Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him. Proverbs 10:26
It is ttruly irritating to have a lazy messenger or servant who should be taking care of something, but who is constantly late and ineffective in fulfilling their duties. That is what we learn about today in the proverb of the day. Two pictures are given to us from every day life. The first is the way that vinegar set our teeth on edge. The kind of vinegar spoken of here is wine vinegar that was very sour as well as being very strong in its effect on a person's teeth. This would result in the person who drank it being very annoyed and disgusted with its taste. The other picture is the effect of smoke upon someone's eyes. When smoke gets in our eyes it is very annoying as well. We blink and rub our eyes from the irritation that they experience from the smoke. These two pictures are now compared to a lazy person who does not do what they are supposed to do. To those who send the lazy person, there is great annoyance at their behavior as well as their inability to get the message to whom it should go - or get the work done that is assigned. Either way, there is great annoyance and disgust as they have to deal with another person's inability to do the job. Amasa in 2 Samuel was one of these people. David sent him out to gather the armies of Israel in a certain time period. But Amasa delayed and did not do the job in a timely manner. David soon sent Joab to finish this work - concerned that Amasa's lack of diligence would cost him his kingdom or at least prolong the rebellion that was at hand. Either way, Amasa's laziness was causing David great annoyance. In the end, it also cost Amasa his life - for when Joab caught up with him later - he killed him. If you have been given a task - wisdom is to be diligent in performing the task and doing it well. Make your authorities glad that they chose to work with you. Make them grateful to have someone who is not lazy and undisciplined in their work. To do otherwise is just to annoy them and possibly injure yourself with consequences for your laziness. Be diligent, work hard, and do not be an annoyance to those who send you.
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What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation. Proverbs 10:24-25
There is a fear that the wicked have at the end of their lives - and it is a fear that will come upon them. Though they spend their days mocking God and living as they choose, they come to the end of their lives facing the same reality anyone does. That reality is that they are going to die - just like anyone else. They forget this during their youth and even in their adult years - but then sickness and the day of their death comes near. It is in these moments that we see that even the most strident atheist or agnostic have to face their fears concerning death. We read of the wicked, that what they fear WILL come upon them. They are going to die - and there is a fear of what is on the other side of death. This begs the question, "What is on the other side of death?" For the wicked man, he is hoping either that God is as immoral as He is or that God does not exist at all. For the tolerance-god the hope is that whatever god there may be that he or she has no standards. This god usually only has one intolerance - and that is for anyone to have intolerance. Everyone makes it into the afterlife. The other option is that there is no god - and that when we die - we just die. There is nothing after death. We just cease to exist. If either of these scenarios are true - the wicked man has nothing to fear. But we read that what he fears comes upon him. What is he fearing? The wicked man fears that there is a God - a holy God like the one presented by the Scriptures. He fears that the urgings of his conscience were right - that there are standards he is breaking. His ultimate fear is that there is indeed a recompense for these wrongs. These fears will be realized. That is what our proverb today tells us. Later in the next verse we read that when the whirlwind passes - the wicked is no more. The whirlwind is a testing. What it is testing is what foundation a person has. We would call a whirlwind a tornado in Arkansas. When this whirlwind comes - the foundation of the wicked man will reveal that he cannot stand that testing - that judgment if you will accept it. This passage has a counterpart in Scripture - and in all honesty it is one that is terrifying when you realize it. In the book of Job a conversation was going on between Job and three of his friends. They said that Job was wicked and that was why his troubles came upon him. Job held fast to his righteousness - but made the mistake of questioning God's wisdom in what was happening to him. In the end, God Himself came to address Job personally. When God did this guess how He chose to reveal Himself? If you guessed in a whirlwind, you guessed right. God came to a moment of truth with Job by coming in a whirlwind. He then questioned Job extensively about the whole idea of wisdom. When it was over Job withdrew all of his comments and repented in dust and ashes. God then blessed Job for his faithfulness - and called his friends to account for their rash and improper words about Job. Now, let us bring this event into focus on our proverb today. When the whirlwind comes - the wicked are no more. The judgment will reveal their faulty foundation - and they will be swept away in judgment. If a godly Job could not stand when the whirlwind came with God's presence and His withering questioning - what hope do the wicked have of being able to stand in that day. The proverb for today leaves a wonderful hope for the righteous though. Their desire will be granted - and their