Proverbs 18:19-24

Proverbs 18:19-24
English Standard Version
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the LORD.
23 The poor use entreaties,
    but the rich answer roughly.
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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Be careful about how you treat your family members (including your brothers and sisters that are part of the family of God that you've been adopted into).  We should be quick to forgive and make peace as we want the LORD to do for us.

A person's words are powerful.  Solomon's wisdom here reminds me much of what James says about controlling the tongue and also how Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth overflows.  Our words should be used to glorify God and build up the others of the Body of Christ, but this has the byproduct of giving us a peace and satisfaction that comes from being controlled by the Spirit.  If we are controlled by the flesh instead, we use our tongues to harm others which often ends up hurting us.  Everyone will have to "eat" the fruit that comes about from the seeds they have sown with their words.

Solomon then affirms that it is part of God's good plan and design for men to find a good wife who will help them to bear and rear children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD.  While God has specific people that He calls to be single, that is not the normal plan for God's people.  Good and godly marriages that reflect the love that God has for His people are good and help people see the gospel lived out in our everyday lives.  The one who follows this plan the God has for him (to be a good husband and father) not only receives a good thing in his wife and children, but also receives special favor from the LORD.

The poor know that they must answer gently if they are to get what they need from those they are making requests of, but those who think they are rich and in need of nothing answer roughly or harshly.  They have little to no sympathy or empathy for those who go without basic needs.  There are many people that just can't imagine how people could really be working and struggling to make things work.

While having friends isn't a bad thing, the person who spends his time and resources trying to get everyone to like him will be like the Prodigal Son that came to ruin when the money ran out.  Instead, Solomon encourages us that we should focus on the quality of our friendships instead of the mere quantity of them.  Sometimes the bond between good friends is as strong as or even stronger than the bond between family members.  Hopefully you have these kinds of friends that feel as much like family or more like family than those who share common ancestry with you.