This is arrogance that satisfies itself at the expense of conflict with others and never knows the prosperity of humble trust in God.
A proud heart has to do with being puffed up with self. He stirs up strife because he feels no one has an opinion worth hearing but his own.
Trust goes farther than faith. It is when we rest in the Lord knowing that all is well. When I say “rest” here, I do not mean we stop working. I mean we have complete confidence in the Lord.
A city without a wall is in peril. It has no protection. A man’s spirit is what he is. If he loses control of the spirit, he has lost control of himself. The spirit of a man must control the flesh, or else, the man will go the way of the flesh.
Such are exposed and vulnerable to the incursion of evil thoughts and successful temptations which leads them to hell.
Because life is short and our futures uncertain, we should be all more diligent in what we do with our lives. We should act with foresight as we attend to our homes, families, and careers. Be a responsible steward, like a farmer with his or her lands and herds. For God’s people , thinking ahead is a duty, not an option.
We see in this a worthless vessel, covered with glaze to make it seem from the outside to be very valuable. If you are looking at this from the spiritual standpoint, it makes it appear to be redeemed (glaze). This person, mentioned here, has beautiful burning lips which seem to be affectionate. They are a deceit coming from a wicked heart.
A cheap veneer of glaze over a common clay pot hiding its commonness and fragility is like the deception spoken by evil people. The point is this: just as glaze covers the rough pottery but cannot ultimately change its character, so the evil man cannot change his character by covering it with eloquent speech. This thought is expanded (in verses 24 to 28).
It is as hard to refuse to listen to gossip as it is to turn down a delicious dessert. Taking just one morsel of either one creates a taste for more. You can resist rumors the same way a determined dieter resist candy, NEVER OPEN THE BOX. If you don’t nibble on the first bite of gossip, you can’t take the second and the third.
This theme here is one of cause and effect. As surely as a North wind drives away the rain cloud, so then will an angry look will sometimes stop a person from saying slanderous things about someone else.
Gossip is spoken of badly in the Bible. I believe here that this is speaking of spreading untruths about the neighbors. If you were called to court to testify, you would have to tell the truth about the neighbors, but just telling things to get rumors started is bad.
Avenging the evil done by one’s neighbor by offering false witness against him is forbidden.
Deceiving with the lips, perhaps, means stretching the truth to harm someone.
We should carry out our work in its proper order. If a farmer builds his house in the spring, he will miss the planting season and go a year without food. If a businessman invests his money in a house while his business is struggling to grow, he may lose both. It is possible to work hard and still lose everything if the timing is wrong of the resources to carry it out are not in place.
Like earthquakes, society is greatly agitated when normal roles are overturned, servants reigning, fools made rich, hated women married and maidservants becoming wives.
These four things make living very uncomfortable. They really are things which should not be. These four causes much pain to all parties involved.
A servant is really not suited to be a ruler, and sudden power many times turns the head of the person elevated.
This fool, who suddenly has more than he needs, over-indulges, and makes himself even more of a fool. This “odious woman” is an undesirable woman, perhaps because she is not attractive or has unattractive ways. If she does get married, she is ill-tempered and possibly will drive her mate away.
This handmaid, who obtains the wealth of her mistress, whether by death of the mistress or some trickery, would certainly cause her to be arrogant and difficult to get along with.
The soothing comfort of alcohol is only temporary. Real relief comes from dealing with the cause of the anguish and sorrow and turning to God for peace. Don’t lose yourself in alcohol; find yourself in God.
Under Gods command 