THE CONTRAST OF LIFE STYLES

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

PROVERBS 10:1-17
Lesson #14
THE CONTRAST OF LIFE STYLES

• Memory Verse: Your choice.
• This chapter begins the second group of proverbs that contain 375 proverbs. The format is different with this group of proverbs:
  • Generally speaking each verse is a separate proverb with little or no relationship of theme with the surrounding verses. Therefore, context of scripture is of no value here.
  • These individual proverbs specifically illustrate the principles covered in the first part of the book of Proverbs. Some of these proverbs present us with contrasting opposites: Wisdom vs. Folly. Others present us with similarities that compare two thoughts.
  • Still we have the same poetic style of Hebrew poetry that reminds us of a see-saw.
• Read Pro 10:1-17
  • “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” (1)
    • Key words: wise (living skillfully); foolish (no God for me).
    • The earlier part of Proverbs has told the young son to listen and learn the important concepts of life from his parents.
    • Loving parents want to see their children live skillful lives. A father brags about his son’s accomplishments but a mother bears the grief of her son’s failures.
      • For this reason a parent will teach his children the moral aspects of life.
      • Along with moral concepts a parent should include guidance and warnings to avoid the pitfalls that can destroy a young life. We have seen these in the first part of Proverbs.
    • Christians especially want to see their children make a commitment to receive Jesus Christ into their hearts and walk in the ways of God.
  • Economics:
  • ^“ Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.” (2)
    • Key words: wickedness (lawless evil); righteousness (pure life).
    • The book of Proverbs has repeatedly told the young man that lawless evil without any thought to God and an eternal judgment, will lead to an empty life on this earth.
    • However, the salvation of a life is righteousness which is a pure life in right standing with God.
      • The problem of righteousness is that no person leads a totally pure life.
      • Isaiah tells us that man’s righteousness is as filthy rags. (Isa 64:6)
      • The only righteousness that delivers a life from death is the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
        • When a person receives Christ in his heart, he immediately is covered spiritually with the righteousness of Christ who was the only person to ever live a pure life.
        • The righteousness of Christ delivers a believer in Jesus Christ from an eternal spiritual death by giving the believer eternal life with God.
  • ^“The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.” (3)
    • Key words: righteous (pure life); famish (to starve); substance (material goods); wicked (lawless evil).
    • God has promised the believer that He will provide for man’s basic needs, which includes food. (Psa 37:22-27)
    • However, notice that it is man’s soul that will not starve for spiritual food.
      • The soul is that part of man that contains emotions, will, reasoning; the part of man that makes him individual and unique.
      • God has provided a feast of spiritual food in His Word. If the believer is starving spiritually, he is not reading and studying God’s Word.
    • While God loves all men, He has not promised care and provision for all men.
      • Those promises are directed toward the believer in Jesus Christ in the New Testament and in the Old Testament.
      • God’s care for the members of His spiritual family is unique and exclusive.
      • This proverb reminds us of the life of Joseph. God prospered him in everything he did so that he came out victorious in the end.
  • “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” (4)
    • Key words: slack hand (neglectful); diligent (constant care).
    • The person with a “slack hand” is either neglectful of what he knows he should do or he is outright lazy. Obviously if he is so lazy that he will not work, he will become poor. Poverty is not a sin unless it is the result of laziness.
    • The diligent person is contrasted with the lazy person. The person that takes responsibility for the daily activities of his life will eventually become rich.
    • This is a probability that works in the Christian world as well as in the world of the non-believer. (2The 3:10)
    • The Biblical example of this verse is Lot’s life in contrast to Abraham’s life.
  • ^”He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (5)
    • Key words: wise (living skillfully); shame (dishonor).
    • God established seasons and cycles at creation. These are seasons of planting and seasons of harvest.
    • The wise person living skillfully will make a determination to live his life in cooperation with God’s plan both physically and spiritually. God cares about our physical activities as well as our spiritual activities.
      • The Christian will prepare himself in the Word of God and in prayer so that when the harvest of souls comes, he is ready for the harvest.
      • God does not use Christians who have been too lazy to prepare themselves.
    • Of course, the foolish person that says there is no God for him, pays no attention to the order of God’s plan that is readily seen around him in creation.
  • Balanced Justice:
  • ^“Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” (6)
    • Key words: just (righteous believer); wicked (lawless evil).
    • Just by means of being in the family of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ automatically means that your life will exhibit a certain level of God’s blessings. (Jam 1:17)
