So this chapter is going to instruct us as to how we should get along in our social life. It tells us how our personal virtues or values should be in dealing with others at the job, at home and around the community and neighborhood, and even within our family.

Proverbs 18:1 "Through desire of man, having separated himself, seeketh And intermeddleth with all wisdom."

To be "intermeddleth" means that he likes to quarrel with those around him. So the man that likes to be by himself, a recluse, wants to seek wisdom and truth on his own. Whatever wisdom he gains, he doesn't want it from an outside source. He doesn't want to learn the facts from experience of himself or by others, but shuns being with others. He is what we would call a loner, a know-it-all.

Proverbs 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, But that his heart may discover itself."

The fool just does not care about learning to gain knowledge or understanding, for all he is interested in is mouthing off over matters that he knows little about. He lacks common sense, and he never learns by his own errors, and that is why he makes the same mistakes over and over. We must build a pattern of listening to other, and learning by those mistakes that we make.

Proverbs 18:3 "When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, And with ignominy reproach".

When a person comes around who has absolutely no morals or a sense of shame, so comes his contempt for wisdom. He holds nothing of God sacred, nor of any value. If someone is that way, remember them for what they are, and stay away from them. You know what they are and what to expect from them, so why would you make them part of your life.

Proverbs 18:4 "The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, And the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook."

This means that the words that a person speaks that are full of wisdom, comes from the wellspring of wisdom, which is the Word of God. All Wisdom comes from our Father, and it is only from His Word that the deep waters of truth can flow and be understood. God created all things and it is From our creator that all wisdom comes.

Proverbs 18:5 "It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, To overthrow the righteous in judgment."

This deals with hiring or seeking wisdom from a false witness. If you know a person is not truthful, or handles truth very lightly, don't allow them to represent you in court as a witness. It is not good to accept the witness of a wicked person to overthrow or over come a righteous judgment. That is true in court or in your personal life. Many people today simply do not care what oaths they take, for a oath means nothing to them. God is saying here that If you hire someone to lie in court for your, that is worse than you doing the lying yourself, and there will be an account for doing it.

Proverbs 18:6 "A fool's lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for strokes."

Every time a fool opens his mouth, contention comes pouring forth. Then when that fool speaks, it will get him into nothing but trouble. "Strokes" are "stripes" and were a form of punishment.

Proverbs 18:7 "A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul."

Again, when a fool opens his mouth, and allows his lips to speak foolishness, it will cause the destruction of his soul.

Proverbs 18:8 "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."

These "wounds", in the Hebrew text, means "as are dainty morsels", "i.e. are greedily swallowed". When you see those dainty morsels sitting on the party table, what a delight to eat and eat. They taste so good going down to your stomach. That is the way that many people feel about gossip that is given lightly. They just can't wait to hear the next little morsel of lies and tales. God is saying, don't be like that. Gossip harms those that it is against and don't allow it to take place in your presence. That is why God holds those that do it, an abomination to Himself.

Proverbs 18:9 "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."

This verse, of course, is talking about a lazy person. God is calling the lazy person equal to those that is a great destroyer. The lazy person wastes time, food, and all the other things of life. They destroy the wealth of their family as well as themselves.

Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

This is important, the "strong tower" is a watch tower, and the righteous person will run to that watch tower. Our Father is our watch tower, and we will find comfort in His Word.

Proverbs 18:11 "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And as an high wall in his own conceit."

In the rich man's own mind, his wealth is his salvation. In that wealth he builds high walls around that false sense of security and brings on conceit. He looses his sense of value for the precious things of life, and focuses only on his wealth.

Proverbs 18:12 "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, And before honour is humility. and before honor is humility."

It is man's prideful and conceded heart that will bring him to destruction. However, before a person deserves honor, there must be humility, for honor and humility go hand in hand.

Proverbs 18:13 "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him."

When someone is seeking an answer from you, make sure you have all the sides of the story before you state a position. Don't talk until all the facts of the case are known. Without all the fact, you could be giving very bad advice that could cause much harm.

Proverbs 18:14 "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a wounded spirit who can bear?"

If the spirit of a man [woman] is low, it will bring on sickness or keep him in sickness. However if he has a wounded spirit will lead a person to a complete mental breakdown. That is why it becomes important for each of us to build up the spirit of one that is low, to the breaking point. You develop a strong spirit by trusting the Father.

Proverbs 18:15 "The heart of the Prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge."

One that uses common sense gains knowledge, and he or she will learn, and he keeps his ear open to gain knowledge. He is awake to those things going on around him, and gains for others mistakes. When you see somebody making a mistake, you learn for that mistake.

Proverbs 18:16 "A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men."

This gift that this man has is a gift that is given directly from God. This gift is not a bribe. If God gives you a gift of great understanding, you will get ahead in life. That gift will make room of both you and the gift. That gift will be obvious to those around you, and you do not have to tell someone of that gift. If God calls you to teach, you will know you have the gift.

Proverbs 18:17 "He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; But his neighbour cometh and searcheth him."

This is a legal form for a court room set up, for the first person to give testimony will sound like he or she know what he is talking about, and that they are in the right. However to the one that sits in chair of the arbitrator, that first one speaking will have to wait until all parties have spoken, before a just judgment can be reached. No judgment can be reached until both sides have been heard.

Proverbs 18:18 "The lot causeth contentions to cease, And parteth between the mighty."

The "lot" today, is the Holy Spirit, we do not cast lots anymore. Today we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in all our actions. When we rely on the Holy Spirit it takes away all the guessing, and leaves us with a peace in our judgments. Even in the Old Testament times it wasn't the lot that settled the contention, but God that did the leading. The purpose of casting lots by the ancient priests were to see what God had to say.

Proverbs 18:19 "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: And their contentions are like the bars of a castle."

This verse deals strictly with family members dealing falsely with other family members. It deals with brother against brother. If you falsely offend him it will be harder to win him back that for an army to take a strong walled city. That's why family quarrels are very bad, for the damage done is very hard to overcome.

Proverbs 18:20 "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. "

Sure, a family is satisfied by the food it eats, however before that food is obtained, the bread earner must determine by what means he is going to earn that living. That is where wisdom comes in for by using the brain and wisdom first, the rest can be much easier. It deals with preparing yourself for the vocation you are going to be in, and using common sense to do a better job and succeed in that endeavor.

Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

We are talking of the soul here, so it is eternal life of death of the soul is in the power of the tongue. So what this is saying is that the choice is yours as to what direction your soul will take, and your tongue is what sets the direction. It is by your tongue that confession is made unto salvation through Jesus Name, and repentance comes to your soul. God gave you the right to make that selection for yourself, and he will not interfere with you freewill to go into the lake of fire. However at any point along the way, should you have a change of mind, He will hear your prayer of forgiveness and save your soul. It is your tongue that will either confess or reject salvation.

Proverbs 18:22 "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favour of the Lord."

Finding a good wife means that she is a good partner that knows how to take care of a home. Of course the love that she brings into the home heals all the wrongs of the home. When you have a good wife, you have found great favor with the Lord and are blessed. The wife is the center of the home and the family that holds the family together.

Proverbs 18:23 "The poor useth intreaties; But the rich answereth roughly."

A poor person looking for a favor will treat you right because he is looking to gain your favor. However the rich man doesn't need your help, and will treat you roughly at times. This helps you discern your friends, for it lets you know that if your friend needs your help, he can rely on you for that help. It shows that your poor friend shows common sense. This is the way it is in life, so expect it.

Proverbs 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

This is referring to that friend that will stick by you when every thing is going wrong, that is a friend indeed. He is a friend that will stick closer than a brother, and he is a real friend.