Proverbs 17:16-20 – Keys to peace

Peace is priceless and is needed if we are to live a fulfilling life. A wrong word or a mindless inconsiderate act will disrupt relationship and lead to unrest. Peace is specially needed in social relationship. What are some keys to peace and tranquillity? Proverbs 17:12-20 provide us with five keys to peace.

The first key to peace, given in verse 16, is to pursue wisdom. Wisdom comes with thoughtful relationship. It cannot be bought with money. Even if it is possible to acquire wisdom with money, a foolish person, who has plenty of money, will still not be able to acquire it. Why? Because he lacks understanding. He does not have what it takes to possess wisdom. He has no mental capacity to understand and perceive what’s right and what’s wrong. The point is this: wisdom cannot be bought with money. It can only be acquired with a perceptive heart.    

The second key to peace is found in verse 17. It is to nurture friendship. It is said that true friends are identified when we face hard-times. During difficult times when friendship goes through the harshest test, a true friend does not desert you. He or she sticks around to lend strength and support. A true friend is much better than a relative. Jesus is the friend who sticks closer to us than a brother.

Verse 18 show us the third key to peace. It is not to be a co-signee in any business transaction. This verse advocates that we shouldn’t stand as a guarantor for anyone. To do so will put one’s own property at risk and create anxiety and unrest in one’s heart.

The fourth key to peace is to live a humble lifestyle. Verse 19 says, “He who loves transgression loves strife; He who raises his door seeks destruction.” The word transgression is better seen as quarrels. What this verse tells us is that a person who is quarrelsome will incessantly nit-pick and quibble over the smallest of things. He will not stop until the person he nit-picks with responds angrily. What does it mean “to raise one’s door”? It is to be arrogant. Just as when one builds a high door, the structure may not be able to hold it, resulting in a collapse. It suggests that a person who is arrogant will end up being destroyed by his arrogance.

The fifth key to peace given in verse 19 is consistency. A person with a crooked mind cannot think straight. By his inability to differentiate what is needful, he antagonizes others. He will end up a bankrupt – spiritually and materially. An inconsistent person cannot speak with congruence. He will say one thing at one time and something else at another. He becomes an unreliable person.  Being perceptive, friendly, wise, humble and consistent will contribute to peaceful living. Let us go for it and find rest as we relate with the Lord and others