Proverbs 10

Proverbs 10

10:1, Parents receive joy or grief based on their child’s wisdom

If these proverbs are taught and required of children, such parents will realize the full blessing of a godly seed for their great pleasure and God's glory. If these proverbs are neglected, the future is bleak, with calamitous heaviness instead
Parents have spent much time, energy, emotions and money raising their children
This speaks to parents – remember to raise your children in wisdom because you will feel the effects.
This speaks to children – a child can not even imagine how their success and failure effects their parent’s emotions. Not until they are fathers and mothers will they know.
Children more than anything else, your wisdom and success will please your parents.
(Pr 27:11, 15:20; 17:21,25; 19:13; 23:15-16,24-25; 29:3 23:22).

10:2, Righteousness is the most valuable because it can deliver from the greatest fear

Materialism, especially stolen, is worthless.

There is an illusion in the world that the wicked prosper. But, that is only true because we often do not live long enough to see the results. In the end ill-gotten treasure is worthless.
Why? 11:4 says that all wealth is worthless ultimately.
Jeremiah 17:11

10:3, Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled both spiritually and physically. The Lord works on your behalf. The wicked find themselves being resisted by God.

The LORD Jehovah has ultimate economic power
The rule is simple - He provides for the righteous; He destroys the wealth of the wicked.
Jacob left Canaan running for his life with only a staff; but when he returned 20 years later, he had to cross Jordan in two bands (Gen 32:10)!
Joseph was a slave and prisoner; but 22 years later he sent a token gift of his wealth that revived his dear father (Gen 45:27)
Widow Ruth, in strange lands, had nothing but became the rich mother of a kingly line.
Orphan Esther became the queen of the world
David was the forgotten eighth son, left in the fields to live with the sheep; but in a few years he could not account for the wealth he had gathered for the temple (I Chr 22:14).
David said, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Ps 37:25).
Pharaoh ruled the most advanced and prosperous nation on earth; but when he did not give the LORD proper reverence, God bankrupted the nation (Ex 10:7; 12:36; 15:14)!
The greatest monarch in the history of the world was King Nebuchadnezzar; but God reduced him to shame with a beast's heart and living like an animal (Dan 4:31-33).
Lot invested in the best market, but chose a worldly life; God reduced him to poverty in a cave with his daughters.
Devout Jews, regathered to Jerusalem, did not put the temple first; God put holes in their purses and blew against their efforts (Hag 1:1-11; Mal 3:11).

10:4, The man who applies himself diligently to his profession or other duties will be rich, but the man who is a slacker, or sluggard, will be poor. The choice is yours!

The man who is consistently diligent will surpass the man who is lazy, slow, and avoids hard work.
This is the law of God, and it is a simple lesson to teach children.
Diligent work brings financial reward.
The slacker always has excuses 26:16
He loves sleeping (20:13), which ruins men and women and brings poverty (6:6-11; 24:30-34).
He loves folding lazy hands and huddling under covers in the morning. He loves turning back and forth in bed like a door on hinges (26:14).
He hates mornings. He does not realize that extra sleep just makes him sleepier (19:15).
He resents adversity or difficulty (20:4).
He will not plow by reason of the cold. God will put extra thorns in his way to tear him (15:19; 22:5)!
He is intimidated by challenges (22:13; 26:13).
He imagines a lion in the way. His favorite words are, "I can't do it" and "It won't work."
Long-term business or career plans are overwhelming. He wants something easier, success that will fall in his lap. So instead of tackling the challenge, he does nothing (26:14-15).
Since Adam chose hard labor instead of dressing the Garden, he has no easy alternative.
He resents authority and being told what to do by another (19:10; 27:18; 30:22).
His rebellion keeps him from seeing that all bosses were once hard-working employees at one time (17:2; 22:29)!
He is seduced by vain ideas of easier and more exciting ways to make money (12:11; 28:19).
He associates with the discontented and listens to schemes on how they will beat the system (14:23; 21:5).
He is always busy planning his future success. He believes he has figured out life better than Solomon and seven successful men (26:16)!
The diligent man laughs at slackers and mocks their five excuses, goes to work early every single day, and attacks his job with energy and persistence. He knows that life is short; he knows that God made him to work; he looks forward to getting his diligent hands on a project; and he will do it with his might (Eccl 9:10). He will soon rule over the slacker in riches and honor (12:24; 13:4; 22:29)!

