Proverbs Chapter 10
Proverbs
Chapter 10
1. The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother. The previous chapters have beautifully set out the nature and value of heavenly wisdom and contrasted it with the fascinations of sinful folly. We now come to what are more correctly (not excluding the foregoing) the proverbs of Solomon. They are for the most part unconnected sentences, remarkable for profound thought and acute observation, expressed in an antithetical or illustrative form. They comprise a divine system of morals that should be universally applied. They are a treasure of wisdom in all its varied details. They apply to the individual, the family, and governments. The previous chapters form a striking introduction to the book. The glorious description of the great Counselor (chapters 1 and 8) commends to us his gracious instruction concerning the principles of true happiness and practical godliness.
This first verse may have been placed at the beginning to point to the value of a godly education in its personal, social, and national influence, which are linked to both time and eternity. The child who has been prayed over, instructed, and disciplined will in the Lord's time choose the path of wisdom and so bring joy to his father.
Many a mother, alas, has grief brought to her by her foolish son. In such cases, has not indulgence instead of restraint, pleasure instead of godliness, the world instead of the Bible educated the child?
2. Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death. The most substantial earthly treasures are of no value (23:5; Matthew 6:19). Ill-gotten treasures are even less valuable. "A man may seem to benefit from them and to live a wonderful life for a time" (Bishop Sanderson). But what was the benefit of Naboth's vineyard to Ahab when in his ivory palace he was withering under God's curse? How did Judas benefit from his thirty pieces of silver? They did not deliver him from death; instead, their intolerable sting plunged him into eternal death. A godly person is told to seek righteousness. Take up the prayer and confidence of the man of God: "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you" (Psalm 25:21).
3. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. To spiritualize the temporal promises diminishes their effect in our lives. They are not restricted to the old dispensation. "Yet the promises require faith, whereby we believe that God helps us" (Cope).
4. Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
Daily observation confirms the fact that lazy hands bring poverty, while diligent hands bring wealth, the reward of the harvest. Industry was the law of paradise (Genesis 2:15), and although it now bears the stamp of the Fall (Genesis 3:19), it is still a blessing and under God's providence brings wealth. The Lord's favors were never given to loiterers. Moses and the shepherds of Bethlehem were keeping watch over their flocks (Exodus 3:1-2; Luke 2:8-9). Gideon was busy in his threshing floor (Judges 6:11). "Our idle days," as Bishop Hall has observed, "are Satan's busy days."
5. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Indolence has just been contrasted with diligence. Forethought is here contrasted with improvidence. The wise son ... gathers his blessing at the appropriate time. It is as much the will of God that the young should gather knowledge as that the farmer should gather his harvest. How often we can trace poverty of mind, enervation of character, and unprofitable habits to sleeping during the harvest. "He who idles away the time of his youth will bear the shame of it when he is old" (Henry). "If it should ever fall to the lot of youth to peruse these pages, let such a reader remember that it is with the deepest regret that I recollect in my manhood the opportunities of learning that I neglected in my youth; that through every part of my literary career I have felt pinched and hampered by my own ignorance; and that I would at this moment give half the reputation I have had the good fortune to acquire if by doing so I could rest the remaining part on a sound foundation of learning and science" (Sir Walter Scott).
Look again at the large harvest of opportunity in working for God. So while we have time, let us do good (Galatians 6:10). What a wonderful privilege it is to gather with Christ in such a harvest (Matthew 12:30). And how disgraceful it is to do nothing when there is so much to be done.
May the Lord keep me from being like he who sleeps, perhaps in the very house of God, instead of listening to the voice from heaven. This brings shame on my minister, my church, and my Lord.
6. Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Is not affliction the lot of the righteous (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12)? Yet how abundantly it is compensated for by the blessings that crown the head of the righteous.
These blessings are temporal (Deuteronomy 28:1-6; 1 Timothy 4:8) and spiritual (Isaiah 32:17). These blessings are from man (16:7; Job 29:11-13) and from God (Psalm 3:8; 5:12; Isaiah 64:4-5; Matthew 5:3-12).
