Straightforward

Greetings everyone. We’re going to begin in a new part of the book of Proverbs. As you know, the book of Proverbs is divided up into sections, even though there is a continuity that runs throughout because God inspired all of these scriptures.

The first section went from Proverbs 1–9. And if you’ve been following along, there are a lot of wonderful principles of Christian living in that first section that can be used in very practical terms as we live our life on a daily basis. We read a lot about wisdom, knowledge, understanding. We read a lot about the fear of the Eternal, which means standing in awe of God. We read warnings about evil and evil people and immorality. So it’s a wonderful section that I hope we’ll go back to on a fairly regular basis and once again learn from it, be inspired by it, be renewed by it, and be fed by God’s word in that first section.

Now we come to the second part of the book of Proverbs. This particular section will run from chapter 10 through chapter 24. And there’s a change of pace that takes place here in this particular part of the book of Proverbs. It’s a very interesting layout in terms of, not only what the scriptures say, but in the way that they say them. You read as we go through here in each scripture a type of dichotomy, which means a division into two parts opposed to one another. You’ll see parallel sentences that actually are the antithesis of one another. You will see that they bring out principles that oppose each other, these sentences and these principles. That’s what antithesis means. It’s direct opposite, exact opposite, the converse, the reverse, the contrast or opposition of thoughts, the second part of such an expression.

Distich is another way of putting it—two successive lines of verse regarded as a unit, a couplet, but containing two different thoughts. And so each proverb here is a very, very powerful self–contained unit, if you will, of teaching that points out the right way and the wrong way, the way that works, the way that doesn’t work. In this particular chapter and in this particular section of Proverbs, you will see that that’s kind of the method that God inspired Solomon to record these incredibly wonderful, inspired thoughts, and write them down. So let’s go ahead and get started then with those things in mind. Proverbs 10:1:

1 The proverbs of Solomon.—

He was the author. Of course, God inspired these words and worked through Solomon to have them written down and recorded. And now they have been preserved for our benefit today—all of us who will look, listen, read, ask God for understanding and then apply these tremendous virtues and standards and values in our lives, these principles, these truths.

1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father:—

We know that’s true. Any father will know that’s true. What makes a father happier than a son who conducts himself in a wise way, or a daughter who conducts herself in a prudent and chaste way.

1 —but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

A foolish, empty–headed, addle–brained child just causes tremendous grief to both parents. They’re always hurting themselves, they’re always damaging things, they’re always hurting others, they’re going nowhere, they’re going to achieve nothing, and it causes trouble not only for them but for the whole family. So this is something that certainly should be avoided as we rear our children, producing or developing a foolish child. And we can do that. We can avoid that if we follow God’s ways in child rearing. There are laws that are involved in everything, including rearing children. We’ll get into that more later in the book of Proverbs because the book of Proverbs contains many admonitions to that effect.

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing:—

Oh, it may look so secure—the treasures and the money and the possessions and all of that of wicked people—but in the end it’s not going to mean anything. It’s not going to profit anything. It has no lasting value. It will be used in the wrong way and therefore bring problems. But notice here:

2 —but righteousness delivers from death.

So the choice between stuff and possessions and treasures as opposed to righteousness is laid out very clearly here in verse 2. Righteousness will profit us tremendously and deliver us from death because of the right choices and decisions and directions that we take in our lives. But treasures, even though it may look so wonderful and so secure to have all of these things and all this money, will only lead to trouble. It will profit us nothing.

Now if blessings and possessions are combined with righteousness then that’s God’s intent. Notice here verse 3:

3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casts away the substance of the wicked.

God takes care of those who are righteous. There’ll be trials. There’ll be tests. There’ll be pain and suffering. All of that has to do with tests and growing and overcoming and developing, building faith and character. But He will not cast the righteous away and He will not allow the righteous to be abandoned and to starve. He just simply will not.

So there’s the choice. Righteous, and God will take care of us and will not allow us to be famished. Wicked, and we lose what we think we have or what we want.

