Introduction

Hello everyone, the whole Proverbs is talking about wisdom and folly. Today let's look at Proverbs Chapter 10. There is a lot of information in this chapter and it is very difficult to summarise this entire chapter in just 1 sentence. The difficulty is there but we should not think that Solomon wrote useless things. Solomon created a summarization of all the wisdom and folly in this world.

When I read the Bible, I like to look for repeated phrases. All of the repeated phrases have a purpose, they are the most important things in the chapter. Repetition causes people to remember things, so if you repeat it at least 3 times people may remember. If you say it 10 to 20 times, people will have a high possibility to remember it.

Frankly speaking, this method has its pros and cons. I searched this chapter to find repetitions. The word evil and righteous appeared 10 times, heart and mouth repeated 8 times, wisdom and folly repeated 7 times, hard-working and laziness repeated 2 times, and poor and rich repeated 2 times too. Once we find the 2 most important things in this chapter, we will be able to create a summary by winding other parts of it together too.

The theme of this chapter can be like this: Wisdom and folly are all in people's words and their thoughts. Although these two words: evil and righteous are not in it. But actually, the righteous have more wisdom and the evil has more folly.

People that say weird things are foolish

**When we communicate with others, we look at their outward appearance and not their heart. But the truth is that when somebody starts speaking, you will immediately realize what kind of person he is.**What is in his heart comes from his mouth, that's was Jesus taught us.

The good man brings forth good out of the good stored up in his heart; the wicked brings evil out of the evil stored up in his heart; for out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

If we analyze some of the things he says, we can quickly figure out if he is a good or bad person, if he's a wise or foolish person, if he is efficient or lazy, and if he is rich or poor. So when I talk to people, I pay a lot of attention because what people say represents what kind of person they are. Even if we are thoudsands kilometers apart, through the internet we can still figure out what kind of people they are by the way they talk. So, think carefully about the things you have said before, even if some people brush their teeth many times, the words they say can pollute the air. Why? Because the things they say are bad. We should be careful when somebody starts to say bad things. If you hear foolish or bad words, you should stay away from them.

Proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes his father happy. A foolish son worries his mother. (Proverbs 10:1)

A man without wisdom and knowledge is just a fool, making those who love him miserable all day long. Through the interaction between a person and his parents, you can see whether or not he is a foolish person. We shouldn’t question our parents and their way of parenting, those things aren't important. If you want to know whether someone is smart or foolish, you can tell by the things they say and the things they think of in their heart, and also their reaction to things. You can easily see this through their reaction to money.

Ill gain is of no use. Only righteousness can save a man from death. (Proverbs 10:2)

Foolishness and wisdom are all in the words and the heart of a man. How somebody thinks in their heart is how they talk. If they want ill-gotten gains but dislike justice, it will be very hard for their parents. If they keep getting spoiled for no reason, they will keep gnawing the old but won’t do anything for their parents when they grow up.

The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry. He will push away whatever the wicked desire. (Proverbs 10:3)

A wise person will not starve or be poor. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A person who fears the Lord and has trust in God is righteous. Being a good person does not mean he is a righteous person. A righteous person is righteous in God's eyes. Only God can decide if someone is evil or righteous. When Solomon was writing these things, he kept trying to explain these things to us.

Laziness is also foolishness

The lazy will suffer poverty. but the industrious will be rich. (Proverbs 10:4)

If a person is poor, it is because they are lazy. The folly inside will lead to poor. If you see a poor person that is always hungry and does not have any food to eat, the first thing you should think of is, “how can he be like this?” When I see the people I am shepherding do not have knowledge, I always think to myself “Wow, I do not have much knowledge either.” I really do not know what to do to help them. I feel bad for them because if they still are lazy and foolish, their situation won’t get better.

In the bible, Jesus said it very well. If he is hungry give him something to eat, if he is thirsty give him something to drink, if he doesn’t have clothes give him something to wear. But when some people see the poor, they give them a lot of money, but why? Are you willing to help him pay off his debt? If he failed in the stock market, are you willing to pay for his loss? You can’t help a poor person, either they will become poor again or they will become greedy for ill-received profit. You must teach him to be wise and not to be lazy.

