Proverbs 18:24 – One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 teaches that one who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin. However, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother and continues to be faithful even in difficult circumstances. This verse has been translated differently in many modern Bibles, but the King James Version emphasizes the value of friendships and their necessity for maintaining healthy relationships with other people.
A wise man has pleasure in understanding; but a fool finds delight in expressing his own heart. The fool puts his priorities and interests in the wrong place, so they find no satisfaction in wisdom.
The rich man sees his wealth as a strong city and a high wall in his own esteem, but the righteous know that they can also find safety in the Lord and His character. The rich man thinks he is safe from destruction, but if he allows his estate to fall into disrepair through neglect and laziness, he is actually the destroyer.
He takes his cause in a quarrel against the righteous: They are weak, but he is powerful. This is a type of arrogance, a way of displaying his own power over other people. It is not only a bad thing to overpower others, but it can be harmful to one’s own reputation and honor.
His mouth is like a snare to his soul: The words of a fool show his folly, but they also work to destroy him and cause him to sin. They entangle him in a snare that is deadly and painful.
