Summer in the Verbs: Going Home

We have been working through the book of proverbs this summer. Heeding wisdom from King Solomon, given to him by God. And we have gotten through the first 9 chapters, we will finish in chapter 10 today.

In all of this, the biggest thing that we have seen is the separation of wisdom from foolishness. Solomon has pointed to wisdom, time after time as the way to spend our time. He has introduced wisdom as a wonderful woman, that we should have a desire to be close to.

Wisdom isn’t just knowledge. It is the ability to apply knowledge with sound judgement and discernment - and in our case, it is the ability to apply that knowledge in a way that glorifies the Lord.

This is our last week in the Verbs. Vacation is over, and its time to get back to our jobs, our responsibilities. Time to go take care of our own things again.

Except now, we are wiser.

Except now, we understand temptation.

Except now, we comprehend laziness.

Except now, we know our God better.

Today we end our series in proverbs this year with Proverbs 10

Proverbs 10 starts a new section in proverbs. When people talk about proverbs, these next chapters are typically what they are talking about - because these are the one liners that you can carry with you that are Earthly wisdom.

These statements tell us how to raise our children.

These verses tell us how to manage our finances.

These verses tell us how to love our spouse.

These verses tell us how to work our job.

But before we get into any of that, we needed chapters 1-9 to tell us how to read the rest.

This is not merely a book of read this and do that.

But more importantly, this isn’t telling you how to get to heaven.

The Pharisees in Jesus’s time would have looked at the book of proverbs and seen each of these things as a rule - and a task. And they would have believed in themselves “If I do this, God will love me”

“If I do this task God will accept me”

If I am good at life, I will have eternal life.

And that is just not true.

All of these come from the safety of a loving relationship with a heavenly father.

A relationship with our Lord.

Jesus.

The person of wisdom.

We come to the book of proverbs and we have to read it as a blood bought Christian. We read it, as a child of God. We didn’t do anything to become children, and so it is not based on our worth or our works.

It has to be separated.

If you read all of these things, and try to apply them to your lives as rules, without Jesus, you will fall short.

The behaviors we read about here - and the rest of proverbs, are not things that God tells us to do to become his children.

They are not things you have to do in order for him to love you.

He already loves you.

If you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that Jesus is Lord - you are already his children.

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

There is no condemnation. You won’t be held accountable for this.

I did a funeral service earlier this week for a 93 year old man who had been a believer almost all of his life, but got to the end and doubted that he was good enough.

We cannot be good enough.

We cannot earn salvation.

We cannot earn God’s grace.

What we see here is different.

These are the instructions we have from a loving father on how to live life well.

That has been the plea of Solomon.

How to live the life that you are given well.

These are behaviors that God wants to produce in us, as already his children.

Conformed to the image of Christ.

in Theology land - we call this being Sanctified. Proverbs is about sanctification.

It reveals to us the areas of our lives where we fall short, and helps us to understand how we can change.

I hope this chapter reveals areas where we are foolish and sinful - and I hope that drives us to Jesus.

He is the only way.

If you see some of these things in your life that are foolish, it might reveal to you that you are worshiping something or someone other than Jesus. . It might even be that you idolize yourself!

Your comfort.

Your identity.

Your pride.

Your money.

You become the idol.

We want to be very careful of that.

God teaches us wisdom so that we might have the best life possible, and so that we might find true happiness that lasts forever. He loves you.

He wants good things for you.

So he gives us proverbs 10.

As we read this chapter - it seems like it is all over the place. We are going to hit all the topics. Because that is what Sanctification is. It is every area of your life.

It is all the things. Becoming more like Jesus.

Solomon echoes God’s instructions in Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 CSB

6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

God’s word - His way of life for us, is supposed to be something we talk about all the time. It is supposed to be something we discuss with our family all the time. It is supposed to be on your doorpost. On your wall. And Solomon talks like any old guy would talk. About everything all at once. Let’s hear together, Proverbs 10.

Read:

Proverbs 10 CSB

1 Solomon’s proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother. 2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death. 3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry, but he denies the wicked what they crave. 4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches. 5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. 8 A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed. 9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out. 10 A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. 14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction. 15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction. 16 The reward of the righteous is life; the wages of the wicked is punishment. 17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray. 18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. 19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent. 20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. 22 The Lord’s blessing enriches, and he adds no painful effort to it. 23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a person of understanding. 24 What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them. 25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand. 27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28 The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits evildoers. 30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth. 31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.

Thank you.

Jesus produces wisdom.

And in you - Jesus wants to produce wisdom when it comes to your finances and your work.

In you - Jesus wants to produce wisdom when it comes to your mouth.

In you - Jesus wants to produce wisdom in your relationships.

In you - Jesus wants to produce wisdom that leads to eternity.

In this chapter, Solomon expresses that if you will work. If you will actually do the stuff, and finish the job, God is going to take care of you.

When we think of laziness, we think of someone binged out on the couch eating bon bons and watching another show on netflix.

But here it is more than that. It is inaction.

It is failing to finish.

Not seeing things through. Laziness looks like allowing distractions to take you away from the tasks at hand.

Laziness keeps you from providing for your family or from the ability to have a family.

If you will work, God will take care of you. It may not be in the way that you want or the way that you thought, but he will not let you go hungry. Consider the lilies and the sparrows .

God wants to produce wisdom in your work and your finances.

God wants to produce wisdom in your MOUTH.

A wise heart accepts commands but foolish lips will be destroyed. The ESV uses the phrase a babbling fool.

I like to say “You’re talking out of your rear end”

All of us think we are right - we believe we have things mostly figured out. But the fool refuses to hear anyone else.

We have to know - in our hearts, we might not know best. But you can’t learn, if you are the only one talking.

Wisdom is being able to receive advice and instruction humbly.

Proverbs 13:3 CSB

3 The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

If you are one who loves to hear the sound of your own voice and speak more than you listen, you might be a fool.

People who talk alot, sin a lot. You invite destruction.

The more you talk, the more likely something stupid is going to come out of your mouth.

God wants to produce to wisdom in your mouth. Its all over the book of Proverbs.

Jesus wants to produce wisdom in the area of your relationships.

The way that you treat others is supremely important to the Lord. Whether you are the kind of person who loves your neighbor or makes fun of them reveals whether you are wise or a fool.

Whether or not you can keep a secrete, reveals whether you are wise or you are a fool.

And we know how that goes.

Someone comes to you, and tells you something they just have to get off of their heart.

And you hold it… with good intentions, for a solid 15 minutes.

And then you tell somebody.

But you tell them not to tell! So its okay!

They won’t tell anyone.

Except they do. Just as quickly as you do.

And all of a sudden, everyone you know knows what you know and they know who you know.

And the person who told you is devastated.

Jesus wants to produce wisdom in your relationships.

So that we might get to a place where you take care of people. Where you honor your parents. Where you respond well the the needy. Who and how you pursue dating and marriage.

And

Being a f

And so we have Proverbs 10. And today is August 10th.

My challenge to you is this - for the rest of this month, read a chapter in the book of Proverbs each day, and use the date to tell you what chapter to read. Let us together finish this summer in wisdom.