Wise people harvest in the summer, but stupid people sleep through the harvest season. Lazy people don’t learn when they go to school, they act like they are very smart and good, but they can’t really do anything right. When they grow up, they won’t work for anything. What a tragedy it is! But the problem is that when he is poor, he will love money and if he loves the money he will do evil things, when he does evil things, God will hate him.

So knowledge and wisdom are shown through what the person says and thinks. When we see a 20, 30-year old who has accomplished nothing, we think to ourselves, “Wow, I wonder what happened to him?” Because if somebody is lazy, can they learn anything? Whatever he does go wrong. He can’t find a job, and everything he does is useless. Isn’t that very unfortunate? So when people are poor, they try to get money easily by doing evil things.

Blessing crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:6)

The mouth of the righteous is the fountain of life. violence blinds the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:11)

The word from a man's mouth is very powerful. When I was young, I lived in a very poor place. If people didn’t have something, they would rob it. My family told me not to go outside when it got dark because there were lots of dangers at that time. But if people were wise and not poor, they wouldn’t do these things.

Wisdom is accumulated

So the wise accumulate knowledge. The mouth of a fool is quick to ruin. (Proverbs 10:14)

When some people open their mouths, you know what kind of people they are. Because they have never read any books, and they don't have knowledge and wisdom. When you ask them to start taking notes, they say, “what is the point of this? What problems can doing this solve?” Then you know how foolish he is.

Of course, it can solve all of your big problems. If you use Proverbs chapter 10 in your life, can it solve your broken toilets and taps? No, it can’t! But God's words will set your foundation for life.

Learn a little today, and then learn a little bit more tomorrow. Then you can accumulate some knowledge. If you don't learn today, don't learn tomorrow, then what is the final result? You will be a really foolish person. Do some people wonder what the point of learning is? Learning is very important in order to succeed in life. Some people have the ability to be wise and have lots of money, but some people have the ability to be poor and hungry too.

The industry of the righteous leads to life. The proceeds of the wicked lead to death. (Proverbs 10:16)

The industry of the righteous does not only show in his work, it also shows in his study. People need to learn to get knowledge. Just a little bit of knowledge will not do anything, but if you learn a little bit more every day, then it will be very useful.

He who keeps instruction is on the way of life. Whoever breaks rebuke has lost his way. (Proverbs 10:17)

Some people, however much you explain things to them, will never absorb it, but if you teach someone who is smart, they will easily learn it and understand it. If somebody learns every day, they are on the path of the righteous and the successful. Learning should be something everybody does for their whole life.

Why do we feel hard to understand Proverbs? Because what Solomon said in the Bible is not the same as our internal logic system, and it is completely different from what we think. What we want is to get money fast, and get something useful immediately. It is ignorant if we just follow what we think inside.

He who hides hatred has a lying mouth. He who slanders is a fool. Too much talk is inevitable. It is wise to forbid lips. The tongue of the righteous is high silver. The heart of the wicked is worth little. The mouth of the righteous trains many. A fool dies of ignorance. (Proverbs 10:18-21)

Some people don’t have much knowledge but have a lot to say. But because they have no knowledge, however much they say is worthless. If people are full of hate, they will judge other people often, and they will think that they are very smart. Now how can they stop judging others? They can’t really do anything because they always try to hide their foolishness. But foolishness cannot be hidden, without wisdom, whatever they say has no worth.

The wise and knowledgeable are one type of people, the lazy and the foolish are another type of people. A lazy, poor man with a lying mouth is very annoying, he cannot hide his foolishness. So that's why foolish people perish because of their ignorance. If you want to know whether a person is foolish or wise, you can judge from what he says. Solomon was trying to tell us all along that folly is in people's words and their hearts.

