 Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
Tornados are very dangerous, destructive things. I should know because when I was around 4 one hit my house, ripping the roof off of it like a dollhouse. Fortunately we were in the basement of the home when it hit us and as a result were safe from its destructive force. The upper portion of our home was destroyed, but we were in the foundation of the house - and our foundation was strong and safe for us. Our proverb of the day speaks of tornados and foundations. We are reminded of the destructive power of a whirlwind. The word used here is the Hebrew word “supah” which means a severe storm with very strong, destructive winds. For those in Israel they would think either of a type of hurricane that might strike the coast - or of the deadly storms that would sweep down the northern mountains into the Sea of Galilee, usually destroying almost anything that was on the waters. What is fascinating is that the whirlwind mentioned here refers to the judgment of God in every instance it is used except one. Thus the whirlwind mentioned here is the tempest of God’s holy judgment that will come one day. As a tornado or massive hurricane sweeps away everything before it - so the whirling judgment of God will sweep away the wicked. In the midst of such a tempest the wicked will be no more. They will be taken and destroyed. But the righteous man will stand in that day. In fact the wise man reminds us that the foundation of the righteous is an everlasting one. Though the storm assails it, it is not moved. Such a picture immediately reminds us of our Lord’s teachings at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Two foundations are mentioned - one built on the rock, which is defined as those who hear and obey Jesus’ words. The other foundation - the one that represents those who hear but do not obey is a sand foundation. What is interesting is that both of these foundations experience storms and winds. But whereas the sand foundation is destroyed - the one founded on hearing and obeying God remains. There are the normal storms of life that can wreak havoc on people’s lives. A foundation on the Word of God is strong in such times - whereas the sand foundation will crumble. But there is a storm coming - one that is beyond any storm known to man. It is the storm of the judgment of God. God is just and although He acts with tremendous mercy now - there will be a day when His ultimate justice will be satisfied upon rebellious mankind. The wicked may show a bold face - but there is something about an approaching force 5 tornado that reduces all men to shaking, trembling weaklings. There is something about the wrath of God that will melt all resolve and all facades of bravery. In that day the wicked will be swept away - carried off to destruction for all eternity. But what is truly amazing is the promise that the righteous have an everlasting foundation that will stand - even in that day. That foundation is righteousness that is from God on the basis of faith. That foundation is Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the payment of all sin. Only that foundation will remain - even as all others are forever swept away. I have photo albums with pictures of the dreadful night that the whirlwind blew through Lockport, Illinois. There was destruction on a level that humbled even the strongest in our city. As a tornado bounced through my neighborhood it set its sites on my home. When it was over the home afforded no shelter as there were 2 by 4’s through the beds of everyone who lived there - and who truly would have died there. The only thing that stood on that night was the foundation - in which we took refuge from the whirlwind as it passed. There will be another day. It will be the end of all days as the ultimate whirlwind will descend. On THAT DAY we need to all know that once again, only the foundation will remain. And that foundation is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Take refuge in Him today!
