S5: Day 191: Proverbs 19–21

Summary

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Podcast Summary: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Episode: S5: Day 191: Proverbs 19–21
Date: July 10, 2026
Hosts: Shelby (A), CJ (B)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Shelby and CJ guide listeners through Proverbs chapters 19 to 21, focusing on the wisdom, practicalities, and spiritual challenges woven through these proverbs. They explore the tension between justice and mercy, how to respond to personal wrongs, and the biblical view of integrity versus the cultural valuation of wealth. The hosts reflect on the difficulties and beauty of obeying these teachings, sharing personal insights and examples from both everyday life and from Christ’s own actions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trusting God with Justice and Vengeance

• CJ highlights Proverbs 20:22:
  “Don’t say, I will avenge this evil. Wait on the Lord, and he will rescue you.”
  • Temptation to Take Justice into Our Own Hands (00:24):
    • CJ relates the proverb to personal situations, confessing the urge to retaliate or call people out and sharing personal regrets:

      “There’s a lot of times in my life...I put my foot in my mouth and I wish I didn’t. And I wish I trusted this proverb more in that moment.” (00:46)

  • Letting God Be God (00:55):
    • The call to let God be responsible for justice, especially when confronting evil, and to trust His timing and methods.
    • “We need to let God be God. He’s the one who's going to deal with evil, and we’re called to let him do that in his own timing and in his own way.” (01:13)

2. Active Response to Injustice: Prayer and Forgiveness

• Shelby probes the practical implications (01:32):
  • Emphasizes how challenging it is to let God handle injustices, discussing the “visceral response to evil.”
  • CJ underscores that this response is a God-given instinct but must be channeled rightly:

    “It’s actually a good thing that we have that visceral response to evil...We just need to make sure that we’re acting on it appropriately.” (01:53)

  • What Should We Do Instead? (02:00):
    • Prayer: “We pray when we see evil. We pray that God would do something about it.”
    • Forgiveness: Drawing on New Testament teaching, CJ points to the expectation to forgive, not just “let go” but actively wish good and pray for those who have wronged us—even when it’s difficult.

      “We’re actually called to forgive...not nurse negative thoughts against other people, but we’re actually called to pray for them and wish good on them.” (02:30)

    • The example of Christ: CJ reminds listeners that Jesus, on the cross, forgave his persecutors:

      “If he can do that—a perfect man, perfect God, succumbing to the most torturous, the most evil thing we can think of—of course we can do that when...our friend says something rude to us or whatever it may, we can endure those things and we can forgive those people and wish well on those people.” (03:45)

3. Integrity Over Wealth: Counter-Cultural Wisdom

• Shelby’s Takeaway (03:54):
  • Highlights Proverbs 19:22:
    “What is desirable in a person is his fidelity. Better to be a poor person than a liar.”
  • She notes the counter-cultural message:

    “I love how Proverbs takes things that are very anti our culture today and exalts them...over and over and over again, we see in proverbs that it’s better to be wise and to have good character than it is to have wealth.” (04:08)

  • Encouragement to listeners and self: Hold to biblical wisdom, even when culture says otherwise.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• CJ on Temptations for Vengeance:

  “I want to take justice into my own hands...And there’s a lot of times in my life...I wish I trusted this proverb more in that moment.” (00:40)

• CJ on Jesus’ Example of Forgiveness:

  “He had all the power in the world to call down legions of angels and destroy everyone who were doing evil to him in that moment...but he had bigger concerns, and he has the long game in mind.” (03:09)

• Shelby on the Example of Christ:

  “Not only does he ask this of us as Christians, but He has shown us what that looks like and done that himself.” (03:54)

• Shelby on Integrity:

  “Better to be a poor person than a liar...it’s better to be wise and to have good character than it is to have wealth.” (04:11)

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Important Timestamps

• Proverbs 20:22 and the Challenge to Wait on God: 00:24
• Discussion on Not Taking Justice Into Our Own Hands: 00:38 – 01:32
• How to Respond Practically to Evil and Injustice: 01:52 – 03:45
• Christ as the Ultimate Example of Forgiveness: 03:09 – 03:54
• The Call to Integrity over Wealth (Proverbs 19:22): 03:54 – 05:21

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Tone & Style

• The episode is gentle, reflective, and encouraging, blending personal anecdotes with theological reflection and practical advice.
• The hosts are candid about the challenges of living out biblical wisdom, emphasizing God’s grace and Christ’s example as both motivation and comfort.

