Proverbs 12: 9-10
“Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.”(Proverbs 12:9) The person who is thought little of by their friends and is lowly in their own eyes, if he has a slave to cater to all his wants and needs, they are better off than one who boasts of his rank and family, and are on the verge of salvation. Being self-important doesn’t just mean that you care for yourself, but it means that you go out of your way to make sure YOU have all you need, and it means never thinking of other people before yourself. Where is the good in that? We are fools to think that we wouldn’t be despised if all we cared about was our personal well-being. What Solomon is trying to say is that it’s better to be just a somebody with a servant, implying some means of honest living, than to be well-known and have no food.
“The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.” (Proverbs 12:10) A godly man would not put even an animal to needless pain, but the wicked often speak of others as well used, when they would not endure the same treatment for a single day. The cruel acts of the wicked are ungraciously rendered to the needy. The righteous more regards an animal than the wicked man. In another translation is says, “…but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” (NIV). What good is our life if we would put down others the same way someone else puts us down? Could we handle being tormented and made fun of the same way we do to others? Most of us get down on ourselves when someone says a joke that discriminates us, how could we handle the cruelness of the wicked Solomon is referring to? I challenge you to think before you say and do. Be mindful of others’ feelings and live a godly lifestyle that people can look up to.