Bible Commentaries
Proverbs 25

Verse 1

Pro 25:1

MORE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON EDITED BY KING HEZEKIAH’S MEN (Proverbs 25-29)

Proverbs 25:1

"These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out."

(This verse is prose, not poetry, and serves, in fact, as the title of this section, which we have abbreviated and so utilized it).

Solomon spoke "three thousand proverbs" (1 Kings 4:32); and it is amazing that so few of them are to be found in the Bible.

Proverbs 25:1. Hezekiah was one of the best kings Judah had (2 Kings 18:5-6). 1 Kings 4:32 says that Solomon spake 3,000 proverbs. Since there are not 3,000 in the book of Proverbs, Hezekiah’s scribes (under his direction and by inspiration of God—since their work is included in the Old Testament that the Jews and Jesus accepted) copied the many good sayings found in chapters 25–29. This forms one of several appendixes to this book; other appendixes: Proverbs 24:23-34; Proverbs 30:1-33; Proverbs 31:1-31. Hezekiah lived around 270 years after the death of Solomon. The prophet Isaiah was a contemporary of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:1-2), and he may have headed the project. If so, we can see why the material would be included in the Scriptures.

Verses 2-5

Pro 25:2-5

Proverbs 25:2-5

"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness."

"The glory of kings is to search out a matter" (Proverbs 25:2). "This is not a reference to academic or scientific research, but, "It praises administrative probes. A king should know what is going on.”

"The heart of kings is unsearchable" (Proverbs 25:3). This is just another way of saying that nobody knows what any king is liable to do. The kings of Israel were a constant illustration of this truth.

"Take away the wicked from before the king" (Proverbs 25:5). "This sets forth the requirement that if a king’s throne is to be established in righteousness, he must have proven and trustworthy servants and advisors.” There prevailed among ancient kings the delusion that they ruled by Divine Right, and one may detect traces of this conceit in these verses.

Proverbs 25:2. This is the first of several verses concerning “kings”, a subject that held unusual fascination for King Hezekiah, especially since Solomon was looked upon as such a great king. A king busies himself searching out a matter, looking into many things, finding out what there is to find out; he is a human being and must if he is going to know, and he can because he has the men and the money of the kingdom at his disposal. But God doesn’t have to search things out: He knows all about everything. While He has revealed many things to man in His Word, there is far more than He has reserved to Himself. Deuteronomy 29:29 refers to this revealing and concealing; “The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.”

Proverbs 25:3. “Pulpit Commentary”: “As you can never rise to the illimitable height of the heavens, as you can never penetrate to the immeasurable depth of the earth, so you can never fathom the heart of a king, can never find out what he really thinks.” David was one who often surprised people with his pattern of thinking: 2 Samuel 1:1-16; 2 Samuel 12:18-23; 2 Samuel 16:5-12; 2 Samuel 19:1-6; etc.

Proverbs 25:4. Raw silver had to be refined to discard its alloy and impurities. When this dross was taken away, it was then ready to be made into a beautiful vessel.

Proverbs 25:5. The language of this verse shows that it is the application of Proverbs 25:4’s illustration: the wicked men of a king’s court are the “dross” that must be removed if that king’s throne is to be established, “for the throne is established by righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12). Oh, that our rulers today believed this and followed it! Ours would indeed be the ideal society to live in—such as they all seem to envision, talk about, and promise when they are running for office.

Verses 6-7

Pro 25:6-7

Proverbs 25:6-7

"Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up higher, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen."

It is the glory of this proverb that Jesus Christ utilized in his teaching the grace of humility (Luke 14:7-11). As Tate noted, "The translation speaks for itself.” It needs no explanation or comment.

Proverbs 25:6. A king is not one to presume upon. To force oneself upon a king is like a girl throwing herself at some boy. Just as she is out of order and becomes obnoxious to the boy whose favor she seeks, so will one defeat that which he seeks by trying to make himself too noticeable to the king, who will be smart enough to see what he is doing and who will not respect him for it.

Proverbs 25:7. Once when Jesus was a guest in a Pharisee’s house, He noticed how they clamored among themselves for the chief locations at the tables, and He said precisely the same thing: “When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher” (Luke 14:8-10).

Verses 8-10

Pro 25:8-10

Proverbs 25:8-10

"Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, And disclose not the secret of another; Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away."

Another translation clarifies the passage: "Don’t be too quick to go to court about something you have seen; if another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then? If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. Otherwise everyone will learn that you can’t keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.”

