Proverbs 10.1
“The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.”
What we see differently starting in chapter 10 is how random the statements seem to be. Let me talk to you about being a wise son, then let’s talk about money, then let’s talk about laziness, then let’s talk about the blessing of the Lord, then let’s talk about how you use your mouth, and then let’s talk about how you discipline your children.
Proverbs 10 mainly contrasts the two ways or paths that we have seen so far. There is a way of wisdom (rightness) and a way of foolishness (wickedness). Solomon constantly contrasts these two paths in the major categories of life.
In 10.1 we see the joy or sorrow of parents. Obedient children are a joy to their parents, but there is not a more unhappy parent than one who knows his or her child is caught up in sin and things of this world. That grief is felt most deeply by the mother, who plays an intimate role in raising a child.
A key point here is that your behavior does not affect only you; it also has an impact on others. Your R is an E for others. The way you manage your R Factor is deeply personal, but it is never private.
Proverbs 10.2
“Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Wealth in the possession of the wicked provides them with no lasting benefit. It’s a strong play on words: Wealth acquired the wrong way does not produce a profit. And the ultimate “profit” is not of this world: it is redemption from sin and inheritance of the blessings and riches of God’s kingdom. Earthly wealth cannot purchase redemption, nor can it buy entry into God’s kingdom.
Jesus said it in Mark 8.36-37: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”
Delivery from death is available only through righteousness, and that righteousness is a grace gift that God imparts to us only when we trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5.21)
Proverbs 10.3
“The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”
As with many of the Proverbs, this verse has a dual meaning: it is a general principle for the present world, and an eternal principle for the fullness of God’s kingdom. All things being equal, God hinders and blocks the cravings of the wicked, and he provides for the needs of the righteous. Is this always true? Yes when we look at life through the lens of God’s wisdom.
Sometimes the wicked prosper, but only for a season and never for eternity. Sometimes the righteous suffer, but only for a season and never for eternity.
The apostle Paul understood this, because he looked at life through the lens of the kingdom of God. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not work comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us,” he wrote in Romans 8.
James also saw life from the kingdom perspective: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1.2-4)
Through what lens do you look at life?
