Proverbs 10a – NIV -
1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
q Your choices affect your parents.
2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
q You can get whatever you want through cheating, lying, and stealing, but it will be of no value to you once you have it. Why?
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
q What does this verse say to you?
4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
q This is God’s plan for making money: W-O-R-K.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
q What does it mean to sleep through the harvest?
q How does one gather crops in the summer?
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. [a]
7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
q God and wisdom decree that there is a difference between a righteous life and one that is wicked and violent.
q Look at the word vio-lent. Compare it to vio-late. Violence comes when we violate God’s ways and laws.
q What are you going to leave behind? What will your reputation be after you are gone?
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
q The choice between listening with an heart of obedience and trying to make our own points is pivotal to success.
9 The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
q Integrity and edifying speech foster security life.
q Crookedness, moral ambiguity, ceaseless chatter, and violence bring ruin.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
q When you see dissension, look for a love problem.
q You can cure dissension with love.
q To say it another way, “Love does not ‘nitpick.’ It is willing to overlook some things for the sake of unity.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
q Your words will identify you as wise or not.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
q There is a correlation between wisdom and wealth and wickedness and poverty.
q To have a lot of money does not make the wicked rich.
17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
q Your choices influence others, whether you intend for them to or not.
18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
q Since you cannot hide hate, you must dispose of it some other way.
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.
q We are warned and encouraged about our words:
o Use them sparingly.
o Use them beautifully.
o Use them to nourish others.
o Exercise sound judgment and know that words reveal your heart.
22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
q It is better to receive your blessings from the Lord because the kind you manufacture always come with trouble..
23 A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
q From what do you derive your pleasure? It will tell on you.
24 What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
q Your worst fears can come true when you are out of synch with God. Storms are coming ... but ... don’t dread them for ...
q Storms come to all, but the righteous keep standing.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.
q Lazy people burden others.
27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
q Wisdom gives you cause for great optimism.
29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
q Plan for future security: Choose righteousness.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
q What you talk is what you are.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 10:6 Or but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence ; also in verse 11
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