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This episode offers practical and spiritual wisdom for anyone wrestling with forgiveness, reacting to personal wrongs, or questioning the real value our culture places on wealth and status. The hosts invite listeners to examine their own hearts and trust God’s justice and character above all.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, this is Shelby and cj. We are guiding you through the book of Proverbs. Hope that you're subscribed or following along so that you can continue to go through this book with us today. We're in chapters 19 through 21. CJ, what did you notice in these chapters that you want to draw out in this episode?

[B]

The proverb that hit me was Proverbs 20:22. It says, don't say, I will avenge this evil. Wait on the Lord, and he will rescue you.

[A]

That's a challenging one for sure.

[B]

Yeah. And it really dovetails nicely with the pride discussion that we had in the previous episode. But I think about all the times I want to take justice into my own hands. I want to right wrongs. I want to call people out for things that they've done against me. And there's a lot of times in my life I can think of like 5 off the top of my head that are big, that I put my foot in my mouth and I wish I didn't. And I wish I trusted this proverb more in that moment. It. But honestly, this proverb really helps you zero in on those cases and think about what it really means to allow God to be God and to let him be the one who takes vengeance. And I think while it is a Christian virtue to despise evil, and this is something we've talked about on this podcast before, we have to make sure that we're doing it in the proper way again. We need to let God be God. He's the one who's going to deal with evil and we're called to let him do that in his own timing and in his own way.

[A]

So, yeah, let's talk about that a little bit more though, because I really love the idea of letting God be God when there is an injustice that I see and I really want to act on it. But I know that is something that is in the Lord's hands. I find it so much harder to actually do that. So can we talk a little bit about what that might look like?

[B]

I don't want us to think that that means being apathetic and just saying, well, God will take care of it. So I'll just do my best to kind of grin and bear it. It's actually a good thing that we have that, that visceral response to evil that is good. Like that is a good God given thing. We just. We just need to make sure that we're acting on it appropriately. So I think of prayer. We pray when we see evil we pray that God would do something about it. But also, I think of all the interpersonal issues that this proverb brings up. And we're actually called to forgive in the New Testament, those who do evil against us, or we're supposed to forgive the people who we feel like have wronged us. And that is something always within our control. And that's something that Christ calls us to do. And when we forgive, we're called to not nurse negative thoughts against other people, but we're actually called to pray for them and wish good on them. Which is much more than just saying, I'm going to let God handle it, but it's actually trying to pursue good for the other person. And obviously that's easier said than done. But that is a high calling, and that's the calling of the Bible and that's the calling of the Christian life. And I think we see Christ doing this on the cross. He had all the power in the world to call down legions of angels and destroy everyone who were doing evil to him in that moment. And in a real sense, it would have been righteous to do that. Right? But he had bigger concerns, and he has the long game in mind. And it's Christ, and He died for our sins. So he endured righteously all that torture and all of that evil. And he says, father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. So if he can do that, a perfect man, perfect God, succumbing to the most torturous, the most evil thing we can think of. Of course we can do that when we're cut off in traffic or when, I don't know, our friend says something rude to us or whatever it may, we can endure those things and we can forgive those people and wish well on those people.

[A]

Yeah, that is super challenging. I'm thankful that you drew our eyes to the example of Christ. Which reminds me that not only does he ask this of us as Christians, but He has shown us what that looks like and done that himself. And so he has an understanding of what it is to experience those things as a believer, as a Christian, as a person, and in a way that we might not. I think my takeaway from these chapters, I'm gonna bring up a theme that we saw you repeated all throughout Proverbs, and we've mentioned it before, but Proverbs 19:22 says, what is desirable in a person is his fidelity. Better to be a poor person than a liar. And I love how Proverbs takes things that are very anti our culture today and exalts them. And so I think today we would say better to be rich. Maybe we wouldn't say this, but we certainly think it at times better to be rich, no matter the cost, because money feels comfortable. Right. But over and over and over again, we see in proverbs that it's better to be wise and to have good character than it is to have wealth. And so I'm drawing that out today. It's an encouragement for myself, a reminder for myself. All right. Thanks for drawing us through these proverbs today, C.J. and we'll have more tomorrow.

[B]

Awesome.