Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

As we continue in Proverbs, we read more of Solomon's words.

Chapter 13 juxtapose the consequences of walking in wisdom and walking in foolishness.

He almost makes it sound like the wise person will live a charmed life and have exactly zero problems.

Think about the wisest person you know. Have they suffered at all in their life?

And wouldn't they probably say that their suffering is what has produced some of their wisdom?

I know my suffering has certainly taught me things I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Wisdom and suffering aren't mutually exclusive like Proverbs can occasionally make them seem.

So it bears repeating, these Proverbs are general guidelines for wise living, not promises or prophecies.

So the good news for all of us is that if we're having a hard time

it doesn't necessarily mean we're foolish, but it might mean we have a chance to

grow in wisdom which will always last longer than the suffering itself.

Speaking of wisdom, verse 20 is one of my favorites from this chapter.

It says, whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm. You've probably heard the quote that's

attributed to Jim Rone that says, you're the average of the five people you spend the

most time with. And as smart as he was, Jim probably got that idea from

Solomon.

Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 1533.

Do not be deceived.

Bad company ruins good morals.

The wise aren't just attentive to their words, like we've seen repeatedly.

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