The other day, two similar things happened to me at the same time. First, I was talking to a friend of mine and he admitted to having had a hard morning. His family wasn't home, his schedule was being unexpectedly interrupted, and he was feeling emotionally off. He couldn't fully put his finger on the reason why he felt like he did, but he said his goal was to continue getting his work done in spite of his emotions.
At the same time that conversation was taking place, I received a text from a family friend who lives near where I grew up. She received news earlier that day that alarmed her, and she wanted an outside perspective on what she was experiencing, so we spent a few minutes chatting through her concern and getting to the heart of the matter.
I bring up these examples, because I think we all experience seasons in life when we feel uneasy. Maybe you're dealing with unexpected change in your life. Maybe you feel like you're being taken advantage of by someone you once trusted. Maybe you can't even put a finger on why you feel how you feel. Those experiences are common to us all, but what can we do when we're feeling uneasy or uncertain?
One of the things that you'll see as a pattern throughout Scripture is the Lord's invitation to trust Him in every circumstance. That's a pattern you'll see in Proverbs 10 as well. In this chapter, the Lord demonstrates the fact that He is overseeing our lives, working His will out through us, and bringing an end to the efforts of wickedness that threaten us. Let's look at some of the reasons the Lord assures us our hearts can be at peace.
I. The Lord won't let the righteous go hungry
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. (Proverbs 1b-5)
As you'll see in the statements included in this chapter, and in the coming chapters, many of the proverbs provide a contrast between the actions of the righteous and the wicked, or the wise and the foolish. We see that pattern clearly established in these verses in particular.
In speaking of the wicked, Solomon makes it clear that they bring sorrow and shame to their family, do not ultimately profit from their activity, will not be satisfied by the pursuit of their cravings, and will experience not only physical poverty, but relational and spiritual poverty as well. It isn't a pretty picture, but it is the reality of a life that's being lived absent of genuine faith in the Lord.
The righteous, on the other hand, are promised a much different outcome in their life. They bring gladness and honor to their family, experience spiritual life, are satisfied by what the Lord grants to them, and are amply supplied materially, relationally, and spiritually. The contrast between the wicked and the righteous couldn't be more stark.
But one of the things that really catches my eye about this group of verses is the Lord's promise that He will not let the righteous go hungry. How does that promise hit your ears? How does that assurance strike you?
Scripture tells us something very specific about righteousness. Left to ourselves, we aren't righteous. But through faith in Jesus, we are granted His righteousness as a gift. He imputes His righteousness to our account because we were deficient and needy.
"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:" (Romans 3:21-22)
Having received the gift of the righteousness of Christ through faith, I can personally testify to the fact that the Lord has met and continues to meet my every need. As a child, and as an adult, I have experienced some lean seasons that very easily could have taken me down the path of worry, but the Lord hasn't let that worry take hold in my heart because He has shown me in demonstrable ways that he feeds and meets the needs of those He calls His own. The Lord won't let the righteous go hungry. That is His promise to us.
II. The Lord will give you the right thing to say
Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. (Proverbs 10:6, 8, 10-14, 17-21)
I'm always amazed at just how important words are to the Lord. But when I think about it, that makes a lot of sense because Scripture tells us He spoke creation into existence and continues to uphold it by His powerful word.
"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1:3a)
The application of how our words are to be used is demonstrated in a variety of ways in this passage. Solomon tells us that the wicked and unwise use their words for destructive purposes, while the righteous and wise use their words to edify, bless, and honor.
The wicked promote violence, babble instead of listening, stir up strife, bring ruin, lead people astray, promote hatred, and engage in slander. The righteous receive instruction, promote life, forgive offenses, share wisdom, teach knowledge, and restrain themselves from speaking when it wouldn't be helpful.
In looking at these examples, I see a picture of the temperament of someone whose life is being led by the Holy Spirit verses someone whose actions are being dictated by the cravings of their sinful nature. We can build or we can destroy with our words, but a follower of Christ will emulate His example. We will use our words to make investments in the lives of others, and convey the wisdom and life found in His gospel.
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)
Don't underestimate the power of your words, particularly the words you speak to someone at a young or insecure season of life. One of the things that the Lord used to help sustain me during my youth was the kind words of one of the women in my home church. On many occasions during some of the most insecure seasons of my life, she used to say to me, "I don't know what God has planned for you, but I'm convinced He's going to do something special with your life. He has something amazing in store for you." I couldn't fathom why she was so convinced of that and why she would repeat it so often to me (and to my mother), but she was convinced of it.
She built me up with her words and God regularly spoke through her to me. She also made a point to teach me theology and other important spiritual concepts. And since that time, there are plenty of things that I have spoken from pulpits and written in books that were first explained to me by a woman in my home church who chose to make a verbal investment in my young and insecure life. I believe the Lord will also give you the right things to say if your heart and your tongue are submitted over to His lordship. If your life is submitted to the lordship of Christ, His Spirit will guide and direct your tongue to say precisely what's needed when it's needed.
III. The Lord will bring wickedness to an abrupt end
The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. (Proverbs 10:22-32)
We live in an era in which many people choose to be brazen and bold with their rebellion against the Lord. I realize that's not necessarily unique to our era, but it does surprise me to observe it. The longer I have known the Lord, the more foreign my heart is becoming to living in rebellion to Him. One of my prayers for myself and my household is that we would live in the fear of the Lord. That we would learn to revere, respect, and love Him so much that we won't attempt to take our lives in a direction marked by disobedience to Him.
The only reason that's a priority in my life is because Jesus Christ has gripped my heart. Now that I know Him, value Him, and find my joy through Him, my perspective toward what contributes to a good life is drastically different from what it once was.
There are many in this world, however, who are convinced they will find satisfaction and delight through their direct rebellion against the Lord. They don't fear Him. They make a joke of His will or His ways, and they're convinced they can get away with whatever they want to get away with. But soon enough, they'll realize that they can't. We will all give an answer for our lives before the Lord. Wickedness has a short shelf-life, and the Lord promises to bring it to an abrupt end in His perfect timing. As this proverb states, the very thing the wicked dread will eventually come upon them. Their years will be cut short, and their expectations will perish.
When I was a teenager, my room was covered in posters of my musical heroes. Many of them were the famous rock stars of the day, and for years, I considered them to be the model of what the ideal life looked like. Now that several decades have passed since I idolized those men, it has been interesting and tragic to observe what life has been like for them in the years since. Most of those who are still living seem to exist in a state of permanent sadness and regret. The foundation they built their lives upon was faulty, and it left a trail of destruction in its wake.
But Christ wants more for us than that. He wants us to experience the confident hope of being assured that He will meet our needs, speak through us in powerful ways, and that His righteousness will ultimately reign upon this earth.
Apart from His intervention, we were lost, but now that He has drawn us unto Himself, we can live with confident faith in Him. So if you've been feeling uneasy for good reasons or for no good reason, please remember the wise examples we see in this portion of Proverbs and remember we can trust the Lord no matter how we may feel in any given moment.
© John Stange, 2020
