The book of Proverbs contains many wise sayings about how to live a godly life. One of these is Proverbs 10:12, which states “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” This verse teaches an important truth about the power of love to overlook wrongs and bring peace. In order to fully understand this proverb, we must dive deeper into its meaning and implications.
The Meaning of Proverbs 10:12
Let’s break down this verse phrase-by-phrase:
“Hatred stirs up strife” – When we hate others, it leads to conflict, arguments, and broken relationships. Hatred poisons our attitude and makes us quick to take offense. It brings out the worst in people and escalates disagreements.
“But love covers all offenses” – In contrast, when we approach others in love, we are ready to forgive, overlook minor issues, and keep the peace. Instead of magnifying wrongs, love moves us to downplay them and let go of petty differences.
The word “covers” evokes the image of gently placing something out of sight. Love does not expose people’s faults for all to see, but discretely hides them under a cloak of mercy.
So in summary, hatred aggravates wounds and stirs up fights, while love forgives flaws and promotes harmony. This verse presents love and hatred as opposites with very different behavioral outcomes.
The Context of Proverbs 10
Proverbs 10 contains a collection of contrasting proverbs about the wise versus the foolish, righteousness versus wickedness. Verse 12 fits nicely into this theme by contrasting hatred as foolish with love as wise.
The surrounding verses also complement the teaching of verse 12:
– Proverbs 10:10 – “Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.” This rebukes mischief-makers who stir up trouble.
– Proverbs 10:11 – “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” Righteous words give life, but hatred brings violence.
– Proverbs 10:18 – “The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.” Hatred and lies go hand-in-hand.
Throughout the book, we see that folly leads to conflict and wrath, while wisdom leads to peace through patience, honesty and compassion (Proverbs 14:29, 15:1, 16:32, 17:14). Verse 12 perfectly encapsulates this theme.
New Testament Parallels
The New Testament repeats similar teachings about responding to wrongs with love rather than hatred:
– “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
– “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
– “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12:14)
– “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” (Romans 12:17)
– “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
So the message that love forgives and restores, rather than stirring up strife, echoes throughout the Bible.
Applying Proverbs 10:12 to Life
How then can we apply Proverbs 10:12 to our relationships and live out the kind of gentle, peacemaking love it describes? Here are some tips:
– Pray for a forgiving, loving spirit toward those who wrong you. Ask God to soften your heart.
– Reframe how you view offenses. See them as misunderstandings or unintentional slights rather than malicious attacks.
– Avoid gossiping about grievances with others. Direct conversation to the person who upset you.
– Let small issues roll off your back rather than sweating the small stuff. Exercise patience and give others the benefit of the doubt.
– Apologize or make amends if you have wronged someone, don’t let pride prevent reconciliation.
– Return good for evil. Respond to hurt with kindness. Bake cookies for your grumpy neighbor.
– Control your tongue and tone of voice when discussing grievances. Don’t return insult for insult.
– Allow others to save face. Gently address issues in private rather than calling them out publicly.
– Focus on shared goals and interests rather than obsessing over differences and past hurts.
– Consider how your words and actions may unintentionally hurt others, then seek to improve.
– Pray blessings over those you struggle to get along with. Ask God to change your heart.
As Proverbs 10:12 reminds us, covering offenses with love takes wisdom and self-control, but it is worth the effort. Living at peace with others requires bridling our tongue, thinking the best of people, forgiving readily, and resisting the urge to stir up strife. When we walk in love, we can overcome hatred and live in harmony even with those who hurt or annoy us. What a beautiful way to reflect Christ’s redemptive love to a broken world!
Biblical Examples of Love Covering Wrongs
Several stories in the Bible beautifully illustrate Proverbs 10:12’s truth about love covering over offenses rather than exploiting them:
Joseph – After being sold into slavery and falsely accused, Joseph had grounds for resentment, but instead he forgave his brothers and reconciled (Genesis 50:15-21).
David – When Saul tried repeatedly to kill him, David spared Saul’s life and wept at his death (1 Samuel 24, 26; 2 Samuel 1).
Stephen – While being stoned to death, Stephen prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers (Acts 7:60).
Jesus – Though completely innocent, Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Corrie ten Boom – After being imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie forgave one of her former captors, saying, “For a long time I had hoped to be able to forgive. Today I found that I could.”
In each case, love covered the serious hurts, crimes and injustices that had been inflicted. Rather than hatred stirring up strife, love brought reconciliation, healing and restoration. This is the power and wisdom of love in action.
Obstacles to Covering Wrongs with Love
However, loving in this selfless way doesn’t always come naturally. What are some obstacles that prevent us from covering wrongs with love?
Pride – Our ego hates to let things go or be seen as weak. Admitting we overreacted takes humility.
Anger – When we lose our temper, it becomes much harder to forgive and reconcile. Anger seeks to hurt back.
Fear – Confronting issues gently feels risky and vulnerable. Fear prefers to avoid or attack.
Insecurity – Deep down, harsh criticism often reveals our own doubts and wounds. Loving feels like justification of the offender.
Desire for Justice – When we’ve been deeply hurt, it’s natural to want vindication and consequences. But love seeks restoration, not just punishment.
Helplessness – Major injustices like abuse, racism, genocide overwhelm our capacity to respond lovingly. We feel helpless.
The path of covering offenses with love is often difficult and counterintuitive. We have to combat our natural vengeful tendencies with God’s supernatural love and humility. But His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
How to Overcome These Obstacles
By God’s power, we can dismantle inner obstacles to forgiving love:
– Pray for humility and strength to put others before yourself. Die to pride and ego.
– Ask God to calm your anger and grant you self-control. Refuse to let the sun go down on your wrath.
– Cast your cares on Jesus rather than acting out of fear. Take heart, for He has overcome the world.
– Receive God’s unconditional love. Rest in your worth being based on Christ’s sacrifice, not others’ opinions.
– Trust God to balance justice and mercy instead of seeking personal vengeance.
– Ask God for wisdom in overwhelming situations of systemic injustice. Do justice, love mercy.
– Meditate on how much you have been forgiven by Christ (Matthew 18:21-35). Offer others that same grace.
As we grow in love, covering wrongs becomes less about gritting our teeth and more about genuine care for the offender’s good. We realize hurts often result from the other person’s own pain and blindness. Grace sets us both free.
The Blessings of Covering Wrongs with Love
When we follow the wisdom of Proverbs 10:12, covering offenses with charity rather than stirring up more drama, benefits abound:
– We enjoy greater peace, free from corrosive anger and bitterness.
– Our other relationships aren’t undermined by our hostile attitudes.
– We are credible witnesses for Christ, modeling His reconciling love.
– We are set free from the need to gossip, slander or insult those who hurt us.
– Our words can heal rather than harm. We refresh others rather than drag them down.
– Doors open for restored connection. Love makes reconciliation possible again.
– We stop toxic cycles of insult for insult, freeing future generations from repeating them.
In short, choosing to cover wrongs with love blesses everybody involved and ripples outward to bless our communities. It fulfills the golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). It aligns us with God’s purpose of redemption.
Proverbs 10:12 paints a beautiful picture of love’s power to heal rather than wage war. As we walk out this wisdom, the spirit of hatred strangling our world starts to melt away, and the warmth of divine love thaws relationships. Covering wrongs seems risky in the moment, but repays a thousand times over. May love spread far and wide!