10:5, The agricultural cycle had a great opportunity during summer harvest.

Opportunity is not guaranteed. Life is a changing scene of prosperity and difficulty.
Wise men gathered all they could with extra effort and time.
Foolish men dreaded the extra demands and could not see the reward, so they sought to avoid the hot fields

10:6, Blessings are in store for the righteous. Blessings are waiting to happen.

Violence is waiting for the wicked.
Their mouth is the cause of much of their coming disaster

10:7, The memory of the righteous will inspire people who remember them.

The wicked, though they may be remembered, will not produce action and inspiration in the coming generation
That is why we name buildings, streets, cities after great people
We name our sons Paul, after the apostle. We name our dogs Nero.

10:8, Wise men love to be taught.

They appreciate instruction. They want to be told what to do.
They will listen and do what they are commanded.
Fools do not like to be governed.
Fools would rather talk. They want you to hear their opinions.
Every man thinks his own opinions are better than all others. But wisdom knows this is a delusion of the human mind.
The dumbest man on earth, the one without hope of recovery, is the one conceited about his own ideas (26:12; 29:20)
Wisdom despises our own ideas (30:1-3).
Wisdom cuts words in half (17:27-28; Eccl 5:2).
Wisdom speaks slowly (29:20; Jas 1:19).
Wisdom wants to be taught by God's teachers - parents and pastors (1:8; 4:1-4; Mal 2:7). Wisdom only speaks when it has something valuable, right, and certain to say.

10:15

Eccl.10:19; 7:12
The poor even hard for the poor to make and keep friends (14:20; 19:4,7). What a miserable life! But the rich have many friends (19:6)
Because of these two extremes, both of which can lead to sin, Agur prayed that God would deliver him from both riches and poverty (30:7-9). He chose moderate financial success as his goal - a convenient amount of money would be just right.
He knew that riches could lead to presumption against God, and he knew poverty could lead to theft.
Job cursed himself, if he had ever let money become his hope or confidence (Job 31:24-25).

10:18

· Here are two easy ways to sin with your speech.

· You can be a hypocrite and use polite words to deceive people and hide the bitterness and envy in your heart.

· Or you can spread false and malicious rumors about a person to others.

· Transparent honesty and integrity - clearly visible and known by all - is very rare.

10:19 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise

· It is hard to speak much and not sin - for every sentence raises the chance of sin.

· So the Preacher gives the wise advice of closing your lips and not talking so much (17:27-28; Jas 1:19).

10:26

Sluggard. One who is naturally or habitually slow, lazy, or idle; one who is disinclined for work or exertion; a slothful or indolent person.
A sluggard is a slow and lazy person. Instead of being energetic, fast, and diligent, they dawdle through life in first or second gear without a godly sense of urgency.
Success for a Christian young man in this world is simple: work hard; work fast; finish the job. And take note, the virtuous woman is more a hard worker than anything else (31:10-31).
Sluggards do not think ahead to get a sense of urgency (6:6);
sluggards love to sleep (6:9-11);
sluggards want more without the effort to get it (13:4);
sluggards are discouraged by slight hindrances (20:4);
sluggard always has reasons to excuse himself (26:16).

10:32

A righteous man knows what to say, when to say it, and how to say it.
He makes sure his words and speech are acceptable to others, and they love him for it.
A wicked man does the opposite - he lets out of his mouth whatever comes to his contrary mind.
His words offend others, so they consider him rude and obnoxious; and they avoid him.
A word fitly spoken is a beautiful thing (25:11).
The man who uses them well deserves to be kissed on the lips, for acceptable speech is that rare and pleasant (24:26).
Good speech is wonderful (15:23,26; 16:13,24; 22:11; Eccl 12:10; Col 4:6).
It should be a high goal of every believer to have acceptable speech - acceptable to both God and men (Luke 2:52).
The lips of any man only express what is already in his heart, Jesus said (Luke 6:45).