foundation will stand. This begs another question. What is that desire? What is that foundation? Biblically the only man who will be righteous is the one who gets this way by faith. Righteousness is not given to a man by his works. The only way a man can be righteous before God is by faith in what God will provide, from an OT view, and what God has provided, from a NT one. God's promise in the Old Testament was that Messiah would come. He would come first as a suffering servant - as the lamb slain for sin. In the New Testament we meet Messiah. He is Jesus Christ, Who came to pay for our sins to make us righteous in God's sight. The hope of the righteous is that God will fulfill His promise. The desire of the righteous will be realized as his foundation stands firm. As the sand foundations of this world crumble – the foundation of Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead will stand. So the final question for today is simply this, “Are you resting on that foundation?” Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
Proverbs 10:23 One of the things I find funny is that Christians try to convince people who are lost that they can still have fun and be a Christian. It is as if they think that people will come to Christ if we can convince them they still will have a blast once they come to repentance and faith. It reduces the problem of the human condition to what can provide the most fun while on earth. If that were the case, the biggest denomination in the world would be Six-Flagsists, Disneyists, and Xboxians. The truth is that for a man who is ungodly - doing wickedness is joy and laughter - and the same is true for the discerning man and his view of wisdom. We are not that accustom to the word, "sport" as it is used here. The word comes from the Hebrew word "sehoq" which means laughter. But this is a laughter of derision and ridicule. It is a laughter used to make fun of someone or something. What we are speaking of here is how the wicked do their evil - and laugh and deride God and His law. They laugh at righteousness and joke about it. They make fun of those who have standards and whose desire is to do what is godly and righteous. Let me give a few examples of this. When the abstinence movement came out, the wicked mocked it mercilessly. They mocked virgins - and decided that anyone who was still a virgin at 18 to 20 years of age must have something wrong with them. They mocked the idea of waiting for sex until marriage. They argued that a person should be able to test drive a car before buying it - referring to the consummation of marriage in crassest of terms, as if you were buying a car, not choosing a life-mate. They defended an immoral president in the 1990's by saying that everyone does what he did – and - they also lie about it when caught. They mocked the idea of a child needing a father and a mother when a TV character in the 1990's decided to get pregnant and have a baby without a father. They mock everything that is holy - and deride anyone who stands in the way of their immoral agenda for our nation and especially its children. We need to remind ourselves that the people who do these things are fools. They have no understanding. They are ignorant and oblivious to a holy God and His judgments. They may mock the morals that we have - but when society continues to fall apart - and when the statistics come in as to why it is falling apart - their actions will be seen those of fools with no understandings against the backdrop of failure and disfunction that they engender. The man of understanding takes an equal delight and joy in wisdom. As the fool celebrates wickedness and mocks holiness - so the man who has discernment delights in God's wisdom. The man of understanding is the man who has discernment. The idea here is of a man who looks at something and determines its end and consequences. Seeing this, he turns away from wickedness and makes his decisions on the basis of God's wisdom. His discernment comes from the Scriptures. This guides him into wise decisions. It also tells him to shun and even mock those decisions that embrace what God has judged on the cross - and will judge at the end of the age. This man allows discernment to turn him to the right and true way. He sees the reward - and delights in it. As I close the thoughts on today's proverb, let me re-visit my first comments of today. Too many do try to make the gospel more palatable by saying that we can have as much fun as the wicked. This is based on a faulty understanding of the nature of man. The wicked delight in their wickedness - because they are still wicked. Christians delight in holiness because they have been born again. Having had their hearts changed by the gospel - they now delight in things that delight the heart of God. It is impossible for an unsaved man to truly delight in these things. His heart is captive to his sin. Until He is saved, he will not truly value righteousness. This proverb ultimately is about salvation – not the lifestyle that is the most fun on earth. Paul said it best when he said that if we only have this life to hope in Christ - we are to be pitied most of all men. If Jesus is not Who He says He is - then we should eat, drink, and party because tomorrow we die. The reason we embrace Christ is not for a superior life here on earth - but because there IS a judgment coming. Without Christ that judgment WILL BE HORRIFIC! We embrace Christ because we have sinned and, without the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to pay for our sin, we will be judged and sent to hell. All the rest happens WHEN we are saved. We enjoy different things because our heart is different. We enjoy righteousness because we are fundamentally different because of God's grace. The wicked will always delight in their sin - and the discerning will delight in godliness. The difference comes not in which is more fun - but rather in whether a man's heart has been redeemed and changed by God's grace. May we be among those discerning. May we be among those with understanding. May we be among those transformed by grace - and given a whole different outlook on what is fun - what is enjoyable - and mostly, on what is better in eternity. It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
