Today people rely on their church and the pastor to lead them through the truths of the Word of God. To do that, the pastor must have the knowledge from the Word as it is laid out within the Massorah from the original language, to be sure that the original thought is maintained, and then to teach it. When the Word is presented, it is God that does the speaking. The lay person depends on the church to give them the Word, and when the pastor strays from God's Word, it should be corrected and called to his or her attention.

Proverbs means rules, and this book is God's set of rules given to us, all people living in these flesh bodies, instructing us how to be successful in all areas of our lives. Remember the prior chapter addressed you relationship to your neighbor. This chapter now addresses relationships at home, and within your vocation.

Proverbs 12:1 "Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: But he that hateth reproof is brutish."

Any person that will commit themselves to following "instruction", or discipline, will gain knowledge, but those that reject discipline in their life, God calls stupid. "Brutish" in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary is #1198; "Ba-ar, stupid". You will never learn from your mistakes if you don't learn from your reproof. Sure reproof can hurt at times, but in the long run you gain the knowledge to not do that again. Children build character in their lives and grow to maturity each time they are corrected.

People that reject the reproof of drugs will never learn, for it fries their brains to where they don't have the brain cells where they can retain knowledge. Their flashbacks make them live in a world of make-believe. They become to stupid to see the harm they are doing to themselves; they become so high on themselves that they are worthless to themselves.

Proverbs 12:2 "A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: But a man of wicked devices will He condemn."

Our Father YHVH is the only one that counts, and the good, or righteous man knows that. "But a man of wicked devices will He condemn.", in the text the "He" is in the lower case and thus it is the good man that "condemns the man with wicked devices." The good man seeks the favor with the Lord, but he also condemn those that do wickedness. God expects you to do the condemning. When you see a person fooling around with drugs, it is your responsibility to speak up and let them know the foolishness of their acts before our heavenly Father.

Proverbs 12:3 "A man shall not be established by wickedness: But the root of the righteous shall not be moved."

The root of a plant is where the food for growth comes from for that plant. The root of your actions are those things that you do to build character for your life. When that root of a person's life is established or build up by wickedness, righteousness simply cannot exist. Righteousness and wickedness simply cannot exist together, where you have one, the other is void. Righteousness in your life will establish you in your life to where you cannot be shaken. Shortly there is a real shaking coming, and those not grounded in the truth will be shaken from their very roots.

Proverbs 12:4 "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."

A worthy woman is an honor to her husband. When a man has a wife that is not virtuous, the husband shares the loss of credibility from his wife's actions. Of course this works the other way also, for the husband can put shame on his wife's credibility also. The man that is worthy is an honor to his wife, for there is no gender intended to this verse. Though some today state that the woman is suppose to submit herself to her husband, However there are more proverbs and verses that state that you are dumb and stupid if you listen to a fool, than there are that say a woman should submit to a man that is a fool. If a woman joins herself to a man that is a fool, then when she marries herself to that fool, she is void of wisdom. This also goes the other way around. However when that foolish man later finds out the jewel of a wife that he has, and listens to her, he gains knowledge when he takes her advice.

God does not endorse any foolish man's right to force his wife to submit herself to his wickedness. When talking about force being used in a marriage, you have to use some common sense. We will talk later of this virtuous woman in Proverbs 31.10-31. A wise and virtuous woman can be pulled down by a drunken foolish man with fried brains, just as it goes the other way.

Proverbs 12:5 "The thoughts of the righteous are right: But the counsels of the wicked are deceit."

The plans and goals of righteous people are right, but those that are not righteous will be out to lie and deceive you every time. Their goals are to steal and take from you any way that you allow them to. They may be to lazy to work or just plain rotten and want what you have. You can't change them, but God can change them. The change has to come from within their own heart, soul and spirit. Discern what their counsels are before you deal with them.

Proverbs 12:6 "The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them."

Wicked people's center of conversation is to lie in wait for the spoils from other people. The mouth and knowledge of the righteous will warn others of the traps and deceit of the wicked, so they will not fall into those traps. Remember we are told to test the fruits of the tree before we take of that tree. By discernment we are to check out their past and see how they treated other, that should be a warning how the wicked will treat you. Never trust some one and put them into a position where they can harm your children or family; but test them well before you give your trust.

Proverbs 12:7 "The wicked are overthrown, and are not: But the house of the righteous shall stand."

The wicked will cease to exist, because God will blot them out of all memory. This shall happen after the great white throne judgment when Satan and all his followers will march into the lake of fire. [Revelation 20:14, 15] This is called the second death, the death of the soul. The righteous are a member of the house of God, and that house is eternal. They follow our heavenly Father.

Proverbs 12:8 "A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised."

A man that posses the wisdom of God's Word should be praised. When a person speaks the truth from God's Word, it gets around. However those that follow deceit in their action and words are despised. People with a perverse character are known by their words and action, and the righteous man can discern those wicked ones.

Proverbs 12:9 "He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread."