Proverbs 25:8. Our saying, “Think before you speak,” is here applied to our actions. The verse appears to be describing a man with more temper than judgment; that is, he triggers a situation that overcomes him instead of the other person as he had planned. Often fiery hearts lack cool heads to know what to do after the wheels of trouble have been set in motion. The time to control strife is before it begins, as Proverbs 17:14 observes: “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention before there is quarrelling.”

Proverbs 25:9. Wisdom would dictate that if there is a serious matter to be taken up with a neighbor, you should discuss it with him alone instead of talking about it to everybody else. Two people can often settle a difference between them, but if you involve several people and he does too, the probability of getting the matter settled becomes more and more remote. Jesus taught the same thing: “If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18:15).

Proverbs 25:10. If you talk over with others things that should remain secret between you and your neighbor, you will no longer be trusted by people; you have destroyed their confidence in you, and they will tell what you have done. And confidence destroyed is hard to be regained. “Thine infamy turn not away.” One of the best sets of instructions in the Bible is in James 1:19 : “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”

Verses 11-12

Pro 25:11-12

Proverbs 25:11-12

"A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in network of silver. As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear."

Both of these verses deal with the desirability of appropriate speech. McGee wrote that, "The apples of gold were probably oranges.” However the mention of ornaments such as an ear-ring in the parallel verse, probably means that the "apples of gold" were some kind of beautiful ornament. Cook suggested that the reference is probably to, "Some kingly gift that Hiram king of Tyre had presented to Solomon. People gazed upon the cunning work and admired it; but the wise king saw in the costly rarity a parable of something higher.”

Proverbs 25:11. A “word fitly spoken” would be the right thing said at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, in the right way, and for the right purpose. For something to be right, everything about it must be right. Is it any wonder, then, that James 3:2 says, “If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man”? Reseach on “apples of gold in network of silver” is in order. Many contend for a “silver basket” containing beautiful orange fruit. Most writers contend that “apples” from the Hebrew word “tappuach”) was not our apple but possibly the orange, or more probably the apricot. Tristram (writing in “Land of Israel”) says, “I have no hesitation in expresing my conviction that the apricot alone is the ‘apple’ of Scripture...Everywhere the apricot is common; perhaps it is, with the single exception of the fig, the most abundant fruit of the country. In highlands and lowlands alike, by the shores of the Mediterranean and on the banks of the Jordan, in the nooks of Judea, under the heights of Lebanon, in the recesses of Galiliee, and in the glades of Gilead, the apricot flourishes and yields a crop of prodigious abundance. Its characteristics meet every condition of the ‘tappauch” of Scripture.” Then a word fitly spoken is as perfect as a beautiful, delicious group of golden apricots in a basket made of silver. See also Proverbs 15:23.

Proverbs 25:12. Just as they bestowed comeliness upon their faces by golden ornaments, so listening to parents’ wise counsel and to wise reproofs would grace one’s life (Proverbs 1:9 and this verse). In the New Testament women especially are instructed to adorn and ornament their lives with spiritual beauty instead of majoring upon physical beauty (1 Peter 3:3-5; 1 Timothy 2:9-10).

Verse 13

Pro 25:13

Proverbs 25:13

"As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters."

This subject appears in previous proverbs Proverbs 13:17 and Proverbs 17:2. See our comments there. It is amazing that "the cold of snow" would have been available in harvest time. This is either a reference to one’s remembrance of the cold of snow, or to some device by which it was really available. Visitors to Monticello, the home of Jefferson, will remember the deep cistern where ice which was stored in winter was available the year around.

Proverbs 25:13. Not a snow storm (which would not occur at the season of harvest and which would be a calamity rather than a refreshing blessing) but likely a snow-cooled drink for the harvest workers. How would that be possible? “Clarke:” “In the East they have snow-houses—places dug under ground where they lay up snow for summer use.” This snow was used to cool their summer drinks. To have a faithful messenger who could be counted upon was as refreshing to those who would send him as a cold drink in hot weather. Proverbs 13:17 likens such a messenger to “health”.

Verse 14

Pro 25:14

Proverbs 25:14

"As clouds and wind without rain, So is he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely."

We may have here the origin of the common designation of such a braggart as "windy" or as "an old wind bag."

