Potpourri of Wisdom Proverbs 10- 6/2/25

A Potpourri of Wisdom (Proverbs 10)- 6/2/25
From chapter 10 to 22.16, we are going to get a hodge-podge of sayings connected with Solomon or his royal court. Small sections or a few verses might be thematically-connected[1], but things jump around and sometimes I feel like something valuable can get lost in the bushes. Today I thought I might talk about 3 things that really stood out for me in this chapter.
 

• A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. (1.1)

 When we talk about wisdom that comes from God, we can think about it generationally. We have an obligation to follow God’s instructions each and every day and to pass these on to our children and grandchildren every opportunity we have. As a parent of two small kids, my main priority in life should be pointing them to Jesus, whose life was the ultimate personification of Godly wisdom. If our children can define their lives by constantly pursuing God the result is joy[2]. The flip side of the coin is that pursuing the world’s wisdom will lead to grief and the sorrow of damaged relationships. This stark contrast should be a reminder that we need to be teaching our kids that the only truth that counts comes from God and is found in Jesus.
 

• Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value (2a)

 We live in a materialistic world (particularly, I think, here in the U.S.) and if I’m being honest, large portions of my life have been in pursuit of money.  Money, in and of itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing[3], but here Solomon warns us that if we gain wealth in the wrong way it can be detrimental to our lives. If we sacrifice integrity, our relationships, etc., what we lose along the way cannot be made up for the money we make.
 

• Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. (v19&20)

 Solomon has just warned us that foolish talk can lead to violence and strife[4] and here we see a warning to use restraint over our words. If you know me, you know that I’m a rambler at times. I think professionally I developed this as a coping mechanism to get through pointless meetings or social events. Other times my brain is moving too fast and I’ll just blurt everything out and hope the Holy Spirit guides me to the right words. But sometimes, like v19, I’m letting words burst out of me to satisfy my own needs…to get my viewpoint across, win an argument, make myself look a certain way. When I do this, I become the “chattering fool”[5] of verse 8. I need, and I expect a lot of us need, to be a bit more prudent with our talk and ensure it reflects God’s wisdom and not our own. By doing so people will seek out what we have to say because of the value of that Godly knowledge.
 
   [1] See 10.11-14 which is connected to the importance of speech in both good and ill or v2-5 connected by the topic of prosperity and want
   [2] Wilson points out that the Hebrew conveys delight and satisfaction
   [3] See the rest of the chapter and throughout Proverbs for some of the positives money can bring (and some of the negatives poverty can bring) but it is important to note that the writers of Proverbs aren’t giving moral judgements on having/not having wealth, but observing what it can bring and encouraging the gaining or using of money be done in a manner consistent with Godly wisdom.
   [4] 10.12
   [5] “the fool of lips” Hebrew sepatayim is such a perfect description of how I feel at times