This is a poor translation to this verse. The point is not to the one that is despised, but to the one that is noticed very little. So this is saying that the one that is little noticed, and doesn't brag upon himself, yet has a servant is wealthy. He doesn't need to honor himself, nor does he lack for bread. You know the other type, the man that shoots his mouth off, yet doesn't have money enough to buy his next meal.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

The righteous man will tend to the needs of pets and animals, yet the wicked person gives no thought nor mercy for the needs of animals. The wicked person only focuses upon the needs of himself or herself.

Proverbs 12:11 "He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: But he that followeth vain persons is void of understandings."

If a man is faithful to his labor of tilling the land, the land shall bring forth a crop and his family has food to eat. However the lazy man that will not tend to his job and plan for the future is void of common sense. Spiritually speaking, if you seek the truth and faithfully study to know the wisdom from God's Word, you will have the bread of life, which is the truths of Jesus Christ. A sluggard simply doesn't care what the Word of God says, for he is centered only on his own self.

Proverbs 12:12 "The wicked desireth the net of evil men: But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit."

A wicked person will pick up on an evil action or cause, and follow it if it means getting ahead. The wicked think nothing of entrapping an honorable person and taking their wealth by evil means. "The net" is one of their causes used to ensnare your time and thought, to their line of thinking. However "the root", time or wealth of a righteous man will not be touched by that evil person and his games. Why, the righteous person has the wisdom of God and uses common sense that is warned of through God's Word. The root of a tree is deep within the soil and even though the tree may be damaged, the root still lives. In time it will grow and more fruit will come from it. In life, you may have a hard time in your life, yet if your root is well grounded in the Word, in time you will rebound and start bearing fruit again. God did not promises us a rose garden, yet he will see you through when those burdens rise in our lives that look hard for us to get over. Father always gives us a way out.

I Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Proverbs 12:13 "The wicked is snared by transgression of his lips: But the just shall come out of trouble."

Running off at the mouth without think of what you are saying can get you in more trouble. You don't have to spend much time with a person to find out that this person is not a good person to hang around with. It doesn't take much wisdom, common sense, to be warned of as to the trouble that this one can get you into. The wise person knows how to keep his distance from trouble.

Proverbs 12:14 "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: And the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him."

You will know a person by what he is always speaking of, The fruit of his mouth is the subject that is on his mind constantly. If it is cars, woman, alcohol and parties, or God's Word, that is what he [or she] will talk about; that is the fruit of his lips. What comes out of his mouth is what is on his mind, and controls his actions. When a person is in business to give a service, make sure that that service is what is on that man's mind, and not some detached ideas. If you go into a restaurant and expect to be served, it become obvious that something else is on the waiters mind by the words she [he] says and the service she or he gives. A wise man expects to be rendered the service or goods that a person says they will give; yet in today's world, we have to have our words in writing because most of the world can't be called upon to keep their word. A wise person just does not do business with anyone that doesn't keep his Word. You will be successful according to the words formed by your lips, especially in your vocation.

Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

The man that just cannot see his own errors, is a fool. He or she thinks that everything they do or say is right. A man or woman using common sense will go to a person that they trust for advice and direction. They will listen when counsel is given to them. The lesson you may learn is that he is bad counsel, and stay clear of that person. However the fool always thinks he is right.

Proverbs 12:16 "A fool's wrath is presently known: But a prudent man covereth shame."

The fool shows that he is a fool by instantly flying off the handle at the slightest aggravation. But the prudent man or woman will ignor an insult directed at him or her. The whole reason for insulting someone is to put them down in shame, and usually it is a fool that gives it, in the first place. Some times it is given in ignorance, but when that happens, the wise person would apologize immediately when they have seen what they have done.

Proverbs 12:17 "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: But a false witness deceit."

The wise person will only speak the truth, and talk about those things that are right. But you can count on a liar to do nothing but deceive you. It is like they take great pleasure when they have deceived you into believing their lies. They find victory just in seeing that you believed their lie, for it is like a game with them.

There is a spiritual side to this also, for we are approaching the time when the father of all lies, and the great deceiver will be here on earth to deceive the entire world. Then only those with the truth sealed in their minds will know the truth and see through Satan's lies.

Proverbs 12:18 "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: But the tongue of the wise is health."

Some people's intention from their first words out of their mouth is to stab you in the heart, to tare you up mentally. However, the tongue of a wise person is always to lift you up, make you feel better, or to correct you and make you a better person for listening to them. You can see that they are servants of God in all that they do and say. As a servant of God, we are to help someone that is down a little when we see that brother or sister in the Lord is in trouble. When you assist a person in need, that is one of the best methods of seed planting that there is. When a person is in hurt and you assist them, they are in a position to listen to you and follow your instruction.

Proverbs 12:19 "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: But a lying tongue is but for a moment."

The "lip of truth" is the Word of God and it is established for ever. Even this earth age, and the world we live in will be changed and is not eternal. Life we know in these flesh bodies will be done away with at the seventh trump, and only the Word of God, and those things spoken of there can be relied on to be truth. The lying tongue is good only until the lie is revealed for what it is. It is given in a moment for the thrill of that moment by the liar.

