Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 621 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 12 from The Voice Translation, which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am preparing some of the Wisdom-Trek episodes ahead of time in preparation of returning to Arizona to continue our work on the construction projects which we are involved in. I had to miss two months due to the additional commitments with our granddaughter Hazel, but now that we are getting back to a more predictable schedule, I was able to schedule next week in for traveling. It will require Paula managing the additional duties that we have been sharing this past couple of months, but she is confident that will not be an issue.
As with the various responsibilities that we have for our clients, family, and ministry, it seems like we are always learning each day. In order to learn, you have to be teachable. As we explore Chapter 12 of Proverbs, our focus today is…
“Those who love discipline love knowledge, but fools hate any kind of correction.” From the very first verse, Chapter 12 is dominated by contrasting statements, “But this, but that—but but but!” Nearly every proverb is a contrast (except for two, which we will consider in a moment). This is actually a very effective teaching tool because when we see opposite things side by side, we can more clearly see the difference between them and make better decisions.
The chapter’s structure forces us to make some choices specifically related to our use of words and how we treat people.
Sometimes the arrangement of proverbs can seem haphazard, but a closer look reveals truly beautiful and intentional structures. In Chapter 12, there are 28 proverbs, divided cleanly into two sections of 14 proverbs each.
Here’s what the breakdown looks like:
Part 1
