1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a
glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. 2 Treasures
of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. 3 The
Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away
the substance of the wicked. 4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack
hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in
summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth
shame. 6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth
the mouth of the wicked. 7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name
of the wicked shall rot. 8 The wise in heart will receive commandments:
but a prating fool shall fall. 9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely:
but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. 10 He that winketh with
the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall. 11 The mouth of a
righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. 13 In the
lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back
of him that is void of understanding. 14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but
the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. 15 The rich man's wealth is
his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty. 16 The
labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. (Prov
10:1-16)
Just as at the beginning of the Book of Proverbs, today’s chapter is prefaced
by “The Proverbs of Solomon…” Are not all of the Proverbs
of Solomon’s authorship? No, they are of God as Solomon was inspired to write.
The first part of Proverbs from chapter one to ten may have been given Solomon
by his father, David, but Solomon took them as those given by God to be
recorded. The Proverbs of the following section – 10:1 through 22:16 are
individual nuggets of wisdom not necessarily contiguous with the neighboring
verses. These are nuggets of Wisdom that Solomon may have discovered by his own
observation or by the hearing from other learned wise men (including his
father, David). At any rate, they all have their origins in the mind of God.
Chapter Ten reveals a sure contrast between the people of God and the people of
the world. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the
heaviness of his mother. Unless we were very unusual little
creatures, we can remember when we were, as a son or daughter, unwise in the
company we kept, or in the places we frequented. If we were clever,
industrious, and careful of speech, our fathers would have bragged on us in
every company; but if we were out later than we should have been, or kept
company with a bad lot, our mother’s would worry into the early morning hours
and be grief-stricken at our every self-inflicted peril.
Solomon indulges in a bit of satire to make his next point clearly – can
you recognize it? 2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing:
but righteousness delivereth from death. First of all, there is
no such thing as “treasures of wickedness” - it is a
misnomer. A treasure describes something of value. Wickedness has a property
that is a detriment and not a value to be cherished. There is only loss
that attends wickedness and no profit at all. Only the Righteousness of Christ
can deliver us from the sentence of death that has been levied against every
man from Adam to the present.
3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish:
but he casteth away the substance of the wicked. Does God
ever forget His people? Will He leave them forever in want and desperation? No,
He will always care in the best way for His chosen vessels. He will keep the in
a secure cabinet and will maintain them in purity of repair. I have been
young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. (Psalms 37:25) Though the desires of the people of
God may wander in strange paths, they will not go in want or need of those
things which God wills for their lives. Of course, there are exceptions to this
characteristic of God in allowing His people to sometimes to bear a very heavy
cross, but He will not fail to balance the scales for them at some point
according to His good time and will.
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand
of the diligent maketh rich. This is a general rule that is sure
and certain; however, some will gain riches, not through labor but stealth.
Treasures gained dishonestly never result in good ness to their owner. But all
those who use both mind and muscle to create treasures for themselves and their
families will ALWAYS succeed. . 5 He that gathereth in summer is
a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
It is this verse that may have been Aesop’s inspiration for his fable of the
Ants and the Grasshopper. It is true across all cultures and societies.
We should note that any ill-gotten gain will never be accounted for a blessing;
rather, it will result in a final curse. 6 Blessings are upon the
head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. It
is always wiser to use one’s head more than one’s mouth! Those who are just
will be trusted with the riches of others. They will be depended upon in
business, society, and in marriage. They are sterling silver as contrasted with
the wear-thin silver plate of the false professor of Christ. Those who are
neither just nor honest expend their energies in attempting to get the wealth
of others by a loose and deceitful tongue. Their own mouths shall become their
curse. Every false and idle word shall be evidence against us when we go before
the Lord on the Last Day. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and
that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the
mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to
consume. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied
your words against me: I have heard them. (Ezek 35:12-13)
7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked
shall rot. This is a verse just bursting with meaning and truth. A
name written down in the Book of Life in Heaven is imperishable, but the name
that goes down with its owner into the grave of the lost perishes with its
owner. Remember, Lazarus the Beggar had a name; the rich man had no name.
8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool
shall fall. How do the wise in heart receive commandments? It is by
following the Bright and Morning Star of Christ just as did the Wise Men of
old. They will seek the commandments of God to know them, to love
them, and to keep them. But despite his speaking of many
words of vanity and profanity, the fool has no place to support his foot on the
Last Day, or even the present day.
The good and righteous man or woman is little known, but the notorious criminal
is known far and wide. 9 He that walketh uprightly walketh
surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. There was,
many years ago, an elderly missionary couple who had spent the years of their
adult life in sacrifice on the foreign mission field. Coming home to New York
Harbor, in old age, there was a huge welcoming crowd gathered on the dock. The
old man and woman dragged their bags through the ignoring crowd to catch the
bus home unassisted; however, the object of the welcoming crowd mounted the
boardwalk from the ship to the applause and admiration of hundreds. They were a
pair of famous movie stars returning from filming in Italy. They had never
known sacrifice or even cared for their fellow man; yet, they were greeted and
the true saints of God ignored by the crowd. The Hidden Manna, however, is
reserved for them and not the ones of notoriety.
10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating
fool shall fall. We
have a second warning here of the same offense – vain and profane babblings. This
offense occurs in modern churches as often as in vulgar society. The flirts and
philanderers of the world leave a pathway of broken hearts and tearful eyes in
their wake.
11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence
covereth the mouth of the wicked. Here we see another double
warning of that fate of the mouth of the wicked. It will face violence and
ruin. To the contrary, the mouth of a righteous man or woman always leads to
life if their counsel is heeded for it is of things Godly.
Only vipers bear young vipers, and only sheep beget sheep. 12 Hatred
stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Hate and strife
only serve to reproduce its own, but LOVE covers ALL
sin! Why is this so? Because love will never offend, intentionally, the object
of its focus. It will never murder, steal, lie about, show infidelity, etc. to
that which is the object of its love. So the Commandments of God are kept more
in love than in intent and practice.
13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found:
but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
Wisdom is a treasure that is kept in the heart. It is generated by an intense
desire to understand the things of God and His Creation. To lack wisdom and
understanding is an indictment of the Christian profession. If you lack these,
it is because you have not sought them as a good biblical researcher.
There is no excuse! If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
(James 1:5)
14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is
near destruction. The wise recognize, readily, the value of
knowledge. They deposit each coin of it in their hearts; but the fool sails
through life ignoring the warning signs of God to their own sure detriment.
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of
the poor is their poverty. How is the rich man’s wealth his strong
city? The wealth of a rich man commands respect and the following of the
whole city. He can hire many to perform his desires if needed. His knowledge is
also his wealth. But ignorance and slovenly living will always result in
poverty and depravity of soul.
In the hand of labor are many benefits of prosperity. Knowledge and wisdom,
too, are powerful possessions. 16 The labour of the
righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. Labor
always leads to profit – a working man can always feed his family. But the
wicked have no life expectancy. Their efforts, though not laborious, always
lead to bad fruit; and that bad fruit is sin. Can you look back on any past
sins with pride of accomplishment? If so, please respond to jerry.ogles@gmail.com (*____~)
