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Apr
14

A Look at Proverbs 10.31

By | Proverbs

Pr 10:31
31 The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

 The Parts:

Parallelism Examined

31a

31b

mouth of the righteous

perverted tongue

flows with wisdom

(does not flow with wisdom)

(will not be cut off)

will be cut off

flows – “bears fruit,” “brings increase”

perverted – root means to “turn, over turn.” Often used of sin connected with the mouth, Pr2.12; heart, Pr6.14; eyes, Pr16.30; mind, Pr23.33.

cut off – also cut out, cut down. Beyond its literal meaning, it pictures: root out, eliminate, remove, excommunicate, destroy.

References to consider:

Pr15.9
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves one who pursues righteousness.

Num15.30
30 ‘But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

Gen9.11
11 “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Ex12.15
15 ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Sharpening for my life today:

This gem of wisdom opens for us the fruit of speech. Wisdom, skill in living, involves a right attitude and approach to all areas of life, speech being one of the very important ones! At the core of this wisdom is edification, that is, building up others, which is fundamentally what loving someone is about.

A distinct way of not loving is “words turned upside down.” Here we would find all facets of untruth, deception, “white lies” (where did such foolish thinking ever come from? It takes the blood of the Savior to cleans “white lies”! There is no such thing!), denials, etc. It is very much worth noting that this motivation to harm others is met with God’s harm of the one who so practices this perversion! This truth of life is called talionic justice, or, by the measure which you measure it will be measured to you, or, what you sow you reap!

Take some time and think about “fruit bearing words.” This isn’t the “form” of the words, it’s the “results” of the words. Are your words bearing fruit, building up, bringing a blessing?

Consider the New Testaments’ direction, Eph4.29-31 . . . 
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Col4:6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

The Doctrine of Words in Proverbs
The wrong uses of one’s words include lying (Pr26:28), which God hates (Pr 6:16–17; 12:22); slander (Pr 10:18; 30:10); gossip, which betrays confidences (Pr 11:13; 20:19), separates friends (Pr 16:28; 17:9), and is not easily forgotten (“they go down to a man’s inmost parts,” Pr 18:8; 26:22); chattering (Pr 10:19; 19:7; 20:19); false witnessing (Pr 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 28; 21:8; 25:18); mocking (Pr 13:1; 15:12; 22:10; 24:9; 30:17); perverse or harsh talk (Pr 10:13, 31–32; 12:18; 13:3; 15:1, 28; 19:1, 28); boasting (Pr 17:7; 25:14; 27:2); quarreling (Pr 17:14, 19; 20:3); flattery (Pr 26:28; 28:23; 29:5); and foolish talk (Pr 14:7; 15:2, 14; 18:6–7).
Roy B. Zuck, A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991), 241.
Sep
02

A Look at Proverbs 10.14

By | Proverbs

Prov 10.14
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

14a

14b

wise men

foolish (men)

store up

(do not store up)

knowledge

(knowledge)

(for profit, good, ministry)

ruin is at hand

store up – treasure, hold close . . . not to hoard but for a definite purpose. This is not just inventory but a storehouse of blessing. Wise people speak with deliberation, weighing their words!

knowledge – this is an apprehension of reality, experience, how things work. Unfortunately, we thing “knowledge” is just information! As a result we have vast numbers in our culture educated beyond their intelligence!

ruin – “to be broken,” thus ruin, can include terror and dismay. Fools don’t weigh their words, they just dump their mouths!

at hand – being most near, even intimate proximity like a kinsman or neighbor, a relationship

References to consider:

Prov 18.6
6 A fool’s lips bring strife,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Prov 9.9
9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

Prov 13.3
3 The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Eph 4.29
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ezek 24.16-17
16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come. 17 “Groan silently; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your mustache and do not eat the bread of men.”

When do I “speak,” or “share,” or “tell,” or “express”? Notice carefully God’s words to Ezekiel on an occasion of major grief and sorrow. “Groan silently” . . . 

God acknowledged Ezekiel’s thoughts, feelings, passion are real. He did not tell Ezekiel to not think or feel. He told him to acknowledge this “inwardly” (which is always to/before the Lord).

