15 Guaranteeing a loan for a stranger leads to trouble, but one who hates to shake hands remains secure. 16 A gracious woman takes hold of honour, but ruthless men take hold of riches. 17 A merciful man benefits his own soul, but a cruel man brings trouble on his own flesh. 18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a true reward. 19 Just as righteousness leads to life, pursuing evil leads to death. 20 Perverted hearts are disgusting to the Lord, but his favour rests on those whose way has integrity. 21 Be sure of this: An evil person will not go unpunished, but the children of the righteous will escape. 22 The beauty of a woman who lacks moral judgment is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. Proverbs 11:15-22 Evangelical Heritage Version.

Some things in life are better than others. Most of us would choose good health over much wealth, or faithful friends over shallow ones. A large part of Proverbs is made up of short sayings that contrast one thing against another. Sometimes there's an obvious link from one verse to the next, but often the verses stand on their own. The common thread of today's short section is that we should take care in the things we aim for in this world. For example, what is the wiser choice according to vs 16?

At the end of the day a good reputation is worth more than riches. I know that many celebrities with lots of money and multiple divorces would disagree with that, but I'm looking at it from the what the Lord has said. We see that clearly in vs 20. He favours integrity, not perversity. It's better to be righteous than to be 'politically correct'.

Notice too that vs 16 spoke of 'taking hold' of honour. There are some things in life we have no control over - such as what sex we were born, whether we had a single parent or a mum and dad, or whether they could afford a good education or not. But most of life is made up of choices we make along the way. What does vs 19 tell us about the consequences of choices we make?

Bad choices can lead to ruin even in this life, let alone when we stand before God on the day of judgement. That's what vs 15 shows. Those who invest money in people whose character they don't know often get taken for a ride. The nice thing about good and wise choices is not only how attractive they make our life, but the benefit they bring to ourselves and to others. What are those benefits according to vs 17 and vs 21?

Being merciful is good for the soul! Jesus said to his disciples: “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:37-38) On the other hand, cruel people eventually get what they deserve. If not in this life then certainly at the resurrection. And vs 21 suggests that the children of those who choose righteousness and mercy are also benefited. If they follow the good foundation their parents have laid they too will escape the perils of sin.

So what about that strange statement in vs 22? There are people who would label his words as sexist and an example of Bible misogyny. How would you explain the verse to someone who thought that?

I'd say that his words were simply pointing out that there is something even more attractive than physical beauty. True integrity that leads to sound moral judgements in life is far better than beauty without such integrity. The same would apply to men. A plain looking man with integrity who is faithful to his wife and a good father is far better than the most handsome man who sleeps around. Taking hold of integrity in life benefits our own soul as well as our families. May God help us daily to choose the things that are better.