Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 22:16
The second major section in the Book of Proverbs is Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 22:16. This section contains 375 short poems. Most poems have two lines, and each poem is one verse long. Each poem is called a ‘proverb.’
The structure of this section is unusual. Solomon did not separate the proverbs into groups. The proverbs change from one subject to another. However, their order does matter. Solomon uses a natural order. This order is similar to a conversation. For example, one proverb might explain the previous one. Another proverb might contrast with the previous one.
Together, these proverbs are like a conversation. Imagine that a group of wise people is talking about wisdom. Each person in the group speaks briefly. They all listen to each other. Then, each person tells his thoughts or ideas to the other people. The conversation would be similar to this section of the Book of Proverbs.
Because of this structure, you cannot split these proverbs into smaller sections. Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 22:16 belong together. To help us to understand their meaning, the proverbs are divided into smaller groups. The chapter numbers are not part of the original book. Sometimes, they are in the wrong positions. For instance, Proverbs 22:17 should really start a new chapter.
The proverbs describe our lives. Often, they describe good things in our lives, for example, wisdom. Sometimes they describe bad things. They do not always explain whether something is good or bad. You need to use your own wisdom to decide. For example, Proverbs 10:15 says, ‘Great wealth protects a rich man. Lack of wealth ruins a poor man.’ This does not mean that we should try to get great wealth. Proverbs 8:10 told us that wisdom was better than wealth. Proverbs 10:15 describes our lives. We should want wisdom more than we want wealth.
These proverbs discuss many different subjects. However, all these subjects start with the first proverb. This proverb is about the difference between a wise son and a foolish son. The difference is wisdom.
Verses 1-7
v1 A wise son brings joy to his father.
A foolish son causes pain to his mother.
v2 If you steal money, then it has no value.
If you do the right things, then your actions can save you from death.
v3 God provides for good people.
If you do evil things, he will not satisfy your desires.
v4 The lazy person becomes poor.
The busy person becomes rich.
v5 The wise son harvests crops in summer.
The son that sleeps during the harvest is stupid.
v6 God gives wonderful things to the good man.
Whatever the evil man speaks causes trouble.
v7 With joy we remember the good man.
We forget the evil man.
Commentary
Several words in this verse contrast with other words. ‘Wise’ contrasts with ‘foolish’. ‘Father’ contrasts with ‘mother’. ‘Joy’ contrasts with ‘pain.’
It does not matter whether you are young or old. It does not matter whether you are a man or a woman.
It does matter whether you are wise or foolish. If you are wise, then you respect God. ‘Respect God! This is the first lesson in wisdom. Know God! This is intelligence.’ (Proverbs 9:10) Your wisdom will help other people. For example, this verse says that wisdom will bring joy to a father.
If you are foolish, then you live for your own pleasure. If you do this, then you refuse God’s wisdom. Other people will suffer because you are a fool. For example, this verse says that a fool will cause pain to his mother.
‘If you steal money, then it has no value.’ You could argue that this is not true. If someone steals money, then he can still spend it. He can buy many things. A thief can become wealthy. But Solomon argues that this wealth is worth nothing.
Wisdom is better than money, because wisdom can save your life. So if a poor man is wise, then he is richer than a foolish king.
A good person is someone who trusts God. A good person always tries to respect God. This person may make many mistakes, but he loves God. God looks after the good person.
An evil person loves cruelty. He plots to destroy other people. God opposes the evil person. God will ruin this person’s plans.
A wise person is not lazy. He is not afraid to work hard. He does not steal to make himself rich. He does not expect other people to give money to him. A wise man learns from his studies. But a wise man can also learn when he works.
God gives good things to the good man. God helps the man. God gives honor to the man. Other people respect the good man, because God is pleased with that man.
The evil man is not like this. He hates God’s wisdom. He loves cruelty. Evil things surround him. Even his words cause trouble.
Good things happen when we are with good people. Evil things happen when we are with evil people.
We do not even need to meet them. When we remember them, this is enough. A memory about a good person makes us happy.
But we try to forget evil men. We prefer not to remember them.
We ourselves should do good things, not evil things. God can help us to do this. Then, we shall be helping our families (verse 1) and also our towns.
Verses 8-14
v8 The wise person obeys commands.
The fool fails because he listens only to himself.
v9 If you choose the right way, then you will be safe.
If you wander on a wrong path, you are in danger.
v10 Even a tiny evil signal causes pain.
The fool fails because he listens only to himself.
v11 A good man’s words bring life, as water flows from a fountain.