    • The level of blessings is determined by your faithful obedience to Christ.
    • Your life will be more blessed as a believer in comparison to what your life would have been had you not received Christ in your heart.
    • This proverb reminds us of Samuel, the just man, and King Saul, the violent man.
  • ^”The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (7)
    • Key words: just (righteous believer); wicked (lawless evil); rot (See rottenness = decay).
    • The name of a wicked person that lived his life in evil without regard to God’s moral law, like Hitler, may be equally or better remembered than the person that lived his life as a righteous believer in Christ, but he is never celebrated joyfully.
      • However, the idea in this verse is how that name is remembered and by whom.
        • God, who never forgets anything, will judge all non-believers according to their deeds in the Great White Throne judgment. (Rev 20:11-15)
        • God, who never forgets anything, will reward all believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ for their good works. (Rom 14:10 2Cor 5:10)
      • The word “rot” means to decay or bring to corruption. Lawless evil reaps its own like reward.
  • ^“The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.” (8)
    • Key words: wise (believer in Christ); heart (soul/inner man); commandments (commands); prating (idle talk) fool (no God for me).
    • If a person is living skillfully in his inner man, that means he is praying to God and letting the Holy Spirit change his character from the inside using the Word of God.
    • The believer living skillfully is the person that will be obedient to the commands of God.
      • The person that says there is no God for him in his life is a non-believer.
      • Notice that his non-belief in God is expressed in his conversation because he has nothing of wisdom to say, nothing of truth to impart. His conversation is wise in his own conceit.
    • He may be intelligent and may be able to speak intelligently about many specific things. But when it comes to the basic principles of life, according to God’s perspective, he has nothing of importance to say. He will fall in the final judgment.
    • This proverb reminds us of King Nebuchadnezzar that received wisdom from the prophet Daniel, and Belshazzar that did not receive Daniel’s wisdom and fell from power that same night.
  • ^“ He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.” (9)
    • Key words: uprightly (honest); perverteth (corrupts).
    • The only person that can walk uprightly in honesty is the believer in Jesus Christ. (Rom 6:4)
      • This means that the Holy Spirit is guiding his life, giving him victories by faith so as to be able to stand tall against the enemy, Satan.
      • Only the believer in Christ can be assured that whatever happens in his life all will come around to good for the believer that loves God. (Rom 8:28-29)
    • The person whose lifestyle is corrupt will eventually have that corruption revealed by God.
      • This revelation may or may not be in this life. Remember Proverbs are probabilities.
      • It definitely will be revealed in the final judgment.
    • We have a similar secular proverb today: Honesty is the best policy.
  • Integrity and Parts of the Body:
  • ^“ He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.” (10)
    • Key words: winketh (overlook); prating (idle talk); fool (no God for me).
    • Notice the parallels:
      • Winketh/prating fool
      • Sorrow/fall
    • The person that overlooks evil or does not stand firm against evil causes sorrow to his own life and to those around him.
    • Overlooking or looking the other way in the face of evil or wrong doings makes you a participant in them and is the result of a lack of integrity in your life.
    • Because of the parallel, the person that overlooks evil is the same person that is the prating fool.
      • Notice that the person that has nothing important to say (idle talk) is not speaking up against the evil he sees around him.
      • Because of a lack of integrity to stand for good, the person who says there is no God for him will answer to God for his failures in the final judgment at the Great White Throne.
    • The eye (the window of the soul) and the mouth that speaks what is in the heart must be in agreement. If they are not, the person does not really believe what he just said. He is deceiving you.
    • This proverb reminds us of Judas Iscariot that betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
  • ^“ The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” (11)
    • Key words: righteous (pure life); wicked (lawless evil).
    • The Bible tells us that out of the heart the mouth speaks. (Mat 12:34)
      • If the person is a believer in Jesus Christ and has the righteousness of Christ over him, he has the Holy Spirit living inside of him. He will speak about what God has done for him. (Rom 10:9)
      • The Holy Spirit is that well of water springing up to overflow in the life of others. (Joh 4:14)
    • Read Rom 3:10-18
      • This is the description by the Apostle Paul of the non-believer.
      • Paul tells us that this non-belief and failure to acknowledge God affects man’s speech because he has evil without restraint in his heart.
  • ^”Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (12)
    • Hatred in the heart causes conflict in personal relationships.
    • Love in the heart will give the other person the benefit of the doubt and extend love even when sin is committed. (1Pet 4:8 repeats this verse.)