The mouth of the righteous is the fountain of life. violence blinds the mouth of the wicked. Hate can stir up disputes. Love covers all faults. A wise man has wisdom in his mouth. The ignorant man carries the rod on his back. The wise store up knowledge. The mouth of a fool is quick to ruin. (Proverbs 10:11-14)

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom

If you want to be a smart, wise person that God favours, you need to keep searching for the understanding of God.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To know the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Don’t think that you are smart and have wisdom, don’t be self-righteous. When I am talking to someone who is foolish, I feel sad because the things they say are worthless.

The blessing of the LORD makes a man rich, and adds no anxiety. (Proverbs 10:22)

So brothers and sisters, become someone with wisdom. If you have money but no wisdom, it will be a tragedy. People without wisdom have no fear of God or knowledge, it will be very painful for them.

A foolish person has fun doing evil things, but a wise person takes joy in wisdom. (Proverbs 10:23)

When I was young, I saw a lot of these kinds of people. When a blind person walked by, people wouldn’t help them, but instead, they would purposely put something on the ground to make the blind fall. Wasn’t that so evil? They would often do this to those who are paralyzed or have difficulties walking, this is so bad!

What is wisdom? Wisdom is God, God is wisdom, the fear of the Lord is the key to wisdom, and knowing the Holy One is the beginning of understanding. When the storm passes by, the foolish and wicked are gone, but the foundation of the wise and righteous person lasts forever. Maybe you will suddenly become rich one day and not know where the money comes from, and people will suddenly start liking you for your money. Then you know who can stand and who will fall after a storm. So you must be prepared during normal time.

The fear of the LORD lengthens the days; but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. (Proverbs 10:27)

If you are wise and knowledgeable and you always say positive things, you will live longer, but if you are wicked, your life will be short. There is a set date for your death and birth. But some people haven't even lived enough but have already died. The people in Sodom and Gomorrah have already done enough evil things, so God punished them and killed all of them before the day they were destined to die.

The hope of the righteous will rejoice; the hope of the wicked will perish. The word of the LORD is the strength of the upright, but it is the ruin of the workers of iniquity. The righteous will never move; the wicked will not dwell on the earth. The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverted tongue will be cut off. The mouth of a righteous man pleases, but the mouth of a wicked man speaks perverse things. (Proverbs 10:28-32)

I can tell you guys that when you say horrible things too much, you will lose your life. Don’t think that it is fine, you never know when God is going to kill you. God has many books. Inside these books, the things you have said, and done and thought are recorded. God can easily take away your life.

Why don’t we hope for rewards in eternal life? If we hope for eternal things, we will say things that please God, our hope is in God. But the hope of wicked people is in worldly things, such as money. They want to get money easily without any effort. Stolen money is their favorite because they didn’t have to work for it. These bad intentions cause people to perish. Not everyone can receive God’s grace, only wise people that fear God will receive that. If someone is evil and wicked, God will punish them.

If you get a disease and die, it's not normal. Some people say that God is lifting you into heaven. In the Bible, it doesn’t say that. If you are evil and don't repent, when you are about to die, you will receive a very serious illness. Your mouth, heart, and hands will react to the problems you have. God wanted to help us, but do we deserve it?

Many Christians read the Bible and immediately think that they are saved. You have to understand that you are not right and that you still need to learn and seek wisdom. If you are self-righteous and use your own wisdom to solve things, once you open your mouth, you will start saying foolish things. Don’t think that you are very smart because you are not.

Summary

I already told you that people were wicked when they were born. If you are righteous, it is because you changed, learned ,and kept seeking. Even if you keep learning, you might not become a wise person. If you have never been scolded or disciplined, you are a foolish person. You have to know that God and the devil are never wrong, if the devil keeps trying to bug you, you must realize that there is a problem. If somebody has not changed, it is because they have worldly logic.

What goes in cannot defile a person, but what goes out can defile a person. (Matthew 15:11)

If you interact with people and have a little bit of conflict, this person will reveal his true colors. It doesn't matter how much grace and wisdom you give this person, because he will not remember it. In fact, I'm used to this way of life. If it is the people I shepherd, I still feel a little sad in my heart, and I always feel that I don’t have the wisdom to solve these problems. May God have mercy on us and be gracious to us!

May God bless you all!