PROVERBS CHAPTER 13.
V. 12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, since the unfulfilled longing is too great a strain for a person; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life, giving new vigor and strength, renewing a person’s youth.
V. 13. Whoso despiseth the Word shall be destroyed, even if a person thinks he can mock the will and Word of the Lord, he is still bonded to it and cannot escape the obligation laid on him; but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded, he will enjoy blessing and peace.
V. 14. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, his teaching being like a spring which yields new understanding and strength every day, to depart from the snares of death, for wisdom enables him to recognize and to avoid such snares.
V. 15. Good understanding giveth favor, that is, proper prudence, true culture, causes men to have a high and kindly regard for those who possess it; but the way of transgressors is hard, the selfishness of the ungodly and malicious causes them to be hard, utterly lacking in sympathy, and therefore also desolate and unfruitful.