Solomon Says...

Proverbs 18:

Several verses in the beginning of this chapter are focused on the tongue. Solomon knew that words matter...verse 21 says, "the tongue has the power of life and death." We underestimate the power of the tongue, whether used for good or evil. Verses 9-12 focus on security. Verse 11..."the wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." True security, however, is not found in money but in the Lord. I would guess that the inspiration for the Kutless song 'Strong Tower' came from verse 11. Check it out here. Verses 15-19 talk about some of the basic rules of ancient Israel's courts. It really all boils down to fairness. Fairness should be a basic quality of someone that knows God. Verse 22 talks about the joy of having a good wife. Women would later become the downfall of Solomon as he accumulated around 1,000 wives. He must have had a lot of bathrooms in his house. The problem with all of his wives was they were not followers of God. They influenced Solomon to worship other gods. So, a God-fearing woman is 'good' and verse 22 says we can receive favor from the Lord if we find one.