[1] A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
[2] The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
[3] The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
[4] A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
[5] A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.
[6] In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
[7] The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so.
[8] The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
[9] The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness.
[10] Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.
[11] Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
[12] A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise.
[13] A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
[14] The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
[15] All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
[16] Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.
[17] Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.
[18] A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
[19] The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
[20] A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
[21] Folly brings joy to one who has no sense, but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
[22] Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
[23] A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!
[24] The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.
[25] The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.
[26] The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight.
[27] The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.
[28] The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
[29] The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
[30] Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
[31] Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.
[32] Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.
[33] Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.
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Much of Proverbs 15 is about how we are to use our words and speak to others. This often takes wisdom, patience, discernment, and having a teachable spirit. When it comes to discussing controversial matters, more times than not, we think that we are the one in the right, and the one we are speaking with is in the wrong. That may be the case, but as Christians, God instructs us to be humble, and that means having a teachable spirit. Having a teachable spirit means that we are willing to learn and that we are open to the possibility that what we think we know, may be wrong. This takes wisdom, and reliance on the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us. God has also given the members of His body different gifts to teach us and to help us discern the truth. Christians should not go outside of His body to learn the truth about God or His ways because many people are deceived and do not know the truth and can lead us astray. God has provided His people with the Holy Spirit and others within His body to teach them, however there are deceived people in our churches as well, so we must be able to discern between the truth and lies. Walking in the Spirit helps tremendously in this regard. The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize when someone is twisting the truth or teaching a deception. So dependence on the Holy Spirit and on Godly wisdom as taught in Proverbs will help us to have a teachable spirit, which will help the body of Christ to walk in the truth, as well as become one in heart and mind.
Read Proverbs 15 and write down the verses that speak about having a teachable spirit. In a second category, write down the verses that speak about being wise in how we speak. And in a third category, write down the verses that speak about having discernment in how we speak.
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