Session 19 • Proverbs 19
Important: This session is a supplemental guide. Always read the full chapter in your own Bible, and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding and discernment. These explanations are generated with technology and may reflect its limitations; weigh everything against Scripture.
Proverbs 19 warns against rushing, reacting, and relying on our own ideas. It calls us to listen before we leap, to slow anger instead of flare up, to care for the poor, and to let the Lord’s counsel stand over all of our plans. Wise people receive correction, show mercy, and trust God’s final word rather than their own impulses.
Proverbs 19:2 (KJV)
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
Acting without understanding leads to harm. Rushing ahead without knowledge is pictured here as a kind of sin — moving faster than wisdom.
Proverbs 19:11 (KJV)
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Good judgment slows anger down. It is an honorable thing to overlook a slight instead of exploding or keeping score.
Proverbs 19:17 (KJV)
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Caring for the poor is treated as lending to the LORD Himself. God promises to notice and to repay what is given.
Proverbs 19:20–21 (KJV)
Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
We all carry many ideas and plans, but only what the LORD intends will finally stand. Wisdom listens to counsel now in light of God’s ultimate say.
Aristotle describes practical wisdom as the skill of choosing the right action at the right time for the right reason. This requires slowing down, noticing the situation, and aiming at the true good. That lines closely with Proverbs 19’s call to avoid hasty feet and to listen to counsel before acting.
In the Analects, Confucius often praises the person who is slow to anger and careful in speech, because that person preserves harmony in relationships. This parallels the proverb that says it is a “glory” to pass over a transgression instead of flaring up and damaging community.
In the Eightfold Path, Right Intention and Right Action emphasize acting from a clear, non-harmful mindset rather than from impulse or anger. This sits near the biblical picture of letting discretion defer anger and choosing mercy toward the poor instead of acting out of greed or irritation.
Today’s practice focuses on slowing your reactions, especially when you feel impatient or angry, and opening space to hear counsel — from Scripture, from a trusted person, or from a quiet moment before God.
WIIFM (What’s in it for me?): You experience how a single calm response can lower tension, protect relationships, and keep you from saying something you regret.
WIIFM: You begin building a habit of checking your plans instead of blindly following your impulses, which reduces avoidable mistakes and regrets.
WIIFM: You can see your character taking shape — less ruled by irritation, more marked by mercy and steady judgment, which is exactly what Proverbs 19 presents as wise and God-honoring.
In the audio version of this session, briefly explain that Proverbs 19 is about slowing down — in our anger, in our decisions, and in how we treat people who have less than we do. Emphasize that haste without knowledge hurts us, while patience, mercy, and listening line us up with God’s counsel.
Walk the listener through one example where they normally react quickly (for instance, a critical email, a family comment, or a traffic situation), and let them imagine pausing, breathing, and choosing a calm response instead of a flare-up.
Close by inviting them to name one decision today where they will seek counsel, and one relationship where they will practice mercy instead of irritation.