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Proverbs 10

Sunday Morning Bible Study

October 15, 2017

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die?  Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular:  2900 words    Communion: 2500 words  Video=75wpm

Video:  The Bible Project – Proverbs Introduction

Video: Proverbs Introduction

The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.

Wisdom is not about knowing facts.

Wisdom is about knowing what to do with what you know.
Wisdom is knowing when to do it.
Wisdom is knowing how to do it.

We are now crossing into a new section of the book of Proverbs.

The first nine chapters of Proverbs were small “mini-lectures” that Solomon gives to his son.

The rest of the book are what we typically call the “proverbs”.

Proverbs are sayings, typically short, that give wisdom and insight into everyday things.

They are intended to lead to a better life.

They are not absolute promises – that if you do these things that you will always be healthy, wealthy, and things will always go your way.

They are general principles – that if you do them your life will be generally better than if you didn’t do them.

I want to encourage you to have a pencil or pen ready as we work through each chapter.

I am not going to take time to stop and unpack every single proverb, or we’d be in Proverbs for the next ten years.

God may want to use one of the proverbs that we simply pass over to speak to you, so be ready to mark up your Bible or write down a verse.

Hebrew poetry

It is not the rhyming of word sounds, but of ideas.

Most of these proverbs are in two lines, and one line plays off of another.

Sometimes the second line is a parallel of the first. It expresses the same idea with different words.
Sometimes the second line is an opposite idea, still clarifying the second, but by way of contrast.
Be careful that you don’t look at one phrase without looking at the other.

Proverbs 10

:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

:1 The proverbs of Solomon

Solomon is not actually the author of the entire book.  There are parts of chapters 22-24, and 30-31 that were written by others and included in the book.

Overall, Solomon wrote about 84% of the book.

:1 A wise son makes a glad father

As a general rule of thumb (of course there are exceptions) parents care a lot about how their kids do in life.

I believe there is also something built into most people to want to please their parents, and for the most part that is not a bad thing.

:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, But righteousness delivers from death.

(Proverbs 10:2 HCSB) Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death.

:3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

:3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish

Lesson

Satisfied

God feeds the hunger and quenches the thirst of the righteous person, the one who follows Jesus.
The wicked person keeps hungering for more and more.
We all have a hunger inside of us.
Hugh Hefner was a man with appetites.

To some people it looked like he really “lived the good life”, living a hedonistic lifestyle of fulfilling his every lust.

What the press will rarely talk about was how miserable, lonely, and afraid of death he was.  He was a miserable man behind the scenes.

It appears that the famous movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is also a man of appetites.

Do you see how that’s turning out?

You and I are no different.

We too have appetites.  The difference is merely how we try to satisfy our appetites.

Jesus said,

(John 6:35 NKJV) “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

We all have thirsts as well.
Video:  Thirst – edit2

We all have an inner “thirst” inside of us.

There’s a part of us that seems dry and empty.

Our problem comes when we try to satisfy that thirst with the wrong kinds of things.

Only Jesus can fill that inner thirst.

When Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well, he talked about what we thirst for.

(John 4:13–14 NKJV) —13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Let me ask you this – do you believe that Jesus can satisfy your inner hunger and quench that thirst in your soul?
Until you do, you will keep struggling.

:4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

(Proverbs 10:4 HCSB) Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.

:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son

Summer time is typically harvest time.  It’s when the farmers work hard to reap their fields and gather the grain that has been growing all year.

Just like verse 4, this is a picture of diligence.

You need to work hard while you’ve got work.  Don’t take work for granted.
This will be a recurring theme throughout Proverbs.  We’ll talk more about it in coming chapters.

:6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

(Proverbs 10:6 NLT) The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.

It’s hard to believe a person who has established a reputation for being wicked.

:7 The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

:8 The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall.

pratingsaphah – lip, language, speech

(Proverbs 10:8 NLT) The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.

The wise person likes to listen and learn.

The foolish person likes to talk.  And talk is going to cause them trouble.

:9 He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.

(Proverbs 10:9 NLT) People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.

When you live your life with integrity, you never have to worry about looking over your shoulder to see if some underhanded thing you did is going to catch up with you.

If you live your life trying to be sneaky and devious, know that one day it will all be known.

:10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall.

(Proverbs 10:10 NLT) People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace.

(Proverbs 10:10 HCSB) A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed.

:11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

What are the words like that come out of your mouth?

Do your words give life to others, or are they just a cover for the anger you have towards them.

:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

:12 love covers all sins

Peter quotes this verse:

(1 Peter 4:8 NKJV) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Lesson

Quiet Discretion

Hatred uses the knowledge of a person’s sin against them as a weapon, stirring up strife.
Love knows when to be quiet.
This is not “covering” up a sin, like ignoring a person’s sin.
This is “covering” in the sense that you don’t go blabbing about what a person is struggling with when you should be helping them to get out of their sin.
There is a place for keeping some things confidential.
(Galatians 6:1 NKJV) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Illustration
In a way, Noah was like the first action hero who saved the world.
While the world was facing judgment, and unwilling to repent of their sins, Noah built an ark and saved the human race by saving his family.
The story of Noah doesn’t end when the flood ended.
(Genesis 9:20–24 NLT) —20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent.

Righteous old Noah got stinkin’ drunk.  The implication is that he did something embarrassing and foolish inside his tent, laying around naked.

Noah’s youngest son, Ham, walks in on his dad.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers.

The story is graciously unclear as to exactly what Ham did to Noah.  At the very least, there’s some kind of ridicule going on as in, “Look what righteous old dad is doing!!!”

23 Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. 24 When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done.

Noah would pronounce a curse on Ham’s family for whatever it was that he did.

Shem and Japheth are the ones we should try to be like.

While Ham broadcast Noah’s sin, Shem and Japheth covered their father.

There is a place for confidentiality among people who love each other.
I’m not talking about turning your head to abuse.
Husbands and wives, do you broadcast your spouse’s sins to your friends or family without their permission?
Illustration
“Even the most devoted couple will experience a ‘stormy’ bout once in a while. A grandmother, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary, once told the secret of her long and happy marriage. ‘On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s faults which, for the sake of our marriage, I would overlook,’ she said.
“A guest asked the woman what some of the faults she had chosen to overlook were. The grandmother replied, ‘To tell you the truth, my dear, I never did get around to listing them. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, Lucky for him that’s one of the ten!’”

On This Day by Carl D. Windsor,

Illustration
It is impossible to keep peace between man and woman in family life if they do not condone and overlook each other’s faults but watch everything to the smallest point. For who does not at times offend?

-- Martin Luther.

:13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

:13 a rod is for the back

This isn’t about punishing those who might be mentally deficient.

Sometimes it is appropriate for a person who rejects wisdom to experience punishment for their deeds.

:14 Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

(Proverbs 10:14 NLT) Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.

:15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

:15 The rich man’s wealth

Solomon is just being honest.

Wealth does provide a type of protection.
This doesn’t make it right or wrong, it’s just a statement of fact in this world we live in.

:16 The labor of the righteous leads to life, The wages of the wicked to sin.

wagestebuw’ah – produce, product, revenue

I find it interesting that with the righteous, the issue is about labor, about accomplishing something.

With the wicked, the issue is their wages.

work and wages – where are they leading you?

:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray.

:17 he who refuses correction goes astray

Lesson

Teachable

We will continue to see this subject throughout Proverbs.
Are you a teachable person?
Are you willing to learn from what wisdom wants to teach you?
Are you willing to accept correction when you’re wrong?
Video:  Karate Kid – Wax On Wax Off
Those of you who remember the movie know the Mr. Miyagi’s goal wasn’t clean cars. He was teaching underlying lessons.
You may be wondering what the point is with the things you’re facing.

Just remember to learn your lessons.

Understand that even as you grow and mature in life, and as you agonize over decisions, you are not going always choose the right path.
Sometimes, whether it is in willful disobedience, or simple ignorance, you will make bad decisions.
The question is, will you learn from your bad decisions, or will you go on to repeat them over and over again.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Some think Albert Einstein first said this, but it probably wasn’t him.

What Einstein said was,

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Do you want to be “wise”?  The issue isn’t whether or not you were born with a high IQ.  The issue has to do with whether or not you are teachable.
Will you learn if God wants to teach you something?

:18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

(Proverbs 10:18 NLT) Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool.

When you’ve got hatred in your heart towards a person, you’re more apt to lie to them.

Maybe you lie because you’re trying to cover up your hatred.
Maybe you lie because you want to hurt the other person.
Either way, you need to learn to get rid of the hatred and stop lying.
(Ephesians 4:25–32 NKJV) —25 Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

:19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.