4 He becomes poor that deals with a slack hand:—

a negligent hand

4 —but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Whatever you sow, you reap. Someone who comes to work on time, works hard all day, works a little late sometimes, someone who is really dependable, someone who is really responsible and consistent and predictable, and does a good job even though he makes mistakes now and again—that individual is going to succeed. He’s going to be rich spiritually, and he’s going to be doing well physically. It’s just a law. It’s just the way God has designed life and the way God has designed creation. And there is the dichotomy, there is the antithesis principle here, the contrast that’s being brought out here in verse 4.

5 He that gathers in summer is a wise son:—

Once again, preparing for the future. The old saying, make hay while the sun shines. Don’t put if off. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t leave it undone, thinking you’ll do it later. What can happen is, you can get sick or snow can catch your crop out in the field before you can bring it in, or your machinery might break down. All kinds of things can happen if you put it off. But he that gathers while he can is a wise individual.

5 —but he that sleeps in harvest is a son that causes shame.

And I have known people who do this. They get up late even though they should be out harvesting their crop, or they sleep all day and think, “Well, I’ll do it next week.” And then when they get out there next week, it has rained or it has snowed, and so now their crop can’t be gathered, sometimes for days or even weeks because of that. Whereas if they had gotten up and gotten busy and been diligent about bringing that crop in, it would be in the bin and safe. And then if it rains or snows or wind comes, it won’t harm the crop. It’s all a matter of being diligent. It’s all a matter of going ahead and being responsible.

6 Blessings are upon the head of the just:—

Upon the head of the righteous, blessings. Blessings just poured out, showered down.

6 —but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

Once again, actions and words and thoughts of the wicked bring trouble and setbacks and pain and suffering. It is a law. Those are the choices. That is what is contained in these verses, two choices, two ways, two modes of conduct—and therefore two results.

7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

We know that. People who do well, who set a good example, who care for others, people who share, people who serve, even after they’re dead, people still remember them with great fondness for many, many years. Books will be written about them sometimes, monuments erected to their memory, families will pass on a legacy to the next generation of someone who tried to do things for others and tried to do the right thing.

7 —but the name of the wicked shall rot.

Nobody cares to remember that. Terrible conduct and terrible activities and actions and a selfish attitude and a mean spirit—the memory of that individual just quickly dies out and first thing you know it’s gone.

8 The wise in heart shall receive commandments:—

They want to learn what is right. They want to do the right thing. They want to know what God says. They want to know what others say in terms of good experience and good suggestions and ideas, and so they’re eager and they’re hungry to learn good things so they can do good things.

8 —but a prating fool shall fall.

A babbling fool. A person that really in the end acts like an imbecile because of the stupid and ridiculous ideas and lack of values and immorality, and just the satiation of the flesh and the gratification of illicit desires and just smarting off and sarcastic put–downs toward others, and when they talk, it’s just ridiculous and useless and shallow. Well, I mean, the end result of that is going to be failure and ruin. There’s the two choices again.

9 He that walks uprightly walks securely: but he that perverts his ways shall be known.

May not be known right away, and it might. But even if it’s not known right away, sooner or later it will be known and it won’t be liked, not by those who really count, and the payoff will be a bad payoff.

10 He that winks with the eye causes sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

Well, you know, you’ve seen people who will wink to try to convey a meaning. They may be saying one thing and then they’ll wink at somebody and they’ll say, “Well, I don’t really mean this. I’m just, you know, I’m just saying this to him, but you know what I mean. I’m just kidding him. This is not what I really want done or what I really think.” That type of deceptive wink, it does cause trouble because it is deceptive, it is duplicitous, it is double–minded. It ends up being a lie, really.

There are ways to communicate with people, like a wave or a friendly hello or even a friendly wink, but then most of the time, winking is anything from flirting to indicating a kind of a trick that’s going to take place. What God wants us to do is to be upfront and to be honest and be genuine and without guile.

11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

You’ve probably been real thirsty before and you’ve come to a spring or you’ve come to a wonderful, clean, unpolluted well, and you draw up a bucket of water or you get a big nice, clean, pure, fresh glass of spring water when you’re really, really thirsty, and it’s so refreshing, it’s so helpful, it’s so relaxing, it’s so invigorating.

Well, you know, when a righteous man or woman who tries to do things the right way and who tries to help others and who has a clean heart and a pure mind and righteous character, when they speak, when they write, when they communicate, when they have suggestions or when they make observations or pass on lessons, it’s just like drinking out of a tremendous well of fresh water, and in this case, spiritually, the well of life.

