continue the same theme.
    In verse 8 we find the familiar “better X than Y” formula: “Better a little with righteousness Than a large income with injustice.” This verse is similar in meaning and form to 15:16-17: “Better a little with fear of the LORD Than great wealth with confusion. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love Than a fattened ox where there is hate.” Two other verses in our chapter employ the “better than” formula: verse 19 says, “Better to be humble and among the lowly Than to share spoils with the proud,” and verse 32 says “Better to be forbearing than mighty, To have self-control than to conquer a city.”
    The next section (verse 10-15) deals with the king. Verse 10 says, “There is magic on the lips of the king; He cannot err in judgment.”
    The prominent theme of haughtiness is taken up in verse 18: “Pride goes before ruin, Arrogance, before failure.” Similar verses are 11:2, “When arrogance appears, disgrace follows, But wisdom is with those who are unassuming,” and 18:12, “Before ruin a man’s heart is proud; Humility goes before honor.” There is a related theme in prophetic literature, namely to tear down all “high things”: “For the LORD of Hosts has ready a day Against all that is proud and arrogant, Against all that is lofty — so that it is brought low: Against all the cedars of Lebanon, Tall and stately, And all the oaks of Bashan; Against all the high mountains And all the lofty hills; Against every soaring tower And every mighty wall; Against all the ships of Tarshish And all the gallant barks. Then man’s haughtiness shall be humbled And the pride of man brought low. None but the LORD shall be Exalted in that day”
    Verse 31 speaks about the virtue of old age: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; It is attained by the way of righteousness.” “The glory of youths is their strength; The majesty of old men is their gray hair.

  12. Prophetess Deborah Oreofe David

    Day 14 Proverb 14: 1-9. The foolish not only attempt to build their lives on sand, but they also by their sin and poor decisions destroy themselves, a woman with full knowledge about what a home is will be a spiritual glue that holds a home together in reference for Christ, be an example of love and devotion to other women, those who don’t fear God won’t be motivated to turn from sin by faith and obey God. A good woman must fear God and fear her husband, obedience before God is evidence of true heart change and indicative of presence of wisdom. Foolish people say dumb things and it gets them into trouble, wise people control the words of their mouth so that they don’t say things that they will regret, let’s control our tongues there is no honor before the Lord in been a servant who goes and buries the talents God has entrusted him with. We must bear fruit and give Him a return on Hus investment. We must understand that we are to be workers and must be willing to spiritually sweat and we need to bear fruit by faith, those who are trustworthy do not change their story as a witness to cover up truth, they will speak the truth and protect the innocent life so that Justice can be served,scoffers rarely seek wisdom out but those who actually ask some questions will be blinded in their pride and arrogance to identify wisdom, when it hits them squarely in their face, going to a fool to get knowledge is a great way to gain foolishness and be corrupted,we must be aware that those who love evil and rejoice in error are contagious in terms of spreading foolishness and we must avoid their negative influence. We may preach to them but we may not look to them for insight and influence, our God is not a God of confusion, He wants us to know wisdom, He will give it to those who ask for it, those who are wise know what life is about and they actively seek to do God’s will, fools despise the wrath of God and His judgment and they don’t adjust their lives according to the fear of God, but the word of God is a light to the path of righteousness and His wisdom is a beacon to direction, fools don’t take sin seriously because they don’t fear God, but the righteous are not consume by selfishness, they want others to avoid the perils of sin and fear God.
    Proverb 10:16-24 God knows our hearts already and He’s trustworthy, we should always be open and vulnerable before Him,eventually the wicked will pay for their evil deeds and what will certain is that in eternity God will settle all accounts, and the boasting of the wicked will be destroyed so also we need to understand that his natural state as a captive of the devil as one born with a sin nature and deceitful heart that is prone to do wrong and to love evil more than good and the wages of sin is death and eternal condemnation in hell, let’s endeavor to follow right path as to gain eternity, the joy of knowing Christ ultimately outweighs the cost of following Him,Christians may suffer, lose friendship,suffer persecution or even be disowned by family on account of their faith but above all, Christ is our Joy, those who harden themselves against the truth because of a chose rebellion to sin must be after confrontation by other believers but those in Christ are new creatures with new hearts that are controlled by love, our desires must align with God’s increasingly as a delight in Him,we should be innocent of evil but experts in righteousness and again we need to be aware of the reality of the spiritual battle going on around us, let’s be wise and turns away from evil because God sees us.
    Proverb 14:25-30. Those who tell the truth allow justice, prosperity, but bearing false witness is a treacherous act and a betrayal against the innocent, the truth might hurt,but it also protects,preserve and set free the innocent and saves, we are great confidence in knowledge that we are the Lord’s, there is comfort in Him and we have confidence in His promises for our lives,the fear of the Lord leads to eternal life and eternal reward,let’s endeavor to live according to His way,our leaders must have affection of their people and make them to enjoy justice, it is wise not to easily provoke to anger, it is evidence of foolishness to have quick temper,a heart filled with God peace surpasses understanding is a early place to be, God peace guides our hearts and mind in Christ, it protects is from being consumed by evil passion and desire which eats us away spiritually, emotionally and physically,as a Christian holds no grudges against anyone and be peaceable by nature
    Proverb 14:31-33 Those who are gracious to the poor honor God, as a Church, we should be sure to care for those in the household of faith, though the wicked may prosper in life and this can be frustrating for a good person ( psalm 37:1) but ultimately, the righteous person has a refuge in Christ, when he/she dies,but the wicked will be cast down to hell on account of his wrong doings,by their fruit you shall know them,those who have wisdom in their hearts will bear fruit in their lives,a nation that moves away from God and His righteousness has to expect different tribulations from Him,when the righteous Increase,the people rejoice but when a wicked man rules,people groan,a servant who dies good for the kingdom, and adds benefit to the welfare of all us a value to the king with any sense at all,Daniel had the king favor because he acted wisely and did the king no harm but only good.