    • Read 1Cor 13:4-8a
    • Forgiveness is the result of love.
  • ^“ 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.” (13)
    • Key word: understanding (discernment of good from evil); wisdom (skillful living): void (lacking).
    • The person that is living skillfully in Jesus Christ will be able to discern good from evil from God’s perspective.
    • The “rod” in this verse is the rod of correction = spanking. God’s wisdom applies physical punishment to rebellious children and to fools.
    • Life and its consequences will punish the person that has no interest in discerning good from evil.
    • This proverb reminds us of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. People from other nations came to hear King Solomon’s wisdom, but his own son would not listen to his father. (1Kin 12) His foolishness brought division and civil war to Israel.
  • ^“ Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.” (14)
    • Key words: wise (believer in Christ); knowledge (power to know truth); foolish (no God for me).
    • The believer in Jesus Christ will have an interest in discovering the truth about life and this world from God’s perspective which includes controlling his tongue. (Jam 1:26; 3:1-10)
    • The Holy Spirit’s job is to reveal truth to the believer. (Joh 16:13)
    • The foolish person that says he does not want anything of God in his life is equally foolish because at the end of his life is spiritual destruction and an eternity in the lake of fire. When he first puts his foot on this wrong path, he is already near inevitable destruction.
  • Work and Lifetyle:
  • ^“ The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.” (15)
    • The rich man that does not know God puts his confidence in his wealth to supply all his needs instead of having faith in God.
    • This illustration presents to the people around him the attitude that his life is a fortress controlled by him and his money.
    • Because the poor have no money to fortify their life against financial problems, they live a bleak existence.
    • Of course, in this proverb both the rich man and the poor man need a relationship with God through Jesus Christ because God has promised throughout the Bible to meet man’s basic needs.
  • ^“ The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” (16)
  • Key words: righteous (pure life); wicked (lawless evil).
    • God will prosper the believer in Jesus Christ in his job as he lives his life in fellowship with Christ. The rewards of living in obedience to Christ are a fulfilled life here on this earth and an eternal life in fellowship with God.
    • The only fruit of a life lived apart from God is sin and of course the wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23)
      • This is spiritual death for eternity called the “second death” in the Bible. (Rev 20:6, 14 Apo 21:18)
      • The second death is an eternity away from the presence of God in the lake of fire.
    • This proverb reminds us Cain and Abel. Both sacrificed to God but Cain’s sacrifice was the works of his own hands that did not merit anything with God. The sacrifice of Abel was a lamb. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. (Heb 9:22)
  • Summary and Application:
  • ^“He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.” (17)
  • Key words: instruction (moral discipline for discernment); reproof (correction).
    • This last part of this proverb reminds us of Absalom, David’s son, that rebelled against his father to take the throne.
    • Here is the application for your life…
      • Are you permitting the Holy Spirit to correct your behavior, your beliefs, your motives, and your perspective? If you can answer yes because you see your life change, then you know that you are on the right path in the “way of life” in Jesus Christ.
      • If you are not permitting the Holy Spirit to make corrective changes in your life, you are either making a big mistake or worse, you do not belong to Christ having never invited Christ into your heart so as to experience the indwelling Holy Spirit. If that is the case in your life, consider repenting of your sin and asking Christ to live inside of you.

Homework
Proverbs 10:18-32

• Application of Pro 10:1-17
  • What does verse 3 mean?
    God makes a difference between believers and non-believers. He takes care of those people that have a personal relationship with Him to meet all their needs.
  • What is it that the wise in heart will receive? (8)
    The commands of God.
  • What does it mean to walk uprightly? (9)
    To have a relationship with Jesus Christ and walk in obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
  • Why is reacting in love always better? (12)
    It is what God did for us when He sent Christ to die for us. Love gives priority to what is best for the other person.
  • If you are walking in the way of life, what is it you are keeping? (17) What does that mean?
    • You are paying attention to the moral discipline by the Holy Spirit that God is using in your life so that you learn how to walk skillfully.
• Preparation for Pro 10:18-32
  • Read Pro 10:18-32
    • What does verse 18 tell you about the fool that says there is no God for him?
    • What do you think verse 21 means?
    • Why is the righteous person described as an “everlasting foundation”? (25)
    • Is verse 27 always true? Why or why not?
    • What does verse 30 mean when it says that the wicked will not inhabit the earth?
    • Pick one of the proverbs from this section that is your favorite and explain what it means.
• Memory verse: Your choice of one verse from chapter 10:18-32.