Wisdom | Proverbs 10
The Proverbs of Solomon:
- This begins a new section of the book. The 1st (9) chapters of the book served as an introduction.
10:1 - A son makes his father proud / a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
- What is the one thing I want for my kids? (Salvation!)
- Wisdom / lack of wisdom affects our relationships.
- PJ / Gun incident (we do things that are stupid).
10:2 - Treasures of wickedness profit nothing but righteousness delivers from death:
- Jesus told the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) and while the man gathered great wealth, he died that night.
- Right standing with God is a benefit that money can’t buy.
10:3 - The Lord will not allow the righteous to go hungry, but he casts away the desire of the wicked:
- This principle of not going hungry is directed towards the soul and means that no matter what is going on in our lives, we can flourish.
- Haggai 2:7 “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts.”
o God is going to shake the nations and the desire of all nations (does not mean the nations have to desire him).
o This is speaking of our desire for Christ – even if we ignore that desire.
o Followers of Jesus will have their desire fulfilled; the wicked will never be satisfied.
10:4 - He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich:
- A lazy person who does not put forth the effort to work.
- Just showing up isn’t always enough – taking pride in your work shows.
- God called Adam to be a steward of the earth (prior to the fall). Work was thus designed to be a way of life for us; work being hard / mundane / difficult is a byproduct of the fall.
10:7 - The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot:
- The heroes of faith (Hebrews 11) are held in high esteem as well as the apostles.
- When the wicked are remembered, it is a “stinking, rotten remembrance.”
10:8 - The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall:
- Wisdom gives the humility to be instructed and learn.
- A prating fool (often called a fool of lips in Hebrew language) ** Our mouths get us into trouble **
10:9 - He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known:
- Integrity: Living with nothing to hide.
- Jesus said, “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.” (Matt. 10:26)
10:11 - The mouth of the righteous is a well of life but violence covers the mouth of the wicked:
- The righteous speak life and encouragement to themselves and others.
- The women at the well: She was there to get water because it was a source of life for her and her community. The same is true for those who are righteous when they speak; their words bring life to the community around them.
- The wicked speak and bring harm. When I speak negatively about / to myself or my kids or my wife. Those words steal life!
10:12 - Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins:
- Love is about healing and restoration. Hatred about trouble, controversy, strife.
10:13 - Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding:
- When someone has wisdom, it is found in/what they say.
- Matthew 12:34 “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
- The one who lacks wisdom needs to be corrected. (Here the rod is represented as correction by pain and is used to strike those who misbehave.
10:14 - Wise people store up knowledge but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction:
- Those who are wise take knowledge and make it accessible for the future (memorization, note taking, etc.)
- The foolish rejects knowledge which places him near destruction.
10:15 - The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty:
- Wealth gives a measure of protection and provision to rich man.
- Poverty puts the poor at risk (sometimes leading to their destruction).
- How has Christianity responded to this? (Hospitals, Universities, Mental Health Institutions).
- James says this is true religion – to care for widows and orphans in their distress.
10:16 - The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked lead to sin.
- The righteous honor God with their income.
o My wife and I discussed eating out.
- The wicked use their money for their ungodly desires.
10:17 - He who keeps instruction is in the way of life but he who refuses correction goes astray:
- Wisdom and instruction must be pursued, obtained and kept.
10:18 - Whoever hides hatred has lying lips and whoever spreads slander is a fool:
- Those who are motivated by hatred hide / conceal the truth.
- Those who slander (spread lies) are fools because God knows everything and will judge according to his standard.
10:19 - In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise:
- For some, the more they talk, the more they sin and there is more potential for sinning when talking than listening.
- Sometimes the best thing we can do is stay silent.
10:20 - The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little:
- Words of encouragement and life can be seen as great treasures (silver)
10:21 - The lips of the righteous feed man, but fools die for lack of wisdom:
- Feed (symbolic) beneficial words, instruction, etc.
- Fools rejection of wisdom will ultimately be judged.
10:22 - The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it:
- James 1:7: Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights. (Every gift is good and perfect)
10:23: To do evil is like a sport to a fool but a man of understanding has wisdom:
- Fools see evil as entertainment and will allow it to become competition.
10:24: The fear of the wicked will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted.
- Those who are wicked know that there is right/wrong and they will, one day, be judged and they live in fear of that.
- The righteous also know a day of judgement is coming but they look forward to that day.
10:25: When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation:
- The wicked have no stability when disaster or trouble comes whereas the righteous have a foundation.
10:26: As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him:
- The idea is constant / extreme irritation of disappointment and frustration concerning those who are lazy. (There is an expectation that you will work but no, you’re lazy).
10:27 – The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened:
- Sin (sinful habits, wickedness, etc) leads to taking away from life.
10:28 – The hope of the righteous will be gladness but the expectation of the wicked will perish:
- God has a future for those who follow him.
- Whatever the expectation is of the wicked will fade / die / perish.
10:29 – The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity:
- Joy comes to those who love and follow God.
- The wicked will only find destruction from their effort.
10:30 – The righteous will never be removed but the wicked will not inhabit the earth:
- The righteous may face trials (here and now) but will stand unshakable / immovable.
- Jesus promised it would be the meek who inherit the earth.
10:31 – The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom but the perverse tongue will be cut out:
- The righteous speak wisdom.
- The perverse tongue will be silenced.
