Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Proverbs of the Mouth, Conclusion Proverbs 10:17-23

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Proverbs 10:17-23

[17] Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

[18] The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

[19] When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

[20] The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

[21] The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense.

[22] The blessing of the LORD makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.

[23] Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. (ESV)

Proverbs of the Mouth, Conclusion

v.17 In this verse, we again hear about the path that leads to life, which we remain on as long as we listen to the instructions of Divine Wisdom, which is the way of righteous living. Conversely, the one who rejects correction for foolishness, who does not listen to Wisdom when she shows us to be in error, finds himself on the path which leads to death. The path leading to death is implied, but what is new here is the explicit statement that the rejector of correction potentially leads others astray as well. It is implied, then, that those on the path of life may, therefore, potentially influence others to the path of righteous living as well, as Barnabas did for Paul (Acts 9:27; 11:22-26).

v.18 We return to specific proverbs of the mouth in this verse. Here we have a warning against two kinds of sin which involve speech. In the first, Wisdom says that the person who covers up their hatred is a hypocrite. The second speaks of expressing one's hatred through their words. While they seem contradictory, we come away with the wisdom that hatred is foolishness when we think about it. Nothing wise is to be gained by either hiding it or broadcasting it. Why not prayerfully confront it?

v.19 Idle chatter, where one's words are many, will often lack discretion and transcend into folly and sin. Have you ever nervously tried to respond to something in conversation, thinking on your feet, and something utterly stupid that you may not even mean comes out? In hindsight, you discover it was better to remain silent and think things through rather than be exposed as a fool or succumb to hurtful or sinful speech. Such restraint of the tongue is prudence, says Wisdom.

v.20 This verse expands on v.19 and puts it into perspective by depicting righteous speech. Unlike the sin against the eighth commandment of v.18, the positive keeping of this commandment by "putting the best construction on everything" is said to be like choice silver. We are not to remain mute lest we ever sin because the discerning and wise may say things of great value. The one who rejects God's grace is the one who has nothing of value to say. Jesus also addressed this: "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and they are the things that defile a person. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders." (Matthew 15:18–19 ESV).

v.21 Continuing similarly, righteous speech is now depicted as feeding many. The Hebrew word translated here as "feed" could also be rendered as the verbs "shepherd" or "guide." Righteous lips can offer spiritual food, guiding others to Divine Wisdom and the path of life. The fool, lacking sense, cannot nourish even himself and, by careless speech, lead others to starvation.

v.22 The blessings of the Lord, while they may not provide temporal prosperity and tangible wealth, certainly provide everything we need for daily spiritual richness. The wise do not automatically receive abundant mundane comforts. However, the wise discern that all material and spiritual blessings are gifts of God to be received with thanksgiving to Him and not self-congratulation.

v. 23 The fool delights in his own cleverness, basking in whatever scheme he has hatched to get one over on someone else, enrich himself, or avoid scrutiny for his actions. He is preoccupied with his own cleverness. The man of understanding, who fears the Lord, which is the beginning of Wisdom, knows God sees everything. This wisdom is his delight, and he finds his joy in the knowledge of his Lord, Jesus Christ, and exercises discretion over his words and actions.