Prov 10.10
¹⁰ He who winks the eye causes trouble,
And a babbling fool will be ruined.

Our Proverb is an insightful lesson in character. Lack of character, even just a “little,” destroys significantly. Lack of character, a “lot,” destroys greatly!

winks the eye – often a form of deception, or an insinuation about a person, a mocking gesture

trouble – wounds, sorrow, pain, sadness – often to others and then to self, note that “ruin” is a personal payback!

foolish of lips – talks randomly, without wisdom, flippant, extreme, angry, know it all type

ruined – a very harsh result, thrown down, out, away!

So Character – So Fruit

Proverbs is building a theme for the wise to receive instruction in life. This focus on character confirms fundamental farming, what you sow, you reap.

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:

Prov 6.12-13
¹² A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,
¹³ Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
Who points with his fingers;

Prov 16.3
³ Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established.

Sharpening for my life:

Character is crucial! Its lack not only destroys others, it destroys me! The lack of character can be seen on almost any nightly news! Our culture makes a very unbiblical move. It separates “character” from “performance.” Ones character is not really important “if” you can score that touchdown, make that basket, close that business deal, etc. We so reward “scoring” (notice how far down we keep score in even the games children play!) we come to believe winning is everything, and second place is only the first place of the losers! Consider that character is far more important to our Lord than any points scored. Maybe it’s time to score in character and give the Lord the glory in your life.

It’s vital to see that character is lived out, worked out, walked out, in the crevices of life! Consider where there are cracks in your character where the Lord’s testimony in your life is leaking away. Make a decision today to correct that crack by walking, talking, thinking, acting in godly ways.