Proverbs 12:20 "Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: But to the counsellers of peace is joy."

Fraud is in the mind of those that dream up their plans to fraud you. No one ever dreams up evil for a good purpose, it is always to defraud someone. However the cause of all counselors of peace is to bring joy to the one seeking the counsel.

Proverbs 12:21 "There shall no evil happen to the just: But the wicked shall be filled with mischief."

A just person finds no pleasure within any vain or evil plans of the wicked or unjust.

Proverbs 12:22 "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: But they that deal truly are His delight."

Anytime the words "abomination to the Lord" is given, watch out. Usually it comes when there is discord being sowing amongst the brethren; it is with lying lips. Proverbs 6:12-19 gives us the seven things that God hates, and these are an abomination to our heavenly Father. Father knows those that deal and speak honestly in their words and in business, and they are a delight to Him. This goes even more so to those that are teaching His Word, and giving out the truths as it is written.

Proverbs 12:23 "A prudent man concealeth knowledge: But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness."

A prudent man does not go around telling everybody all that he knows all at one time. However the fool will dump his entire mind off on you, and his mouth never stops. The wants everyone to know all that he knows, all at one time. This is the very thing that causes many Christians most of their problems in witnessing; for they feel that they have to give out the entire word all at one time. They feel that they have so much knowledge that they just cannot withhold it from others. Friend, only a fool would blurt out things that the listener has spent years of study in, in just a few minutes. There is no way that the listener could possibly retain what is said, for the only thing that comes from it is confusion. It just is not good to overload knowledge on a person that is not able to comprehend what you are saying in the first place. This is a weakness of many Christians, and there is a temptation to do so, but stop and think. The important thing is what you can relate to another person, and have that person retain what you have said. Learn to speak to other people on their level of thinking.

Proverbs 12:24 "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: But the slothful shall be under tribute."

A "Slothful" person is lazy. Paul talked about being lazy in your life in Romans 12:9-11;

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." [9] "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" [10] "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." [11]

This is not aimed at the handicapped or sick person, but to the person that is too lazy to work. When you set goals for yourself, whether in your job, your family life, or at any task you set for yourself, and are diligent to those goals, you will complete that task. You will be successful in life, and in the duties to the Lord, in your Christian life. The person that is slothful is not faithful to himself, to his or her family, the job, or to our Father. We are to follow Paul's advice and abhor things that appear to be evil, and with diligence focus on the task before us. The person that is lazy will never be counted on in any task, but will always be looked down on, even in that person's spiritual life.

Proverbs 12:25 "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: But a good word maketh it glad."

"Heaviness" in your mind, which is "weariness or anxiety", will pull you down both mentally and physically. Weariness and anxiety, follows laziness, and a lazy mind causes you to follow in a steady downward fall. Where as just a little bit of work and right thinking can give you a big lift. It doesn't matter what the task, strive to accomplish that which you have set out to do. The real worth to anything that you have is in the fact that you worked for it and earned the right of ownership to it. Any wealth given a person does not have the same value to that person, unless it was earned.

Proverbs 12:26 "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: But the way of the wicked seduceth them."

The translation of this verse is off just a bit. What this is saying is that "the righteous is more of a guide for his neighbor, but the wicked will lead them astray." If you did not read this verse right, you would start to think that you were more excellent than your neighbor. "Righteousness" is when you try to do the right thing in all matters. When you try to do the right thing in all matters dealing with your neighbor, then he is going to do right by you. However if you mess over him, he will have his time of messing over you.

Proverbs 12:27 "The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: But the substance of a diligent man is precious."

It is obvious why the lazy man never "roasteth" his kill, he never gets out to do the hunting. He is too lazy to get off his easy chair. The diligent man starts what he is going to do, follows his course and obtains what he has set out to do. Then that game tastes better, the job gets done and has satisfaction in it, and what he has gained will have value to him.

Proverbs 12:28 "In the way of righteousness is life; And in the pathway thereof there is no death."

The path of the righteous man or woman leads to eternal life. The opposite of death is immortality, eternal life. Think of the difference between the two paths. The lazy quitter that will not start a job, because he is to lazy to see anything through to the end. While the righteous person will set his goals, plan the work at hand, and see it through to the end. Many people will put themselves so far down that they think the whole world is against them, and they won't lift a finger to help themselves. When they set their mind to this thinking from the start, naturally, the whole world will be against them, because who wants to be around a loser. People just don't like to be around a lazy person.

What that lazy person needs is a jar in their life to wake themselves up and set him in a direction, with plenty of supervision over them. Start with small tasks, and make sure that what you start gets done, before you go on to the next task. Increase the amount of work as you go, to the point that you can take on the larger tasks. This twelfth chapter of Proverbs will help you in your job, as well as your family and spiritual life. It is given to wake up the lazy person, and get them going on the right course.