This chapter deals with your personal character, and humility, for you will not deserve the honor until there is humility.

Proverbs 19:1 "Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, Than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool."

It is better for a poor man to walk in his innocence, for being poor is a condition that you work yourself out of. It comes with hard work and the income that work brings. A fool is always a fool until he gains wisdom.

Proverbs 19:2 "Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet, sinneth."

It is not good for your soul, yourself, to be without knowledge. This verse is referring to the one that rushes into doing things without thought. This goes for saying things also before you think things through. We should always check things out before we go rushing into things. That goes for movements within a business, and in the family; have knowledge of what you intend to do before you start the action. Don't let your feet rush you into something.

Proverbs 19:3 "The foolishness of man perverteth his way: And his heart fretteth against the Lord."

Mankind likes to blame God for the foolishness of their own actions. God gave each of us His Word, which is our set of rules to govern our lives by. However people choose to disregard that advice and act out of the foolishness of their own minds, then when things don't go right the first thing they do is blame God for their own ignorance. The sign of a fool is to blame God for something that he or she has caused to happen to them. God is not a burden, and you had better not ask "what burden has God sent today." People put their own burdens on themselves. God does the blessing, and man does the perversions.

Proverbs 19:4 "Wealth maketh many friends; But the poor is separated from his neighbour."

When you have money, lots of it, then everybody wants to be your friend. That is human nature. Money is the separator of the rich and the poor. Poor as used here is referring to that person that is in need.

Proverbs 19:5 "A false witness shall not be unpunished, And he that speaketh lies shall not escape."

You can count on it that the false witness will be punished. God will see to it. God keeps the record, and in due time, all accounts will be settled. God is the final judge in all cases and there is no escape from that court.

Proverbs 19:6 "Many will intreat the favour of the prince; And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts."

Every person likes to be friend to one that is very generous. That is human nature, and in most cases, the one that is generous is just that way; as stated in the Hebrew; "He is genuinely a generous man." The prince is one in authority to determine whether you are successful or not, will also draw all sorts of friends trying to draw favors from him. Whether holding a public office, or in a business providing a service, that one in authority will draw all kinds special attention, and people will be nice to him or her.

Proverbs 19:7 "All the brethren of the poor do hate him: How much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him."

The way that this verse is worded is quite confusing. The word "brethren" should read "kin"; it is referring to blood kin [relatives]. However the "friends" are those that are good friends to that person. So this should read: "All the kin folks of the poor do hate him: So how much more do his friends that are not kin folks go far from him? Though he tries to speak to them, they still try to get far from him." This is the general norm, but there are exceptions to any rule.

Proverbs 19:8 "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that keepeth understanding shall find good."

This is to say the each soul desires the eternity for itself, and wisdom will get it for you. Wisdom allows you to seek it at the right source, through God's Word. This is the reversal of verse five, for he that keepeth reasonability that comes from the Word, about him or herself will find that life eternal. When you take both the positive and the negative things into account in your judgment, and act accordingly, it will be according to your understanding of God's Word.

Proverbs 19:9 "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shll perish."

When a false witness speaks falsely on the witness stand, he is intentionally harming an innocent person, and God doesn't take lightly to a liar. The false witness will be accountable for those words whether here on earth or at the judgment seat of God.

Proverbs 19:10 "Delight is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes."

"Delight" or luxury does not seem right for a fool, much less does the wealth of a servant be greater than the prince that he serves. It is saying, you know your place, so fit into that place. It just isn't right for some fool to play a role of something that he is not. So common sense will tell you that you prepare and grow into what ever role or position that you become.

Proverbs 19:11 "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression."

This verse is telling us to have patience; be slow to anger. Use d discretion in your actions and the words that you speak. Many times the person that has done wrong to you will have a change of mind, simply because of the words you spoke in patience, and the way you approached that wrong deed done to you. Many times when you overlook a wrong deed that someone has done to you, that person will have a complete change of mind and right that wrong. However, by doing so, many would use that act of kindness to take advantage over you. You have to react personally to these proverbs concerning character with spot judgments.

Proverbs 19:12 "The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; But his favour is as dew upon the grass."

This is merely stating that it is better to be in good favor with the government that is over you, than to have them against you. So a wise person learns how to work within the framework of what ever system is in power, and in return causing the government to work for him or her.

Proverbs 19:13 "A foolish son is the calamity of his father: And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping."

The foolish son is nothing but problems to his father. The nagging of a wife is continuous, and if allowed to start, it will go on and on and ever end.

Proverbs 19:14 "House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: And a prudent wife is from the Lord."

