Proverbs 10
Monday, July 18, 2022
In Proverbs 10, we see several contrasts between a person with Godly wisdom who lives a Godly life versus someone who doesn’t. I thought it might be nice to summarize those contrasts here.
A person with Godly wisdom and who lives a Godly life:
- Brings joy to their father (v1)
- God doesn’t let this person go hungry (v3)
- Hard-working (v4, 5)
- The memory of this person will be a blessing (v7)
- Accepts commands (v8)
- Their mouth is a fountain of life (v11)
- Love covers wrongs (v12)
- Wise and discerning (v13)
- Receives life (v16)
- Holds their tongue (v19)
- Delights in wisdom (v23)
- Desires will be granted (v24)
- Stand firm forever (v25)
- Adds length of life (v27)
- Has joy (v28)
- Will not be uprooted (v30)
- Mouth brings forth wisdom (v31)
- Knows what is fitting (v32)
A person who doesn’t:
- Brings grief to their mother (v1)
- God thwarts this person’s cravings (v3)
- Lazy (v4, 5)
- Violent (v6, 11)
- Name will be cursed (v7)
- Fool comes to ruin (v8)
- Hatred stirs up dissension (v12)
- Punished (v13, 16)
- Conceals hatred (v18)
- Spreads slander (v18)
- Their heart is of little value (v20)
- Finds pleasure in evil conduct (v23)
- What they dread will overtake them (v24)
- Swept away (v25)
- Their life is cut short (v27)
- Hopes come to nothing (v28)
- Will not remain in the land (v30)
- Only knows what is perverse (v32)
Which list would you like to describe you? If you see some attributes in the second list that may be used to describe you, you can change.
Hebrews 3:8 says, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts”. If something here got your attention, take action. Don’t let this moment pass.
2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Now is the time to act.
James 4:4-10 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. … That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. … purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
You can be a friend of the world, and fall into the second list, or be a friend of God and fall into the first list. But in order to be a friend of God, you first must submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to God. You must humble yourself before God, only then He will lift you up. Only then will the first list fully describe you.
–Steve Mattison
Application Questions
- What 2-3 points do you find most appealing from the first list for the Godly life?
- What 2-3 points do you find most distasteful or disturbing from the second list?
- Both lists include some actions/attitudes as well as consequences. How do your choices now determine your future? How often do you remember this?
- If you choose to humble yourself before God and submit to Him, what will that look like for you today? How will you work to remove something from the second list to replace it with something from the first?
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