Daily Bible Reading 1st October 2025 // Proverbs 11:20-23
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.b
23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
The meaning of 'froward' can be well conveyed by the phrase we sometimes use in exasperation, 'He is an impossible person' - awkward, difficult, contrary. It is straight forward, uncomplicated people who are God's delight. In 21, the phrase 'hand join in hand' refers to the wicked teaming up together to defeat the justice of the Almighty: 'shaking hands on the deal' - but all to no avail, for God says, 'No matter, they will not go unpunished'. In 22, what is stressed in the utter incongruity of beauty allied to want of discretion. Kidner has an amusing comment on this verse: 'The proverb puts it more forcibly than we might. Where we (to whom the outward is the impressive part) would have spoken of the lady as a little disappointing, Scripture sees her as a monstrosity'. The theme in 23 is the outcome of what we set our hearts on. Where your treasure is, says Jesus, there will your heart be also. If a man is righteous, there are only some things that he will be desiring; if he is wicked, his desires go in a certain direction too. Either way, he will have his reward.