Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

The word "Boast" in the Hebrew is # 1984; "Kalal; to make a show, to boast, and thus to be (clamorously) foolish, to rave." Anytime you make a foolish statement about tomorrow of all the big things you are going to do, you are going to make a fool out of yourself. God, not you, is the one that controls the future. We are to leave the future in God's hands and trust on him.

Proverbs 27:2 "Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips."

Remember what Jesus said in Mark 6:4; "But Jesus said unto them, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, but among his own kin, and in his own house." It is better to have outsiders comment as to your character, than your next of kin, for the outsider has a different view of you. The farther the praises come from, the more sincere and valued the comment. This is not pertaining to your personal life, but to your teaching or professional skills. That makes is a more accurate report as to your gifts in that area. Family likes to overlook most of all the bad things, and in most cases are not skilled enough to even give a report.

Proverbs 27:3 "A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier that them both."

This fool is heavier to you than both the stone or the bag of heavy sand. They can be a millstone around your neck if you don't watch out. When a fool's wrath cuts loose, no telling what he will accuse you of. Their foolishness is always weighty on you, but never on them, because they believe the tripe that they are putting out on you. Stay away from fools. You identify them by their mouth and the garbage that flows from it.

Proverbs 27:4 "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; But who is able to stand before envy?"

Anger can be very cruel and completely outrageous when it is aimed at you. At the bottom of these cruel words is jealousy, and how do you stand against jealousy? Anger will cool off, but jealousy is a far greater sin, because there is no forgiveness, you just don't get over jealousy for it continues to eat away at your mind. I takes away your common sense, to the point that it wil  virtually rule your life. A jealous spirit will send you completely out of control. It usually comes to those that think that they are inferior to their competition, and that they are not worthy of what they are seeking. The just can't trust love and allow love to grow.

Proverbs 27:5 "Open rebuke is better Than secret love."

"Open rebuke" is in the sense that you hold back your feelings and don't allow the other person to know how much you do love them; is better than a secret love. This is a matter of facing reality with all honesty in the matter. If you love somebody, you are going to seek the best for them, and not allow trouble to come their way.

Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

The best way to translate this is to say that "the truth hurts", especially when it comes from a friend. However old rubber jaw down the street can make all sorts of compliments about you, and not one word of what he says is true; you know it, and everyone else knows it. This is Satan's number one method of operation. to lift you up, before he roughs you up. Watch out for those that overdue flattery upon you. Be careful.

Proverbs 27:7 "The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."

To the glutton, too much honey can make you sick, but when you are hungry that same honey is so sweet and satisfying. Stop and think for a moment, when you get just so full that the excesses will be trampled under foot. Put that in a spiritual sense, as when you have studied for a long period of time, when you just don't take care of the portion of Scripture as when you started the study. When you have had all the honey that you want, the rest just gets trampled under foot. Sitting under a good teacher, after awhile you will start to take things for granted, and overlook much of the instruction that would give you wisdom and understanding. Take care that it won't happen to you.

Proverbs 27:8 "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place."

The word "wandereth" is a final condition, for the bird has been cast out of the nest and there is no return. That young chick is very innocent at first and easily trapped and ensnared. That is as it is when a young person leaves home on a permanent basis. He or she is going into areas of life that they have not been in, and can easily be snared into things that are not good, so be careful.

Proverbs 27:9 "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: So doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel."

Fragrance of ointments and perfumes are used to cause mood swings, and change a person's heart. The "sweetness of a man's friend" is by his encouragement, and just as the ointments and perfumes can cause changes in a persons mind, so can a word of encouragement from you. On that day when you or a friend is down in spirits, just a simple word can uplift and change the entire day around.

Proverbs 27:10 "Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity; For better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off."

It is better to have a neighbor at your side when trouble comes, than the words of your brother that is far off. If the calamity is on you at that moment, an action to it has to be immediate, and the brother far off simply cannot assist. So this is referring to a friend of the family, yours and your father's friend that has proven that he will come to your side in the past. This person has been tried before and has come through for you. Their counsel is good.

Proverbs 27:11 "My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that reproacheth me."

Wake up and pay attention to those friends and people that will stand by your side when the going gets tough. Be wise, and get wisdom for that wisdom comes from God. Wisdom starts by loving the Father, and when you are on Father's side, He will provide the protection for you. In short this verse is telling us to use common sense with regards to instructions from Father's Word, and think ahead of what you are about to do. Make plans, set goals and keep focused on those tasks you are about to do.

Proverbs 27:12 "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and are punished."

The prudent man again is a person that is shrewd in the management of his practical affairs. He is cautious and discreet in what he does. He foresees the evil before it gets to him, and makes plans to avoid trouble. So plan and be in control of your life.

