We bring you living Proverbs, the old, old message in modern language. We begin our reading with Proverbs chapter twenty-five. These Proverbs of Solomon were discovered and copied by the aides of King Hezekiah of Judah. It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover and invent. You cannot understand the height of heaven, the size of the earth, or all that goes on in the king's mind. When you remove dross from silver, you have sterling ready for the silversmith. When you remove corrupt men from the king's court, His reign will be just and fair. Don't demand an audience with the king as though you were some powerful prince. It is better to wait for an invitation rather than be sent back to the end of the line publicly disgraced. Don't be hot-headed and rushed to court. You may start something you can't finish and go down before your neighbor in shameful defeat. So discuss the matter with him privately. Don't tell anyone else. lest he accuse you of slander and you can't withdraw what you said. Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket. It is a badge of honor to accept valid criticism. A faithful employee is as refreshing as a cool day in the hot summertime. One who doesn't give the gift he promised is like a cloud blowing over a desert without dropping any rain. Be patient. and you will finally win, for a soft tongue can break hard bones. Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick. Don't visit your neighbor too often, or you will outweigh your welcome. Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an axe, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow. Putting confidence in an unreliable man is like chewing with a sore tooth or trying to run on a broken foot. Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in his wounds. If your enemy is hungry, give him food. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. This will make him feel ashamed of himself and God will reward you surely as a wind from the north brings cold, just as surely a retort causes anger. It is better to live in a corner of an attic than in a beautiful home with a cranky, quarrelsome woman. Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. If a godly man compromises with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring. Just as it is harmful to eat too much honey, so it is also bad for men to think about all the honors they deserve. A man without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken down walls. In this world of death and sorrow, I am not alone. God is me. I am to help and cheer. To help and cheer. Oh, how sweet it is to know I'm not alone. Then through a fiery furnace His love He's best to guide, I'm not alone to suffer, He's standing by my side. In this world of death and sorrow, I am not alone. God is me to help and cheer. To help and cheer. Oh, how sweet it is to know I'm not. when far from home and loved one can no one seem to care I'm not alone, though lonely, is near my grief to share. In this world of death and sorrow, I am not alone. God is me. Lord in me. To help and cheer. To help and cheer. Oh, how sweet it is. I'm not alone. Honor doesn't go with fools any more than snow, with summertime or rain with harvest time. An undeserved curse has no effect. Its intended victim will be no more harmed by it than by a sparrow or swallow flitting through the sky. guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a rebel with a rod to his back. When arguing with a rebel, don't use foolish arguments as he does, or you will become as foolish as he is. Prick his conceit with silly replies. To trust a rebel, to convey a message, is as foolish as cutting off your feet and drinking poison. In the mouth of a fool a proverb becomes as useless as a paralyzed leg. Honoring a rebel will backfire like a stone tied to a slingshot. A rebel will misapply an illustration so that its point will no more be felt than a thorn in the hand of a drunkard. The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel. As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a man who is conceited. The lazy man won't go out to work. There might be a lion outside, he says. He sticks to his bed like a door to its hinges. He is too tired even to lift his food from his dish to his mouth. yet in his own opinion he is smarter than seven wise men. Yanking a dog's ears is no more foolish than interfering in an argument that isn't any of your business. A man who is caught lying to his neighbor and says, I was just fooling, is like a madman throwing around firebrands, arrows, and death. Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions disappear When gossip stops. A quarrelson man starts fights as easily as a match starts a fire to paper. Gossip is a dainty morsel eaten with great relish. Pretty words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot. A man with hate in his heart may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe him. he is cursing you in his heart. Though he pretends to be so kind, his hatred will finally come to light for all to see. The man who set the trap for others will get caught in it himself. Roll a boulder down on someone, and it will roll back and crush you. Flattery is a form of hatred and wounds cruelly. Don't brag about your plans for tomorrow. Wait and see what happens. Don't praise yourself. Let others do it. A rebel's frustrations are heavier than sand and rocks. Jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger. Open rebuke is better than hidden love. Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy. Even honey seems tasteless to a man who is full, for if he is hungry, He'll eat anything. A man who strays from home is like a bird that wanders from its nest. Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume. Never abandoned a friend, either yours or your fathers, and then you won't need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need. My son, how happy I will be. If you turn out to be sensible, it will be a public honor to me. A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences. The world's poorest credit risk is the man who agrees to pay a stranger's debts. If you shout a pleasant greeting to a friend too early in the morning, he will count it as a curse. A constant dripping on a rainy day and a cranky woman are much alike. You can no more stop her complaints than you can stop the wind or hold on to anything with oil-slick hands. A friendly discussion is as stimulating as the sparks that fly when iron strikes iron. A workman may eat from the orchard he tends. Anyone should be rewarded who protects another's interest. A mirror reflects a man's face But what he really is like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses. Ambition and death are alike in this. Neither is ever satisfied. The purity of silver and gold can be tested in a crucible. But a man is tested by his reaction to men's praise. You can't separate a rebel from his foolishness, though you crush him to powder. Riches can disappear fast, and the king's crown doesn't stay in his family forever. So watch your business interest closely. Know the state of your flocks and your herds. And then there will be lambs wool enough for clothing, and goats milk enough for food for all your household after the hay is harvested. And a new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in. we've been reading living proverbs the old old message in modern language we read proverbs chapters twenty five twenty six and twenty seven now here's a special invitation to join us the next time we come your way with living proverbs Thank you.