Posted on 02/10/2014 10:42:05 AM PST by OneVike
Many actually believe they have been actually reading proverbs all along from chapter 1 to 9, but in fact those 9 chapters were originally written more as an introduction to proverbs, whereas chapter 10 is where Solomon's Proverbs actually begins. From here on forth, most of the proverbs are short an pithy, with two sentences in one verse. These verses correspond with each other by an opposition of terms and sentiments. The second verse is contrasted with the first by illustrating an opposit action or result from differnt behavior. Seldom is there any coherence between the verses, much less any discussion as most the vast majority of Scripture gives us. The purpose of these proverbs is to set before us good and evil, the blessing and the curse. Many of the proverbs in this particular chapter, (ch 10) is relate to the good government of the tongue, without which men’s religion is vain.
Proverb 10
Proverb 10 (NKJV)
Wise Sayings of Solomon
A Wise Son and a Foolish Son
01 The proverbs of Solomon:
00 A wise son makes a glad father,
00 But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
02 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing
00 But righteousness delivers from death.
03 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
00 But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
04 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
00 But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
05 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
00 He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
06 Blessings are on the head of the righteous
00 But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
07 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
00 But the name of the wicked will rot.
08 The wise in heart will receive commands,
00 But a prating fool will fall.
09 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
00 But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
00 But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
00 But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
00 But love covers all sins.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
00 But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
00 But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city;
00 The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
00 The wages of the wicked to sin.
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
00 But he who refuses correction goes astray.
18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
00 And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
00 But he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
00 The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
00 But fools die for lack of wisdom.
22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
00 And He adds no sorrow with it.
23 To do evil is like sport to a fool,
00 But a man of understanding has wisdom.
24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
00 And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
00 But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
00 So is the lazy man to those who send him.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs days,
00 But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
00 But the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the LORD is strength for the upright,
00 But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
30 The righteous will never be removed,
00 But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
00 But the perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
00 But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs by Solomon is to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God';s guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. Today is the 7th, so Proverb 7 should be read. In the Months that have less than 31 days, I just double so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Even if you do not read anything else, read a proverb a day, and in time you will find a desire in your heart to read more.
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The Proverb A Day Ping List
through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil
Prov 16:10
So are you saying that the first 9 chapters of Proverbs don’t carry the weight of Scripture? What’s the point of your dismissal of Proverbs 1 through 9?
From the ESV Study Bible:
“The first nine chapters of the book are wisdom poems that extend over several verses, urging the reader to pursue wisdom. The proverbs proper — the concise, memorable statement of two or three lines — begin in 10:1.”
That sounds like what you’re saying, right?
I think I was just put off by the first three words of your original post, which came across as a bit arrogant.
Oh by no means is that what I am saying. I was just putting things into a historical perspective to help shed light upon the way the book was originally written by the author.
Proverb 1 carries as much weight and lesson on life and one’s spiritual walk with God as Proverb 10 - 31 does.
Sorry to make it seem as if that is what I meant. Thanks for asking so I could clear up any confusion of what I meant.
God bless you
Exactly.
I appreciate the clarification, and graciousness of your reply. Like I said, I was just a bit unnerved by the first sentence in your original post: “Many actually believe they have been actually reading proverbs all along ...”
I understand your point now, which is a great one.
Thanks for the discussion!
Your welcome, would you like to be on my new, Proverb A day ping list?
Proverbs, chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
1The Proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son gives his father joy,
but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.* a
2Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing,
but justice saves from death.* b
3The LORD does not let the just go hungry,
but the craving of the wicked he thwarts.*
4The slack hand impoverishes,
but the busy hand brings riches.c
5A son who gathers in summer is a credit;
a son who slumbers during harvest, a disgrace.
6Blessings are for the head of the just;
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.*
7The memory of the just serves as blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.*
8A wise heart accepts commands,
but a babbling fool will be overthrown.*
9Whoever walks honestly walks securely,
but one whose ways are crooked will fare badly.
10One who winks at a fault causes trouble,
but one who frankly reproves promotes peace.
11The mouth of the just is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12Hatred stirs up disputes,
d but love covers all offenses.*
13On the lips of the intelligent is found wisdom,
but a rod for the back of one without sense.*
14The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool is imminent ruin.
15The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
the ruin of the poor is their poverty.*
16The labor of the just leads to life,
the gains of the wicked, to futility.* e
17Whoever follows instruction is in the path to life,
but whoever disregards reproof goes astray.f
18Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19Where words are many, sin is not wanting;
but those who restrain their lips do well.g
20Choice silver is the tongue of the just;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21The lips of the just nourish many,
but fools die for want of sense.*
22It is the LORD’s blessing that brings wealth,h
and no effort can substitute for it.*
23Crime is the entertainment of the fool;
but wisdom is for the person of understanding.