Proverbs 25:14. “Boasteth himself of his gifts falsely” is translated by “Coverdale”: “Whoso maketh great boasts, and giveth nothing,” and the “Vulgate” translates: “A bragging man, who does not fulfill his promises.” Such promises remind one of clouds and winds in dry weather, but no rain results. Judges 1:12 also refers to these clouds without water, carried along by winds” people. Some people make a big show with their words, but they do not come through with what they have promised—and sometimes they were premising to give it to God! Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Therefore Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.”

Verse 15

Pro 25:15

Proverbs 25:15

"By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone."

"A prince may be persuaded by patience, and a soft tongue may break down solid bone.” Jesus may have had this in mind when he spoke of the ’unjust judge’ (Luke 18:6). The American Standard Version marginal reading allows `judge’ here instead of ruler.

Proverbs 25:15. One can defeat himself sometimes by being too “pushy”. By being “hasty of spirit” we can sometimes “exalt folly” (Proverbs 14:29) instead of success. We are commanded to “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). We are told in 2 Timothy 2:24-25 that” the Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth.” And we are told in Proverbs 15:1 that a “soft answer turneth away wrath”.

Verses 16-17

Pro 25:16-17

Proverbs 25:16-17

"Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor’s house, Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee."

We might entitle these verses as, "Too much of a good thing is more than enough"! Even eating too much honey can lead to the body’s rejection of it; and too much intimate association with friends can break up the friendship. All of us have known people who were what was called "too thick" with their friends and then saw the "break-up" that always ensued.

Proverbs 25:16. Among the many spiritual and moral instructions we have in the Bible, there is an occasional instruction with reference to the physical or health-side of mankind. Such is this verse. Honey is good, actually great, for health (Proverbs 24:13), but one should not eat so much of it that he gets turned against it permanently and thereafter wants none of it. Proverbs 25:27 warns, “It is not good to eat much honey.” We should do that which is wise even in the physical realm of our being.

Proverbs 25:17. Our common expressions, “Don’t wear your welcome out” and “Familiarity breeds contempt”, carry the same message. People have work to be done and business to be seen about. One who has nothing to do and keeps running over to the house of those who do soon makes his/her appearance an unwelcome sight. It is better to have the others say, “Come over,” than to have them think, “I wish they would leave.” The marginal reading is interesting: “Lest he be full of thee.”

Verse 18

Pro 25:18

Proverbs 25:18

"A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow."

This proverb is a reflection of the Decalogue, Commandment No. 9.

Proverbs 25:18. The “paraphrase” says, “Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an ax, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow.” Psalms 57:4 speaks of people “whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword”. Psalms 120:3-4 speaks of the tongue as “sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper”. and Proverbs 12:18 speaks of the rash tongue as the “piercings of a sword”.

Verse 19

Pro 25:19

Proverbs 25:19

"Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint."

It would be hard for anyone to imagine two more uncomfortable conditions than those mentioned in line two. The more serious, of course, would be the foot out of joint (`broken’ in some translations); because in loss of mobility one would be unable to flee from danger. To paraphrase the proverb it says that, "Trusting an unfaithful man in a crisis is both extremely painful and dangerous."

Proverbs 25:19. Putting one’s trust in an unreliable person lets him down in the day of trouble. This is why some people should not be given a church class to teach, why some people should not be entrusted with important business, etc. You cannot use a broken tooth nor count on a foot out of joint. Each person should want to be reliable, responsible, and trustworthy And each of us should be wise enough not to count upon the irresponsible.

Verse 20

Pro 25:20

Proverbs 25:20

"As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather and as vinegar upon soda, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart."

"Singing gay songs to a heavy heart is like disrobing a man on a cold day, or adding sour wine to soda.” Again, this deals with something that is not appropriate and that will not be appreciated.

Deane noted that the soda mentioned here was `nitrate of potash’ or saltpeter. ""It effervesces with an acid such as vinegar and becomes useless.” This is indeed a valid illustration of the uselessness of singing gay songs to the disconsolate.

Proverbs 25:20. In case of light sorrow of disappointments, we may sing with such a one to cheer him up and pep him up, but in case of extreme sorrow (.such as from death; we do not say to such a one, “Come on, let’s all gather around the piano and sing and have a good time.” Festive singing would be as out of order under those conditions as taking away a needed garment in cold weather and would meet with emotional resistance similar to what happens when you pour vinegar upon soda, and the two boil up. “Pulpit Commentary:” “The proverb gives three instances of what is wrong, incongruous, or unwise, the first two leading up to the third, which is the pith of the maxim.”

