Proverbs 10:21-23

10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding. The military overtone is noticed in this verse. What I mean by this Solomon understood war, and its techniques, and it is when there is not a clear and established line of communication, people will die. This can come from misunderstood orders, to not having the necessary supplies or amunntion to comlete the mission or even survive. The logistics of any military force is the absoulte backbone. 10:22 It is the blessing of the lord that makes rich. and He adds no sorrow to it. Wealth is not a sin. Wealth is a blessing from God that is given for us to manage and to provide good stewardship over. The parable that Christ will late discuss emphasises this message that he has much, and takes care of it, will be given more. People all to often forget the part about being a good steward of that which you have. 10:23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding. A fool will enjoy the destructive acts of his work for the burden of sin is not known to him. A man who does not understand how lost he is cannot begin to understand how much pain he is actually in.

Proverbs 10:16-20

10:16 - The wages of the righteous is life, the income of the wicked, punishment. Your earnings reflect upon your character and your personal integrity. The conduct of business with others and thus your developed reputation are at stake with your line of work. 10:17 - He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray. Have you ever tried to convince someone that what they are doing is wrong and/or harmful to themselves or others, and they will not listen? Same principle, you cannot prove someone wrong if they refuse to accept it. 10:18 - He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool. Here is the basis for lying by omission is still considered lying. Regardless of the intent as to why something is not said, it can still cause great amounts of damage. 10:19 - When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise. When to many words are said, errors will come to surface eventually, or leads to gossip and slander for the sake of having something to say. 10:20 - The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little. The words of a mentor are distinctly remembered, due to the fact that we respect that individual for their merits and take lessons than to heart from them.

Proverbs 10:11-15

Proverbs: 10:11 - The Mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The righteous will always be willing to serve, to teach and to correct. A fountain of life is revival of the spirit from illness and depression. Proverbs: 10:12 - Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions. The greatest example of this is John 3:16, the transgressions of the world forgiven by God. As opposed to our "righteous anger" and all the solutions that provides. Proverbs: 10:13 - On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding. Discipline will find those who act impetuously, whether by their own actions or loose words. Proverbs 10:14 - Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand. The storing of knowledge is the learning process of education along with the physical storing of knowledge, books, libraries things of this sort. Proverbs 10:15 - The rich mans wealth is his fortress, the ruin of the poor is their poverty. 80% of America's current millionaires are first-generation, which means they assembled their own wealth. The security of wealth can provide peace within one's family. Poverty, or poor, are states of mind. You can be broke, but not poor. To admit your poor is to accept the situation as your lifestyle and wallow in your misery.

Proverbs 10:6-10

Proverbs 10:6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. Blessings and goodness will be given to the virtuous man, while unjust methods will ultimately be found out. Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. Within every man is a desire to have an impact and be remembered for the things he accomplished while here on this world. The importance of this verse is evident if you recall names throughout history of both the blessed and the cursed. Lincoln, Moses, Hitler. Each name recalls feelings due to their actions while they lived. Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. Wisdom is gained through experience and the wise will apply these lessons to themselves and their own lives. Proverbs 10:9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. Ultimately all a man's deeds will be known, even if after he passes away. Proverbs 10:10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall. Trick and lies will never prosper.

Proverbs 10:1-5

Verse 1 "The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother." The emotions and comfort level of the parents will be reflected by a child's actions. Verse 2 "Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death," Ill-gotten gains references to any manner of wickedness or deceit used to obtain. Certainly gives a disapproval for Machiavellian methods. The deliverance from death I believe is referring to a spiritual death, for Abraham believed and righteousness was credited to him through faith. Verse 3 "The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, but He will reject the craving of the wicked." This verse in conjunction with verse 2 describes the providence that will be provided for the man of faith. That God will not forsake a man of righteousness and will provide for him spiritually. This should not be mistaken for matters of health and wealth, rather spiritual matters and the works of the Kingdom. Verse 4-5 "Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully." We are called upon to be good stewards of the gifts that are provided to us. Verse five is in consideration of the passing of opportunity through one's own personal failures.

The fear of the Lord?

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is one of the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in Isaiah 11:2-3 (also known as wonder and awe). This fear should not be misinterpreted as a fear of punishment due to one being in trouble, rather the fear of the Lord is a filial fear (the fear of offending someone whom one loves.) It comes from our understanding of the power and love of God and the mercy that He has displayed towards us. A similar feeling would be comparable to the fear of disappointing your parents or a beloved mentor. When they use the same line "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed," and it hurts more than any punishment would. That is a shallow representative to the fear of the Lord. It is also said that this is the beginning of knowledge. My understanding as to why it is the beginning, is to realize the vastness of God's love and mercy. When we begin to understand all that has been and will be done for us, that creates the relationship for filial fear. From this, our desire to grow in that relationship continues and we seek a closer relationship to the Lord. The Bible discusses multiple times the infinite wisdom of God and as we grow in our relationship to Him; knowledge and wisdom are granted to us.

The Usefulness of Proverbs

Almost everyone has at some point in their respective life run across a verse that has been quoted to them or paraphrased from the Book of Proverbs. However, the actual study of these phrases and principles is often left to Preachers for Sunday morning sermons that the congregation sleepily follows along to and than never gives a second thought to as they argue over what to do for lunch that Sunday afternoon. My goal here is to attempt to penetrate the meaning behind these riddles and garner some amount of truth and wisdom all while enjoying a nicely warmed cup of Earl Grey tea. So let us begin: The book of proverbs we learn from the beginning was written by King Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel. The reason I begin here is that in any analysis of Biblical text we must first begin with a discussion of the author. However, I will fast forward through the book of Kings and his history to get the more critical factors. (For a review of Solomons, please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon ). I will attribute authorship to Solomon unless otherwise noted for in the later Proverbs there is still debate to the true authors, but more on that later. I'll conclude each post with the proverb to be discussed during the following post. Later this week, our discussion will focus on fear of the Lord and the meaning behind this phrase. Proverbs 1: 1-7 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-

6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.