Proverbs 15 - Summary

The way to avoid stirring up strife, is to be slow to anger (v18) instead of becoming angry quickly or easily. Saying things that grieve people cause them to become more and more angry (v1), but responding gently can calm them down even when they're starting to get mad.

The way we speak is so important. Saying the right thing at the right time causes joy and is so good (v23). If we're pure, we'll use pleasant words (v26b). Wholesome words bring life (v4).

Happiness effects health (v13,30), and our attitudes can determine whether our situations are positive (v15), instead of visa-versa.

We should use restraint in our speech instead of speaking too much (v2), and study in our hearts before we reply to something (v28). If we're wise, our speech will give out knowledge (v7).

Instead of being proud (v25) we should be humble (v33b) and listen. We should seek for knowledge (v14) and have advice from many different people (v22). We should listen to our parents (v5,20) and to reproof (v10,12,31,32.)

Like we should listen to our parents and receive correction, we should be humble and fear of the Lord (v16,33). Here's a reason to fear Him: The Lord sees everything (v3), even people's hearts (v11). He responds well to righteous people (v9b), and hears their prayers (v8b,29b), but it's hard for wicked people to approach Him (v29a). He detests wicked people's ways (v9a), their thoughts (v26a), and even their sacrifices (v8a).

Righteous people have a plain (v19), upright (v21), and higher (v24) pathway.

Righteousness is where the real value is. Treasure comes from righteousness (v6), but even great treasure isn't of great value, when it comes with trouble instead of with the fear of the Lord (v16). Real value comes from having the fear of the Lord, even with just a small amount of stuff. Love is so much better than hatred, that it would be better to have love and just vegetables to eat, than it would be to have hatred, even with a whole ox (v17), and oxen were especially valuable back then. Greed can end up backfiring, but life comes to people that are so opposite of greedy that they even hesitate to accept gifts (v27). (And I think that word, gifts there is talking about bribes.)