1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.
13 Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil for good.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the Lord detests them both.
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accept bribes in secret
to pervert the course of justice.
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
Time after time in the Old Testament, “testing” is likened to the refinement of precious metals, the extracting of impurities through intense heat. Here in Proverbs 17, Solomon makes a note that just as with silver or gold, our human hearts also need to be, and will be, tested by the Lord.
Heat, pressure, hammer, and fire were and still can be the tools used to separate the pure, refined metal from the cloud of dross that would otherwise dirty the precious metals, making them not only weaker than their perfect counterparts but considerably less valuable. No one batted an eye at this process, and no one asked themselves if it was worth all of the trouble.
Refinement was necessary. Testing was critical.
Remember back to Proverbs 12:1 for a moment; Solomon went straight to the heart:
“Whoever loves disciple loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”
Sanctification is a word that you may hear around Jesus-followers. It can be defined literally as “the action or process of being freed from sin or purified.” In other words, as you pursue Jesus in your life, He will make you more and more like Him. The impurities, the dross in your own life, has to be taken away so that you can more clearly reflect the heart and character of God to the world around you.
To be more like Jesus is an outcome we all desire. It’s something we pray for and sing about. It’s at the heart of most messages we listen to, and it’s scrawled across the pages of our journals. Jesus, we want to be more like you.
And yet…
Are we willing to go through the process? Are we willing to endure the refinement and embrace the testing?
Reading the rest of Proverbs 17 plays out like an either/or list, a series of blessings or follies that result from our obedience or obstinance in the face of rebuke and refinement. When someone approaches you with a wise word of counsel, if a trusted leader has a rebuke, or if a friend has the courage to approach you with a concern, do you listen? Are you willing to pray about their comment and see if God is trying to work something out in your character through it? This is not easy; it is at times a crucible, but if we surround ourselves with godly men who have permission to speak into our lives, we need to be open and welcoming to what God might say through them.
Show yourself grace today. Don’t beat yourself up for the times you have failed at this in the past. You have the opportunity right now to invite this kind of wisdom and feedback from a few trusted men. Pray about who they are in your life, and then reach out. Let Jesus use them to make you look more and more like Him, and in time He may use you to do the same in someone else’s life.
—
God, I acknowledge my imperfections. As a sinful creation, there are foreign pieces within my soul. These impurities keep me from the fullness You have created me for, so I ask that You help me get rid of them. Help me to shed the things that I don’t even recognize are there. Help me find others who are willing to help in that process, and help me to have the courage to let them in and see the mess. I desire to be more like You. Amen.