11 —but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

They just like to put people down, hurt people, institute actions that end up causing destruction and mayhem and all of that. That’s satanic. That’s the way Satan is, and so they just feed on his attitude and follow his footsteps, which always are wicked.

12 Hatred stirs up strifes: but love covers all sins.

When we have this hateful attitude or we have an attitude of hating others, what happens is, that individual is always stirring up trouble, always figuring out a way to start a fight, always figuring out a way to take advantage of somebody else, always figuring out a way to promote themselves and to gain power and to orchestrate and maneuver to where there will be division and trouble.

But, you know, a person who’s full of love, full of concern, full of caring, they try to help other people. And even when a person stumbles or even when a person sins, while they might point it out in a clear way, while they might make sure that that has to stop and has to be taken care of, they don’t spread it everywhere. They’re not full of gossip. They’re not full of backstabbing. They don’t take a person’s faults or a person’s mistakes or a person’s sins, and just plaster it all over for other people to know about. Because they love them. So they will contain it even though they will not cover it up in the sense of pretending it didn’t happen. It will be dealt with in the right way at the right time by the right individuals. If they have love, they don’t turn it into gossip, and people who really have love won’t listen to gossip. Gossip dies when others won’t listen to it. And many places we could turn to in the Bible will tell you what God thinks of gossip. It’s sin. It’s hurting other people. It’s not loving our neighbor.

13 In the lips of him that has understanding wisdom is found:—

It’s always there.

13 —but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

Pain and punishment for those who refuse to take instruction, refuse to do the right thing. They will find that they’re going to have a lot of trouble and they’re going to have a lot of pain and punishment because when you break a law, the penalty unerringly will come back on that individual that breaks that law.

14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

Like a person might lay up food for the winter or lay up a little reserve in the bank. A wise man will lay up knowledge, will lay up understanding, and then draw on that as he or she goes forward in their lives.

15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

Well, of course, someone who has a good, solid financial situation does have a kind of a strong position, especially if that blessing is from God and he uses it in a way that’s generous to God and generous to others and does not look to that and does not lust after that.

But someone who is careless, who is not diligent, who does not budget, someone who does not properly care for the blessings that God will give or what they earn can end up poor and can end up in poverty, and that’s not a pleasant position or situation to be in. We can be delivered out of that when we cry out to God and begin to do what He says. Obey Him, tithe, and look to Him for help. But if we just go ahead and get careless with what God gives us, we can end up in poverty.

16 The labor of the righteous tends to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

It’s just interesting that someone who is trying to do the right thing, trying to obey God, trying to help others, trying to let their light shine, it just seems like things turn out well for them. There will be trouble and there will be tests and trials and setbacks and mistakes. But overall, the trend and pattern is, things just go well. That’s just what it says here.

But the fruit of the wicked to sin. It just seems like those who are wanting to do their own thing—rebel against God, get the best of their neighbor, be lazy, do bad things, even criminal things, etc—that’s sin. And the fruit of that is not good. The fruit of that is failure and the fruit of that is something that will cause trouble for them and for others who go along with them.

18 He that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that utters a slander, is a fool.

In other words, they are shifty. They are hypocrites. They have hatred in their heart, but they will play games and politics and lie, and tell a person, well, you know, they really care for them, they love them, they respect them. When in fact, they can’t stand them and they hate them and they’re just waiting for an opportunity to get them, and they end up actually slandering them. There are people who are like that, and God calls them a fool.

19 In the multitude of words there wants not sin: but he that refrains his lips is wise.

He that is careful about what he says. Words really count, and we are judged by our words, and so we need to be careful about what we say. The way to do that is be careful about what we think because Jesus Christ Himself said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” And so if we’re just talking all the time—you know, I have known some people who have the attitude of, “I’m talking and I can’t shut up.” I mean, it’s just constant talking, constant interruption, constant dominating the conversation, constantly overbearing everyone else. They have to be the center of attention, they have to be the one who overly dominates everything and they just know everything about everything, and it’s just blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Well, just remember when you’re around people like that and take note because sooner or later, there’s going to be some exaggeration. There’s going to be some lies, there’s going to be some wrong information, there’s going to be a detachment from reality. There’s going to be all kinds of dumb things said and untruths that are promoted, and that’s what it’s saying here. But a wise person will be balanced in what they say and be balanced in how much they say.