Verses 21-22

Pro 25:21-22

Proverbs 25:21-22

"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee."

The teaching here is adopted almost word for word in Romans 12:20. "Heaping coals of fire upon the head of an enemy" is a metaphor referring to the pangs of conscience that an enemy will experience upon receiving such undeserved treatment.

Illustration: In our rural community, where this writer grew up, a married couple were experiencing serious problems. A preacher, serving as a counselor, asked the woman, "Have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head"? She said, "No, but I tried a skillet of hot grease"!

Proverbs 25:21. Both Old and New Testaments teach that we should treat one who has not been good to us as we would a friend. Old Testament: “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again” (Exodus 23:4); New Testament: “Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Our verse and the one following are quoted in Romans 12:20. If you, a godly person, are seeking to win an enemy through kindness, you may get nowhere by socially inviting him over for a meal. The matter may be different “if” he is hungry (without food) or “if” he is thirsty (without drink); help offered him in dire circumstances when he might well expect you to disregard his condition or inwardly rejoice over his plight will not be refused (a drowning man will grasp a rope thrown to him regardless of who is on the other end). By such means, Romans 12:21 shows, you may be able to overcome his evil done to you by your good done to him. How worthwhile! How both of you will rejoice!

Proverbs 25:22. Counseling a woman about her difficult husband, a preacher asked her if she had tried “heaping colds of fire upon his head”; she said, “No, but I’ve tried boiling water, and that didn’t work.” The woman missed the point of this statement. “Clarke” rightfully observes: “Thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head—not to consume, but to melt him into kindness, a metaphor taken from smelting metallic ores: ‘So artists melt the sullen ore of lead By heaping coals of fire upon its head.’” God has promised to reward such actions.

Verse 23

Pro 25:23

Proverbs 25:23

"The north wind bringeth forth rain; So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance."

The versions reveal two different meanings of this. "The north wind drives away rain; so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.” Here the angry countenance is that of one who hears the words of the backbiter. "The north wind brings forth rain; and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.” Here the angry looks are upon the face of the victim of the slander. The passage is true both ways.

Proverbs 25:23. Rainfall in the north of Palestine is heavier than in the south, so a wind from that direction would bring moisture (or from the west, where the sea is, Luke 12:54) while one from the south (which is desert) would only bring parching weather (Luke 12:55). Just as surely will a tongue that “bites a person behind his back” arouse an angry countenance in the one so spoken of/against. Backbiting is serious: it is mentioned in Romans 1:30 among the awful sins of that chapter’s long list; it is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:20 as a part of church-trouble; Psalms 15:1-3 shows one must be free from it to dwell in God’s tabernacle on His holy hill; and Psalms 101:5 says God will destroy one guilty of it.

Verse 24

Pro 25:24

Proverbs 25:24

"It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house."

This is practically the same proverb as Proverbs 21:9; Proverbs 21:19. See our comments there.

Proverbs 25:24. The same is found, word for word, in Proverbs 21:9. Proverbs 21:19 agrees with the conclusion when it says, “It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.” Proverbs 19:13 says, “The contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.” If there is anything that will “get a man” or that is obnoxious to a man, it is the nagging and continual harpings of a woman. Moral: Women, don’t do it! Girls, don’t develop it! Boys, don’t marry it! Married men, you have a problem!

Verse 25

Pro 25:25

Proverbs 25:25

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from afar country."

In a sense, what is said here is true of any good news; but what is implied in this verse is that, "The extreme difficulty of getting news from a distant place (especially in ancient times) heightened and increased the refreshment that such good news gave.”

Proverbs 25:25. In Bible days one received very little news from distant places (not like we do today). The welcomeness of a drink of cold water when thirsty and the refreshing relief it brings suggest that one’s heart is refreshed or relieved (or both) from good news from relatives afar off, or in the case of kings good news from his army fighting afar off.

Verse 26

Pro 25:26

Proverbs 25:26

"As a troubled fountain and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked."

"The yielding of the righteous man here is a reference to one who is forced to yield.” Just as a corrupted source of water for a community brings sorrow to them all, so the tragic overthrow of a righteous man is a heartache to the surrounding neighbors and friends.

