Proverbs 17
17:1 – Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife:
a. There is nothing appealing about a dry morsel. Yet the blessing of quietness and peace is so great, that it can make a dry morsel seem better than the alternative presented.
17:2: A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share an inheritance among the brothers:
a. It is natural that a son should rule; the trust one has in family is often greater than the trust one has in servants.
17:3 – The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts:
i. There are appropriate places where things are tested and purified. Silver and gold each have their place of refining and purification.
17:4 – An evildoer gives heed to false lips; a liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue:
i. When it comes to lies spoken by false lips, evil people not only spread them, they also receive them.
17:5 – He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished:
a. Some people find it easy to mock the poor. They consider themselves better than those who have less them them.
