Chapter 17
I visited a good friend one day many years ago. He and his wife were best friends with my wife and me. We had planned to watch the Cowboy game after church. We always enjoyed going to their house. His wife was a stellar designer — their home looked like one of those model homes right out of a magazine.
But when we walked in that day, we could tell something was off. It was like a chill had settled into the air. Sitting in this “perfect” home, we could feel that all was not right in their world. The tension was thick and unmistakable. It became clear that our friends were in the middle of some kind of marital strife.
That moment has stayed with me — because it reminded me that peace isn’t found in appearances. A picture-perfect home doesn’t mean much if there’s no peace inside it.
Proverbs 17 starts with this: sometimes it’s better to have a dry crust of bread in peace than a feast in a house full of conflict. In other words, peace is greater than plenty.
This chapter zooms in on what really matters in life: peace, integrity, loyalty, and love. And it doesn’t just warn us about external issues like gossip, fighting, or injustice. It pushes us to check what’s happening in our own hearts. Because a peaceful life starts with a peaceful posture. A wise response. A humble spirit. A heart that values the right things.
It’s easy to read Proverbs and think, “Oh yeah, they need to hear this.” But Proverbs 17 invites us to look inward and ask, “What’s the posture of my heart?” Am I stirring up conflict or working for peace? Am I holding grudges or extending grace? Am I loyal when it’s inconvenient, honest when it costs me, quiet when gossip tries to pull me in?
Our culture chases comfort and wealth but often neglects peace and humility. We value the appearance of success, but Proverbs reminds us that real wealth is found in right relationships; and those start with a right heart.
Jesus modeled that perfectly. He didn’t just teach peace, He embodied it. His heart was steady even when life around Him wasn’t. He showed us how to forgive, how to love faithfully, and how to stay grounded in the Father’s will even when others were picking fights or walking away.
So as you read Proverbs 17, don’t just look at what it says about the people around you. Let it speak to you. Let it challenge your heart posture. Because the real goal isn’t just avoiding conflict — it’s becoming the kind of person who carries peace wherever you go.
1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool–how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
13 Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent–the LORD detests them both.
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor.
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.