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 Proverbs 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
When God gives us wisdom, it is amazing to see how often it involves our mouths and the words we speak. Here we learn that fools talk too much, but the wise and prudent person restrains the number of his words. When we speak many words – transgression is unavoidable. What an astounding statement to make. The more we speak, the less likely we are to measure and weigh our words enough to make sure that we do not sin against a person – and more importantly God Himself. Later in the book of James we hear the admonition, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) Moses would affirm this as it was his words spoken in anger that kept him from entering the promised land. Measured and weighed words are wise words. The more of them we speak – the more likely our sin nature will be expressed in them. Thus the greater volume of words – the more likely there will be ones spoken that are sinful. The word “transgression” is an interesting word to use in this proverb. Transgression is the Hebrew word “pasha” which means a rebellion or revolt – a breaking with authority. The idea is that of breaking with God and His perfect and absolute truth and wisdom. Instead we speak and within those words we depart from what He says. In a verse that promises us prosperity, God says to Joshua to not let God’s Word depart from his mouth. This is true when speaking with men and with God. In a wonderful reminder of being careful what we speak before God, Solomon says this in the book of Ecclesiastes. Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (NASB) We are warned here as well as in Proverbs 10 that many words – even in the presence of God – are not wise. Our first impulse in God’s presence should be to listen rather than to speak or, as Solomon puts it, “offer the sacrifice of fools.” This is not saying that we should not pour out our hearts before God – for we are enjoined to do that in the Scriptures. The wise man though, measures his words before speaking them. The last part of our Proverb for today says that he who holds his tongue is wise. I cannot count the times that I myself have thought that if I had only chosen to say nothing my situation would be much better. That sentiment has been echoed to me by countless others who have paid a high price realizing that once words are spoken they cannot be taken back. We can ask for forgiveness for careless words – but the sting of their hurt cannot be altered. If the pain of foolish words is not enough of a warning to us to avoid them, we should then remember the words of our Lord Himself on this matter. Jesus said this about careless words, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37 (NASB) We will give an account for the words we speak. That should remind us to speak fewer of them unless necessary. As a godly man once told me, “It is better to be quiet and have everyone wonder if you are wise or not, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt that you are not."  Proverbs 10:5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
At first glance this looks like a common proverb concerning agrarian matters – or something along the lines of an admonition about hard work. Let’s begin our look at this proverb in this way. Anyone in agriculture will agree that there are only certain times when a person can plant, grow, cultivate, and harvest crops. The wise farmer takes this into account when planning when to work and when to take his leisure. Summer is the time for a farmer – or in this case his son – to work hard at producing a crop. The words used here are interesting though. One does not gather in the summer. One usually is working hard in the field on things like weed control or maybe some type of irrigation if the growing year is particularly dry. Yet God is saying to us that a person who is gathering in the summer is acting wisely. Here is the lesson for us. Summer is a time when the sun is hot – and it is easy to slack off in our work. But it is a very important time for the farmer. It is when the crop is being watched. It is when the farmer is showing great care on matters such as weed and pest control – and drought. Working at this time is exhausting and hard. But – it is also a time where if you do what you are supposed to do – you will guarantee a harvest. The word “wisely” here is the Hebrew word “sakal” which means to act with prudence, insight, and understanding. For the wise son – he sees hard work – even hot, difficult work. But what he also sees is work that WILL be rewarded if he sticks with it. He may have to remind himself that the hard work now pays off later in the harvest. The second part of the proverb speaks of the shame coming to the son who sleeps during harvest time. The word sleep here indicates a deep sleep – even a sleep with snoring. The harvest is crucial to a farmer. He MUST work hard and gather the harvest because if he does not, there is great risk of having it rot on the vine or stalk. There is a risk of losing it all if he does not work hard to gather it. A son who leaves all the work to his father is a truly shameful son. What we learn from the proverb on the surface level is that there are only certain times when work can be done – and it is a wise person who works hard during those times. The one who decides to be lazy, undisciplined, and slothful in those times is a fool. There is great value in hard work – and that value is only increased when the one working realizes the times when applying yourself to the work is even more important. It would be a