Goodness Without God

Proverbs 12:10:

10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

The lesson here is pretty obvious, good natured people are also good to nature. This supports a fact I've heard before that abuse against humans (homicide, sexual assault, neglect) often coincides with abuse against animals. Allowing ourselves to mistreat our animals can distort our understand of cruelty to the point where we are no longer able to show mercy. Our goodness, without God's righteousness, is not very good.

Can't Fool Everyone Everytime

Proverbs 12:8-9:

8 A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised.
9 Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread.

I once heard a saying that the worker who tries to look qualified, probably isn't. If you are good at something, you don't need to convince others of it. In fact, the world often recognizes and praises prudence. And even if your hard work goes unrecognized, it's better to be accomplished, than pretend to be what you're not and have nothing.

Two Kinds of Lives

Proverbs 12:5-7:

5 The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.

If there was ever a theme to Proverbs, it's that the wise/righteous are good for themselves and others. And that the unwise/wicked are bad for themselves and others. One seeks to improve the world. The other seeks to take it down with themselves. For that reason the first group is able to hold their life together.

Stark Disparity in Marriages

Proverbs 12:4:

4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

This seems to support something I heard and repeated before: marriage itself isn't a blessing or a curse. Good marriages make a person better. Bad marriages rot you from the inside. Heavy stuff about what is seen as the happiest day of someone's life. This is why premarital counseling can be so helpful, if only to discovery what kind of spouses you might be.

From Learning to Stability

Proverbs 12:1-3:

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3 No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

A clear series of consequences is laid out. We are called to love knowledge and to accept discipline when presented with it. Then we will find favor with God, something we undervalue regularly. This favor and support will help us stay firm when storms arrive.