I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 9-13.

Today’s passage starts with a personification of both wisdom and folly.  Both offer themselves to any who wish.  Wisdom offers using good judgment and accepting correction.  Folly offers hiding your actions from others and never admitting to doing wrong.  When the wise are corrected they change their behavior.  The fool denies having done wrong and strikes back at the one who offered advice. The rest of today’s passage consists of individual proverbs which do not have a common theme, except to distinguish wise actions from foolish actions.  However, there are several ideas which come up again and again.  One of those I already touched on.  The wise listen to criticism and seek to change their behaviors in light of it, even when the criticism is unwarranted.  The fool strikes back at those who criticize them, even when the criticism offers them an opportunity to avoid trouble.  The writer also includes multiple proverbs which warn us to limit what we say to that which is true, good, and helpful.  The fool speaks about that which they know little and babbles on revealing their ignorance.  The wise choose their words carefully, makes sure they have based their comments in facts, and shuts up when they have nothing more useful to say.