Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Proverbs of the Mouth Pt.1 Proverbs 10:6-23

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Proverbs 10:6-23

[6] Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

[7] The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.

[8] The wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

[9] Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

[10] Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin. (ESV)

Proverbs of the Mouth, Part 1

v.6 This verse connects this section to the previous by contrasting the righteous and the wicked and the use of the word "blessings." Verse six contrasts the blessings of a righteous person with the destructiveness that comes from the mouth of a wicked person, which may incite those who listen to them to engage in unrighteous speech as well.

v.7 To the righteous, God grants the blessing of being remembered. Whether this is a remembrance by God or other people or both is unclear, but the thrust of this verse is to think in terms higher than mere secular notoriety. God's enduring remembrance of His saints promises salvation and eternal life.

v.8 Contrasts the wise person, who keeps the commandments, with the fool who is so wrapped up in the sound of his own voice that he comes to ruin in the world to come as well as a possible punishment in this life.

v.9 Connected to vv.7-8, this does not have any imagery about the mouth. But the word “crooked” links it to v.10-12 thematically with regard to people who are corrupt. These folk can never be secure in their words and deeds because their actions and motives will be revealed by God and judged.

V.10 It’s OK to wink at someone! What this reference probably refers to is the action of winking at a co-conspirator, used as a signal to another who is involved in his sinful designs. Think of the overacted kind of wink the bad guys used in cartoons when we were little. Winking is always a negative gesture in the book of Proverbs (here, as well as 6:13 & 16:30), as well as in Psalm 35:19. The winking and babbling are the actions of a dishonest or evil schemer in collusion with other like-minded sinners.

Tomorrow will continue with this section on proverbs of the mouth.