  13. ADEOSUN OLUGBEMI OLAGOKE

    Proverb 16
    Here opens our eyes that God factor is important in every thing,and it is the factor that bring us result of our desire and not our self.
    The mind with which we do any thing is very important and it goes along way in the success of that thing.it further explain that God hates the proud,mercy from God and truthfulness from Man takes sin away.
    God desire us to please him in all things so he can subdue our enemy for us,also contentment is needful for us.the king is like God with wisdom,and it proceed further into weight and balance,patience in entreating and angry person,more so,preference of wisdom over gold and silver,and continue with pridenesses of heart,wise in heart ,source of wisdom remain important.infact sowing in form of habit occur here too.

  14. Prophetess Deborah Oreofe David

    Day 15 Proverb 15:1-10. In response to a person who lies to pick fight only stirs up anger by adding fuel to the fire,we are better off giving a gentle answer to show that a person is better off picking a fight with somebody else who will name a better sparring partner,other times,we are best to just walk away or say nothing, the commandments of God are giving to show fool the exceeding sinfulness of his sin and the error of his ways,wisdom comes as people come to see the truth, fear God and seek His forgiveness, God sees all and we render to each according to his deeds at the judgement time, He will always support in this life those whose hearts are wholly,there is wrath to come for the unsaved,those who speaks the truth encourage, equip and correct when necessary and empower with words of life,but those who speaks lie and deceit,who are devoid of wisdom or who just have nothing to value to say discourage those who could use a good word,wisdom is proven by one’s ability to respond humbly and obediently to train in righteousness and to the truth of God’s words,the righteous will store up treasure in heaven and eternal rewards,but the wicked will suffer great loss and spend eternity in hell,Wise people want others to understand wisdom because they recognise that it’s value is far beyond anything this world has to offer. They want to teach others the way of God and how to follow Him because they want others to have Joy. God delight obedience more than sacrifice, because to Him it is the hearts that matters, obedience to the gospel is what counts not vain religion, we must pursue righteousness and forsake our sinful ways, those who hear the truth of the gospel and reject it will find eternity in hell, this is the only unforgivable sin.
    Proverb 15:11-27 We should always have this in mind that it is God who has the power to cast into hell,for hell is the way He will pour out His wrath on believers, the fools scoffs at truth and hates to be confronted with correction, he’s not going to seek out wisdom from the Bible or from people who could share with him wisdom from the Bible. It is not wrong to be sad as a Christian or to feel discouraged at times,it is how we respond when we are in valleys of life that counts,we need to remember that Jesus traverses the valleys of death with us,and comfort us with His presence,real knowledge comes by those who study the word with scripture as a foundation and faith. The believer has Jesus Himself in his hearts in whom there is fullness of joy and eternal pleasures and treasures,great treasure is eternal treasure and it us better to lack the resources of the world and still have that treasure than to have all the resources of the world but have nothing after death. Watch your company as a Christian, Christians are to do whatever they can do to live peaceable with others ,not to stir up strife,fate of hell can never prevail His Church.
    Proverb 15:20-33 We should train our children in the way of God so as to have eternal joy,those who have understanding hate sin because they know it grieves God’s heart and sap their joy,the number of counselors is futile in less wisdom is present in their hearts, wisdom enables a person to give sound advice and encouragement when it is needed. It is an offense against God plotting wrong thought and starts plotting evil deeds. Beware!
    People who Cain by illicit means will often suffer as a result, there are eternity consequences for this,thus us not a peaceful way to live.
    Proverb 15:28-33 Sometimes, we need to keep searching things out according to the scripture until we know for sure what we must do,know the mind of God before you speak out,God hears the prayers of His children because He sees them in the righteousness of Christ, the wicked can not ask anything from God until they ask for His forgiveness, joy is sourced in truth and the promises of God, He delivers on His promises that provides the best encouragement, those who are humble enough to have ears to hear the wisdom from God will turn from their sins,love Jesus and seek to grow in wisdom according to His word. Wide people respond to the teaching of scripture and to godly discipline of godly parents and teachers,God will honor those honor Him with their lives by faith and because of their transformation through Jesus Christ.

