13:1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
A wise son is one who understands Bible doctrine. He will accept his father’s discipline. If a son does not receive strong Bible doctrine when he is young, then he will turn into a scoffer. He will not accept the rebuke of his parents. He will become wild, undisciplined, selfish, and godless.
13:2 From the fruit of his speech a person eats good things, but the faithless desire the fruit of violence.
A person with strong Bible doctrine will use his speech to help others. A person with strong Bible doctrine will use his words to harm others, especially those who are grounded in the Scriptures.
13:3 The one who guards his words guards his life, but whoever is talkative will come to ruin.
Silence is golden. Those who possess strong Bible doctrine may not say much, but when they speak, it is beneficial. They are very careful to guard their words so that it keeps them out of trouble. The one who does not possess strong Bible doctrine will often speak rashly and without thought. He will make promises that he cannot keep. His words will often get himself in trouble. His own words will bring him down. People will learn not to trust him. They will not listen to him. They will stay away from him.
13:4 The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.
A lazy person wants something for nothing, but he is too lazy to work for it. Those with strong Bible doctrine will work hard to satisfy their needs.
13:5 The righteous person hates anything false, but the wicked person acts in shameful disgrace.
Fearing the Lord means that one must hate what God hates. God hates liars. Those with strong Bible doctrine hate liars as well. Lying degrades a person and makes him more like the devil, who is “the father of all lies.” Lying causes mistrust and lost of ministry opportunities. Wicked people prefer to lie in order to get ahead, but they bring disgrace upon themselves and others.
13:6 Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
A righteous person is one who possesses and applies strong Bible doctrine. He will be divinely guarded. Those who are wicked are not divinely protected. They are protected and guarded by Satan for a season, but he uses them, discards them, and then allows them to die and go to hell.
13:7 There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth.
There are those who are rich in material goods but poor in Bible doctrine. There are others who are poor in material goods but rich in Bible doctrine. Those who possess Bible doctrine are the wealthiest people in the world.
13:8 The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, but the poor person hears no threat.
A person who owns material wealth may have to use his money to buy himself out of trouble (kidnapping, ransom, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, etc.). Those who do not have material wealth do not have to worry about this problem.
13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
The light and the lamp were Middle Eastern metaphors of physical life. If a light went out in a Middle Eastern tent, then it was pitch dark. This was a metaphor of death. Those who have strong Bible doctrine will possess a long life. Those who do not possess strong Bible doctrine will live a life of darkness. They will not be able to see where they are going. Bible doctrine is the flashlight to lead one through the dark satanic world system.
13:10 With pride comes only contention, but wisdom is with the well-advised.
Those who do not possess Bible doctrine will instead possess pride. Pride is arrogance in humanism. Humanism is living a life as though there is no God. When a person lacks Bible doctrine, then his soul fills with pride. He becomes arrogant, believing that he can live a good life without God. He deceives himself into thinking that he is really a good person and God is not needed in his life. He becomes deceived by Satan. He begins to believe that it is his destiny to perform that of his human will, which is depraved and evil. He thinks that he is really doing what God wants him to do. He develops a know-it-all attitude, thinking that his human viewpoint is better than the divine viewpoint of the Bible. He is too arrogant to study the Bible, go to church, give to the church, or to serve God. If he does go to church, then he goes to a shallow-teaching church which waters down the teaching of the Word of God. He thinks that hearing a 30-minute feel-good sermonette once a week is all of the Bible that he needs. He will spend the rest of the week watching television, going to movies, watching YouTube or Netflix, reading on Facebook, reading the wrong books, entertaining himself, or spending time in some other godless activities which do not glorify God. This is all arrogance, but unbelievers and carnal Christians do not have enough Bible doctrine to realize it.
One who possesses strong Bible doctrine will be wise enough to know that he cannot get enough of Bible study. He needs it every day. He is willing to learn. He desires to master Bible doctrine, but knows that this type of study is a lifetime study which can never be mastered. The depths of God’s knowledge goes into infinity, but the wise man seeks out the mind of Christ. This type of person is able to make more divine viewpoint decisions which positively effect the Kingdom of God.
13:11 Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.
Those who gain money quickly by dishonest means will see it dwindle away. Those who earn and save their money will enjoy if for a long time. They will use their money for the Kingdom of God
13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.
It is good for a man to have hope, as long as that hope is placed in the right things. When this hope is unfulfilled, then it is natural for man to be disappointed. When the hope is finally fulfilled, then man will be joyous like a tree of life. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign on earth is the Blessed Hope of all who possess strong Bible doctrine.
13:13 The one who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but whoever esteems instruction will be rewarded.
Those who possess strong Bible doctrine esteem instruction from the Word of God. Those who do not possess strong Bible doctrine do not make the study of the Bible a very high priority in their life. Parental instruction is not valuable unless Bible doctrine is emphasized. A parent without Bible doctrine will teach their children the ways of the satanic world system rather than that of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.
13:14 Instruction from the wise is like a life-giving fountain, to turn a person from deadly snares.
A wise person is one who has mastered Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. According to Ephesians 4:13-18, the Holy Spirit currently uses gifted teachers to instruct others in the Word of God. Anyone who learns from a gifted Bible teacher will receive refreshment from an eternal spring of divine truth. This instruction will help the believer to escape the snares of the satanic world system.
13:15 Keen insight wins favor, but the conduct of the unfaithful is harsh.
Those who possess strong Bible doctrine also possess “keen insight.” Those who possess strong Bible doctrine will win favor among other believers. Believers will seek counsel from them.
