📊 Proverbs 13:22 | Slow > Fast

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Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It’s a VERY happy Tuesday over here as my wife and I celebrate 9 years of marriage today! 🙂

If you have a moment today, join me in praying for our marriage — that God would use us to plant a gospel legacy in our family that lasts 1,000 generations!

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.

In today’s email…

• 🌓 The vivid structure of Proverbs 13

• 🤔 How the “good man” makes choices

• 📊 Trivia: Which is in your Bible, which are not?

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

A ____ man leaves __ ___________ to his ________ ________,

but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

Proverbs 13:22

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CONTEXT 📕 

Proverbs can sometimes feel like a collection of fortune cookies: short, catchy, disconnected sayings.

But once you slow down, you start to see something deeper: a structure, a theme, a pattern of contrasts that invites you to make wise choices.

And Proverbs 13 is a great example of that.

Here’s how the chapter works:

It’s 25 verses of vivid contrast.

Wise vs. foolish, righteous vs. wicked, diligent vs. lazy, patient vs. impulsive.

Each proverb holds up two paths and asks us: Which one are you walking down?

Which is not just poetic, it’s practical.

• Verse 1: “A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

• Verse 4: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

• Verse 11: “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”

• Verse 20: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Notice the rhythm of wisdom here:

• Slow > Fast

• Steady > Flashy

• Correction > Pride

• Diligence > Drifting

Solomon (the author of this Proverb) is laying out how to choose the path of wisdom, especially when it comes to things like work, wealth, relationships, and words.

That’s where Proverbs 13:22 comes in:

It’s easy to see how this Proverb fits right into the chapter’s structure:

• The wise build something that lasts

• The foolish chase what fades

The “good man” in verse 22 is the one who’s been walking the whole chapter’s path:

• He’s listened to wisdom

• He’s lived with diligence

• He’s made decisions not just for today, but for tomorrow, and the day after that

And the result is something many want, but might not realize it until later in life: Legacy 

Not just material wealth, but financial faithfulness that multiplies into blessing for future generations.

Because here’s the truth behind Proverbs 13:22:

The way you manage what God has given you to steward today will influence the story your grandchildren live in tomorrow.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Today, let’s step back and reflect:

📖 Read: Proverbs 13:1–25. As you read, underline or note every contrast between the wise and the foolish, especially those tied to work, wealth, and discipline. Ask yourself: Which path do I most often choose?

🧠 Memorize (continued): “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” (Proverbs 13:22a). Say it aloud 3–5 times. Try writing it from memory. Lock it in.

📝 Write: What financial habits or decisions in your life are building toward legacy, and which ones might be tearing it down? Make a list.

🙏 Pray: Lord, I want to be wise. Help me choose what lasts over what fades. Give me the diligence and patience to build a legacy, including with my finances that honors You and blesses those who come after me.

TRIVIA 📊 

Click one of the answers below. Let’s see how you do…

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,

but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

Proverbs 13:22