disservice to not mention the spiritual parallels that this proverb has with the New Testament call for us to be involved in a spiritual harvest. In Luke 10 and John 4, Jesus reminds His disciples that the fields are white unto harvest spiritually – and that we are to cry out to God that He would send out laborers into His harvest fields. You see, now is the summertime and harvest for men and women to be cultivated for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now is the acceptable time to go forth weeping, sowing our precious seed – knowing that we will surely come again rejoicing with our sheaves (i.e. those whom we’ve seen God draw and save as a result of our obedience). To be asleep spiritually in this – or any generation is a shameful thing. We should be working with our Lord – sowing the gospel among those who are lost. We should be speaking to them and praying for them that the wicked one would not blind their eyes to the glory of God in the face of Christ. We should be laboring in the Lord’s vineyard knowing that a harvest is coming if we do not faint. Oh to be the wise, prudent sons who see the end from the beginning and labor to rescue those shoes sins will destroy them. Oh to be about the work of sharing Jesus with the lost so that a glorious harvest of righteousness, peace, and men and women who are born again may be gathered on that wonderful day when He comes for His own at the end of the age! Let us therefore work while it is still the day – for the time is coming when no man can work. Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
This is the beginning of the collection of the proverbs of Solomon. Whereas the early chapters of Proverbs dealt with themes that lasted for multiple verses or the entire chapter, these will be the pithy statements that most people associate with a proverb. It is only fitting then that the man God used to speak the first 9 chapters that often addresses sons – would begin this part of proverbs with a proverb about the joy and grief a son can bring to his parents. Two things are contrasted here – a wise son and a foolish son. What is it to be a wise son? The word used for wisdom is “hakam” and it means to be skilled or experienced in something. Since the opening of the book of Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we know that the skill or experience spoken of is moral and directly associated with living in a way that honors and pleases God. The easiest way to understand wisdom is that it is the Holy Spirit given understanding of how God sees things. Thus the wise man is the one who lives in light of God, Who He is and What He desires. The word for fool is “kesil” and it means to be stupid or a dull person. The fool is stupid because he sets his desires against God and His ways. He is also dull and stupid when it comes to successfully navigating life itself. He doesn’t seem to understand how things work – or doesn’t care. He is unable to discern the good from the bad at all. The fool is the consummate personal autonomy advocate – thinking that his own personal wants and desires are to reign supreme. Thus he has little or no ability to figure out what is good in any greater sense than himself. The other contrast drawn here has to do with how this young man affects the demeanor of his parents. The wise son is a joy to his father. We’ve seen how proud a dad can be of his son when he is wise. That father will talk endlessly about his boy and the good things he is doing. It is not that the mom does not have joy – but usually her joy becomes something that shines from within. I love when the gospels speak of how Mary “treasured” all the things she heard and knew about her son, Jesus. As a dad, you just want the whole world to know about your godly, wise son. A mom feels the same way – she just expresses it differently. But the contrast here is the way that the mother’s life is affected when this son becomes foolish in his actions and attitudes. Over the years of watching my own wife respond to our children – it breaks a mother’s heart when her children begin to adopt foolish ways. It’s not that it doesn’t affect me as a dad, but I cannot come within miles of the way my wife grieves when her children begin to turn away from the Lord and wise living. I’ve watched as she is overwhelmed with sadness and begins to turn to prayer on their behalf. She would write out pages of Scripture that she would then use as she prayed for them. Her heart would not rest until she knew that they had returned to the Lord and to His ways. What should we take away from this first proverb of Solomon? First of all there is a takeaway for parents. We need to be wise in the way we rear our children. If we want them to be wise as they grow up – we will need to teach them this wisdom. That is what the first 9 chapters of Proverbs have already told us. But there is also something for the son as well. He is to realize that his actions affect more than himself. The choices he makes and the directions he takes will have a tremendous affect on his parents. Therefore he should make them carefully – being aware that wisdom has a blessing not only for him, but also for those who gave their lives to rear him as well. The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted. Proverbs 10:32
