Reflections on Proverbs 10

 

Proverbs 10 (Contemporary English Version)


1. Here are some proverbs of Solomon: Children with good sense make their parents happy, but foolish children make them sad.
   
2. What you gain by doing evil won't help you at all, but being good can save you from death.
   
3. If you obey the LORD, you won't go hungry; if you are wicked, God won't let you have what you want.
   
4. Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich.
   
5. At harvest season it's smart to work hard, but stupid to sleep.
   
6. Everyone praises good people, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked.
   
7. Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten.
   
8. If you have good sense, you will listen and obey; if all you do is talk, you will destroy yourself.
   
9. You will be safe, if you always do right, but you will get caught, if you are dishonest.
   
10. Deceit causes trouble, and foolish talk will bring you to ruin.
    
11. The words of good people are a source of life, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked.
    
12. Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.
    
13. If you have good sense, it will show when you speak. But if you are stupid, you will be beaten with a stick.
    
14. If you have good sense, you will learn all you can, but foolish talk will soon destroy you.
    
15. Great wealth can be a fortress, but poverty is no protection at all.
    
16. If you live right, the reward is a good life; if you are evil, all you have is sin.
    
17. Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road.
    
18. You can hide your hatred by telling lies, but you are a fool to spread lies.
    
19. You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much-- so be sensible and watch what you say.
    
20. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an evil person are almost worthless.
    
21. Many are helped by useful instruction, but fools are killed by their own stupidity.
    
22. When the LORD blesses you with riches, you have nothing to regret.
    
23. Fools enjoy doing wrong, but anyone with good sense enjoys acting wisely.
    
24. What evil people dread most will happen to them, but good people will get what they want most.
    
25. Those crooks will disappear when a storm strikes, but God will keep safe all who obey him.
    
26. Having a lazy person on the job is like a mouth full of vinegar or smoke in your eyes.
    
27. If you respect the LORD, you will live longer; if you keep doing wrong, your life will be cut short.
    
28. If you obey the Lord, you will be happy, but there is no future for the wicked.
    
29. The LORD protects everyone who lives right, but he destroys anyone who does wrong.
    
30. Good people will stand firm, but the wicked will lose their land.
    
31. Honest people speak sensibly, but deceitful liars will be silenced.
    
32. If you obey the Lord, you will always know the right thing to say. But no one will trust you if you tell lies.
    

---

This chapter of Solomon's proverbs is a potpourri of short proverbs of which there are overarching truths. For instance, verse 7 touches on one of these overarching truths when it says, "The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." However it is said, or from whatever perspective is taken, the truth is that the wicked leave only disgrace in their wake while the righteous are remembered positively. I should pause at this point and describe or define the "wicked." Few people would see themselves as being wicked. However, I believe those described with this term in these proverbs would catch more people than might realize as being "caught" by the term. Wicked is defined as having a mental disregard for justice, righteousness, truth, honor, or virtue. Does this mean we must always have disregard for these things to be termed wicked? We must keep in mind that what we are is defined more by the heart than by deeds. Even the wicked can do "good" deeds. Having a disregard for justice and the other virtues mentioned does not necessarily mean one always does things that disregards them but more that one has little qualm about disregarding them if it serves their purpose.

This brings us to the core issue of the wicked. They are selfish. They want what they want and will disregard various virtues if necessary to have what they want. Usually this disregard for virtue harms other people. Though there may be some regret about harming others, the desire for having what they want is greater than the regret. Here is where Solomon's proverbs kick in. One of the overarching truths is touched on in verse 24. That is that in the end, the wicked don't really get what they desire. They get what they dread.  It is the righteous who get what they desire. Why? Because they desire what is good and what is not based in selfishness.

Everyone desires happiness, but not everyone understands how it is attained. Not everyone realizes that happiness is a byproduct that results from honorable pursuits. Those who give themselves over to the pursuit of happiness end up with a load of regrets and nothing much that could be called real happiness. This raises the question of whether "happiness" and "fun" are synonymous? Certainly not by biblical standards. For instance, Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!" This concept of happiness is stated over and over in scripture. It is not the idea most have of "fun." But I don't think happiness can be attained through the pursuit of fun. Nevertheless, many do just that. To them, fun is everything. If it is not fun it is not worth pursuing. This thinking must surely be motivated by the idea that fun is the means to happiness. No, the pursuit of fun to the disregard of other things of value is another example of wickedness that disregards justice, etc. No, it may not be a direct disregard, but does so by default. To fail to DO justice is equivalent to doing injustice. And a similar statement could be made about wickedness. To fail to do righteousness is by default to do wickedness.

Well, this line of thinking could go on and on. Hopefully the point is made. Going back to the overarching truth in verse 24, the righteous get what they desire. We can have what we want in life but if it requires a disregard for virtues such as justice, we have the wrong "want." Those things that can be had through righteousness are attainable and lasting and bring true happiness.