Proverbs 27:13 "Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, And take a pledge of him for a strange woman."

So what this is saying is that if you are going loan to a person or to be co-signed to stand good for somebody who is foolish, be prepared to cover that loan yourself. It is warning you to be careful of taking any pledge of someone that you do not know. Sure you might co-sign for a family member, or someone you knew well, but not a stranger.

Proverbs 27:14 "He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, raising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him."

By boasting that friend up too much in the morning, might cause that person to think more of himself than the blessing deserves. You might be setting him up for a fall. Paul told us in Romans 12:3; "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Satan gets to people by flattery, and we are to stay away from that type of dishonesty when dealing with our friends. Make your words true and trusted when dealing with a friend, if you want that friendship to stand.

Proverbs 27:15 "A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike."

A contentious woman is just like those raindrops that just keep falling all day long. In time it gets on your nerves. Knit-picking every little thing that you do, and of course this goes both ways, against the man that is over bearing also. The rain is not going to quit, the drops will continue and so will the blabber that is coming forth.

Proverbs 27:16 "Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, And the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself."

This proverb goes right along with the prior verse; and remember that this verse goes for both men and women. If you are going to try to restrain this contentious person, it is like trying to constrain the wind. This is telling us that she is as subtle as the wind and slippery as oil in your hand. Try to reach out and grab a handful of wind, and put it into your pocked, that is how it is in constraining this contentious person. It is impossible, the rain won't stop, nor will the contention stop until some maturity sets in.

Proverbs 27:17 "Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

It's idea of unity is within this verse. You need Iron to make Iron sharp. As you smile to your friend, he smiles back at you. As you pick up his spirits, he picks up yous. Get it? You prop up your friend and in turn that friend builds you up. That is what friends are for, to help and support one another.

Proverbs 27:18 "Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: So he that waiteth on his master shall be honored."

If you are a servant to the master, and he has a fig tree, then when that tree needs watering, as the servant you water it. In time that tree will bear fruit, and the time of the harvest comes. The honor comes after the fruit has come, and full obedience to your responsibility has taken place. The point here is that if you take care of your master's needs, in other words taking care of business, you will be honored. He is going to keep you around and be well taken care of.

Proverbs 27:19 "As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man."

This is a beautiful parable in it's thought, but the translators haven't quite got it. How can water face answer to face? If you look down into the water of a clear stream, and there in the water is a image of you looking back at you, you are seeing an image of yourself "face to face". Whatever expressions you have on your face, so will the reflection have on the image. This proverb is using this reflective image in the water to explain that this is exactly how it is when one person reflects the image of his heart to another. Whatever you see and do to your neighbor, that is how your neighbor is going to do to you. It is beautiful proverb and so true.

Proverbs 27:20 "Hell and destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied."

We are to be moderate in all things. When we seek to have excesses on anything, we get to a point to where nothing will satisfy our wants or needs.

Proverbs 27:21 "As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; So is a man to his praise."

If you are refining silver or purifying gold and putting those metals into a form, you should not be the one to praise the work for its beauty, but the others that see it.  They will give the accurate praise of its beauty. When we do a work, of course we will overlook many of the faults of our work, however it takes another to make the judgment as to the true worth of that item.

Proverbs 27:22 "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, Yet will not this foolishness depart from him."

To "bray" something is to pound on it. Before you can make the corn or wheat into flour for bread, you need to pound on it and make it into the flour. So what this is saying is that no amount of grinding or pounding will get rid of a fools folly. Sure it is good for grains, but not for fools.

Proverbs 27:23 "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds."

This is telling you to take good care of what you have; take care of business and don't let it get away from you. No one can take care of your business like you.

Proverbs 27:24 "For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure to every generation?"

This proverb is asking, are you setting up to pass on your wealth from generation to generation, or are you going to lose it. Again, take care of your business.

Proverbs 27:25 "The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, And herbs of the mountains are gathered."

When you cut the hay, and remove it, the second growth comes right up after the first growth. Again, take care of your crops, if there is a second crop, either graze the field, or wait to get a second cutting, don't be wasteful.

Proverbs 27:26 "The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field."

This verse is telling you to budget yourself, keep costs under control. Sure the lambs are for the clothing for your family and needs, but the goats are for selling to gain the price of the field. The goats are to reproduce and head for the sale barn. Make a plan for whatever you do, and stick by it.

Proverbs 27:27 "And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And for the maintenance for thy maidens."

Even while you have these goats on your farm, you have the right to milk the goats for food for the family. Again it gets to managing what you have for the betterment for your family.