Our culture is coarsening. I see it every day in the way that we talk. The use of perverted language has grown a hundred fold in the last 20 years - and unfortunately - it looks like things are getting worse. It would be one thing to see this among the lost because - well let's just admit it - they are lost. But what I am seeing is that there is also a coarsening in how Christians speak. Things that would have horrified us just 25 years ago - are now becoming more common in everyday conversation. Before you think that I am taking the place of the ultra-righteous who is shocked at all the wicked sinners - I have noticed a coarsening of my own language - and have begun a concerted effort to speak in an acceptable manner before a holy God. The righteous bring forth what is acceptable with their lips. That means the things they say are acceptable. At this point is would be good to define the word, acceptable. Acceptable to Whom? That is the question we need to answer. Our society seems to think that acceptable to the current standards of society is the rule of the day. By saying this I am not saying that their language equals that of the world, but rather that we set our idea of what is acceptable by a comparison with the world. Let me give you an example of what I am saying. I want to put a disclaimer here - because I will have to use a word that is not acceptable to many to help illustrate my point. The world's language is completely out of control. The amount of foul language allowed on prime time television and movies is astounding. When you consider that Rhett Butler's, "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a "expletive," was met with shock and horror in the theaters of the day, you can see that we are out of control. Frank Butler's remarks might not even merit a drop to a PG rating in our day. Certainly his remarks would be shrugged off, even by Christians, in our day. Yet, the sensibilities of that day were horrified by the outrageous language used. Fast forward to today and we learn that men who are considered conservative Christian preachers are using worse language than Frank Butler from our pulpits. Words I would have been reprimanded for saying out loud - are now widely accepted by Christian circles. That is why we need to realize that having our lips bring forth what is acceptable means bringing forth what is acceptable to God. We should note that in just two verses God says that He is greatly offended by things which are perverse. Here we read that while the godly man speaks what is acceptable - the wicked man says things that are perverse. The idea of being perverted is not just a reference to those who speak sexually perverted things. It goes further to include any way that God's ways are perverted - which means to twist or make them something that they are not. To say that we can come to God based on our own works is to pervert the gospel. To say that God is too loving to judge the wicked is perverting His holiness. So we see that there are ways to pervert the truth God has reveled to us. The wicked speak these things - and thus perversity comes out of their mouths. That is why we not only need to address the foul language that comes from Christians with this verse, but we also need to address the ways people pervert the truth to make the gospel more palatable to the wicked. May God help us each day to have our language pleasing and acceptable to Him. I will admit that the only reason I began to adopt some words and ways of expressing myself that were unacceptable was to look cool to younger people. This is a horrible reason to let how you speak be coarsened. We should seek to be holy as God is holy. We should have a heart that desires to honor God in every conversation that we have with others. As the Psalmist said, "May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable to the Lord." Then and only then can we know that what our mouths bring forth is godly and acceptable to God Himself. The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out. Proverbs 10:31
One of the topics that the book of Proverbs touches on a great deal is that of our tongues and the benefit or damage that they can do. Here we have another of those proverbs that counsel us on having a tongue that honors and glorifies God. The mouth of the righteous is described here liks a fruitful tree. The word "flows" is the Hebrew word "nub" which speaks of something that flourishes. It means to bring forth or to bear fruit. It is also used in the Old Testament to speak of someone who is experiencing prosperity. We are told that the mouth of the righteous has an abundant harvest of wisdom. The words that the righteous man speaks are like a tree laden with fruit. That fruit when eaten will lead us to wise, godly choices. The reason this is true is because men speak out of their mouths what resides in their hearts. The righteous man can speak forth wisdom because the Word of God dwells in his heart. Therefore as his heart gives his lips the substance of his words - those words will be in accordance with the Word of God. Truly then, you will get wisdom from the things that he says. Not only is the mouth of the godly man mentioned in this proverb, but also the perverted tongue as well. Perverse as used here means something deviated and distorted. It describes deceptive and corrupt speech. Here in Proverbs it refers to one who intentionally distorts what is straight and right. Thus, this man is not sharing God's wisdom, but a perversion of it. This kind of tongue will be cut out. This may sound gruesome at first, but the idea is that of cutting something out of the ground. It referred to uprooting a plant that was not productive - or one that was counter productive. The picture that we have from this proverb is an agricultural one. We have a mouth that is like a fruitful tree - and a tongue that is like a harmful weed. One is a blessing, the other is a curse. One will be welcomed as wisdom flows forth from it, while the other will be viewed as a weed that disrupts the production of a garden. The difference between these two is very simple. One comes from a man who loves with is right in the eyes of the Lord, while the other comes from a man who distorts what is right and true. He does so because he values having his own desires fulfilled, rather than doing what is right and good for all those around him. The righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not dwell in the land. Proverbs 10:30
