PROVERBS CHAPTER 15.
V. 16. Better is little with the fear of the Lord, the proper contentment with the blessings of the Lord, small as they may be outwardly, than great treasure and trouble therewith, for the possession of riches brings cares and worries, which often are very unpleasant, 1 Tim. 6, 6.
V. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs, a portion of the very simplest food, where love is, where a person is in the midst of his loved ones, than a stalled ox, one fattened by hand-feeding, and hatred therewith, on account of the envy, jealousy, and hatred of people with whom one dines. Not the richness of the repast brings happiness, but the circumstances which attend it.
V. 18. A wrathful man, one unable to keep his temper, stirreth up strife, his way of acting is bound to result in quarrels; but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife, himself refusing to become excited and always making use of conciliatory speeches.
V. 19. The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns, since he is always meeting with obstructions and hindrances; but the way of the righteous is made plain, like an open highway, for his diligence and the blessing of the Lord combine in making the accomplishment of life’s tasks easy.