24What the wicked fear will befall them,
but the desire of the just will be granted.
25When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more;
but the just are established forever.
26As vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes,
are sluggards to those who send them.
27Fear of the LORD prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.i
28The hope of the just brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked perishes.*
29The LORD is a stronghold to those who walk honestly,
downfall for evildoers.
30The just will never be disturbed,
but the wicked will not abide in the land.
31The mouth of the just yields wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32The lips of the just know favor,
but the mouth of the wicked, perversion.*
* [10:1–22:16] The Proverbs of Solomon are a collection of three hundred and seventy-five proverbs on a wide variety of subjects. No overall arrangement is discernible, but there are many clusters of sayings related by vocabulary and theme. One thread running through the whole is the relationship of the “son,” the disciple, to the parents, and its effect upon the house(hold). In chaps. 10–14 almost all the proverbs are antithetical; “the righteous” and “the wicked” (ethical), “the wise” and “the foolish” (sapiential), and “the devout, the pious” and “the irreverent” (religious). Chapters 15–22 have fewer sharp antitheses. The sayings are generally witty, often indirect, and are rich in irony and paradox.
* [10:1] The opening saying ties the whole collection to the first section, for “son,” “father,” and “mother” evoke the opening line of the first instruction, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching.” The son is the subject of parental exhortation throughout chaps. 1–9. This is the first of many sayings on domestic happiness or unhappiness, between parents and children (e.g., 15:20; 17:21) and between husband and wife (e.g., 12:4; 14:1). Founding or maintaining a household is an important metaphor in the book.
Adult children represented the family (headed by the oldest married male) to the outside world. Foolishness, i.e., malicious ignorance, brought dishonor to the parents and the family.
* [10:2] Death: untimely, premature, or sorrowful. The word “death” can have other overtones (see Wis 1:15).
* [10:3] The last of the three introductory sayings in the collection, which emphasize, respectively, the sapiential (v. 1), ethical (v. 2), and religious (v. 3) dimensions of wisdom. In this saying, God will not allow the appetite of the righteous to go unfulfilled. The appetite of hunger is singled out; it stands for all the appetites.
* [10:6] This saying, like several others in the chapter, plays on the different senses of the verb “to cover.” As in English, “to cover” can mean to fill (as in Is 60:2) and to conceal (as in Jb 16:18). Colon B can be read either “violence fills the mouth (= head) of the wicked” or “the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” The ambiguity is intentional; the proverb is meant to be read both ways.
* [10:7] The name of the righteous continues to be used after their death in blessings such as “May you be as blessed as Abraham,” but the wicked, being enemies of God, do not live on in anyone’s memory. Their names rot with their bodies.
* [10:8] The wise take in instruction from their teachers but those who expel or pour out folly through their words will themselves be expelled.
* [10:12] Love covers all offenses: a favorite maxim in the New Testament; cf. 1 Cor 13:7; Jas 5:20; 1 Pt 4:8. Cf. also Prv 17:9.
* [10:13] An unusual juxtaposition of “lips” and “back.” Those who have no wisdom on their lips (words) are fated to feel a punishing rod on their back.
* [10:15] An observation rather than a moral evaluation of wealth and poverty; but cf. 18:10–11.
* [10:16] Wages are a metaphor for reward and punishment. The Hebrew word does not mean “sin” here but falling short, a meaning that is frequent in Proverbs. Cf. Rom 6:1: “But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.”
* [10:21] The wise by their words maintain others in life whereas the foolish cannot keep themselves from sin that leads to premature death.
* [10:22] Human industry is futile without divine approval; cf. Ps 127:1–2; Mt 6:25–34.
* [10:28] The thought is elliptical. Joy comes from fulfillment of one’s plans, which the righteous can count on. The opposite of joy thus is not sadness but unfulfillment (“perishes”).
* [10:32] The word used for “favor” is favor shown by an authority (God or the king), not favor shown by a peer. A righteous person’s words create a climate of favor and acceptance, whereas crooked words will not gain acceptance. In Hebrew as in English, straight and crooked are metaphors for good and wicked.
a. [10:1] Prv 1:1; 15:20; 17:25; 19:13; 25:1; 29:15.
c. [10:4] Prv 6:11; 12:24; 13:4; 20:13; 28:19.
d. [10:12] 1 Cor 13:4–7; 1 Pt 4:8.
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