A Merry Heart Does Good, Like Medicine

A strong warning from the verse :
5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

This is related to the one where Jesus taught the way we treat the children, poor or disadvantaged, is taken as the way we treat Him. It embodies God's care for the people who cannot defend or speak for themselves. It shows God's sense of justice and righteousness.

A few of the other verses can be divided into:

Conflict:
1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting[a] with strife.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
27 He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.


Foolish Son
21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him


Healthy Life
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,[b] But a broken spirit dries the bones.




Proverbs 17

1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feasting[a] with strife.

2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.

4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.

5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes surety for his friend.

19 He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,[b]
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

23 A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back[c]
To pervert the ways of justice.

24 Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

27 He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

For I acknowledge my transgressions

This is how a man should approach God after committing sin against God. David shows an example of humility, remorse and repentance as he approached God after being rebuked by his prophet. David opens up to God and declares his wrongdoing. His sin of adultery, he admits, is "Against You, You only, have I sinned," an act against God.

After his confession, David asks God to cleanse him, to give him a clean heart. The thing that concerns David is not being in God's presence and the Holy Spirit taken away from him - and he asks God for assurance in these. He asks God to restore him and even pledges to teach others against sinning.

David knows God well enough of His mercies, salvation and righteousness. Perhaps another person would have turned and hide from God, but David holds on to God even more desperately. David may have understood more than many religious leaders when he said that God is not pleased by burnt offerings and ritual sacrifices; instead God would be more pleased with a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

Psalm 51
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

 1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
         According to Your lovingkindness;
         According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
         Blot out my transgressions.
 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
         And cleanse me from my sin.
        
 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
         And my sin is always before me.
 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
         And done this evil in Your sight—
         That You may be found just when You speak,[a]
         And blameless when You judge.
        
 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
         And in sin my mother conceived me.
 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
         And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
        
 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
         Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
         That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
 9 Hide Your face from my sins,
         And blot out all my iniquities.
        
 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
         And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
         And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
        
 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
         And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
         And sinners shall be converted to You.
        
 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
         The God of my salvation,
         And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
 15 O Lord, open my lips,
         And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
         You do not delight in burnt offering.
 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
         A broken and a contrite heart—
         These, O God, You will not despise.
        
 18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
         Build the walls of Jerusalem.
 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
         With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
         Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.