Whatever the evil man speaks, causes trouble.
v12 Hate causes fights.
Love covers everything that is wrong.
v13 An intelligent person speaks wise words.
A person who has no wisdom will receive punishment.
v14 The knowledge of a wise man increases.
The words of a fool cause trouble.
Commentary
A wise man obeys instructions. He tries to learn from other people.
If you give instructions to a fool, he does not listen. By ‘fool’, Solomon means a person who refuses to obey God.
A fool only thinks his own thoughts. He only hears his own words. He only does what he wants to do. A fool is proud. He thinks that he is wiser than other people. He thinks that he knows better than God. He trusts only in himself.
Life is like a journey. If we follow God’s commands, then we choose the right way to live. God will protect us.
If we refuse God’s wisdom, then we are in danger. This is like a traveler who wanders in the wrong direction. Our wrong actions will lead us to death and hell.
‘Look out for the evil man! Look out for the thief! His mouth is speaking false words. Look out for his signals! He shuts his eyes. He moves his feet. He taps his fingers. He is plotting evil plans in his heart. He starts arguments. His punishment will be sudden. There will be no remedy for him.’ (Proverbs 6:12-15). In this passage, an evil man said few words but plotted an evil plan. His tiny movements showed that he had an evil plan.
In the first line of verse 10, the man is silent. In the second line, the man talks loudly to himself. Both men are evil. Both men have evil plans.
A person who quietly makes evil plans causes trouble. He is responsible for his plans. Whether an evil man is silent or noisy, God will punish him. God knows all our plans, and God will punish our evil actions.
When a good man speaks, we should listen. His words bring life to us. They are like water that pours from a fountain. His words, like the water, are plentiful and good. And his words bless everyone who listens to him.
When an evil man speaks, do not listen! His words always cause trouble for everyone.
‘Love covers everything that is wrong.’ This is a beautiful line. When we love someone, we try not to think about their mistakes. Our love covers their mistakes so that we do not think about their errors.
God loves us. He sent Jesus. When Jesus died, he suffered our punishment. Because of this, God forgives us. God does not simply cover our evil deeds. ‘God has taken our evil deeds away. God has moved our evil deeds far, far away from us.’ (Psalm 103:12)
A wise person studies. He wants to learn more knowledge.
A person who refuses God’s wisdom is a fool. A fool hates God. God will punish him for his evil deeds. However, the fool will also punish himself. His words cause trouble, both for himself and for other people.
Verses 15-23
v15 Great wealth protects a rich man.
Lack of wealth ruins a poor man.
v16 A good man earns a good life.
An evil man earns punishment.
v17 Obey wise instructions! Then you will teach people how to live.
But if you refuse correction, you will lead people in the wrong way.
v18 If you hide your hate, then you are lying.
If you lie about other people, then you are a fool.
v19 If someone says many things, then he will say some evil things.
There is wisdom in silence.
v20 A good man’s words are valuable.
An evil man’s desires are worth nothing.
v21 The words of a good man feed many people.
Fools die because they do not have wisdom.
v22 God gives wealth to the man who pleases him.
And that man’s wealth will not cause him any trouble.
v23 A fool loves evil things.
A wise person loves wisdom.
Commentary
This is true, but it is not good. A rich man can use his money to protect himself. A poor person cannot do this. When there is danger, the poor man suffers first. As Christians, we should care about poor people. We should give money to help them. See Ephesians 2:10.
Wealth brings some good things, but wealth cannot give a good life. Solomon does not write, ‘a rich man earns a good life’. He writes, ‘a good man earns a good life’. We can be confident of this. This is like wages for a job.
However, we cannot earn heaven. This is because we cannot make ourselves good. We have all done evil things. We all deserve punishment. Only God can forgive us. We must trust in God. God can make us good. Jesus died to suffer our punishment.
Other people can benefit from our wisdom. Other people will suffer if we refuse God’s wisdom. These verses explain this.
A wise person accepts correction. He wants advice. Other people will benefit from this. They will copy the wise man’s actions. The wise person leads other people. He shows them the right way to live.
A church leader must be careful. Other people will copy his actions. ‘God will be a strict judge with us because we teach other people.’ (James 3:1)
When a person refuses correction, other people will suffer. Other people will make the same mistake. Nobody will learn.
We should forgive other people. Even when someone hurts us, we should not hate that person. Instead, we should pray for them.
Many people secretly hate someone else. The first line says that this is like a lie.
Other people talk about the person whom they hate. Perhaps they actually tell lies about that person. This happens in the second line of this verse.
