Posted by Jeff Short on February 2, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
– Proverbs 10:15
There are some truths about life and reality that we simply have to face.
Wealth can be a defense and help to those who have it.
Poverty can be the vulnerability and isolation of those who suffer it. Solomon later warns we should not be hasty to decide wealth or poverty is better to have (Ecclesiastes 6:8, 12). Wisdom is discerning the world we actually live in and not the world we “imagine.” The world we live in is subject to vanity (Ecclesiastes 6:9) and there are realities about wealth and poverty we cannot escape (Proverbs 14:20; 18:23; 19:7; 22:7).
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Posted by Jeff Short on February 1, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
– Proverbs 10:14
To
lay up means to hide or hoard. It isn’t a mere accumulation of knowledge here. It’s the picture of the wise householder Jesus painted (Matthew 13:52). Those who are wise know to take in knowledge and store it up to be used at the right time. This isn’t a utilitarian view of knowledge but rather a picture of discernment and discretion. The
foolish cannot store up knowledge because they speak more than they listen and readily devour foolishness (Proverbs 15:5, 14). Rather than storing up knowledge then, they are
near destruction (Proverbs 13:3; 18:7).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 31, 2017 · Leave a Comment
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.
– Proverbs 10:13
The word for
understanding means to separate mentally. We would refer to that as discernment—thinking through something and being able to make distinctions and determine whether good or bad. We might also think of it as insight. The one who has an understanding mind, or heart, will speak forth
wisdom (Proverbs 10:11, 21; 15:7). Jesus also taught in the Gospels that the source of our speech is our heart, or mind (Luke 6:45). The man
void of understanding does not discern and goes on in the way of folly. Because he will not receive instruction, he will come to the
rod of correction (Proverbs 7:22; 26:3; Psalm 32:8-9).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 30, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
– Proverbs 10:12
The word for
stirreth up means literally to awaken as out of sleep.
Strifes are contentions, quarrels, or discords of all kinds. The stirring and spreading of contentions comes from
hatred. Other proverbs expose the stirring of strife as coming from wrath, ungodliness, pride, and anger (Proverbs 15:18; 16:27; 28:25; 29:22). A hateful heart captures all those ideas.
The contrast comes in the form of action motivated by love. The word for covereth means to conceal or hide. It can be used to speak of covering the body with clothing. Covering obviously doesn’t mean sweeping sin under the rug and acting as though it doesn’t exist (Proverbs 28:13). We understand what is meant by observing the parallelism in the proverb. It is opposite of stirring up contentions and strife. It is the wisdom that defers anger and passes over transgressions (Proverbs 19:11). Often, there isn’t a problem between people until we make one and that is what hatred does. Love covers shame, appeases strife, and ceases from it (Proverbs 12:16; 15:18; 20:3).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 29, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
– Proverbs 10:11
The
mouth is here put for speech, the things we say. Solomon contrasts the speech of the
righteous with the speech of the
wicked. The word for
well means a spring or fountain, and therefore, a source. Wisdom teaches the mouth of the righteous to be life giving (Psalm 37:30; Proverbs 10:21; 16:23). To
cover is to conceal and
violence points to malice. The mouth of the wicked cannot utter wisdom because it is covered by wrong and everything proceeding from it is tainted.
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 28, 2017 · Leave a Comment
He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
– Proverbs 10:10
Rather than a contrast, this proverb gives us a comparison going from bad to worse. Winking is a gesture often used as deception or to give reassurance (Proverbs 6:13). It is usually the means of one taking advantage in some way. The word of such a one is not trustworthy causes injury. As in Proverbs 10:8, the prating fool prefers his own foolishness and will not receive instruction. The result is being taken as in a snare.
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment
He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
– Proverbs 10:9
Walking is often put for the course of one’s life.
Uprightly refers to walking or living with integrity, an innocence of wrong doing. One who walks thus with integrity does so
surely. The word indicates confidence or trust in safety. The one who walks in wisdom
uprightly does not fear the accusation that is false but the one that is true (1 Peter 4:15-16).
Solomon contrasts the one who perverteth his ways. This is opposite of walking in integrity. The word indicates something twisted, bent, or crooked. It speaks of walking deceptively and not with integrity. This person doesn’t walk surely but rather shall be known, or found out. They will fall (Proverbs 28:18).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 26, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
– Proverbs 10:8
Solomon here contrasts characteristics of the wise and foolish. The parallelism also speaks of the results of each. The
wise in heart, or mind, are teachable and will
receive commandments. Having wisdom in Proverbs never amounts to being a know-it-all but being a learner (Proverbs 1:5; 9:9). It is a distinct mark of wisdom. The
prating fool is literally the foolish of lips. It refers to talkativeness in volume of words but also being opinionated where the fool delights more in his own foolishness than the counsel of wisdom (Proverbs 12:23; Ecclesiastes 10:14). Because the fool won’t hear instruction and prefers his own vain thoughts, he will fall or come to ruin (Proverbs 18:6-7).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 25, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
– Proverbs 10:7
The
memory of a person obviously speaks of that person after they are gone. Once a person has lived and died, their character and name are fixed. Their memory will either be a blessing or a stinking
rot. The memory of them will be determined by their character and way of life while they lived, whether
just or
wicked. This is wisdom’s long view of life. Wisdom considers the end of a thing before stepping foot in the path. It is pressed upon each of us to consider what sort of memory we would want to leave. The next step then is to seek wisdom and endeavor to live now in such a way that we come to that desired end. It would not be Divine wisdom to merely teach us to leave a good legacy on earth subject to the judgment of men. Divine wisdom teaches us that it is the judgment of God that matters and that should drive our life on earth (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).
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Proverbs 10:15
Posted by Jeff Short on February 2, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
There are some truths about life and reality that we simply have to face. Wealth can be a defense and help to those who have it. Poverty can be the vulnerability and isolation of those who suffer it. Solomon later warns we should not be hasty to decide wealth or poverty is better to have (Ecclesiastes 6:8, 12). Wisdom is discerning the world we actually live in and not the world we “imagine.” The world we live in is subject to vanity (Ecclesiastes 6:9) and there are realities about wealth and poverty we cannot escape (Proverbs 14:20; 18:23; 19:7; 22:7).– Proverbs 10:15
Listen to the Proverbs sermon series
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