20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

That means it’s just wonderful to be around somebody who has the right attitude and to converse with them. It’s like choice silver. But the wicked, you get to where I don’t even want to be around that individual—mean–spirited and hateful and negative. Not positive. Negative. So I don’t even want to listen to what they have to say.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Once again, the lips of the righteous feed many in the sense that what they say is nourishing and it’s worthwhile. Look at the contrast here in these proverbs. Look at the dichotomy. Look at the antithesis. Look at the distich. Look at the parallel sentences that talk about two different things. It’s laying out two choices, two ways of life, two paths to follow. In all of these proverbs, that’s what we find. Very, very meaty instruction on how to live life the right way and how to avoid the wrong way, and then reap the benefit of the right way and avoid the penalty of the wrong way. And it’s just talking about all kinds of things that come along in life, Christian living in all facets of life, and situations that come up in every one’s life and in every circumstance. What a tremendous map and compass and guide we have here in chapter 10 of the book of Proverbs. Look at verse 22:

22 The blessing of the Lord, it makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

There’s no penalty. There’s no bad taste in the mouth of someone who tries to do the right thing and therefore is blessed of the Eternal. It’s just free of any negative results. It’s just a wonderful, positive experience to enjoy the blessings of God, and He doesn’t add any sorrow, any kickback, any sadness with it.

23 It is a sport to a fool to do mischief:—

Or evil. Let’s not say he’s mischievous. It’s evil.

23 —but a man of understanding has wisdom.

24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

The wicked do wicked things and then fear, “Oh, no what’s going to happen?” They don’t have security. They don’t have boldness. They don’t have confidence, and sure enough, their worst fears end up crashing down on top of them.

24 —but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

25 As the whirlwind passes, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

Oh, they make a lot of noise and they wreak a lot of destruction like a tornado and then it’s gone and that’s the end of it. But the righteous, just in a steady, calm, proper way— just like a good solid, unshakeable foundation of a building or you know, of a bridge—they just keep right on going, they don’t get shaken, they don’t get destroyed, they don’t come and go, they don’t pass quickly because they’re doing the right thing.

26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

You might know what vinegar feels like to the teeth. It’s painful. It’s unpleasant. It tastes horrible. Or smoke to the eyes, that’s very, very painful. Well, that’s the way a sluggard is to them that send him. It’s going to be a painful experience for everybody concerned.

27 The fear of the Eternal prolongs days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Standing in awe of God leads to obeying God, and obeying God leads to happy days and length of days. That’s the principle found here in the first part of verse 27.

27 —but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

They’re going to miss out on a lot of blessings and benefits along the way.

28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

In other words, those who are doing the right thing have a wonderful future ahead of them. Those who are doing the wrong thing have a horrible future ahead of them, and therefore we have to choose. Each one of us individually must choose.

29 The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

30 The righteous shall never be removed:—

They’re going to have eternal life, and along the way, they’re going to be protected in this physical or in this human life.

30 —but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

Now, let’s turn to a cross reference very quickly here and see who will inhabit the earth. Let’s turn to Matthew 5:5:

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The humble, the meek, the ones who know their place, and the ones who decrease that God might increase—they’re the ones who are going to inherit the earth. But not the wicked. Back to Proverbs 10:31:

31 The mouth of the just brings forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

In other words, the perverse tongue is going to be held accountable for what they say.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable:—

They understand propriety. They understand protocol. They understand how to be courteous. They understand and care for the feelings of others. They don’t run around trying to please other people for the sake of aggrandizing themselves. They try to please God. But the lips of the righteous, they have class and they have the proper feelings for other people and therefore they conduct themselves and speak in a way that has others’ welfare in mind. They know what is acceptable.

32 —but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverseness.

They don’t know what’s acceptable, what’s right, what’s good, what’s proper—and they really don’t care. And so we don’t want to be that way when we speak.

Okay, we will stop there and pick up the Bible Study next time with Proverbs 11.

So until next time, this is Charles Bryce with the Enduring Church of God.