Proverbs 10 Commentary
The first 9 chapters were about lady Wisdom and lady Wickedness. The next 9 chapters will contrast the righteous and the wicked.
These chapters are beautifully crafted with contradictions to provoke further thoughts.
Righteousness delivers from death. Or, the wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death. Or, the fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. What about the observed fact that both the righteous and the wicked end up in the grave?
Could it be that we simply don’t understand what the LORD means by these two words; life and death? Probably yes. In the Garden of peace and tranquility, the LORD forbade Adam and Eve from eating fruit from the tree that was in the middle of the Garden, otherwise death would result. Of course, they did eat but we know they still lived beyond this point to father the rest of humanity.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11 verses 25 and 26.
Then you know the scripture is not joking!
The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. Verse 3. But then the rest of the chapter goes on telling us what makes the righteous ‘have food’. Diligence, prudence, integrity, truthfulness, intelligence, kindness, and obedience. The depth of this contradiction can be seen in the fact that the world preaches these traits as pillars to success – all without God.
But there is no contradiction. The first 9 chapters labored to impress the thought that lady Wisdom was the embodiment of diligence, prudence, integrity, and other qualities.
And right here we have another important statement to help understand this chapter. “It is the Lord’s blessing that makes you wealthy. Hard work can make you no richer.” Verse 22 GNT.
It is clear that the scripture is expanding the role lady Wisdom or simply displaying the works of lady Wisdom in the saint’s life. We cannot, therefore, seek these qualities individually and independently of lady Wisdom.
Once Solomon, the man specifically credited as the source of this material here, had asked for Wisdom, the LORD was so happy that He released the ‘rest’.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. It is a call to seek the LORD Jesus Christ – the wisdom of God.
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