My brother was a missionary to the Philippines where he experienced his first earthquake, which came in unison with the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. We grew up outside Chicago, so earthquakes were something we knew nothing about. Wind we knew, snow we really knew - but earthquakes were foreign to us. My brother's explanation was amazing to me. When the earthquake hit, he thought the house was collapsing, and that was what was causing the shaking. But when he ran outside, the ground there was shaking and rolling too. For him and his family, this was a very disturbing thing. They took for granted that the ground was firm. Now it was shaking, and that was very disconcerting to them. What they thought was stable, was being shaken. This describes the hearts of many who are relying on things that can be shaken - as if they could not be shaken. When the shaking starts, everything that they thought they could rely on became "shake-able." But this is not the only thing shaken in these circumstances. When it seems that everything can be shaken, your confidence in anything and everything is shaken as well. Is there anything in this world that cannot be shaken? That is what today's proverb is going to address. What we are told as wisdom is that the righteous will never be shaken. Now, this promise does not speak of being exempt from earthquakes or other natural occurances where the earth around us is shaken. What it does address is an even more wonderful promise - and that is an inner spiritual stability that cannot be shaken by anything - either earthly or unearthly. Note that the group who will not be shaken is the righteous. These are those who stand before God and are viewed as righteous in His sight. That cannot happen biblically except by faith. There is no man who can ever stand before God as righteous on the basis of his own works. Our works reveal us not as righteous, but as sinful and fallen. If we are righteous, it is by faith in what God has done for us. This He did through Jesus Christ at the cross. But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ - God declares us righteous. These are the ones who cannot be shaken. This is something we need to grasp - spiritually. The Bible presents the physical world as shadows - with the reality being the spiritual. Therefore, the ultimate shaking will be when we face our ultimate spiritual test - the judgment at the end of the age. It is in this moment that many will learn that althought they thought they were unshakable in life - in death they will truly be shaken. The word for shaken in Proverbs 10:30 is the word "mot" which means to be removed or to fall. It was used often in the Old Testament to refer to the shaking and removing of things previously thought to be unshakable. What shook them was the fierce judgments of Almighty God. This shaking is promised for the wicked and the ungodly. This is the term that is used when it is said that God will remove the mountains - and also of Him removing the entire earth. Indeed there will be a shaking of eternal proportions that will come to the earth. But after the earth is destroyed by fire, there is an even more terrifying event to come. All mankind will stand before the judgment bar of God Himself. This is the ultimate accounting - and the sole basis upon which our entire eternity will be based. Oh what a shaking will come for all philosophies, all worldviews, and all religious beliefs. They will be tested - and all but a faith in Jesus Christ will be found wanting. The righteous do not have to fear in that day - for the righteousness given to them by God on the basis of faith will stand. It will not be shaken for it rests on the person of Jesus Christ as well as His death, burial, and resurrection. It was the blood of Jesus that paid the debt of sin and paved the way for God to make us righteous by faith. But for every other religious or non-religious view - this will be a day of horror. It will be a day to be terrified as they learn that their self-made, man-made, or demonically-inspired religious and philosophical views will not remain. We are promised that the wicked will not dwell in the land. They will not stand, nor will they know an eternity in God's presence. They will be judged and eventually cast into the lake of fire. This will be their ignoble end - for they held an ignoble faith. Their beliefs did not honor God or give Him thanks. Their view saw god as something or someone they could manage by their own thoughts and philosophical positions. Thus the land God is preparing for us will not be where they will dwell. They will dwell in the outer darkness where there will be weeping and knashing of teeth. They will dwell in a place where the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. Let me the thoughts for today with a quote from the book of Hebrews. There we read of this day of shaking with the following description. "See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, 'YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.' This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:25-29) There is a shaking coming and it will shake