Proverbs 25:26. A drinking fountain whose waters have been riled up or a spring that has had something dead or putrid fall into it to corrupt it are examples of something once good and usable now hindered and hurt and no longer good. So is a righteous man who gets corrupted by wicked people. This can happen to men who go into politics, to men who become judges, to men who go into business pursuits, to young people who go to college, to preachers who go to work with certain congregations; in fact, to almost anybody.

Verse 27

Pro 25:27

Proverbs 25:27

"It is not good to eat much honey; So for men to search out their own glory is grievous."

"The Hebrew here is difficult (obscure); but the RSV has guessed at it.” "It is not good to eat much honey, so be sparing of complimentary words.”

Proverbs 25:27. Anything good to eat (like honey) can be overindulged in. The same warning with reference to honey, a delicacy to the ancients, was mentioned in Proverbs 25:16. And anything natural, like searching into one’s ancestry if it was prominent or gloating over one’s accomplishments, is not good but grievous. Nobody likes to see another “stuck on himself”. Romans 12:16 says, “Be not wise in your own conceits.” And Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips.” An old saying: “Self-brag stinks.”

Verse 28

Pro 25:28

Proverbs 25:28

"He whose spirit is without restraint Is like a city that is broken down and without walls."

This is a reference to self-control, or discipline. Without it, a person is as certain to be victimized and destroyed as was an ancient city without any defenses. The necessary self-control, without which there can be no such thing as a happy and productive life, is derived from parental discipline when one is a child. This accounts for the stress that the Book of Proverbs lays on that very thing.

Proverbs 25:28. Another great verse on the need of self-control. A city broken down by some greater power and left without walls is weakened to the point of being defenseless against attack, and when a person has lost his sense of personal restraint or self-control, he/she is open to temptation’s attack. You are responsible for saying, “Yes,” to God and, “No,” to Satan; God built this responsibility into you when He created you with the right of choice. Restrain yourself! We put bits in horse’s mouths to restrain them; we build fences around livestock to restrain them; and God has commanded each of us to exercise self-control over selves. Paul said, “I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected” (1 Corinthians 9:27). James wrote, “Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil” (James 4:7). And Proverbs 16:32 praises self-control: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.”

Proverbs of Solomon - Proverbs 25:1-28

Open It

1. What style or method of persuasion has the most effect on you?

2. In what areas of life do you think people often lack self-control?

3. In what ways have you been criticized lately?

4. In what way is it harder to lose a bad reputation than to earn a good reputation?

Explore It

5. What character traits are discussed in this chapter? (Proverbs 25:1-28)

6. What relationships are explored in these proverbs? (Proverbs 25:1-28)

7. How should a king’s throne be established? (Proverbs 25:4-5)

8. What should a person do in the king’s presence? (Proverbs 25:6-7)

9. What did Solomon caution us to avoid? (Proverbs 25:7-8)

10. How can haste hurt us? (Proverbs 25:7-8)

11. What should we not betray? Why? (Proverbs 25:9-10)

12. What did Solomon say about words? (Proverbs 25:11)

13. To what did Solomon compare a piece of advice to which someone listens? (Proverbs 25:12)

14. What kind of boasting is bad? (Proverbs 25:14)

15. Through what can a ruler be persuaded? (Proverbs 25:15)

16. In what two areas of life should we practice moderation? (Proverbs 25:16-17)

17. When should we temper our enthusiasm or excitement? (Proverbs 25:20)

18. How did Solomon counsel us to treat enemies? (Proverbs 25:21-22)

19. In what ways should a righteous person resist others? (Proverbs 25:26)

20. What value is there in self-control? (Proverbs 25:28)

Get It

21. When is it harmful to be hasty?

22. Why would a person be tempted to exalt himself or herself in the presence of an important person?

23. In what ways do people exalt themselves or try to improve their standing with important people?

24. Why is it hard to lose a bad reputation?

25. How can we respond to constructive criticism from wise people?

26. What is difficult about giving advice or constructive criticism?

27. Why would gentle persuasion be better than harsh argumentation when trying to persuade someone?

28. Why would someone wise like Solomon encourage moderation?

29 Why is too much of a good thing sometimes bad?

30. How is meeting your enemy’s needs like heaping burning coals on his or her head?

31. In what area of your life do you need more self-control?

Apply It

32. In what area of your life in which you lack self-control will you make a concerted effort this week to exercise more discipline?

33. How can you adjust your style of persuasion or criticism so that it is more gentle, effective, or appropriate?

34. In what positive ways do you want to respond to any criticism you might receive this week?