:19 he who restrains his lips is wise

Lesson

Few Words

Mark Twain said,
It’s better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you’re a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Caution here – in relationships it is important to have good communication, and that requires words.
Your spouse shouldn’t have to guess what you’re thinking.
Yet sometimes we say more than we need to, and we’re careless in what we say.
I think it’s a good rule in life that whenever possible, you take time to think about what you’re going to say before you say it.
The more you open your mouth, the better your chance is of blowing it.
Some of you want to force words out of your spouse because you want a problem to be resolved immediately.
Sometimes it’s better to wait a day for things to cool down, so words are more carefully chosen.

:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little.

:21 The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom.

:20 the tongue of the righteous

Don’t you want to learn to be a righteous person?

We want to learn to use words that are valuable to others. (silver, vs. 20)
We want to feed others with what we say. (vs.21)

What do you do if you aren’t sure what to say?

Go back to verse 19.  Keep your mouth shut.

:22 The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.

:22 He adds no sorrow with it

When you earn your income legally, you have no anxiety over it.

You aren’t worrying if the IRS or the FBI is going to catch you.

:23 To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.

:23 To do evil is like sport to a fool

Lesson

False Pleasures

Some people find comfort or pleasure in doing bad things.
I find that “evil” is often a subject of the comedy shows on TV.

Video:  How I Met Your Mother – Barney’s Playbook

How can Hollywood be incensed at Harvey Weinstein’s conduct, when it’s all “wink, wink” at Barney’s playbook?
There might be pleasure in sin for a season, but it all ends poorly.
A wise man will pay attention to these things and avoid them.
What’s the deal with bars anyway? I have this notion that bars on TV are a sort of substitute for church.

Have you noticed how common it is in TV shows for the characters to wind up their day at the bar for drinks?

Or they end up at home … with a drink.

Do you remember the old 1980s comedy “Cheers”?  It’s about life in a Boston bar.

Listen carefully to the theme song.  There’s not a single thing in the words of the theme that shouldn’t apply to church.

Video:  Cheers Intro

The bar is just the world’s cheap imitation of what God designed us for – fellowship with Him and with each other.  It’s a “false pleasure” compared to what God has for us.

The Bible tells us that alcohol itself is a cheap imitation of what God has for us.

(Ephesians 5:18 NLT) Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit

:24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.

:25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

(Proverbs 10:25 NLT) When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.

Ladies, does this remind you of last week’s retreat?  You are only going to survive the storms of life by walking with Jesus.

:26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy man to those who send him.

:26 So is the lazy man to those who send him

I’ve never drunk vinegar, so I don’t know what that’s like, but we’ve all had our share of smoke in our eyes the past week with the fires, haven’t we?

It’s not pleasant.

If someone asks you to do something, and you agree, don’t be surprised if they are a little bit annoyed if you don’t follow through.

:27 The fear of the Lord prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

When you have a healthy fear of the Lord, then you don’t do the kinds of evil things that will shorten your life.

:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

The good things in life that the wicked are hoping for will ultimately come to nothing.

:29 The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

:30 The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

:30 the wicked will not inhabit the earth

Ultimately, after Jesus comes back, there will be no wickedness on the earth.

It’s only those who have chosen to follow Jesus that will remain.

Jesus said,

(Matthew 5:5 NKJV) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out.

:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

(Proverbs 10:32 HCSB) The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.

acceptableratsown – pleasure, delight, favor, goodwill, acceptance, will

perversetahpukah – perversity, perverse thing

fromhaphak – to turn, overthrow, overturn; to be perverse

Back to…

:24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.

:24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him

(Proverbs 10:24 ESV) What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

(Job 3:25 NKJV) For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

Lesson

Fears and Desires

Some would say that this means you need to be careful what you think about because your thoughts have the power to create your future.
No.  It’s simply stating that the wicked still has a sense of fear, knowing that they are doing the wrong thing.  One day they will get what’s coming to them.
Ultimately, one of the greatest fears that folks have is the fear of death. And everyone will die.
(Hebrews 9:27 NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Will you face God’s judgment when you die?

There is a way to escape God’s judgment, through the grace of God offered to you in Jesus Christ.

(John 3:16–17 NKJV) —16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

When you trust your life to Jesus, you no longer need to fear death, because you have been saved from hell.

When you give your life to Jesus Christ, He gives you His righteousness.  You become “righteous” in God’s eyes. (2Cor. 5:21)
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
What about that “desire of the righteous”?

I think the greatest desire of the righteous is our hope of heaven.

That desire will be granted.