Proverbs 27 contrasts wounds from a friend with kisses from an enemy. A spouse or child's honest rebuke, though painful, comes from love and helps you grow. An enemy's flattery hides hostile intent and causes lasting damage.
Chapters
All right, Proverbs 27. We are literally almost at the end here today. It's talking about that idea of the wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an enemy. And it's an interesting proverb. It's just a little one. It's kind of tucked in there. Just a little verse you could pass by without even thinking about it. But this one just struck me of— I'm sure all you husbands out there, all you dads out there have had at least one argument with your wife or your kids, right? Yeah. But when they're being honest with you, when they are are not trying to necessarily hurt you, but just tell you something that is wrong, something that's gone wrong, something you've done wrong. It's coming from a place of love. And in that rebuke, in that wound, there is an opportunity for you to grow from it, right? There's an opportunity for you to learn, to become something better by it. And I think that's a— as always with these things, when it presents one side, the opposite is also true. That when an enemy comes to you with a shortcoming or you've done something wrong, It's often with the intent of hurting you or belittling you or dragging you down. It's done to injure you. They come from 2 different places, right? On the other side, it's giving you this notion of the kisses of an enemy are profuse. And it's not the same word, but refuse comes to mind. That idea of garbage. The idea of an enemy that's willing to look you in the face and give you a kiss on the cheek or just give you that sign of affection and love when in reality they hold disdain for you or they see you as an enemy. And it's definitely something to be on the lookout for. on caution and guard for. As much as you would love a kiss from someone you love, you should also be wary of the kisses of an enemy. Those that have the intent to harm you, they can seem pleasant, but the reality is it can be damaging. It can be lasting and damaging for you. So I don't know, take a look at the relationships around you and really evaluate. Are the wounds that you have, are the hard conversations you are having with the people that are close to you, are those giving you the opportunity to grow and become better? And if so, Those may be wounds from a friend, and those may not be things to avoid. Those may be really good things for you. On the other hand, if you're finding yourself surrounded by yes-men, if you've got people that are just, oh yeah, you're doing great, you're doing fine, but really all you're seeing is harm and damage as a result of that, maybe those aren't the kisses from a friend. Maybe those are the kisses from an enemy, and you need to be very cautious about that. Just something to think about.