This verse teaches that both of these are wrong. We should not hate someone silently. We should not talk about a person whom we hate. Instead, we should forgive such a person.
Solomon is not saying that we should not speak. However, some people speak too much.
If we want to help people, then we should listen to them. We should try to understand their problems. Then, maybe, we can help them. We can pray for them. Perhaps we can advise them. Perhaps we can take them to someone else who can help.
If, for example, someone has died, many people are afraid to speak to the family. We should care, and we should sympathize. We should talk to the family. However, we should not talk too much.
Sometimes, we can care with our words. Sometimes, we can care by our actions. Best of all, we can be with the sad person.
If we serve God, then our words will help other people. Our words are valuable, so we should use them wisely. We should use them:
-- to encourage other people
-- to sympathize
-- to help people.
An evil man wants evil things. He makes evil plans. He tries to destroy other people. This is why his desires are worth nothing.
The words of a good person are valuable to other people.
This may be like a mother, whose own food feeds her baby. In some countries, a mother will take food from her own mouth. Then, she will give this food to her child. In the same way, a good man’s words are like food. His words feed other people’s minds and spirits. Other people become stronger, because of the wise man’s words.
If God gives wealth to a good person, then this is good news for everyone. By his kindness, God is good to the rich man, and his friends and neighbors. Everyone benefits, because the man will use his wealth wisely. He is generous. This rich man does not worry, because he trusts God to protect him.
An evil man’s wealth brings troubles. Everyone suffers because he uses the money for his evil purposes.
In this verse, Solomon asks us what we love. A wise person loves wisdom. We might think that wisdom is good. This is not enough. We might think that wisdom is powerful. Many people think these things, and some of them are fools.
‘You believe in one God. This is not good enough! Even the devils believe in one God. They are afraid of him.’ (James 2:19) We should love wisdom; and we should love God.
Verses 24-32
v24 A wicked person will suffer the troubles that he expects.
A good man will receive the things that he desires.
v25 A storm passes. And wicked people cannot last.
But good people are always safe.
v26 If you send a lazy man with your message, then you will suffer.
He is like acid in your mouth. He is like smoke in your eyes.
v27 Respect God, and live long!
Be evil, and die soon!
v28 A good man wants good things. So, he will be happy.
A wicked man wants wicked things. So, he will fail totally.
v29 A good person is safe because he follows God’s way.
An evil person will die. He refused to follow God’s way.
v30 A good man is like a tree whose roots are firm in the land.
The evil man will not remain in the land.
v31 When a good person speaks, his words are wise.
But evil words deserve a cruel punishment.
v32 The good man says the right thing.
The evil man says the wrong thing.
Commentary
These proverbs are about time. Solomon discusses different situations. He explains what will happen in the future.
If you desire the right things, then God will give them to you. If you desire wisdom, then God will give wisdom to you.
In the same way, a wicked person will suffer the troubles that worry him. He is afraid of death and hell. His wicked behavior will bring him to death and hell. He will lose everything.
A storm will sweep away wicked people because they have no firm security. But God will keep safe the person who trusts in him.
There is humor in this verse. If you send a lazy man with a message, your message may never arrive. Instead, send a wise man with the message. It will soon arrive.
The good man respects God. He will have a long life. He will be happy.
The evil man refuses God’s wisdom. The evil man will die soon. His plans will fail. He will achieve nothing.
These verses are rather general. Some good people die young. Some evil people live long. Solomon is explaining simple principles. More complex explanations are elsewhere in the Bible. We must learn simple principles before we can understand complex explanations.
This is the principle. A good person has a good life. An evil person has a bad life. This principle is enough, for now.
Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’ (John 14:6) Our lives are like journeys. We must live God’s way.
God will take us to the place where we belong. This is good news for Christians. We belong in heaven.
This is bad news for evil people. The Bible says that they will go to hell. They should change their lives and trust in God. God will forgive them if they turn to Him.
In verse 30, Solomon compares a good man to a tree. Both belong in the place where God has planted them. Even when trouble comes, they can stand firm. ‘A storm passes. And wicked people cannot last. But good people are always safe’ (verse 25).
Good people are safe. We have security when we trust God.
Verse 32 encourages us. Many people worry that they will say the wrong thing. A good man always says the right thing. If we trust in God, then God will help us. If we study the Bible, then we shall speak God’s words. If we pray, then God will guide us. We do not need to worry. We need to be humble.
If we serve God, then we shall not speak evil words. We shall not even know how to speak evil words! When we speak, other people will benefit.
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