Those who do not master Bible doctrine will be applying the values of the satanic world system into their lives. They will think that they are doing good things, but their actions will build up Satan’s kingdom. They will go to the wrong church, support teachers who do not value the Word of God. and perform many human viewpoint works. Human viewpoint works are dirty menstrual rags to God (Isaiah 65). These people will become calloused in their thinking and absent from the angelic conflict.
13:16 Every shrewd person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly.
A shrewd person is one who has knowledge. Knowledge can come from either the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, or from the satanic world system. An unbeliever’s soul consists of 100% information from the satanic world system. He cannot perform any divine good works. He can only perform human good works, which build up the satanic world system.
A new believer’s soul consists of 99% information from the satanic world system, but he does believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Although he is saved for eternity, 99% of his motives and actions will build up the satanic world system. He does not yet possess enough Bible doctrine to make divine viewpoint decisions which will build up the Kingdom of God. He will at first attend the wrong church, pray ineffectively. study the wrong things, and spend his time on the wrong things. The baby Christian will remain in this state his whole life, unless he studies the entire counsel of the Word of God. During this process, the acquisition of more Bible doctrine will increase his chances of producing divine good works instead of human good works. The baby Christian must seek instruction from gifted pastor-teachers. These teachings can come from sermons, books, audios, or one-on-one personal instruction from other mature believers.
Fragmented Christians are those who have studied parts of the Bible, but not all of it. They have some Bible doctrine, but their learning is incomplete. Satan knows their weaknesses. He will exploit them in these areas. Baby Christians and Fragmented Christians are a danger to the body of Christ, because most of them are AWOL. They do not even know that there is a spiritual battle being fought. They send their brothers and sisters-in-Christ into battle short-handed. If they do enter into the battle, then they will become casualties during the angelic warfare. Fragmented soldiers must study and master the entire military manual, so that they can recognize the battle strategies of the enemy. The military manual is not just some of the Bible, but all of it.
A mature believer has studied the entire counsel of the Word of God from a gifted pastor-teacher at the deepest level. His soul will be filled with as much Bible doctrine as his human mind can retain. He will know the mind of Christ and the strategies of the enemy. He must rely on the Holy Spirit to bring a remembrance to the things which he has learned. He will be able to make a higher percentage of divine-viewpoint decisions. He will possess the skills to check out his teachers and make sure that he is teaching the truth. He will know how to pray correctly. He will know when and how to study. He will be able to attend the correct church. He will be able to choose the correct ministry.
Man can only use the knowledge which is stored in his soul. Divine viewpoint comes only from the written Word of God.
13:17 An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
Satan has his messengers and God has His messengers. Satan’s messengers are unreliable. They bring lies, which cause people to fall into trouble. God’s messengers today are gifted pastor-teachers. Their messages bring spiritual healing.
13:18 The one who neglects discipline ends up in poverty and shame, but the one who accepts reproof is honored.
Those who do not possess Bible doctrine will not possess spiritual discipline. They may have discipline in their job, their athletics, or their hobbies, but they will not have enough discipline to study the Word of God on a daily basis. Discipline makes one stronger. Those who do not possess discipline are weak and arrogant and void of Bible doctrine. They will think that they are strong, but they are really weak and easily deceived. They will end up in spiritual poverty. They will not accept instruction from those who know the Word of God.
On the other hand, those who possess strong Bible doctrine will accept instruction from the Word of God, even if it is tough teaching. They do not want their ears tickled. They want to hear the gospel truth, even if it points out their weaknesses.
The lack of discipline is dishonorable, bad for the soul, and a threat to other believers who are involved in the angelic conflict. Those who possess spiritual discipline are honorable, because God will use them to bring others into the Kingdom of God.
13:19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools abhor turning away from evil.
Those who possess and apply strong Bible doctrine will be satisfied with their lives. Those who turn away from Bible doctrine are fools. They would rather remain in evil than to be in Christ.
13:20 The one who associates with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
The wise are those who master Bible doctrine. Those who associate with these mature believers will eventually become mature believers themselves.
Fools are those who do not master Bible doctrine. Those who associate with fools will become deceived and suffer harm.
13:21 Calamity pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.
Those who do not pursue Bible doctrine will sin and end up in calamity. Those who pursue Bible doctrine will become prosperous in this life. The greatest wealth is the mastery and application of Bible doctrine.
13:22 A benevolent person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
A benevolent person is one who has become compassionate by the mastery of Bible doctrine. The impact that he has on his children will effect his grandchildren as well. The material wealth of a sinner will not follow him into eternity. During the Millennial Kingdom, the righteous will inherit the earth. The unrighteous will be kept into hell for 1,000 years. They will then be judged and condemned to the Lake of Fire forever.
13:23 There is abundant food in the field of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice.
The Mosaic Law commanded land owners to allow the poor to glean in their fields. However, as Israel became more corrupt, these laws began to change in order to favor the landowner and deprive the poor of substance.
13:24 The one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him.
A loving parent with strong Bible doctrine will inflict temporary discomfort upon his children to spare them the long-range disasters of an undisciplined life. Refusal to discipline one’s child shows the parent’s lack of Bible doctrine. The satanic world system is currently attempting to remove corporal discipline from the family, so that children will grow up without discipline. Satan desires a nation of undisciplined voters.
13:25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy his appetite,but the belly of the wicked lacks food.
God will provide food to His children. Those who do not know God must look to Satan for their food. Often, Satan will not provide food to his own. He will use the resources of the satanic world system to blame God for this injustice. There are many nations who serve the occult, but they suffer from famine. These nations are serving the wrong master.
An example of a starving and misguided nation is India. They have plenty of cattle to feed their people. However, they will not eat a cow who may have been reincarnated from one of their past ancestors. Rats are eating the grain. However, killing a rat might kill one of their ancestors. The false religion of Hinduism is causing millions to starve in India.