God directed him to control the expression of his emotions, words, thoughts according to the constraints of a larger purpose.

Let’s summarize. Our thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings are to be . . . 

  • Acknowledged to ourselves and God according to their full weight (positive or negative).
  • Subordinated in public expression to allowing God to use us for His purposes. Expression is legitimate only when it does not conflict with God’s purposes. Always evaluate whether my expression will serve God, thus minister to another person. [For further reading along this line, see the excellent book by Larry Crabb, “The Marriage Builder” (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982), pp 68-70.]

Sharpening for my life today:

Prov 27.17

Prov 27.17

Let me share an unfortunate actual story. A fine Christian woman’s husband died unexpectedly. It was a devastating shock and as a result she felt deep and sudden loss and pain. A couple representatives (I won’t say “Deacons” so you won’t brand some poor denomination) from her church paid her a visit at this time of grief. Their “word” for her was Rom 8.28,

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Therefore, she was not to grieve, trust God, and move on with life.

While these representatives “word” was absolute truth from God’s Word, and more than likely well intentioned, they were not “wise words.” The goal of “words” is always to minister, not provide quick solutions, which are often directed to cut off feelings and interaction. God is not concerned about our giving answers! He is deeply concerned about our ministry to strengthen, support, care, minister!

Even fools can have good information and a great ability to express themselves! Unfortunately, they often don’t store wisdom, they just dump their mouth! Our goal is to minister!

Aug
13

A Look at Proverbs 10.11

By | Proverbs

 Prov 10.11
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

11a

11b

mouth of the righteous

mouth of the wicked

is

conceals

fountain of life

violence
sharpen_150x117

Prov 27.17

mouth – a figure of speech for what proceeds from the mouth, our words, our speech, indeed, our very heart, cf. Matt 15.18 below. Our mouth is the window to the world of our heart/mind!

mouth of the righteous – “righteous” is always tied to relationship, 1st with the Lord, then with those around us. These words are wisdom based, consistent, true, fair, loving, upbuilding.

mouth of the wicked – a “wicked” person is someone not in relationship; they’re only looking out for self! Therefore, the words are partial in truth, manipulative in direction, self?satisfying, self?promoting. There is no substance in these words (or in the life that speaks them!).

fountain of life – a source of vitality, strength, refreshment, healing, benefit

violence – almost always sinful violence. This is a characteristic of those judged in the Flood, cf. Gen 6.11 where this word parallels “corrupt,” and Gen 6.13 where it parallels “destroyed.”

This rendition “But the mouth of the righteous conceals violence” is preferable to the NIV, which follows Delitzsch (Proverbs Volume 1:212–13) in taking “mouth” as the object rather than subject. The NIV also translates “conceals” as “overwhelms” (also v6) which is forced and not the best translation of kasah. The idea is the wicked use their mouth, a figure of speech for their words, to cover/conceal their violence.
See: Duane A. Garrett, vol. 14, “Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs,” electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1993).

Proverbs’ focus on character (noted in the previous verse) continues here. It is “character” which preserves, is blessed, and brings a blessing.

Prov 10.6-11
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.

                        8 The wise of heart will receive commands,
                        But a babbling fool will be ruined.

                        9 He who walks in integrity walks securely,
                        But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

            10 He who winks the eye causes trouble,
            And a babbling fool will be ruined.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

References to consider:

Matt 12.34
34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

Matt 6.21
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matt 15.18
18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

Luke 6.43-45
43 “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.
44 “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.
45 “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Prov 13.14
14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.

Prov 4.23-24
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth
And put devious speech far from you.

Sharpening for my life today:

Character in my life produces “fruit” in the lives of others. The converse is also true, lack of character is fruitless to those around me, reason, the focus is on “self” which robs from others to satisfy me, even with my words!

We can literally come alongside another with a “fountain of life,” i.e., blessing, strength, healing, comfort, power, and more, with the words with speak!

Take a second look at the “References to consider” and let this tip of the iceberg from God’s Word soak in. Our words are very important, they reveal our character, they reveal our relationship with the Lord and with others. Our words are one of the significant ways the Lord works in and through us to display His glory and bring His blessing!