7. Truly the memory of the righteous will be a blessing to his family and to the church. This applies to a godly parent (31:28), a faithful minister (Hebrews 13:7), a righteous king (2 Chronicles 35:24-25), a public benefactor (2 Chronicles 24:6), and a self-denying Christian (Mark 14:9). "No spices can so embalm a man, no monument can so preserve his name and memory, as a pious conversation [conduct], whereby God has been honored, and man benefited. The fame of such a person is in the best judgments far more precious and truly glorious than is the fame of those who have excelled in any other deeds or qualities" (Barrow).
No such honor belongs to the wicked. Even now their memory will rot in corruption. "You may choose," said godly Bishop Pilkington, "whether you will be remembered to your praise or to your shame."
8. The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. The heart is the seat of true wisdom, and a teachable spirit is the best proof of its influence. For whoever knows himself is grateful for further light. As soon as the commands come down from heaven, the well-instructed Christian will accept them, like his father Abraham (Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 22:1-3).
But look at the person who professes to be religious but is devoid of this wisdom in his heart. We find him a man of creeds and doctrines but not of prayer. He prefers to ask curious questions rather than listen to simple truths. He is occupied with other people's business and neglects his own. He wanders from church to church and from house to house like a chattering fool. He will come to ruin and fall into disgrace, beaten with the rod of his own foolishness. Let us look at this picture as a beacon against the foolishness of our own hearts. Young Christian, beware of a specious religion that has no humility, consistency, and love because it is separated from a close walk with God.
9. The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. A Christian should be a man of integrity, though he is not a man of sinless perfection. He walks willingly before God, not before men. Impurity does indeed defile the holiest activity. Nature's cry is, "Show me an easier path." The man of integrity walks under the shield of the Lord's protection, his providence, and the shadow of his promises. There will be difficulties, but a deliverance will be provided, just as the Babylonian exiles were delivered through the fire from the infinitely greater danger of apostasy (Daniel 3:21-29).
Because Peter did not walk in the right way, he denied the foundation of the Gospel (Galatians 2:14). So we must learn the value of this principle for an enlightened and full reception of the truth, that we may welcome a Ruler as well as a Savior (Acts 5:31). We must combine his scepter with his sacrifice, his holy precepts with his precious promises. In this way we will put into practice the rule of the Gospel in everything we do. "The man conscious to himself of an honest meaning, and a due course of prosecuting it, feels no check or struggling of mind, no regret or sting of heart. He therefore moves quickly forward with courage, as there is nothing in him to stop him, distract him or disturb him" (Barrow).
But to bend God's rules and to follow crooked paths will shake our confidence far more than the heaviest cross. God's eyes see everything that you do, and you will be found out and brought to shame. In this way Jacob was punished to the end of his days. Peter was openly rebuked (Galatians 2:11-14). Judas and Ananias are examples that are recorded in the annals of the church to the end of time.
10. He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. The intended contrast here is between the man who brings trouble on his fellowmen and the man who brings trouble on himself. The first is a plague to his neighbor because he is God's enemy. And because the fool despises wisdom (1:7), he comes to ruin.
11. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. The indwelling Spirit, a well of living water, is the glorious privilege of the righteous (John 4:14; 7:38). So his mouth, replenished from the heavenly source, is a fountain of life, sending out refreshing waters (16:22). The precious gift of speech is thus consecrated to God's service.
Servant of God, honor your great privilege of ministering a blessing to the church in this way (verse 21; 15:7; Ephesians 4:29). How much you owe to God's grace who has made your mouth ... a fountain of life, while violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. The latter find that they turn against themselves and are covered with confusion.
12. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. Here is a simple but forceful contrast. Hatred, however disguised by a smooth exterior, is the selfish principle of man (Titus 3:3). Like an underground fire, it constantly stirs up mischief and creates or keeps alive envy and criticisms. When this dissension is set on fire, God's name is greatly dishonored. Is this not a matter for much prayer, watchfulness, and resistance?
Let us study 1 Corinthians 13 in all its detail. Let it be the mirror for our hearts. Love covers, overlooks, speedily forgives, and forgets. Full of candor and inventiveness, it puts the best construction on doubtful matters and does not expose the faults of a brother. Oh, let us put on the Lord Jesus in his spirit of forbearing, sacrificial love, and let us forgive as we have been forgiven by Christ (Colossians 3:13). Geier has commented, "It is one thing to cover sin before men, another thing to cover it before God. The first is an act of love (1 Corinthians 13:4; Galatians 6:2). The last requires an infinite price, equal to the turning away of the eternal wrath of God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 1:7; Psalm 32:1)."
13. Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. Solomon and his son admirably illustrate this contrast. The wisdom that is found on the lips is the fruit of a discerning heart. The whole world came to hear Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 4:31; 10:1). Rehoboam lacked judgment, but his father was full of discernment. Rehoboam's foolishness was like a rod for his back. The rod was the usual form of corporal punishment under the Mosaic law. Learn to seek wisdom from the lips of the wise. The lack of this wisdom, or rather the lack of a heart to seek it, will bring us under the rod.
14. Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. Solomon showed that he deserved the title of "wise man" by the way he used to store up knowledge. No wonder that wisdom is found on the lips, for "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). Jerome mentions about his friend Nepotian, "By daily reading and meditating in the sacred volume, he had make his soul a library of Christ." If you store up knowledge when you are young, what a valuable treasure will be accumulated, although it will only be enough to meet the coming trials. Add something every day to your storehouse. For lack of sound wisdom the fool only opens himself to his own ruin, for he is in constant rebellion against God.
15. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. This means exactly what it appears to say. The wealth of the rich man fences him in and protects him from many invading evils. But this leads him to rest on human protection as his comfort and security in life. All thoughts about God are blotted out, and man becomes a god to himself.
The poor have no such defense. They live in a city that has no walls and are exposed to every attack (14:20; 19:7; 22:7; John 7:48-49).
So we are ready to agree how happy the rich are and how wretched the poor are. But God's Word teaches us something other than this. God has chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith (James 2:5). Think of Jesus sanctifying the state of poverty by his own blessed example (Luke 2:7-12; 8:3; Matthew 8:20). Think of the riches of his grace, raising the poor from the mire.
Both states have their besetting temptations, and both need God's special grace. Both are safe—when the rich are poor in spirit and large in heart (1 Chronicles 29:14), and when the poor are rich in faith and are content with acquiring godliness (1 Timothy 6:6-8). See also James 1:9-10.
16. The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment. Work, not idleness, is the stamp of a servant of God. So even the duties of our daily life should lead us in the way of life (Jeremiah 22:15-16). God works in us, by us, with us, and through us (Isaiah 26:12). We work in and through him. Remember, "A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7).
17. He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. It is unimaginable mercy that the way to life has been opened up for us. Discipline sets the way before us. He who heeds discipline cannot fail to find life and to enjoy it. The more we value discipline, the more we will take note of every practical lesson we learn in the heavenly school. But the person who ignores correction is deaf to the voice that would save him from ruin.
18. He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. Scriptural history from the first chapter of fallen man abundantly illustrates this proverb. Consider the hidden hatred of Cain talking with his brother (Genesis 4:8), Saul plotting against David (1 Samuel 18:20-22, 29), and the enemies of the church on the return of God's people to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 4:1-16; Nehemiah 6:2).
Is this root of bitterness mortified in the Christian's heart? Is there any insincerity in our meetings with those to whom we feel, if not hatred, at least strong repugnance? In the language of polite courtesy there is much that is hollow, if not false. Do we really mean what we say? Are not our outward actions often at variance with our inner feelings? Do we not often boost our own reputation at the expense of somebody else's? "Occasions of evil report can never be lacking to them who seek or are ready to embrace them. No innocence, no wisdom can in any way prevent them, and if they are admitted as grounds of defamation, no man's good name can be secure. It is not every possibility, every seeming, every faint show or glimmering appearance that is sufficient to ground bad opinion or reproachful discourse concerning our fellow creature. The matter should be clear, notorious, and palpable before we admit a disadvantageous conceit into our head, a distasteful resentment into our heart, a harsh word into our mouth about him. Justice requires full proof. 'Charity thinketh no evil, and believeth all things' for the best. Wisdom is not forward to pronounce before full evidence" (Barrow).
This spirit is in God's eyes slander, an offense against the new commandment of love that is the hallmark of all the disciples of Jesus (John 13:34-35). Lord, purge our hearts from these hateful, hidden corruptions.
