Proverbs 10:17-32
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.
18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
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.
22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
23 To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.
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.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs days,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked will perish.
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.
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.
The ways of the righteous and the wicked lead to very different destinations. Many of them are spelled out in the second half of this chapter of Proverbs to show the contrast of the righteous who seek to do according to His word and the wicked who deny and defy the Lord. The righteous listen to God’s way to live and follow Him; the wicked refuse to be corrected by God’s word and wander away from Him. The right path always begins with listening and hearing the scriptures to be moved to follow God’s way. The wicked pretend not to lie as they slander others, especially the righteous, for they are the true hypocrites who hide behind the mask of sincerity with underlying insincerity. They accuse the sincere ones who walk the path of righteousness as they excuse their own unrighteousness. Wisdom teaches us to number our words, but the foolish spew a torrent of crafty speech exposing sin as they pour out what is in their hearts (Matthew 12:34-35, Luke 6:45). This is why the tongue of the righteous’ heart is pure like silver but the heart of the wicked is of little worth before God. The good words of righteousness help others as the foolish wickedly harm others and even themselves in their dearth of wisdom. God’s blessings come to those listening to Him and are rewarded with true riches and not with sorrow as those refusing Him (Psalm 37:22). The foolish imagine doing evil to others is some kind of sport to amuse themselves at the expense of others, while the righteous with understanding find wisdom in seeking the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24). We are called to serve like Jesus and not to seek for others to serve our own desires at their expense (Mark 10:45). This is godly wisdom. God will grant us heartfelt desires and supply what we need, but the foolishly wicked will face their own fears, especially when confronted with their own death. We have an everlasting foundation (Luke 6:48) which the wicked do not understand; the storms come and we alone are left standing in the aftermath (Matthew 7:24-25 vs. Matthew 7:26-27). In 2 Timothy 2:19 we are reminded that our foundation is the solid rock of Christ on whom we stand, and as such we are to flee from the sin and evil of the foolish. Let them be our example (1 Corinthians 10:11-13) to avoid those things. Other warnings here are against laziness because those are irritants to others relying on them, and against the wicked who have no fear of God while the righteous are kept in His hand. Our hope then is gladness in following the Lord, something those pursuing the path of unrighteousness never find; their only expectation is destruction in the end, if not sooner. God’s way is our strength, for He Himself is the way we travel (John 14:6). Yes, we will inhabit the new earth in the Celestial City, and cannot lose or abrogate our position in His mighty hands which keep us forever in the salvation freely given. We find our righteousness in Christ and follow His words in the understanding of wisdom to depart from sin and live for Him. When we speak of these things to others (which is the gospel), wisdom is imparted to the hearers whose ears are opened by God. The lies of the perverse will not stand for long, and only the wicked pay attention to heed and follow that path to destruction (Matthew 7:13). We know what is acceptable and pleasing to speak in God’s hearing, not the perverse words of the ungodly following the word instead of the word (Ephesians 5:4, 6-7). This is wisdom in the contrast of the righteous and the wicked.
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