Proverbs 10:6

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:6-7, “Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.[7] The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” There are two types of people in the world spiritually speaking. Those that are just and those that are wicked. Those that are just have put their faith and trust in Jesus and God has declared them to be just and righteous, not because they have earned it but because that is how God’s grace works. That is the greatest blessing from God: to be given forgiveness of sins and everything that comes with salvation: justification (being declared just), sanctification (being declared holy), and eternal life. It is interesting that this verse says that “violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” The wicked are the violent people of the earth. Even their words result in violence. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

One of the many benefits of following the Lord is that your life will actually accomplish something worthwhile. That is why the “memory of the just is blessed.” I know that in my own life the people that I remember the most fondly are the wonderful Christians that God brought my way over the years. Many of them have gone on to be with the Lord. What a reunion it will be to see them again with the Savior.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:8-11, “The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.[9] He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.[10] He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.[11] The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” You either want to know God’s will and His commandments or you do not. If you are wise, you will welcome God’s Word. God’s Word is our spiritual food. God’s Word strengthens us. God’s Word is a sure foundation. Therefore, “a prating fool shall fall.” The word “prating” refers to the words of the fool: what he is saying. What a fool says is that he or she does not want the Word of God. That is what makes them a fool.

Verse nine makes it very clear once again: some people want to get on the straight and narrow path and some do not. Verse nine says that some people pervert their own way. They could have gone the right way in life, but they chose the wrong way. If you have wisdom, you will know who those individuals are, and you will avoid going the way that they are going. The way that they are going will lead to hell.

When verse 10 says, “He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow,” it is referring to the deceitfulness of wicked people. They cannot be trusted. They have devious purposes. You cannot count on them. Because they are deceitful, they do cause hardships for others. But in spite of how much they hurt others, their own demise is certain unless they repent and turn to Jesus. The end of verse ten says the same thing that the end of verse 8 said, “a prating fool shall fall.”

The first part of verse 11 gives an important truth. It says, “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life.” One of the benefits of being a Christian is that as we use the Word of God in our speech, God will speak through us to build up others and to bless others. Life comes from words, as long as the words are the Word of God. It says in Romans 10:14-15, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?[15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Of course, this is a great verse that points out one of the many benefits of love. Is there anything more important than love? No. God is love. God loves the whole world. First Corinthians chapter 13 is a great chapter in the Bible on the subject of love. It says in First Corinthians 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.[2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.[3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.” It also says in First Corinthians 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Jesus said that love is the greatest commandment, and love is also the second greatest commandment. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.[38] This is the first and great commandment.[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

When Proverbs 10:12 says, “love covereth all sins,” it means that if you really love someone, you do not dwell on their faults. You overlook their faults. You forgive them. That is what God does for us through Jesus, and that is what we do naturally if we love someone.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:13-14, “In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.[14] Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.” The lips and the mouth and the speech are constantly being mentioned in the book of Proverbs as evidence of either wisdom or foolishness. That is why a fool is called a “prating fool.” What kind of understanding results in wisdom: the understanding of the holy. If you understand God through faith in Jesus, then you have access to all truth, and so you should be growing in wisdom. If you have wisdom, it will be manifest by your “lips:” the words that you say. The words that a foolish person says will result in “a rod” for his back and will result in “destruction.” It is important to know the truth. That is why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:15-16, “The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.[16] The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” Here are two more verses that talk about material possessions. In this case it is using riches and poverty to be symbolic of goodness and wickedness. There are advantages to being rich, and there are sufferings to being poor. Riches give you a fallback. Spiritually speaking, that can be a problem because a rich person is always tempted to trust in their riches instead of trusting in God. But from a purely material standpoint in this world it is better to be rich than poor, especially if you have enough wisdom to know what to do with the riches. From a Christian standpoint riches are an opportunity: an opportunity to do something for the Lord that you could not do without the riches. Some day we will all give an account to the Lord Jesus about what we did with what He put into our hands. I would rather be rich than poor, but I would also rather be a wise poor person than a foolish rich person.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:17-21, “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.[18] He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.[19] In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.[20] The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.[21] The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” Notice the difference between the wise and the unwise in verse 17. A wise person who is in “the way of life” “keepeth instruction.” When he is instructed with the truth, he retains what he hears and he applies the Word of God to his life. You do not want to be a forgetful hearer. You want to listen, receive, and then apply to your life what you have heard from the Word of God. But the foolish person “refuseth reproof.” We all need reproof because no one is everything that they ought to be. We all need to identify the things where we are failing and could do better. That is called reproof. But a foolish person rejects reproof. They are not humble enough to admit that they need to repent and ask for forgiveness. In addition to rejecting instruction and correction, there are other characteristics of a foolish person: hatred, lying, and slander. If you do not repent, you are heading in a direction of more and more sin.

One of the ways to be a wiser person is given in verse 19. It says, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” A wise person speaks less. A foolish person speaks more. One reason that a person speaks a lot is that they think that they have all the answers. The New Testament tells Christians to be slow to speak. The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. There is a reason for the term that we have seen in Proverbs of a “prating fool.” A fool speaks forth his foolishness.

The first part of verse 20 gives one of the benefits of being a wise person: “The tongue of the just is as choice silver.” If you are wise, your words will be valuable. You will build up instead of tear down. You will help instead of harm. Yes, having the right words to say for a situation is a very valuable thing. The problem with the wicked is not just with their words. It is also with their heart. The second half of verse 20 says, “the heart of the wicked is little worth.” They need a change of heart. They need to come to know Jesus in their heart. It says in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

It is interesting that the first part of verse 21 speaks of the good results of the words of a wise person and says, “The lips of the righteous feed many.” This has both a practical and a spiritual implication. The practical side is that if you are wise, then you are always looking at the practical side of things: what is profitable, what makes sense, and what will work to everyone’s benefit from a material and physical standpoint. The spiritual side to this is the fact that a wise person will speak forth truth using the Word of God, and the Word of God will be the spiritual food that people need. One person can give out spiritual food for many other people. That is one reason that God sends teachers. God uses one teacher to teach many people.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Once again there is both a practical and a spiritual component to this Bible verse. The practical side is that God will help you to maximize the material substance that comes into your possession. Hopefully, whatever you have, you recognize the Lord’s hand and you are thankful. And you dedicate whatever He has given to you to be used for His glory. Notice it says in the last part of verse 22 that when you have this blessing from the Lord, “he addeth no sorrow with it.” For many people riches bring sorrows. Riches bring divisions between family members and between friends. Riches bring a false concept of what is important in life. Riches bring a failure to use the riches in the way they should be used. Riches bring waste and over-indulgence. But happiness comes from the Lord. You can be rich and happy if you know the Lord Jesus and serve Him.

___________________________________________________