19. When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Hypocrisy and slander are not the only sins of the tongue. Indeed, considering the corrupt spring from which they flow we cannot think of words, much less when words are many, without sin.
There is the sin of egotism. Our own mouth praises us, but no one else (27:2). We love to hear ourselves talk and to present our own judgments intrusively.
There is also the sin of vain hahhling. The fool talks forever about nothing, not because he is full, but because he is empty; not in order to give instruction, but for the pure love of talking. This wantonness is a sin of the flesh, trifling with the most responsible talent, when "conversation is," as Bishop Butler rightly says, "merely the exercise of the tongue; no other human faculty has any place in it. One meets with people in the world who never seem to have made the wise man's observation that 'there is a time to keep silence.' These times, one would think, should be easily discerned by everybody; namely, when a man has nothing to say, or nothing but what is better unsaid." The government of the tongue is, therefore, a searching test of the soundness of our religion. Since the sin is linked to many... words, it is surely wise to hold our tongue—not in silence, but in caution; to weigh our words before uttering them; never speaking except when we have something to say; speaking only just enough; considering the time, the person, and the circumstances. "Light words weigh heavy in God's balance" (Nicholls). Never let us think of these sins as anything less than the nails that pierced our Lord's hands and feet. Thus we will become like the one who holds his tongue. See also Psalm 141:3.
20. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. If our tongue is our shame in giving voice to sin (verses 18-19), is it not also our glory? Our words should be choice silver, refined of this world's dross, shining with heavenly brightness.
21. Note how useful this part of the body can be. If we are living with God, it will diffuse heavenly leaven. The lips of the righteous nourish many. We are to feed the church with our words. Of Bishop Ridley, the martyrologist Foxe records in his own beautiful style: "To his sermon the people resorted, swarming about him like bees, and coveting the sweet flowers and wholesome juice of his fruitful doctrine." And as our great Master broke the bread and give it to his disciples for them to distribute (Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:11 [kjv]), so does he now give to his servants heavenly provision that is suitable for the needs of those in their charge. And every Sunday the wonderful miracle is set before us. The imperishable bread multiplies as it is broken. The hungry, the mourners, the weary, and the faint—yes, all who feel their need are refreshed and invigorated.
As for the fools, they may have boxes full of treasure, but their hearts are empty of choice silver (verse 20). So far from feeding other people, fools die for lack of judgment. They die from a heart that does not seek discernment. "They die of famine in the middle of the rich pastures of the Gospel" (Schultens).
22. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. We were told in verse 4 that diligent hands bring wealth. Here we see that the blessing of the Lord brings wealth. There is no inconsistency here. The one notes the primary source of wealth; the other points to the instrumental source of wealth. Neither can be effective without the other. The sluggard looks for prosperity without diligence; the atheist looks for prosperity only from being diligent. The Christian, armed with God's blessing, is diligent. This wise combination keeps him active and at the same time humble and dependent on God (John 6:27).
To the blessing of the Lord the divine hand adds no trouble. This is true in the sense that the Lord adds no trouble that he does not turn into a blessing. Accumulation of riches may be the accumulation of sorrows. Lot's covetous choice was fraught with bitterness (Genesis 13:10-11; 14:12; 19:15; 2 Peter 2:8). Ahab wore a crown but lay on his sickbed discontent (1 Kings 21:4). The rich man's rejection of Christ was the source of present and everlasting sorrow (Luke 18:23-25). Happy are those who know what it is to be in need and also know what it is to have plenty and are content in both situations (Philippians 4:12).
23. A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom. Are we sufficiently careful not to indulge our wit or humor at another person's expense? For to behave in such a way is utterly selfish. Young people cannot be taught enough to consider the feelings of others and to be considerate.
A man of understanding is too wise to take reckless delight in harming his neighbor. Let us who bear the name of our Lord cultivate his self-denying, loving mind (Philippians 2:4-8).
24. What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. We know that the wicked will be found in their sins, being fearful of their doom and without hope.
But if what the righteous desire is granted, faith and patience will be tested. Growth in grace is given by deep and humbling views of our corruption. Longings for holiness are fulfilled by painful affliction. Prayers are answered by crosses. But all things that are necessary will be granted.
25. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. Suddenly, like a storm... the wicked are swept away. All his hopes, pleasures, and dependencies, all his opportunities of grace and God's offers of mercy, are swept away in a moment forever. But he who does God's will lives forever (1 John 2:17); he will stand firm. Faith has attached him to the Rock of Ages and has built his house on that Rock, and no storm can uproot him (Matthew 7:25).
But remember that this is the confidence of the righteous. Sin, when it is indulged in, will shake this foundation far more than all the outward attacks of earth and hell. So hold fast in godly fear. Then you can look at trouble; you can look into the face of death itself and without dismay say, "I am safe." See also Romans 11:20.
26. As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. This is a striking picture of how annoying the sluggard is to those who employ him. If a fire needs putting out, if medical assistance is necessary, an urgent message has to be sent. In such a situation a sluggard is a worthless person to have around. Common prudence dictates the selection of active and industrious servants.
The sluggard can disappoint and provoke his earthly master. So we must ensure that we are not sluggards to our heavenly Master. Those who professed faith at Laodicea were especially hated in God's sight (Revelation 3:16). The slothful minister is accountable to the one who sends him. When he hears the Master's call to go into his vineyard, he disobeys at his peril (Matthew 20:7; 25:30).
27. The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. Here the fear of the Lord is not a single grace. It includes the substance of all godly inclinations, for all come from one source. Those who fear the Lord are essentially different from the wicked, who fear those whom they hate. The child of God fears him whom he loves. The fear of the Lord is rightly contrasted with the wicked because the latter have rejected the grace of God. Excessive worldliness depletes the spring of life and often brings it to an untimely end.
28. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The fear of the Lord, so far from being opposed to, is often connected with the prospect of the righteous. This may well be called joy, as it is "accompanied with sweet patience, joyful hope, and crowned with a happy issue" (Diodati). It has its origin in eternity (Titus 1:2). Its substance is Christ and heaven. The foundation is the work of Christ (1 Peter 1:3, 21). Do I grasp this hope? Then, as a godly man exclaimed, "Let who will be miserable; I will not, I cannot!" Christian, make the ground of your hope sure (2 Peter 1:10). Manifest its joy as becomes an heir of glory. Do not let a drooping spirit make the world think that you have a scanty hope. Being full of doubt leaves believers and unbelievers nearly on the same level. A clear understanding of this infinite joy stimulates our being "all the more eager to make [our] calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).
29. The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. Coming into the way of the Lord was strength to the upright Nicodemus. The weakest believer will, in the Lord's strength, march on and not faint. When we look at our own resources, we might "as well despair of moving sin from our hearts as of casting down the mountains with our fingers" (Bishop Reynolds). Yet none of us needs to shrink from the confession that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
No such resources support those who do evil. They are prisoners instead of soldiers. They do not realize that they need strength. The Judge will tell them to go away from him, and this will be their ruin (Luke 13:27).
30. The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land. We know that the righteous "enjoy in this life by faith and hope their everlasting life" (Reformers' Notes). This is a confidence that neither earth nor hell can shake (Romans 8:38-39).
As far as the wicked are concerned, it is not a question of their having their confidence uprooted because they have never had this confidence. They have no title as the righteous do. They are not God's sons or heirs of the earth.
31. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. Here is another picture of the fruitfulness of a gracious tongue. It brings forth wisdom. This gift needs to be deeply pondered and carefully cultivated. This will be applied in different ways by different people. How, what, when, and to whom to speak is a matter of great wisdom. A perverse tongue provokes its own ruin. It will be cut out (8:13; 18:7; Psalm 12:3; 52:1-5; 120:3-4; Numbers 16:1-33). Oh, my God, how much I owe you for the bridle of discipline that restrains me from self-destruction!
32. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. Let the minister of God study to clothe his most unpalatable message in the most fitting way. Let him mold it in all the sweetness of persuasion (2 Corinthians 5:11, 20), compassion (Romans 9:1-3; 2 Corinthians 2:4), and sympathy (Titus 3:2-3; 2 Corinthians 11:29). He must always gain his people's ears, that he may win their hearts.