anything and everything which can be shaken. Heaven and earth will be shaken on that day. But there will be a kingdom on this day that cannot be shaken. The context of this shaking is the judgment of God. God warns of this day from heaven. He also works that anything created will be shaken, and even more than shaken, they will be destroyed. Therefore we are urged to prepare for a shaking that will also involve standing before God, Who in that day, will be a consuming fire. Are you ready for that day? Do you have something, beyond things in this life and this world, that will not be shaken when they all are shaken? Are you ready to stand before God as a consuming fire - and have what it will take to make it through the shaking and through the fire? There is only one thing that will stand in that day - it is what God has given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. On that day only a righteousness gained by faith in Jesus will stand. May both you and me prepare for THAT DAY, so that when it comes - we will not be shaken. The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But ruin to the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 10:29 There is a lifestyle that comes with knowing and walking with the Lord. That lifestyle is laid out for us in the Scriptures as we read of the things that God loves and also the things that He hates. The proverb for today refers to these things as "the way of Jehovah." Let's take a look at this today and hopefully become wiser as a result. The word "way" here is the Hebrew word "derek" which refers to a way, a path, a road - and is used often to speak of a way of walking or living. That is why when we see this word we should think of a lifestyle that one has due to the daily choices they make. The way or lifestyle of which we speak is that of the Lord. This word is Jehovah - which is the covenant name of God. So often in Scripture God will speak with His chosen people and lay out a covenant promise. These are usually worded as "if-then" statements. If you will follow the Lord, then He will bless you. What God seeks to do when He says these things is not set up a works mentality in our relationship with Him. What He is seeking to do is to encourage us to understand that making choices consistent with His Word and way will bring great blessing to our lives. We are told here that this way of Jehovah - is a stronghold to the upright. The word for stronghold is the Hebrew word "maoz." It speaks of a fortress. That fortress is considered a shelter, a refuge, and a place of great safety. It is one that often worked in two ways. It provided natural defense points - but also was situated in such a way that one could easily see the enemy approaching. This gave those in the stronghold protection - and it gave them time to prepare for the coming enemy onslaught. Scripture indicates that God is that fortress - as well as our strength and defense (Psalm 27:1). As we walk with Him in His way - we will find a natural defense against sin - as well as warnings about the enemy and how he will seek to tempt us and get us to rebel against God. As we learn that "way" our lives will be changed by God's Word and His power. We will be delivered from sin - and will better know how to escape the lies of the devil daily. But the same "way of the Lord" that is a stronghold to the upright - is ruin to those who choose to rebel against God. The word "iniquity" is very important for us to understand if we are to grasp the protection of God afforded to us by walking in His way. The word is from the Hebrew word "awen" and it means, "nothingness, mischief, emptiness, and vanity." The word is used to signify those who pursue meaningless things. They do not walk in God's Word or in God's way. They choose instead ungodliness - which leads them to chase after falsehood. God told us His Word is truth. That protects us - but it also speaks ruin for those who decide they prefer deceit and the lies of this world and of the devil. Another way "awen" is used is to signify an idol - which tells us clearly that those who run after iniquity have made a god of their own. They are worshipping an idol they have created - and prefer to have their idol confirm "their own" truth - as opposed to living by the truth of God - His Word. This is the ruin of the ungodly. They will receive no protection from God's way. Instead they will run headlong into God's wrath and judgment for their disobedience and deceitful choices. Two ways are put before us in today's proverb. There is the way of making your own god and deciding your own truth. Such a way is foolish because it only amplifies the rebellion that is in the human heart due to the Fall of man. That way will ruin those who follow it. The other way is to choose a truth outside of ourselves. It is to realize the truth is not in us - it is in God. Therefore we choose to turn to Him. We choose to turn to the way He has given us His truth - the Word of God. We also choose daily to walk by His truth (the truth) knowing that by doing so we will have a refuge, a protection, indeed a stronghold to keep us from evil - and to keep us FOR fellowship with our loving, gracious God. The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes. Proverbs 10:28