Proverbs 10:22 There is a wrong view of wealth that says that God does not bless men with wealth - therefore if anyone has it - they have it due to sin. This is contrary to what we see written in the Scriptures. God does make men wealthy. He blesses some men with the ability to accumulate and make a great deal of wealth. Eccleiastes 5:18-19 says the following, "Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God." God grants people the ability to receive great wealth from His hand - and also grants to them the ability to enjoy it. This is truly a wonderful gift. It is also what our proverb today is telling us from the Lord. It IS the blessing of Jehovah that makes a man rich, and when God grants this - there is also no sorrow with it. There is often great sorrow that attends the rich men of this world - who have put their hope in these riches - rather than in the Lord. These men do not enjoy their riches - because that is all that they are living for. Paul warned young Timothy to beward of living for riches - because when a man loves money - he pierces himself with MANY sorrows. Not only this, but when a man sets his heart on wealth - it is as if wealth takes up wings and flys toward the heavens. This is the malady that strikes those who think if they could just get a little more they would be happy. You see the folly of this when you see men who are billionaires who are not satisfied with their wealth - but struggle and strive to become even richer. Their lives are consumed by their wealth - and even as the Scriptures tell us - their sleep flies away from them because they cannot stop thinking about their money and how they will continue to protect it. God does bless some with wealth. But we know those when we se that there is no sorrow that comes with it. They are happy - and do not allow wealth or riches to consume their thinking. They even use their wealth to bless God and to expand the work of the kingdom here on earth. Therefore they are among the blessed whom God has given riches - and the ability to enjoy them and use them without harm to themselves. If you are one of these people - fall on your knees and thank God - for their numbers are few indeed. The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding. Proverbs 10:21
What kind of mouth would you prefer to have? Do you want a mouth that is a blessing to others - one that affords spiritual nourishment and strengthening? Do you want a mouth that others will wait to hear - because of the life and the food that it brings to their soul? There is a blessing that comes to those who seek the Lord - that makes their mouth a wonderful blessing to all who hear them. But there are also those who lack understanding - and who not only do not offer life to others through what they say - they die for their lack of wisdom - and unfortunately lead others to the same fate. The lips of the righteous feed many. The idea here is that of a shepherd who tends a flock. The Hebrew word used to speak of "feeding" others means to feed like a shepherd. This is a man whose lips allow sheep to graze - he feeds the flock and the herd. What is even more beautiful about this word is that it was used of others beside shepherds. It was used of the way kings were to shepeherd God's people as in 2 Samuel 5:2 and 7:7. It was used to speak of how God seeks to shepherd and feed His own people. It was used of how a wise man feeds on wisdom, while a food feeds on folly. This is the heart of a shepherd of men and women. He wants to speak in such a way that it feeds the spiritual needs of his people. This is the heart of a pastor - of a Bible teacher who desires for his lips to be a vehicle whereby God cares for and tends His church. He speaks what is right in God's eyes. His lips are the lips of the righteous - for he speaks righteousness - and seeks to teach men the only place where true righteousness can be found. That is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The second half of this proverb speaks of those who, for want of wisdom, die. The word used for "understanding," is leb in the Hebrew. It means that this one lacks heart. He has no heart for God, and therefore has no wisdom. He has no desire for fellowship with God - therefore he has no grasp of what is right and good. He has no desire for God's salvation - so he will only know the disappointment of seeing that his own salvation fall infinitely short of what is required to stand before God. These men who lack heart will often lead others down their same path of destruction and damnation. It is sad to watch them lead others to revel in what is only death. What a blessing it is to have a man of God whose lips are the lips of the righteous. What a wonderful thing to have a godly man who teaches and who sets out a table for God's people to eat well. It is not something to take for granted. Scripture warns of a day when God's people will long for the Word, but will be unable to find it. If you have one of these men whose lips are filled with God's righteousness - thank God for the gift He has given you. Truly you will be fed - and ultimately the gospel such a man preaches will bring you life! The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.