  15. Balogun Feranmi

    This chapter emphasis on self control. Self control is the ability to control ones emotions be it negative or positive towards something or someone. One should also adhere to corrections

  16. Prophetess Deborah Oreofe David

    Day 16 : Proverb 16:1-20 It is in the nature of nan to make preparation of the heart but when wisdom is given voice,it us beyond the preparation of man’s heart,despite the constant self- justification of men and women, God fairly and accurately weighs the spirit of all,God knows and God measures ,we should all commit our works to the Lord, we should try and depend on Him in our works,God’s plan and providence includes the destiny of the wicked, He has appointed them for the day of doom,God resists the proud and regards them as an abomination, the proud nan and woman imitates satan in his proud rebellion against God. The great principle of the fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom,it is also the foundation of a God- honoring life,so to live in the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil,one of the God’s blessings as the man or woman who pleases Him is to give them peace with others even extending to their enemies,sometimes, those who are righteous in thus world have little of the material comforts of this world, it is the Lord who directs steps,every plan will make should be held in humility before God and surrender to His ultimate will,our lips must speak wisdom, the principle of justice is derived from God,the righteous life of a king invites God’s blessings upon his life and reign,it is always important for kings and leaders to hear the truth from others and not mere flattering. Wisdom can help us to have the right reaction even in the difficult movement, when a king or person of authority is angry and shows their wrath,the wise man or woman will know how to appease the wrath of the king or the person in authority, Here: the sayings describes the benefit of having a king who is pleases with his subject, his brightened face signifies his delight and this means life for those around him,wisdom is much more helpful and useful in this life and it is far more profitable for the life to come. God is opposed to the proud and the proud man or woman is an abomination to God, obedience to God will always bring good.
    Proverb 16:21-29. Those who are wise in hearts will demonstrate it in their lives, people will see it and called them prudent or wise ,wisdom brings life, but it is usually foolish to try to correct a fool,the wisdom is shown by what we speak and by the control we have over words that comes from our mouth, there is wonderful power in our words to bring blessings and pleasantness to others,some people work in a part of life that they know is wrong and many proverbs speak to that person, it is very important to know the mind of God concerning our steps,when an ungodly man digs up evil,it can’t keep it to himself, he has to spread it others so he casts it from his lips as if it were burning fire,don’t separate people with your character, it us not proper before the Lord, violence often leads to a way that is not good and often violence leads to a way that is not good.
    Proverb 16:30-33 A violent man brings about evil, he does not seriously consider the bad effect of his action. There is something commendable about old age that remember a long walk with God through life and anticipate unbroken fellowship with Him in glory,under God’s wisdom and strength to rule one’s spirit is a greater accomplishments than to conquer a city,the idea is not that every single event in life is a message from God nor is it that we should use games of chance to determine God’s will. To cast the lot was a way to commit decision to God and we commit our decisions to Him,He guides us. Shalom.

  17. Adefuwa Adedokunola E.

    One variety of planning involves thinking ahead how to say something well, the “preparations of the heart” in the proverb. By “heart,” the Bible usually means our thoughts: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).” God made us able to think in words, like God Himself who spoke and the world came to be (Psalm 33:9). So a man planning to ask a woman to marry him, will think when, where, and exactly what to say. An employee will do the same, as she gets ready to ask for a raise. And surely if there is anything over which we have full control, it is a speech that we ourselves plan to give.

  18. Imion Angela Ofure

    Lessons learnt
    1. Everything we plan is subject to the Lord’s final say.
    2. If the Lord wants to screen us based on our holiness none of us will pass. Most times we as humans think we are 100% right with God but this is not true.
    3. Planning without putting God as your foundation is a futile course. When we plan we are to commit it into God’s hands and we must always be willing to change our plans to God’s will.

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