by Bruce Billington

Weekly Devotional 3rd of July, 2026

In this session, we will now look at Proverbs Chapter 12. This chapter presents a constant contrast between the Wise and the Foolish, and between the Righteous and the Wicked. 

Proverbs 12:11-13 - He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthlessthings lacks sense. 12 The wicked man desires the booty of evil men, but the root of the righteous yieldsfruit. 13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will escape from trouble.

Verses 11-12 reveal that if we want God's blessing on our lives, we need to work for our living and live modestly. We should be content with our income and pay our way as we journey through life. God has ordained that our needs will be met primarily through our labour, and if we work diligently, we will have all we need. 

Farmers and hunters are used in this proverb as examples of those who work to obtain their food. Farmers who diligently till and work their land will have more than enough food to sustain themselves and their families; they will have enough to satisfy them (saba), filling their stomachs to the point where they can eat no more.

Of interest here is that this contrast is not about a lazy person who is unwilling to work, but about a person who squanders their energy on foolish ventures. It is the person who follows or chases schemes that are vain, worthless, and empty. They may be “get-rich-quick” schemes or schemes that produce an unfair profit at the expense of others. 

Wise people will not do this. They will work diligently on productive, profitable tasks to ensure their needs are met. People who work their land—who till, plant, weed, water, and harvest—will have food. They are investing their time and other resources in something that is sure to meet their needs, even if it requires a lot of honest, hard work.

Verse 13 reveals that righteous people escape the trouble caused by sinful words because their hearts are right with God. Thus, they do not speak sinful words. They do not worry about contradicting themselves because they always tell the truth. They do not face God’s wrath for cursing Him or for breaking a vow to Him. They are not angrily confronted by those they have slandered or gossiped about. They do not have to apologise for the hurt inflicted on others through angry or evil speech. They and their families are not shamed by dirty jokes and off-colour comments.

These things may seem harmless or even fun, but Scripture repeatedly warns that words are powerful and can have both positive and negative effects. As believers, we are advised against using coarse language, bad language, and telling crude jokes (Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:3-4, Colossians 3:8). Ultimately, such practices will not profit us. 

Hebrew scholars teach that this proverb clearly warns that sinful words pose extreme danger to anyone who indulges in them—a danger from which escape is only possible with difficulty. We need to guard ourselves against sinful words, which may well be used as a false trap or a malicious snare.

Overall, our speech should model the ways of the Lord, showing a constant expression of the nine fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

God bless you.