What ever a father has in worldly goods is passed off to the children in an inheritance. Remember what the word "Prudent" means, it is one that uses good judgment and common sense in matters dealing with her income and wealth. There is only one place that you will get a wife like this, and that is from the Lord. Why? The Lord created her soul, and all good gifts come from the Lord. Sure, your earthly father can give you wealth, but only God can give you a good wife.

Proverbs 19:15 "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep: And an idle soul shall suffer hunger."

The lazy person that sleeps the day away is going to go hungry, and in time his stomach pangs will help him get out to locate a job for earning a meal.

Proverbs 19:16 "He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; But he that despiseth his ways shall die."

You are protecting and guarding your own soul when you keep the commandment. However that person that is reckless in his ways and actions will lose his soul on judgment day. Rejecting the commandments of God, and following those traditions of men will lead you to your eternal death.

Proverbs 19:17 "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; And that which he hath given will He pay him again."

It is important to understand what "poor" is meant within this verse. We know that the lazy person will be poor but how is poor used here. "Poor" in Strong's Hebrew dictionary is #1809; "dalal; a feeble or handicapped person". When you show your compassion and love to these needy, that cannot help themselves, Father will reward you well for your service to Him.

Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, And let not thy soul spare for his crying."

This verse is telling us that we are not to allow the crying of the son to spare the rod or punishment that he has coming to him. However, at the same time you are punishing your son, don't break his spirit with to harsh of treatment. It is important that we leave enough spirit for that son to get up and have the desire to get ahead. Never correct your child when you are angry, what ever caused the trouble in the first place will wait until you cool down. Always explain to the child why the punishment must be given, and then do it.

Proverbs 19:19 "A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: For if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again."

What this is saying is that when a man gets in trouble by his own actions, don't buy off those troubles, and bail him out, but let him learn the hard way. He will not learn until he understand that there is an accounting that has to come for those actions done in foolishness.

Proverbs 19:20 "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."

The person that is willing to listen to counsel and takes the instruction to heart will be better off for the instruction he has received. Wise counsel will even have its rewards in the here-after, in the heavenly age.

Proverbs 19:21 "There are many devices in a man's heart; Nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand."

There are many devices and things that can enter into a person's life, and most of those plans never come to pass. That is why we must keep focused on the Word for only then can we rely on those things to come to pass. The rest of the world simply cannot be relied on. This is why God's Word is such a blessing, because it gives you the stability, that you will not be blown around a reed in a wind storm. Our Father's Word sets the direction for our lives, and we can count on it.

Proverbs 19:22 "The desire of a man is his kindness: And a poor man is better than a liar."

You can tell the way a man is by the measure of his kindness. This "poor" man in this verse means that he is a person that will not keep his word. You can rely upon him. This person will promise you all sorts of things, but in the end, you just can not count on that person to keep his word. He or she is just not dependable

Proverbs 19:23 "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil."

By reverence to the Lord will give you life, both in the physical and in the here after. That is the sign that you are abiding in His Word, for you would be satisfied. By allowing God's Love to flow through your life. God will bless you to a point to where you will have peace of mind. Along with your peace of mind, you will not be visited at night with evil thoughts. You will sleep content.

Proverbs 19:24 "A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again."

This is a description of just how lazy a person can get, that will not even bring his hand to his mouth to feed himself. The word "bosom" as used in the Hebrew text, should be translated dish, and it is based on the way people brought the food from the dish to their mouth when they ate. So what this is saying is that once this lazy person gets his hand in the large dish, he is to lazy to feed himself. This dude fell asleep just getting his hand to the food dish.

Proverbs 19:25 "Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: And reprove on that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge."

Though you smite this scoffer, the scoffer may not, but those watching, will. When evr any punishment is given out, there is somebody watching that will learn. This is why capital punishment is good, for the one dying will certainly not do murder again, and by watching, it may cause other to refrain also.

Proverbs 19:26 "He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, Is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach."

This son is absolutely no good. This is why discipline is a must for the child at a young tender age, to keep the child from developing bad habits at a young age.

Proverbs 19:27 "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction That causeth to err from the words of knowledge."

This verse is warning us to stay away from and don't listen to any instruction that puts error in our minds, different than God's Word teaches.

Proverbs 19:28 "An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: And the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity."

A false witness just does not care about any judgment, he just doesn't believe that God exists. Yes, the wicked person just loves iniquity, he can't get enough of it. Be aware of the wicked.

Proverbs 19:29 "Judgments are prepared for scorners, And stripes for the back of fools."

Sentences are set for those that violated the law, and the stripes are for the back of fools. The stripes are the carrying out of the punishment.