Proverbs 10:20 We are living in a time when people wonder what has any worth? Recently there was a downgrade of our nation's ability to borrow money. In addition to this we watch currencies worldwide go through something akin to a rollercoaster ride as they rise and fall. So again we ask, "What is it that has any true worth?" We are told in today's proverb that the tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. What a wonderfully wealthy thing a godly tongue is to those who hear it. This man or woman speaks what is right. That is why he or she is called "righteous." They know what is right and speak what is right because they fill their mind with what is right. They know the Scriptures and speak what they say as their advice. What is this worth? It is worth choice silver. The phrase used here describes silver that has been refined many times over so that it is free from any impurities. That describes the words that come forth from the tongue of the righteous. They are trustworthy words. They are ideas and counsel that has been tried in the furnace of affliction and tested over many years. Therefore they are also words that will stand in any situation. When we speak of choice silver we need to relate it to situations in today's currency market. The commodities of gold and silver are skyrocketing in value because they are what is called solid assets. They are gaining value because of the unsteadiness of paper currency today. Money printed on paper is called "fiat" money. It is not worth anything intrinsically. Unless the government that prints it has sound financial principles as well as true assets to back the paper money, it is not worthy the paper on which it is printed. Thus, when governments do foolish things like sinking themselves in an endless ocean of debt - their paper money becomes worthless. It is in times like these that silver and gold will show its true value. It will stand when all the paper money fails. So is the speech of the godly, righteous tongue. Their words will stand when all the theories and ideas of man come crashing to the ground. Let's look at why other words are worthless. The proverb tells us that the tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is worthy little. The words of some are worthless because they come from a wicked heart. This is the heart of one who shuns the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. They choose instead to trust themselves. There is only one problem with this scenario - the heart of the fallen is wicked. If left to themselves the unsaved will eventually come up with answers to our problems. Their answers will not involve God - but will turn increasingly to the flesh and the world system for their deliverance. They will call evil good and good evil in their quest for a self-oriented salvation. That salvation will only be an empty cistern of powerless promises. Oh that God would raise up many in the church who will hold fast to the Scriptures and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then and only then will she be able to send into this world an army of silver-tongued saints who can offer this world what it truly needs. They need the truth. They need the facts about their sin. They need the only way a man can stand righteous before a holy God. They need the gospel of Jesus Christ - and the pure preaching and teaching of the Word of God. May God turn us from wicked hearts captivated by sin - to the foundry of God where, forged in the daily study of the Word of God under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, we can watch God grant to us "tongues of choice silver." He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18
One might think on the first reading of this proverb that God is encouraging those who have hatred to let their mouths voice it openly. But you need to remember that many of the proverbs start with a basic statement - and then that statement is explained with an added comment that further defines it. That is the way to understand the proverbs. If we do not read them this way - it is easy to grab a partial proverb and make it say something it was never meant to say. What we have here is a proverb about hidden hatred later escaping through slander. The first part of this proverb speaks of one who is concealing their hatred by saying things they do not believe. An example of this is someone who says nice things or supportive things of someone when they are around that person. Inwardly they despise this person - but they do not allow their hatred to be expressed when around them. But do not be deceived by their lying lips - because deep within them they are churning with a hatred that will surface in time. Their hatred surfaces in what is said in the second part of this proverb. They begin to spread slander. They will not speak openly about their hatred of a person, a viewpoint, a decision, etc. But later they will begin a slander campaign to express their hatred. Put very plainly - they won't tell someone openly they hate them - but in private and with others they will let their hatred fly by slandering them often. The one who does this is a fool. The Scriptures says that it is better to openly rebuke someone than to secretly slander them. If there is a biblical issue that needs to be addressed, then address it privately with the person. If there is a view that needs to be opposed - then oppose it where a debate of ideas can be