The word "hope," as used in the Scriptures, means to have a confident expectation of something. The way the concept of hope is used in the rest of the world has nothing to do with Biblical hope. Worldly hope has to do with wishing for something and hoping that you get it. Biblical hope is not vain wishing - it is a confidence in something or someone that lets you know that you WILL be receiving something. With this definition in mind let us look at today's proverb. The hope of the righteous is gladness. What is the "hope of the righteous?" That hope is that God, Who has spoken and revealed Himself and His ways in the Scriptures, will be true to His Word. The first and foremost area where this is true is in our salvation and the confident expectation that we have of being able to stand before God in the judgment. God has done what is necessary to pay for our sins. In the time of the Old Testament this was through the covenant promise that God made to Abraham. Abraham was made righteous before God by faith - as He believed God. This is what Paul presents to us in both Galatians and Romans. Those promises were further defined as the sacrificial system was put into place under Moses. The blood of those bulls, goats, and lambs were a sign of a more perfect sacrifice to come. Jesus Christ fulfilled that sacrifice when He died on the cross and paid the price for sin - forever! As a result of what God has done - the confident expectation of the righteous (those made rightreous by faith) is gladness! We are overjoyed at God's grace given to us in Jesus Christ. We are delighted at the salvation God has given to us in Him. The second half of this proverb reminds us of the wicked - and their ignoble end. The expectation of the wicked perishes. Two things we should see here. First the wicked does not hope, the expect things. Their expectation is based on what they think they have earned. The wicked rely on their works or their religious system - which will be based on a false understanding of God. They feel that they have worked hard for their salvation - and therefore they deserve something for it. But their expectation will fade and die. There is nothing to it - and nothing they will gain from it. This is the second thing we need to see here. Their expectation perishes. That is because their expectation is in themselves. They will perish - becasue what they have done will never stand before a holy God. It is a sad reality - but it is a sure one. What are you relying on for your eternity? Are you looking to yourself and your own religious works? If you are - both your works and you will perish. There is no hope for such a person, because they remain in their wickedness. All they will see in the day when they stand before God's judgment is His wrath. The wise man finds his righteousness not in himself - but by faith in Jesus Christ. That person will know a gladness that will never end. Hope in Jesus Christ - for that is a hope that will never disappoint. The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 10:27
Among the things that help people have a long life, my guess is that fearing God is not listed very often, yet that is what we learn today from our proverb of the day. The fear of the Lord prolongs life is what we are told by Solomon. This means that we have great respect and honor for God Himself and for His Word. Therefore this man chooses to obey God and do what His Word says. If we only looked at this from a medical perspective, it is true. The Old Testament dietary and cleanliness commands present the healthiest way to live possible. These laws protected the people of Israel from disease and from a host of illnesses that are related to how people eat. They also protected them by keeping them from a myriad of bacterial, viral, and commuicable diseases. They were not just advanced for their day, they were advanced even for our day. We continue to learn of the wisdom of God through these dietary and public health guidelines. If one were simply to follow these commands, they would be blessed with a long life. They would also not have the usual diseases that shorten life for many in today's world. The opposite is also stated here - that the wicked will have their years shortened. Again, as was said earlier, there are a number of diseases that an ungodly way of life brings. Abuses in how one eats, drinks, and lives sexually - will greatly shorten someone's life. There are also studies that have looked at how a peaceful heart also will lengthen a person's life. When stress levels are high - all kinds of problems develop both physically and mentally. Some, who otherwise would have lived long lives, did not because of what excessive stress did to them. Of all the areas where these truths apply, our choices in sexuality are the clearest ones of all. When a wicked person ignores God's call to abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in a monogamous, heterosexual marriage, there are multiple problems that develop. First there are sexually transmitted diseases. These abound in a sexually promiscuous society. They shorten lives of millions - and also greatly reduce the quality of a person's life as well. When we factor in the diseases that are rampant in the homosexual community we see that ignoring God and not fearing and respecting His Word shortens the lives of too many. Let me close by dispelling a bad attitude some have toward the whole idea of fearing God. The reason so many do not like this idea is because they treasure their own independence from God. They do not want to have an all powerful, all wise God who knows the truth and tells us what it is. But the reason we should fear God is BECAUSE He knows the truth. When He tells us something and warns us of adverse consequences - He is right. These things WILL HAPPEN to us - and will cause untold grief and, in the case of today's proverb, sometimes even early death. |
 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. 
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