Today’s Proverbs keeps our pride in check, which is crucial, because given our fallen nature, we always run the risk of succumbing to our own pride, as in, “I am right and you are wrong” — 

Pro 30:11  Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother.

Pro 30:12  They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed.

Pro 30:13  They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances.

We might not all curse our parents, but the other verses there, being right in our own eyes when in reality we are still lugging around a suitcase full of sin.  And if we carefully examine ourselves, it’s quite likely that we have looked down upon others.  How many people looked down on others and the way they spent their stimulus money, when really that’s none of our business.  

The truth is that we are all prideful people in some way, shape or form, some of us mores than others, but the fact remains, we all carry the burden of sin, the only way out is through Christ, who speaks on looking down on others when He tells us, judge not, lest you be judged.

Pro 30:10  Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it. 

In the corporate dog eat dog world, it is common to try and climb ladder by stepping over others.  However, the Bible warns

An incredibly sensible Proverb today that spans 3 verses:

Pro 30:7  Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die:

Pro 30:8  Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

Pro 30:9  That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

What words to live by!  We shouldn’t lie, nor should we covet wealth.  Wealthy people are often gods in their own minds.  If you have ever encountered a head of a company or a department, or a self made millionaire, they are always smart in their own eyes, and they saldy have typically gotten drunk on their own success.  These types are full of pride, and God hates the proud, and no one should aspire to be on the wrong end of God’s anger.

On the other hand, we shouldn’t want to be so poor that we are destined to steal and rob either.  Thou Shalt Not Steal is one of the Ten Commandments, violating this is a major no-no biblically.

So to summarize, we shouldn’t aspire to be rich or poor, but be content with the gifts that God has given us.  As Jesus tells His disciples seek first the Kingdom and all these things will be added to you.  In other words, God will give us what we need, not wanting drunken and excessive lifestyles of the rich or robbing other because that only draws us into sin and ultimately away from God.  We want to be close to God; As James 4:8 says, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.  We can stay close with God through readings His Word, and living it in obedience.

Proverbs today reminds us that God has revealed Himself to us exclusively through the Bible:

Pro 30:5  Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Pro 30:6  Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

This is important to note because there are all sorts of false prophets out there that claim to have visions from God, as if they are some sort of spiritual medium that communicates with God on our behalf, and they are basically doing what today’s Proverb warns us against: adding to God’s words.  Over time folks like Jim Jones, David Koresh and even as recently as 2012 false prophets have claimed to know when the rapture was coming and nefariously influenced people into following them.  

This is what the Bible says about listening to people who speak outside of God’s word:

Heb 1:1  God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

So that right there is the Old Testament where God spoke to us through guys like Isaiah, Amon, Jeremiah etc.

Then our era, or the New Covenant/New Testament, here is what scripture says we should listen to:

Heb 1:2  in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

That means that Jesus’s life is what we ought to look to for truth, and it is thoroughly revealed to us in all 4 Gospels.  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all accounts of Jesus’s life, His teachings and most importantly His atoning work on the cross.  That is what saves us, Jesus…not false teachers.  

Pro 29:25  The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 

Pro 29:22  An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. 

Pro 29:20  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 

Pro 29:20  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 

Pro 29:18  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

Pro 29:11  Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.