had. If there is a decision that is wrong - then openly state that it is wrong. To allow a hatred to build up in our hearts is not just foolish - it is dangerous. In time it will surface in slanderous gossip. We WILL eventually have our hatred come out - and when it does - it will not be pretty. You may not like someone who openly confronts you - who rebukes and questions a view you have taken - or who disagrees with you publically. But one thing is for sure. You have far more respect for someone who does this, then for someone who speaks open words of support - but follows them up with slanderous gossip when you are no longer around. Such a man is a fool - and his actions will come back to roost eventually. Speak the truth in love - and if you disagree with someone and do not feel God wants you to speak out - then love them by interceding for them. Hatred, gossip, and slander has NEVER helped any situation where it was used. It has only made for fools and for deep hurt by those who have been injured by it. He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray. Proverbs 10:17
If we are wanting to be blessed in life - we are going to have to embrace two things. These things are the ability to be taught or instructed, and the ability to have someone correct or reprove us. This proverb puts it right out there for us - the path of life is wide open for the one who heeds instruction. This means we need to be teachable! Note it is not just the ability to hear someone - but we learn to heed what they say. The word instruction is important for us to grasp here. The word means to be instructed and disciplined. The primary instruction that it speaks of in Scripture is that of a father. When we learn to be instructed and disciplined by our fathers - it carries over into all of life later. There is a general ability to receive instruction in general. The other major figure who instructs in this way is God. Therefore - if we struggle being instructed by our fathers - it should not shock us when later in life we are unteachable - not only by others - but even by God Himself. Remember this . . . how we deal with dear ole dad - is a precursor to how we will one day be able to deal with God or anyone else. Rebel against dad - it is more likely that you will rebel against others and God. The second half of this proverb tells us that when we ignore reproof - we will go astray. The word "ignores" is the Hebrew word "azab" which means to forsake, abandon, or leave something. The idea is that of walking away - and not caring about someone. The word is used of those who forsake their wives - of those who abandoned their cities in a time of battle - and of those who forsake God. Reproof here speaks of someone giving us a rebuke, correction, or an argument that shows us where we have erred. The erring here is when someone forsakes the warning of God and goes their own way. They may listen - but they reject what is said - the reject the rebuke or correction. The end though is that they reject what is said and continue in the way that they want. We are warned that such choices will lead us away from God. We will make mistakes when we live like this - with an unteachable and unrebukable spirit. None of us are born as unquestionable genius' who do not need instruction or correction. We all make mistakes and err in our thinking. That is why it is a blessing to have those who love us enough to offer correction and godly training. They become a source of protection and life to us. But if we never learn to accept such teaching and correction - we will ensure that we are on a path that will fail in the end. Therefore - listen! But there is more to this than listening alone - there is the need to hear with understanding and with a heart that embraces change. This, dear saints, is wisdom. Defining Who is in Poverty and Who is Wealthy May Not Be As Easy as You Think? Proverbs 10:15-1610/4/2011 The rich man's wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty. The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment. Proverbs 10:15-16
To rightly understand the first proverb here in verse 15, we must push on to read it with the proverb in verse 16. If we do not do this, we will think that the acquisition of money is the end of man's existance. Although God encourages us to prepare for the future and to work hard so that through His blessing we may leave an inheritance to our children's children, this does not mean that gaining wealth is to be our highest aim. We first learn of the fact that money can provide a measure of protection. The rich man's wealth is his fortress. There is much that a rich man can do to protect himself from harm due to his wealth. He is protected from much in life due to this. A fortress is a place one stays during an attack - it was a place of safety. For the rich man - his wealth can prevent him from a quick ruin by difficult circumstances. One example for us to remember is the wisdom of setting aside money for problems that we know will come in the future. The man who acquires some wealth can set aside money for problems that ARE going to come. In our society, if you own a car or other mechanical item, you are assured that a breakdown of some sort is in your future. If you spend everything you have - you will not have anything set aside for this difficulty. The wise man acquires wealth for this very purpose. He puts money away for the repair and