The Wisdom of Solomon

Proverbs 10:1-16 

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

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the 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.
9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.

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

15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.

The wisdom of Solomon was treasured by all, yet there is one greater than he, Jesus the Christ (Luke 11:31).  The wisdom here is still practical and spiritually nourishing, for it is God’s word as revealed before the Messiah brought the fullness of meaning to all the scriptures.  The wisdom of Solomon then is a foundation from God for His further explanations from the mouth of Christ and His apostles. Here are some things we learn from the first half of this chapter of Proverbs from Solomon then.  The first thing to know is to learn to be wise to bring gladness to our fathers and not let our foolishness grieve our mothers, for our fathers look out for our welfare by their teaching and our mothers care for us deeply with their love and nurture.  If we lay up treasures of wicked endeavors, they bring no lasting profit to our souls (Matthew 6:19-20); righteousness lived out is our deliverance and crown of life (James 1:12).  Of course our only true righteousness for salvation is in Christ, yet we are to choose to live righteously as well because we are called to do so (Ephesians 2:8-10).  The Lord honors those doing righteousness, but takes away even the desires of those pursuing wickedness in opposition to His wisdom found in the scriptures.  Diligence is required in our living for Him, even to the point of working for a living, for “if a man does not work, neither shall he eat,” as it is written.  Gathering in a harvest is part of that work, especially beyond food to eat as the gospel needs to be preached (Luke 10:1-2, Matthew 9:35, 37-38).  We are wise to gather while the harvest is ripe, but foolish if we sleep through it and do not labor for the eternal souls of the lost, just as we will starve if we do not harvest the wheat to eat.  The blessings then are for those working righteousness who are remembered for their impact on others, while the damage done by the wicked is remembered as worthless.  If we are wise and understanding, we will hear and heed God’s commands instead of reasoning it all away to serve ourselves as the fool does.  This means we walk with purpose and integrity to be known for what is good and godly, unlike the world in this present darkness (Galatians 1:4).  The evil ones twist and pervert all the good God intends for us, and they cause trouble by getting others to go along with them in letting “little sins or lies” go.  They get away with much of it until they brag too much and are eventually caught and held accountable here; they do not take into account that every word is accountable in heaven, however.  Our words should be filled with life in God’s righteousness, not violent like the wicked who attack and slander others as is seen by those attacking and defaming politicians and others they disagree with.  These things should not be so among His people!  Such hatred only stirs up discord and violence, while we should instead be covering sin in love by forbearance and forgiveness as Christ does for us.  If we are truly wise we will then live by our God-given understanding and the wisdom we store up to avoid the repercussions of harsh discipline or even punishment.  In the end, righteous labor to gain understanding and wisdom is like a rich man’s wealth protecting him, while remaining poor in righteousness brings destruction in the end if not checked by the wisdom of the gospel.  The wages of the wicked and their sin is death, but that of the righteous are life and peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1, 6:23).  This is the wisdom of Solomon expanded upon by the further explanations of Jesus Christ and His apostles.  May we learn a deep understanding and lasting wisdom from these things!