replacement of such items. Therefore when a difficult time comes, he has money for these things. The poor man often is ruined by such situations. He does not know what to do and often sees ruin come to his financial picture because of debt he obtains seeking to fix or replace things or he just has to do without, which could be a very problematic hardship. Wealth can be a protection for us. The problem with this proverb is that one might think wealth is the ultimate protection. Therefore we must gain wealth however we can. Such thinking is ungodly - and will lead to ruin, if not now - then in eternity. Therefore we have a clarification in the next verse. We are told that the wages or income of the righteous is life - which the income of the wicked is punishment. If we are seeking righteousness - a life that pursues God and desires to do what God says is true and just - we will be blessed. We may not have a tremendous amount of money - but we will have what is necessary at the end of the age. We will have life! The wicked though, however rich they may become, have a serious problem. Their income will be punishment. Thus a man may be tremendously wealthy by all outward appearances - but he may be dirt poor in spirit. The rich farmer in the gospels had enough to tear down his old barns and build new ones to fill with even more earthly riches - but the very night his soul was required - he was found destitute. Remember that wealth and riches are defined in a number of different ways in Scripture. They may be physical wealth - or they may be spiritual riches in Christ Jesus. It is wise to remember that to be physically wealthy according to James is to be put in a humble place by God. It is difficult for an earthly rich man to enter heaven - because he has a bad tendency to trust his riches. To be poor is also defined different ways. Whereas it may be a bad thing to be financially poor - it is a blessed state to know that we are poor in spirit. Realizing these things will help us better define true wealth and true poverty. On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding. Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand. Proverbs 10:13-14
A godly mouth can be a great blessing to anyone who has one granted to him by the grace of God. Such a mouth, though given by God, must be disciplined to follow Him only - and not the foolishness of the natural man. The wisdom of God is found on a certain kind of man. He is called a discerning man. The Hebrew word used here is "bin" and it speaks of someone who through the use of the Scriptures is able to determine the difference between what is of God and what is not. This discerning heart and mind instructs the lips of the wise man. We learn later in verse 14 that this man stores up knowledge. This knowledge is a practical knowing of God and of the world that is around him. Thus this wise man instructs his mouth with this knowledge. He learns to know much, but not always speak what he knows. He has learned that he can NOT say things and be a blessing. Thus he seeks to quell within himself words and statements that will unnecessaily disburb the peace in relationships. Many an argument and fight could be prevented if one or the other of the two combatants would have practiced this wisdom. They would keep their words to themselves - knowing that sharing their "knowledge" would be done more from pride than from love. We know from the New Testament that knowledge puffs up - but love edifies. We can share all our knowledge - and by doing so cause a disturbance as others react to our pride. The wise man stores up knowledge within - and only brings that knowledge out at the direction of the Holy Spirit - Who will direct him to use that knowledge to build up and encourage others. We are also told of the fool - and his mouth. These two verses go together because they speak of the speech of one - and then the consequences of the other. The next verse reverses this order - trading the wise man for the fool in his speech - and the fool for the wise man in the reward or retribution that results. The consequences of the fool is a rod for his back. His words are the source of his punishment - for they evidence his foolishness and lack of regard for what is right. A proverb from the Talmud expresses this wonderfully when we read there, "that which a wise man gains by a hint, a fool only obtains by a club." The wise man learns - instructs his mouth and heart with that wisdom - and therefore avoids problems and public discipline. The fool chooses to let his mouth run - and with that overactive mouth - ruin comes to him. Biblically we can remember the difference between Solomon and his son, Rehoboam. Solomon began his reign seeking God and requesting wisdom from Him. His son Rehoboam had an opportunity to win over the people - but chose the foolish counsel of his friends. That led him to speak harsh, unkind, oppressive words to the people. In the end he lost all but one tribe - which God granted to him because of His promise to David. But how the foolish mouth granted him much destruction and difficulty. The wise mouth, though, was blessed in many wonderful ways. So take the time to listen - and allow God's wisdom to sink deep enough into your heart so that it instructs your mouth on what to say. Doing this promotes blessing. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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